Secret Ops

Karina Mikhli is a Fractional COO and Workflow Consultant. She is also the Founder of Fractionals United – a fast-growing online community for all current and wannabe fractional professionals. She has had a fascinating journey into operations, from the days of being a creative writing teacher, to a production assistant in publishing, and so much more in between.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why being a generalist helps you succeed
• Learning systems thinking through Trello
• Using no-code or low-code tools
• What the difference is between fractional leaders vs consultants
• Building the community ‘Fractionals United’

You can find Karina on LinkedIn.

You can join the Fractionals United community.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

John Quayle is graphic designer turned operations specialist with over 13 years of experience in marketing, business operations, and entrepreneurship. He is currently the Chief of Staff for an industrial automation robotics company, Four Growers. As a self-proclaimed “catch-all generalist that gets things done”, it was fascinating to learn more about his journey to operations.

In this episode we discuss:

• Technical tools for process management
• Applying entrepreneurship to operations
• John’s playbook for logistics and shipping processes
• The role of technical knowledge and automation in operations
• Managing the complexities of robotics

You can find John on LinkedIn.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

In this episode we flip the script. I am the guest and Joey Cofone, the CEO of Baronfig, designer, author of The Laws of Creativity (and my husband!) is the interviewer.

We reflect on what led me to operations and running my own business. From acting, backpacking to working at a gym – operations was threading throughout my career. Tune in as we talk about my different job roles, working in male-dominated environments, what is a fractional COO, at what (tipping) point companies need operational support – and a tale from my ‘karate days’.

You can connected with me on LinkedIn.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

Mickey Pearson, Operations Manager, approaches ops through the unique lens of both recruitment and operations, having wore both hats within the industry.

In this episode, we delve into using the right data to inform decision-making, auditing the best tools and platforms to use, bringing your secondary and tertiary skills to work – and why not all people in operations are Type-A.

I loved hearing how Mickey draws the parallel between operations and camping: “leave it better than you found it”.

You can find Mickey on LinkedIn.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

As someone who never connected with the title ‘Human Resources’, Hannah loves her role as People Business Partner – where she gets to do the people-side of operations and come up with strategies to implement change. In this episode we discuss more about what the role entails, the power of understanding P&L statements, the performative nature of hospitality, and what it was like working for a Michelin Star restaurant.

I loved hearing Hannah’s take on driving change: “when you have people fully engaged and bought in – that’s what makes change successful”. It always starts with the people!

You can find Hannah on LinkedIn.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

Blocknative is a Web3 infrastructure company, enabling dynamic user experiences and better decisions via pre-chain insights. Tune in as we unpack influences from Sean’s education technology background, demystifying Web3, asynchronous work and Blocknative’s process from onboarding team members.

It was refreshing to hear his thoughts on perfectionism: “the business is changing so rapidly, so I’ve learnt to be okay with ‘good enough’ and not spend too much time future-proofing”. We all need to remind ourselves about this, as the less you get things out the door and test, the less you learn.

You can find Sean on Twitter or at his website seanoconn.org.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

On this episode of Secret Ops, we go behind the scenes with Jay Desai, COO of Baronfig, to uncover his unique journey from aerospace engineering to operations in the world of ecommerce and physical product creation. Learn how Jay applies his engineering background to drive success in business operations and discover the key principles that guide his approach to successful execution.

What stood out to me was how he applies his background in engineering to his work: "Part of operations is planning for the worst and hoping for the best – so everybody knows what to do". It's a great reminder to have those things in place, so if or when something does go down, you have a manual at the ready to know what needs to be done.

You can find Jay on LinkedIn or at his website jaydesaibuilds.com.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Produced by Fina Charleson

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

On today's episode, we talk with Carmeanna Eberly, Director of Operations at Refine Labs, about how to think about operations strategically to minimize reactivity and maximize proactive preparedness.  From technology glow-ups to the actual benefits of engagement surveys, we discuss different approaches to supporting businesses in building out their operations from the ground up.

Carmeanna has a wealth of knowledge, but it was this simple piece of advice that stuck out to me—  "Understand what is the ideal state we want to get to and work back from there." In operations, at times, it's hard to know where to begin, but if you can articulate where we want to go, you'll have a north star to guide your efforts, resources, and time.

You can find Carmeanna on LinkedIn  and checkout Refine Lab's Talent Destination Podcast.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Mixed & Edited by John Balderston

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

On today's episode, Chelsey Firor, walks us through all of the operational components that go into getting a product to market as the Head of Operations. Starting with R&D through to manufacturing into distribution, each phase has its own challenges that change from day to day and sometimes minute to minute.

Like many of us in operations, Chelsey captured perfectly what keeps us coming back to this field of work — "The fact that it's always changing. Your job is never the same, week to week or month to month. I feel like I've been doing operations 8 or 9 years and I have a different job every few months, since it's in constant flux." Every day is a new day in the world of operations.

You can find Chelsey on LinkedIn.

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Mixed & Edited by John Balderston

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig

On today's episode, we talk with James Mazza, Chief of Emergency Medical Services of the Montclair Ambulance Unit, to bring to light all of the operational logistics and vital decision-making that go into supporting first responders. For over 15 years, he has worked in Emergency Medical Services, starting as a volunteer, to now becoming the Chief, managing everything from scheduling to payroll to fundraising. 

In business, we often talk about the importance of making data-driven decisions, but for James, this is not a nice to have, it's a necessity— "The thing that we do is medicine and science driven, so as these studies come out, the field changes every couple of years." Evolve or die is not just a saying in the world of Emergency Medical Services,

If you can, please donate to the Montclair EMS or your local EMS teams.

You can find and connect with James Mazza on LinkedIn  or email at [email protected].  Or check out his blog, whatifhistory.com

Learn more about my work at arianacofone.com or drop me a line at [email protected]!

Mixed & Edited by John Balderston

From our sponsor:

Unlock your creativity with Baronfig! Use code SECRET20 for 20% off your entire order. Minimum purchase of $50.00 required. Open to all customers with no usage limits. This exclusive offer is active today.

https://secret-ops.captivate.fm/baronfig