Systems Simplified

Eric Doumani is the Owner of Sunset Outdoor Creations, a family-owned general contracting business specializing in swimming pools and outdoor construction. Eric designs and builds pools and has led Sunset Outdoor Creations to become one of the top pool builders in Southern California.

If you’re burned out managing every aspect of your business, from clients to administrative tasks, it may be time for some structure. Yet many business owners in this situation hesitate to implement the proper systems and processes since they often fear the unknown outcomes. How can implementing and documenting processes make a transformative impact on your business?

While working long hours managing operations, projects, and selling, entrepreneur Eric Doumani felt hopeless and discouraged. He was so unfamiliar with delegation, hiring, and onboarding that when presented with systems to streamline his business, he became uneasy. However, after documenting and implementing delegation and hiring processes through interactive flow charts and step-by-step instructions, Eric acquired an office and project manager, allowing him to step away from the business and gain freedom.

In today’s episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit hosts Eric Doumani, the Owner of Sunset Outdoor Creations, to talk about how he transformed his business through delegation and hiring systems. Eric talks about the obstacles he faced while delegating, the key attributes of entrepreneurs, and how he overcame the lowest point in his business.

John Tarnoff is an Executive and Mid-career Transition Coach at Mid-Career Lab, where he helps mid-career professionals land more fulfilling jobs and build sustainable and meaningful careers. After spending 35 years as a field producer in the entertainment industry, John reinvented his career at age 50 to build a global coaching practice. He is a Designing Your Life Certified Coach, a Thrive Global Certified Executive Coach, and the author of Boomer Reinvention. 

Since the digital revolution, the job market has become volatile, making it difficult for mid-career professionals to transition to new roles or industries. How can these professionals position themselves in front of hiring managers, and how can companies reinvent their hiring processes to accommodate these individuals?

Having transitioned from a field producer to a career coach, John Tarnoff has developed a system for hiring and recruiting that dismantles ageist constructs. He advises both individuals and hiring managers to build a network of professional relationships to bypass traditional hiring processes and identify top talent. Managers should also focus on candidates’ future goals rather than their past performances to provide them with adequate career development. For mid-career professionals, identifying your purpose and positioning yourself as a thought leader allows you to land qualified and meaningful positions.

Tune in to the latest episode of Systems Simplified as Adi Klevit chats with John Tarnoff, the Executive and Mid-career Transition Coach at Mid-Career Lab, about career development for older professionals. John talks about the evolution of traditional hiring systems, the limiting beliefs around hiring mid-career professionals, and the importance of adaptability and resilience in today’s job market.

Matthew Pohl is the Owner, CEO, and Principal of The ReWild Group, a research and development company that has produced a transformative business growth strategy. He is also the Founder and Principal of Herculean Litigation Solutions, which provides data analytics solutions for complex commercial litigations. Matthew is the author of Organizational ReWilding Rules for Business Growth, a series of books detailing the seven stages of business growth. 

Research conducted on small and medium-sized businesses reveals that they often fail to grow because they don’t follow the rules outlined in their specific growth stages. What are these growth stages, and how can you navigate them effectively?

Seasoned entrepreneur Matthew Pohl has spent decades researching business growth systems, which consist of seven stages distinguished by the number of people on your team. Each stage focuses on people, processes, and profits, which you prioritize based on your current growth level. Matthew maintains that stage three is the most pivotal since it involves building your teams to prepare for delegation. Transitioning to the next stage successfully requires completing the previous phase’s requirements, like optimizing profits in stage two and developing a management team in stage three.

Tune in to the latest episode of Systems Simplified as Adi Klevit sits down with Matthew Pohl, the Owner, CEO, and Principal of The ReWild Group, to discuss the seven stages of growth. Matthew talks about the importance of assessing your company’s current growth stage, how to advance to the next level, and the systems for effective delegation.

Betsy Pepine is the Owner and a Real Estate Broker at Pepine Realty, a brokerage firm named as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies. As a serial real estate entrepreneur, she owns several companies in addition to a real estate brokerage, including a property management firm, a title company, a short-term rental business, and a real estate school. Betsy also founded Pepine Gives, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation that provides families facing housing insecurity with affordable and safe homes.

You could be at the height of your career with a burgeoning business that you built from the ground up, but without proper structures, systems, or a culture, it’s difficult to sustain long-term. How can you transform your business to make an impact on your team and achieve personal satisfaction?

When starting out, real estate powerhouse Betsy Pepine lacked business processes and a definite culture, acquiring only 1099 contractors who couldn’t drive any meaningful career growth. After her valued assistant quit, Betsy realized she couldn’t scale her business without structure and a sense of community. She began implementing EOS and other processes, hiring employees who aligned with her core values, and fostering relationships with her team to help them achieve their career goals. Betsy emphasizes the impact of nurturing your team beyond their professional capabilities, recognizing them for their character to gain loyalty.

Tune in to this week’s episode of Systems Simplified as Adi Klevit welcomes Betsy Pepine, the Owner and a Real Estate Broker at Pepine Realty, to discuss how she created a powerful shift in her company’s trajectory. Betsy talks about integrating work culture with personal fulfillment, her core principles of personal and professional success, and her recently released book.

Eisha Armstrong is the Co-founder and Executive Chairperson at Vecteris, which helps B2B companies productize their services and solution offerings. With over 25 years of experience launching data and information service businesses, she advises executives on building cultures that foster product innovation. Eisha is also the author of the best-selling books Productize and Fearless. Committed to empowering women, she has contributed to organizations, including Women Helping Women, and is a Limited Partner at New Wave Impact, a women’s investment firm.

Productization has emerged as a method for marketing and selling services to clients who lack the time and resources to perform in-house functions. The process involves multiple service levels that businesses can choose based on their capabilities. How can you productize your services and determine an ideal offering?

Productization veteran Eisha Armstrong says the most common method of productizing your services involves systemizing service delivery by implementing technology and packaging and pricing your offers like products. You can also promote one-time offerings like educational courses and books or product-as-a-service offers like software that performs specific business functions. Most businesses observe significant growth after implementing the first productization process, whereas others observe opportunities to diversify by bundling products and services.

In this latest episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit sits down with Eisha Armstrong, the Co-founder and Executive Chairperson of Vecteris, to discuss productizing your services. Eisha explains whether it’s profitable to bundle products and services, the premise of her books, and how to package and price services.

Brian Drucks is the Founder and CEO of Where Trades Go, a recruiting app that matches tradespeople and subcontractors with construction jobs. He is also the President of Drucks Inc., a commercial painting firm. As a versatile professional, Brian has 40 years of experience in the painting industry and is a public speaker and trainer for various trade associations. He began his career in the music industry, working on soundtracks for films and playing on stages with recognizable names. 

Recruiting, hiring, and onboarding in the trades industry are fractured systems. Companies either provide new employees with tools and set them loose, implement sophisticated training programs for new hires, or recruit tradespeople right out of school through apprenticeship programs. How can you unify these systems to identify skilled workers?

With 40 years of trade experience starting in his family’s business, Brian Drucks repeatedly encountered recruitment challenges. He developed a solution that eliminates the guesswork in hiring and recruiting by matching companies with skilled laborers. Once you identify a worker whose profile matches your ideal qualifications, Brian recommends implementing mentorship programs that allow veteran employees to delegate processes to newcomers, creating a scalable system that optimizes business outcomes.

In today’s Systems Simplified episode, Adi Klevit chats with Brian Drucks, the Founder and CEO of Where Trades Go, about revolutionizing recruitment in the trades industry. Brian shares how Where Trades Go acts like a dating app for companies and workers, how to onboard new employees effectively, and how to provide educational opportunities for new tradespeople.

Tammy Alvarez is the Founder and CEO of Career Winners Circle, a comprehensive collection of coaching and training programs that helps leaders grow their careers. With 20 years of C-suite experience on Wall Street, she understands how to coach and advise mid- to senior-level leaders on maximizing their careers. Tammy lectures on various leadership topics at Cornell University and has delivered her women in leadership program to the institution’s Entrepreneurial Incubator program.

Some employees and leaders radiate energy and determination, while others simply go through the motions and lack passion. What causes this disparity, and how can business owners shift the balance toward a more engaged and dynamic team?

Former C-suite executive turned career coach Tammy Alvarez notes that everyone is the CEO of their careers, so entrepreneurs should encourage their teams to treat their positions like a business. This requires positioning leaders to embrace the mindset shift and restructuring the business model to accommodate employees’ strengths. Business owners can also identify and gauge positive behavior, provide employees and leaders with a unique purpose, and balance empowerment with accountability.

In this week’s episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit hosts Tammy Alvarez, the Founder and CEO of Career Winners Circle, to talk about how entrepreneurs can promote career fulfillment. Tammy shares how to promote teamwork and productivity, the four-step system to fostering a fulfilling culture, and the common causes of career disengagement.

Ken Trupke is the Founder and President of Clarity Advisors, a consulting company that has developed a proven system for business growth. As an executive leader and business advisor, he helps companies refocus their teams to increase sales and scale profits. Ken is also the President of ProTrainings, a nationally recognized e-learning company, and the host of The Clarity Advisors Show.

Most entrepreneurs have goals for their businesses, but without clear directions, they run themselves and their teams in circles when trying to execute them. How can you gain clarity and align your team to achieve your goals?

Leadership consultant and advisor Ken Trupke has developed a strategic system for identifying, executing, and achieving goals. The methodology begins with the leader defining the objective that yields the highest ROI before allowing the team to develop a process for execution. This often involves evaluating your customers and their needs and your product and service offerings. Once you’ve defined your goals, Ken advises holding team members accountable by facilitating a daily or weekly standup meeting that tracks company-wide progress. 

In today’s episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit sits down with Ken Trupke, the Founder and President of Clarity Advisors, to discuss developing focused and cohesive business goals. Ken shares processes for conducting daily standup meetings, the importance of narrowing down goals for maximum ROI, and how to integrate daily practices to build productive energy among team members.

David Pollard is the Co-founder, Principal, and Creative Director of LivCo, a design and building company offering residential remodeling and additions. Since its founding, LivCo has completed over 250 renovations and custom home projects and has won numerous awards, including 20 Chicago Remodeling Excellence awards. David is a licensed architect in Illinois and North Carolina, NCARB Certified, and a LEED Accredited Professional. He has worked for several leading design firms in Chicago, including Optima and Goettsch Partners, and was the director of design for a residential developer. 

No matter your industry, systems and processes are the basis for every operational decision. Even in our personal lives, we unconsciously implement processes for time management and decision-making. How can you develop structured systems and ensure they align with your business?

In architectural design, processes are instrumental in everything from designing blueprints and executing construction plans to meeting deadlines and onboarding clients. After implementing strategic systems in his remodeling business, David Pollard observed increased team performance, client satisfaction, and revenue. Since growing his revenue by 5x, he recommends beginning with basic processes like automations and technology integrations before developing team structures with leaders who can hold team members accountable to process adherence. 

Join Adi Klevit in the latest Systems Simplified episode as she welcomes David Pollard, the Co-founder, Principal, and Creative Director of LivCo, to talk about how he scaled his architectural design business using processes. David shares how to implement processes for visual project tracking, meeting agendas, and client onboarding, leading to reduced stress and saved time.

Dave Crowell is the Principal Owner of Gateway Consulting, a consulting company that grows entrepreneurial businesses by launching new ideas and building strong teams. With over 25 years of experience in the building and home improvement industry, he served as an executive leader in sales development, during which he coached and mentored teams. Dave serves as an advisor to manufacturers, specialty dealers, and business owners, helping them grow talent and improve sales and marketing.

In a competitive landscape where customer satisfaction can make or break a business, creating a personalized and streamlined journey is crucial. What strategies can you leverage to ensure every customer interaction leaves a lasting impression and drives business growth?

Home service leader Dave Crowell lists people, technology, and processes as the keys to company growth. Your customers are your greatest asset, so your growth strategies should include predefining fundamental touchpoints to maximize their experience. This involves training your team on customer service by implementing and documenting repeatable processes exclusive to your business and clients. You can also integrate technological efficiencies to execute these processes and streamline the customer journey.

In the latest episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit speaks with Dave Crowell, the Principal Owner of Gateway Consulting, about creating specific customer-centric processes for business growth. Dave talks about aligning people, processes, and technology to enhance company performance, creating customer journeys that exceed expectations, and ensuring effective process follow-through.