The Ops Authority

Does video scare you? Do you shy away from this amazing marketing tool because you don't feel comfortable going live?

Alicia Henderson is my guest today, and we are talking all about video marketing. She has been in this business for a long time, and she knows that marketing and visibility can be a struggle for operators.

Meet Alicia

Alicia helps women entrepreneurs leverage live video as high-ticket client lead magnets and create profitable livestreams so they can attract premium clients, scale their reach and increase their revenue while building businesses that revolve around their families and not the other way around.

Why is video so scary, and how do we overcome that?

• A lot of people feel like they have to have it all perfect
• We watch others and think they are killing it, and then we put things in our way so we don't even start. For example:
  • I'm just starting out
  • I don't look good
  • I don't have something to say
  • I talk too fast/too slow/have an accent
  • Nobody knows my name
• It's really about addressing why you put these barriers in your way, and then asking yourself if you can make adjustments.
• You have to show up. Have something you can present where people can see you addressing their pain points.
• Video cuts down the customer journey and helps them make the decision to buy from you.

"If you get on camera one time, who could that put you in front of?" - Alicia Henderson

"When you are watching a live video, you know almost instantaneously if this is your person." - Natalie Gingrich

How do you feel about pre-recorded vs. live video?

• The best way to build your connection with your audience is live video
• If you are hesitant, start out with prerecorded video to get comfortable
• Make sure you aren't critiquing how you look; the point is to get comfortable on camera
  • Notice your mannerisms
  • How can you slow your speech down?
• Once you feel comfortable post a 3-5 minute video
• Next, hop on live… remember it is a conversation
  • Monitor comments
  • Ask questions and get feedback (which is great for your own marketing)

What are the four things you should do on live video?

• Educate your audience: These are the things they need to know about your industry. Let them know things they should be doing, and the hottest tips about your industry.
• Establish your expertise: Position yourself as an expert in your industry. Educate, not necessarily in a "how-to" manner, but a "what and why" manner.
• Build Community: Get to know our audience and let them get to know you.
• Sell: Live videos should sell and make offers. Don't worry about what people think, selling is key to any business. Make sure you have a Call to Action (CTA) that leads the audience to take the next step with you. Remember that selling on a live video can look different:
• • Sign up for this challenge
  • Get my free offer
  • Watch my free video service
  • Download my template
  • Have a sales conversation

"Every live video should be taking them to the next offer." - Alicia Henderson

"If your content is binge-worthy, if you have educated and nurtured them… they will start to binge watch your videos."

Other Tips

• If people didn't show up when you were live, remember that the replay viewers are key. If they know you went live, they will come, share, like and comment`
• Don't forget that videos can be repurposed, so do not delete them!
• You want the videos to have a lifetime of use and of referrals
• You can also use them on your website
• People love to see your journey from where you started
• Have good lighting and a clean area
• Be relatable

"Things don't have to be perfect… the best action is imperfect action." - Alicia Henderson

"I don't want to work with somebody who is expecting perfection, because that is an expectation I can't live up to." - Natalie Gingrich

Weekly Ops Activity

Pick out one value that is really important to you, and go live to talk about why it is important to your business. Then come on over to the Facebook group and drop your link!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/106.

Do you get stuck in a state of comparison? Do you suffer imposter syndrome often?

Today we have Kelly Ruta, a dear friend, peer, and mentor who I am constantly learning and developing beside. Kelly is going to be sharing about leadership and mindset as this is her background. She has built a phenomenal business off the back of her experience.

Meet Kelly

Kelly Sullivan Ruta is a former clinical psychotherapist of 2 decades who left the profession to raise the bar in the coaching industry with years of formal training, experience and expertise working with the human psyche. She is a sought-after speaker and CEO Development Strategist who helps entrepreneurs create safe and foundational psychological shifts that result in exponential business growth without sacrificing values, ethics or joy.

Kelly believes that women are being called to rise and lead like never before in modern history and entrepreneurs are perfectly positioned to create a massive healing impact on the planet. She seeks to positively impact women worldwide by teaching them to create personal mastery so they are confident, brave, and in COMMAND as they work through the messy phases of scaling and growth.

Kelly is a hardcore introvert, Starbucks addict, unapologetic Scorpio, and lover of all things beach. When she isn't working, Kelly is hanging with her ride-or-die besties, has her head in a book or is with her husband and two sons, often at the baseball field.

Kelly is going to drop some serious wisdom for us today. When we are working around visionaries who work at triple the speed we do, we get into a state of comparison and sometimes that leads to imposter syndrome. We are going to talk about what that looks like for those of us in the service industry, such as Directors of Operations (DOO).

We as humans hold ourselves back. What are some insights on ways to overcome this?

• What is actually going on is that when you start comparing or having doubt, inevitably you will arrive at "what is wrong with me", which is a direct threat to everything that matters
• You are not alone in this; every single human has an ego, and you have to learn to understand it
  • Your ego wants to maintain the status quo no matter what
  • You have to create a new identity, and your ego wants nothing to do with that
  • Your ego has some outstanding tactics to throw obstacles in your way so you can't stretch yourself, and impostor syndrome is one of those ways

"Just because you decided to step into a role; you don't get to sidestep the human experience." -Kelly Ruta

What is the work we need to do to overcome these safe spots?

• A lot of research shows that females receive lots of risk averse messaging
• I encourage women to do the deep inner work on your unconscious mind, your conscious mind, how you navigate your emotions, and how to create habits of behavior that serve your deeper desires
• What will set you apart from others is not the strategy or tactic you are using in your business, but the person you are being when you come up with the strategy or implement it; it's about the person not the strategy

"It's uncomfortable to change your behavior, because you start thinking about all the 'what ifs'."- Kelly Ruta

How do we protect and grow ourselves and emotionally support our business brains?

• The slightest change in language makes a big difference… stop saying "or" and start saying "and." We love to compartmentalize but business is not a good place to do this.
• Women have been fed cultural messages. We get a huge pat on the back for things like being Type A or being in constant action instead of consistent and intentional actions
  • That leads to being a super woman or a failure
  • Know when to slow down, and know when to be in consistent focused action and know how to dance between the two
• Figure out what you require to give your best

"Start saying "I choose to, I get to, I require." -- Kelly Ruta

"You will never be able to do your absolute best work if you are not filling your own cup" -- Kelly Ruta

When we need to unplug, how can we avoid feeling guilty or like things will fall apart without us?

• This is common, and these doubts will pop up because we often have been programed to feel that we don't deserve it or that we are not worthy
• When you start feeling the messages that trigger guilt/worry/fear, develop a habit of "pause and observe" because when you observe with curiosity, you cannot occupy the same space as judgement.
  • It gives you just enough space to not personalize and internalize what is going on

"Curiosity and judgment do not share space." -- Kelly Ruta

Tell us your experience having left the space of psychotherapy and moved into leadership coaching and support?

• She comes to the table a very flawed person with a lot of trauma
  • She is very transparent about her history of abuse and PTSD because so many women are trying to do big bold things without addressing their previous traumas
  • She shares this because she wants women to see what is possible
• Got a degree in psychology and clinical social work, then 20 years of clinical experience
• Left the industry for coaching and was horrified about the lack of standards among coaches and influencers
• Serves people by bringing science, best practices, training, and education. Has a knowledge base with an demonstrable skill set
• Helps people work on their mental game, emotional game, decision making, creating habits, and overcoming blocks

How to find Kelly

Facebook

Instagram

Linkedin

Kellyruta.com

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/105.

Do you feel like your business is taking an emotional toll on you?

Today we are talking about what to do when you are burned out in your business.

Tips to Combat Burnout

Business is a grind, especially when you are starting out, establishing a name for yourself, and working to get clients. You are doing your best to deliver at your very best and it is a lot to manage. Most of us are doing this while we are managing a full life.

In today's episode I'm going to share some tips that I've personally leveraged when I've felt just plain burned out.

Evaluate your business model

This is the first thing I want you to do when you start feeling burned out. Look at your business model and ask yourself if the business model you are working in today is serving you. Does this model match your value, your needs and your vision? Does it represent the needs you have today?

"People have aspirations for what the next version of themselves is, but they ignore what they need today."

Where Are You Spending Time?

There are seven strategic objectives in a business. The seven pillars of are: financial steadiness, team growth, product suite, marketing and visibility, operational efficiencies, customer experience, and professional growth and development.

How are these showing up in your business? If you are a solopreneur, this is hard because you are personally trying to play all seven roles. In my business and corporate journey, this is where my burnout was coming from. It's a heavy space.

I've found it helpful to prioritize the seven based on where my focus has to be right now. Prioritize the most important down to the least important. Make sure you save time in your schedule throughout the week to focus on the top three. You won't turn a blind eye to the others, but they are just less of a priority.

Evaluate Your Offers

Early in business we create offers that reflect what other people want. Often operators are people pleasers, so our clients can talk us into what they want us to do. We are people who figure it out, and sometimes we say yes too often.

Reevaluate the offers you have. Does your offer represent your gifts, strengths and competencies? Now is the time to remove the services that don't reflect your gifts.

"When you start doing things that are outside of your zone of genius, they start to feel heavy and you start to resent them. This leads to overwhelm and burnout."

If you have recently worked on your vision and are feeling stable, it might be time to update your offer by adjusting it to reflect the next version of yourself.

Create Balance

To create balance I want you to minimize overworking. Beware of busywork.

As you move out of implementation and into the strategic level of business, you will find that busywork looks different..it's not necessarily about going through a checklist.

Busywork can lead to overworking. You never feel like everything is done, and only you know when it is time to turn it off and refocus. Make sure you set working hours for yourself, and that you don't let the business dictate this. Find a way to make sure you have times when you are in the office and leaving the office.

Do a quick assessment. How many hours are you working each week and does that correlate to the needs you have? Are you still honoring your values and showing up as the person you want to be when you are working that volume?

Uphold You Boundaries

Make sure you are aware of your boundaries and that you are upholding them. If you have turned into a "yes" person then your boundaries are not cared for. Boundaries are the rules you create for yourself and they often come from your expectations and the values that you hold.

Do a quick assessment: Is a client or your offers bumping up against those boundaries that you have set? You want to be in alignment and build a business that feels good to you.

If you are experiencing burnout from the work that you are doing, it might not be that the work isn't right, it just might be that you are avoiding the things that we've gone over today.

Weekly Ops Activity

Know what your primary goal(s) in business are, and set dedicated time to work on them every week. Make sure you let us know what they are in the Facebook group!

Previous Episodes Mentioned

Episode 5: The Seven Pillars To Your Business Strategy

Episode Sponsor:

As operators, one of our key roles is to keep the ship sailing for the businesses we support, and

a core component of that is to document systems and processes. Our visionary CEOs that we support don't have the interest in doing this themselves, but they know it has to get done… which is where you come in.

There are lots of ways to document processes, but I want to share with you a powerful tool that I've used that I think you are going to love, called Sweet Process. It allows you to create systems and processes and then turn them into step-by-step instructions or a checklist. It also allows you to have a centralized place for anyone on your team to access your procedures and processes at any time.

The best way to know if Sweet Process works for you is to start using it! Access this for 28 days free of charge!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/104.

Do you make a habit out of buying courses? Do they accumulate because you never have time to finish one before another comes along that you absolutely need?

Today we are talking about one of our seven strategic objectives, which is growth and development.

Growth & Development

Growth and development means learning, so today we are going to talk about how to balance our natural inclination to learning with taking action, because often we will get stuck in the place of learning and not executing.

The reason we love growth and development is because it is an expansion of ourself and our business.

Balancing Learning and Action

Our community tends to be high fact finders meaning we love to accumulate knowledge.

We tell ourselves we have to be more and have more… and we experience loads of FOMO.

We tell ourselves that things aren't going to work out unless we learn or buy or continue to acclimate ourselves to a new market, concept or platform.

We are perfectionists, and we desire excellence. We want to learn, learn, learn so we can "master" the concept or method... but this puts us in a state of inaction.

We are also slow to implement, and that makes us really good planners, but we don't take as fast of action behind our own businesses.

"We love creating the plans for other people's businesses because there is less risk."

Today I'm going to help you take the learnings you have accumulated already and put them into action.

Create a Game Plan

As a community of service providers you're familiar with scope creep. It's when you are working on a project and the requests keep coming in. You have already planned things out but now the leader/team continues to request new things in addition to the plan you've already begun to implement. You are overloading and can't find time to make the existing plan work let alone all the new requests.

"If you don't create a game plan and advocate for yourself you are going to end up dissatisfied and burned out."

You need to create a game plan for learning also, just as you would in this scope creep example. Do not allow scope creep in learning to take place.

Delivery

You are wired to deliver and overdeliver for your clients. You have the gift of service so exceeding expectations will give you the best results and the most "feel good." Focus on your clients, because if you lack in this area, you will feel resistance and the doubt will creep in.

"When you are hyper-focused on learning, you may run the risk of decreasing the quality of service you are giving your clients."

You want to prioritize delivery over learning. Put the focus on your clients first, because that's who pays you.

Money

We are in business to make money, and you have the skills to be successful. Learning new methods will help you accentuate success, but you can't get stuck in an overlearning pattern because you will become paralyzed and slow down your action for your clients .

The net-net of that is decreased revenue because you aren't doing what needs to be done in their business.

If you are not doing what it takes to be successful, then you won't be able to move your clients along on their customer journey because you aren't giving them what you want..

"The most important thing in a service based business is to serve the client that you have right now, perfect it, and then serve them greater."

If you aren't doing this, you are running the risk of hurting the revenue you do have.

Learning Costs. If you keep pouring into new courses and coaching you dip into your profit margins. Use what you have first, and protect your profit at all costs.

New investments are costly. I want you to execute on every thing you have before you add anything new. Make a folder where you include everything you have ever purchased. This will help you audit your courses .

"Utilize what you already have to move your business forward."

You will be able to serve your clients better if you prioritize their experience over accumulating new things that you already have access to. I want you to bring additional profits into your business, which means using what you have to move your business forward!

Weekly Ops Activity

Create a training hub--a spreadsheet or folder of classes that you have purchased and start investing time into what you have already spent money on.

Episode Sponsor:

As operators, one of our key roles is to keep the ship sailing for the businesses we support, and

a core component of that is to document systems and processes. Our visionary CEOs that we support don't have the interest in doing this themselves, but they know it has to get done… which is where you come in.

There are lots of ways to document processes, but I want to share with you a powerful tool that I've used that I think you are going to love, called Sweet Process. It allows you to create systems and processes and then turn them into step-by-step instructions or a checklist. It also allows you to have a centralized place for anyone on your team to access your procedures and processes at any time.

The best way to know if Sweet Process works for you is to start using it! Access this for 28 days free of charge!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/103.

Are you a natural visionary, or do you have difficulty dreaming big?

Today we are talking about how to dream big when you aren't wired to be a big visionary thinker.

Dreaming Big

How do you dream big when you're wired to plan small? I want to dream bigger, but I'm wired to be a support system and a servant of other people and it often leads me to dream small. Maybe you are the same way, and you aren't comfortable with the big futuristic dreams. You're telling yourself that since you are an operator you can't dream big, but that's just a lie. You can dream big, it's just uncomfortable for people who are wired in this way.

I've had to work on this myself, so I wanted to share with you how I've broken out of this thinking.

Don't Buy the Lie

Telling yourself that you can't dream big is just a lie; we can dream just like anyone else! We all grew up dreaming about what we could be. Just because we are operators doesn't mean that we have zero percent vision.

"Our mind wants to protect us into thinking small because it's very safe."

I am a risk averse person. I love to be second in command because it protects me as I am executing on someone else's dream. But if we are going to be in business for ourselves we will have to lean into the same things that we are helping our visionaries with. We have to flip the script and dream bigger than we ever have before.

Finding the Time

You need time to make this happen, and because we aren't wired this way immediately it will take us some time to settle in. The biggest struggle is that you can't really control when these big dreams are going to come. You are not going to be able to plan this out on your calendar… it just doesn't work that way. Know that it takes time.

Space

For me, the best dreaming has come outside of the places I frequent. I need a new environment and a new space, which allows me not to be confined to the typical things that I usually think of. If I want to think new thoughts and expand where I am, I need to leave the four walls of my office.

Leverage your community

I love hearing about other people's businesses. I'm not looking to copy them, but I love learning about all of the options that are out there. I am part of a mastermind, which is my safe space to run to when I have big ideas. They also call me out when I'm dreaming too small. Having that community who are able to call me out and guide me when I am thinking too small is so valuable. You need a small and mighty community to lean on.

Why is dreaming a big deal?

The same thing day after day is just not going to be fulfilling long term. You also run the risk of being outpaced by your competitors. If you don't continue to push the needle you may fall out of love with what you are doing and building.

"I am certain that your big dream becomes your vision, and your vision becomes your plan."

We all love plans. So if you don't have new plans that you are creating, you will get stagnant, and boredom in business is not a good combination. It is a challenge for operators to have that big visionary thinking, but it doesn't mean you are incapable of dreaming big.

I love consistency and methodical action, but if I do it inside of my own business, I'm going to get tired of it. This will lead to monotony and will constrict where you are going long term. You have to think bigger to avoid burnout and boredom.

5 Tips to Thinking Bigger Give yourself 5 years.

Start your thoughts with "By 2026, I will…" This puts you in a safe, defined container, but you are still able to see outside of today.

Start With You Rather Than the Business.

It's much easier to think about what our personal life is going to look like in five years because it's time bound. Think about you before the business and if there are things you want to accomplish in your personal life.

What Needs to Happen?

What does your business need to look like if you want to make those personal things happen? This applies specifically to a lifestyle business. What do you need to generate and what does the business need to look like? Does your business model change?

What if it Worked?

If everything went better than imagined? What success would you have? What would you accomplish? What would your business look like?

Don't go directly to planning.

Sit with this big vision for a few weeks or months. When you feel like you can finally voice this new vision, then you can start planning. When it starts to feel safe, put the plans in writing and they will become more powerful once you get to the point where you can speak them.

"Give yourself the space and grace to create the dream before you start breaking it down."

Weekly Ops Activity

Come into our facebook group and let us know... if everything went according to plan, what is one success that you would have in the next 5 years of your business?

Episode Sponsor:

As operators, one of our key roles is to keep the ship sailing for the businesses we support, and a core component of that is to document systems and processes. Our visionary CEOs that we support don't have the interest in doing this themselves, but they know it has to get done… which is where you come in.

There are lots of ways to document processes, but I want to share with you a powerful tool that I've used that I think you are going to love, called Sweet Process. It allows you to create systems and processes and then turn them into step-by-step instructions or a checklist. It also allows you to have a centralized place for anyone on your team to access your procedures and processes at any time.

The best way to know if Sweet Process works for you is to start using it! Access this for 28 days free of charge!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/102.

Are you looking for long term clients? Most of us are, but how do you keep clients for the long haul?

I think you are going to love this interview today, with my peer and friend Hallie Agostinelli. Our experiences are so similar, and they possibly mirror many of your experiences as well.

Hallie Agostinelli is the founder of Virtual Matters, a company serving the online business community through remote assistance. She is also the co-founder of Launch Leaders Academy where she mentors and trains other virtual assistants on how to build a solid, profitable VA business.

Prior to starting her own business, Hallie had over 30 years in the traditional workforce, including powerhouse companies Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and BNI, a global networking organization. She credits her love for extreme client care to her first job with Marriott Hotels & Resorts.

Hallie is talking about the special ingredient that makes her shine and stand out to her clients. She has expanded out of one-to-one client care and has built an educational company in which she is teaching others to do what she has done successfully.

As she has expanded, she has taken a good look at herself to figure out what makes her different. This meant that she reached out to several of her clients who provided her with referrals again and again.

They told her that she goes beyond the checklist.

As a Director of Operations (DOO), this is the key to recurring revenue and not having to spend more and more money on marketing. Today's episode will show you how to keep clients for life and how to go beyond that checklist.

Meet Hallie

Halie is a dear friend and a peer in this space and I am so excited to have my community learn from her. Many of you are on the same journey, turning your service provider business into learning and opportunity, and leading the way for other people.

How Did You Get To This Place?

• Everywhere she worked, she had excelled and advanced faster than expected
• During COVID, she started as a VA with one client, as a side job
• Saw the opportunity to expand, and within one year she went from one part time client to a multiple six-figure business specializing in launch support
• Had a client tell her that she just does "more," meaning, she goes beyond the checklist
  • Ex: giving strategy or advice above and beyond the scope of work
• She came up with a list of ways she could go above and beyond, in order to set herself apart
• She never finished college, and carried the embarrassment of that
• We think we need to have all of these qualifications to be successful, but she realized that her competence was more valuable

"I am the best #2 you could ever want in an organization, and when I realized that, it didn't matter what degree I had." - Hallie Agostinelli

Soft Skills

• Empathy is her superpower. She feels the clients work is her work and she is invested in their outcomes and success
  • Empathy can be learned, but there is a balance; you can't take things too personally
• Ownership: if someone is unhappy with you,you can vent for 1 minute… and then move on and figure out your part in the solution
• Angling for a better way: figuring out what systems could be done differently or better
  • She takes the ego out of the process and is always looking for a better solution
• Hustle is looked at as negative, but she is not afraid of hard work
  • There is a hustle needed to accomplish a particular level of service
  • The little bit of extra time put in keeps clients coming back
• Ask yourself "What else does this need to take it to the next level?"

"A high performing Director of Operations does everything they can in the first 30 days to create 2-way communication." - Natalie Gingrich

"It doesn't matter how long something takes, it needs to be done the right way." - HallieAgostinelli

• Be a good human: remember that you are interacting with other humans
  • Have concern, communicate in a cooperative and supportive way, be kind
  • Give grace and be honest; establish a great relationship in which you take the work seriously and honor each other
• It is evident when people are not a good fit; pay attention to red flags and realize it's okay not to enter into a relationship with just anyone

Connect with Hallie

Instagram

Facebook group

Episode Sponsor:

As operators, one of our key roles is to keep the ship sailing for the businesses we support, and a core component of that is to document systems and processes. Our visionary CEOs that we support don't have the interest in doing this themselves, but they know it has to get done… which is where you come in.

There are lots of ways to document processes, but I want to share with you a powerful tool that I've used that I think you are going to love, called Sweet Process. It allows you to create systems and processes and then turn them into step-by-step instructions or a checklist. It also allows you to have a centralized place for anyone on your team to access your procedures and processes at any time.

The best way to know if Sweet Process works for you is to start using it! Access this for 28 days free of charge!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at www.theopsauthority.com/podcast/101.

What has changed at The Ops Authority over the last two years since the podcast began?

Today we are celebrating episode 100! It has been two years of creating content and sharing our hearts and vision with you. It has been quite a journey and that's what we are focusing on today!

The Evolution Through 100 Episodes

I want to share the changes we have made since we started in July 2019 and just how we have evolved. Small and online business is such an emerging place to be. It moves and transforms so fast, and change is inevitable!

Where We Started

In July 2019, we had just rebranded and done a lot of work to get really clear about what The Ops Authority was going to become. We had done some branding work, built a new website, and also started our new Facebook group that paralleled the podcast.

Personally I was working 40-50 hours/week in my business and wasn't quite at my ideal stage yet.

From a product perspective I had six different products:

1. One to one services in a retainer model
2. A course
3. The A-team group coaching program
4. The Director of Operations Certification program
5. CEO coaching
6. Consulting

"I was beginning to see that I could be a conduit of transformation in a variety of sizes of businesses and in different industries."

The biggest change I've made is the massive simplification. In the last two years, I've gone from six products down to one solid product. We moved our business model into a product only model. The only thing we sell is our Director of Operations (DOO) certification program.

Because we had taken the opportunity to niche down into just one product and one avatar, I was able to double down on our marketing and delivery, build good relationships, and expand our team.

Five Star Reviews

This is the feedback that keeps me going! It fills me up and fuels me to keep coming back and doing this every single week.

"Every time I have something I'm trying to figure out in my or my client's business, I always check and see whether Natalie has an episode about it…" - Megan, Apple Podcast reviewer

"Natalie has a way of not only making the details of running a business make sense, but also making them handleable. By taking her advice and using her methods my business has grown by leaps and bounds and I'm more confident than ever. She's the person you want training the people who run your business, whether that's you or one of the COOs who go through her program." - DLCM70, Apple Podcast reviewer

I appreciate these reviews so much, and nothing would make me happier than if you would gift me a five star rating on Apple Podcasts. If you don't know how to do this, we have created directions (scroll to the bottom) for you.

Marketing

The podcast is something that my Director of Marketing had been urging me to do for almost 2 years. Creating content for this podcast has been easy, and I've also been a guest on so many other podcasts over this last year. I've had a dedicated focus on using audio format and allowing it to drive a lot of our marketing.

We began using the live launch method in which I use a conversion event (master class or 5 day launch) where I teach, and that is the way in which I get people to come into our environment. I want people to get to know who I am and what they will be investing in so that they feel really confident.

We launch our DOO program five times per year, which is more than double than when we started. It allows us to deepen the impact that we have in businesses, as well as watching DOOs exponentially grow their businesses.

Our Facebook group has become an extension of our brand. It's where we talk about content, but also where people are able to post jobs for operators. I really enjoy contributing to other women who are trying to build their business and leverage their operational skills.

We have less focus on opt-ins than we used to. Opt-ins used to be a big part of us, but we are no longer relying on them to move people from cold to warm. We may use one to move people into live launches, but in that case I'm really showing up organically and naturally to move them through our experience.

We also have a different approach to social media. It is not about having a big social media calendar, but instead we are being consistent and engaging. This podcast has been a huge driver and brought in a lot of cold people, who are able to see who we really are, what drives us, what we do, and how we show up.

"Hopefully you can hear my heart every week in one of these 100 podcasts."

Service

We doubled down on our delivery. When we simplified our model and went from six products to one, I knew that we would have many fewer distractions.

"My heart is in the delivery."

That is where I show up best, where the relationships are built, and transformations begin to happen. I can show up as a coach and guide someone in a group setting, but I still want them to feel like it's a one on one interaction. I can show up better and stronger because I'm not trying to do six different things.

As we have scaled, we have brought on a full coaching staff. We have 14 people in addition to me that are helping me from an accountability or an expert coaching perspective with every single cohort that comes through.

I'm not the end all be all of operations, but my gift is to come in and show other people frameworks, methodology, success stories, and things to look out for as they are building and growing in their role as operators. It was very important to me to partner with other women who had the same amount of success.

We have updated our program structure. We asked for feedback from DOOs because we truly want to know. Two years ago we would not have been able to make the changes that anyone was recommending, but with this team of women behind me I have been able to ask and act on feedback.

Our team looks wildly different than it did when I started this podcast. Our business and team has been built out, which has allowed us to reinvest back into the team. We have 3 distinct departments: marketing, operations, and delivery.

It's so endearing to know that this podcast has been able to have a ripple effect on you, your business, the way you navigate operations, and the way you have upleveled your career… it means the world to me!

Weekly Ops Activity

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This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/100.

Are you struggling to figure out how to serve more than one client in an efficient way?

Today we are talking about how to build a predictable schedule that allows you to serve multiple clients.

If you are a service provider you are probably doing fractional work. Working in a fractional capacity means that you spend a fraction of your time working with multiple clients. Think in terms of a pie, in which each client represents a slice. Each client may not be the same weight (size), but it will help you visualize a fractional capacity. Most of us start out this way as service based providers.

5 Steps to Building a Predictable Schedule

These tips will allow you to have greater ease in your schedule and be the leader that you desire to be. A great downfall of not building a schedule that supports your client load is that you feel defeated.

"When we don't feel like we are in a place where we can show up and lead the client, we start to feel defeated."

I want you to stay on track as you build a business that reflects the vision that you have set for yourself.

Statement of Work & Project Plan

You need a very clear statement of work and an up-to-date project plan for every client. This defines what you do, and when you expect to deliver it. Understand what you have committed to, which will allow you to have incredible communication.

If you have a really strong project plan for every piece of the statement of work, this will allow you to estimate the number of hours you will work in a client's business during the week. It's also going to help you set boundaries, and will help you understand when you need to push back and be very candid with the client.

Project Management Tool

You also need a solid project management tool.

"The best project management tool is the tool that you actually use."

The important part of a project management tool is that it allows you to prioritize tasks. Since you have to do that for multiple clients, you want to make sure you have a project plan and an appropriate tool to assist you.

You will also be able to see visually what you need to tackle when you have the time available for it.

Free Time

I want you to keep 20% of your time designated as "FREE TIME." This will help you when things come up, and things will come up especially when you are in a support role inside of a business.

It is very hard to do this but it will allow you to exceed client expectations and meet the expectations that you have for yourself.

What happens when you don't do it? Things pop up in projects and become urgent, and if you've already worked your amount of designated hours, you might just be out of luck. If you keep the 20% free, it's not dipping into your personal time.

Time Block

You need to time block for multiple clients. Each of them have their own set of commands and demands, and we want to make sure that you are able to deliver on that statement of work. The most effective way for you to do this is to set up time blocks in your calendar.

You can do this in one of two ways. You could set up a whole day dedicated to a certain client as a daily client time block, OR you could set it up so that each client gets a few hours a day.

If you don't do this, the client that is the most demanding tends to win. They get the bulk of your time and attention, and the remaining clients feel when you are not present.

Create a Communication Plan

At the end of every shift, send the client an update and touch base with them. This way they will know what has been accomplished, which will alleviate any type of miscommunication that could come up as a result of working with multiple clients. It will also ensure that there are less surprises.

Communication plans are not just reporting on what has been done, but also setting expectations so that they know when you are going to be working in their business. You don't want the client to think you are working in their business all of the time or that they are the only client you are serving. It's important to be up front with them that you will be working in their business at a specific time. Most of the time this will help you get ahead of problems.

These tips will allow you to start to transform and lead with real integrity, and honor the client relationships you have built!

Weekly Ops Activity

Tell us how you block your time, daily or recurring. Let us know inside the Facebook group!

Related Episodes:

Episode 57: Managing Your Time With Multiple Clients

Episode 87: Planning Your Weekly Schedule Like a CEO

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This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/99.

Are you curious about the change that certified Director of Operations have experienced in their careers before and after their certification?

Today I am with Rachel Kempf, who has come through round 7 of the Director of Operations (DOO) Certification Program. I want you to learn what it is like to go through the journey and the transformation that takes place before and after the certification process.

We give a lot of content that is generalized in the different areas of operations, but everyone who comes through the program has their own journey and obstacles, and they all find their own destination a little bit differently.

Round 10 of our Director of Operations Certification Program kicks off soon, so don't forget to check out the details!

Meet Rachel

Rachel Kempf is the CEO and Founder of RK Virtual Management and a certified DOO. Rachel comes from a corporate background managing Accounting and Finance departments for small corporations. It's not that she had a love for numbers, but she is a very analytical and type A personality, and working with numbers was an outlet for that side of her personality.

During the shutdown in 2020, Rachel started looking for side hustle opportunities and was searching for ways she could offer accounting services in the online space. This is when she quickly fell down the rabbit hole in the online space and discovered the DOO program. She finally found her people and found a way to take the skills she already had and make them into a valuable offer. Since joining DOO Round 7 back in November, Rachel has quit her corporate job, transitioned into her own business full time, and surpassed her corporate income almost double! She is also currently restructuring her business into an agency model so she can take on more clients and leave an even bigger impact on the businesses she works with.

How did you and your business change from when you started the certification until now?

• She got her 1st VA client and was doing accounting work, and they were experiencing a rapid amount of growth at the time that they couldn't handle
• She got the opportunity to voice her ideas about how to fill their gaps and they really valued her opinion, which contradicted her current full time job

"I knew I had the skills that were necessary to make big changes and big impact in businesses, but I did not want to spend the time to climb the corporate ladder." - Rachel Kempf

"Sometimes it can be a long journey to actually be able to exercise the leadership that we were blessed with." - Natalie Gingrich

How long did it take you to transition from corporate to your own business?

• Started business in July 2020
• Decided to go all in, because she was loving the online world, as opposed to her corporate job in which she was feeling friction
• Made the jump and the positive changes started immediately
• She credits this to the DOO program and the community

When you were going through the certification, which pieces of content had the strongest impact on you?

• The Strategic Mapping Model™ allowed me to get the ROI within the first 3 months
• It also showed her how she already had the skills to be a strategic partner once she just laid out the framework
• She made it her own, and created a very specific offer

Any other pieces of the certification that you are leveraging?

• The HR module
• A lot of the larger companies that she dealt with had cultural issues, and this module helped her pull pieces to identify the breakdowns

Where are you now?

• When she first started she was doing accounting services for 1 client
• She signed her 2nd client less than 2 months into the DOO program, and charged 3x what she charged for her 1st client
• Has tailored her services around that particular clients needs because she started to see those same needs in other companies
• Also offers intensives to help clients get past their "stuck" points
• Realized she wanted to help more people, so she has decided to build an Integrator agency
• She creates the plans and lays the foundation, then passes it off to an integrator to implement

What would you say to someone considering the DOO?

• If you feel like you are not qualified, know that you already have the skills within yourself; you might just need help uncovering them
• You don't have to claim the DOO title; the program gives you a skill set that you can make your own title and succeed with it

"I will scream from the mountaintops how good this program is and how much change it's made for me." - Rachel Kempf

Connect with Rachel:

Website

If you are interested in joining or learning more about the DOO Certification Program, make sure to check it out or apply!

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This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/98.

Are you interested in becoming a Director of Operations, but unsure if you have the skill set that is required?

Today, I'm sharing the 11 different career paths that Director of Operations (DOOs) have been on before they get to the certification program. These types of professions make excellent DOOs, and it's likely that you have many of the skills that are acquired from these different careers.

We are starting our 10th round of the DOO certification program. If you are interested, learn more and join the 170 women who are able to call themselves certified DOOs!

What Are DOOs?

DOOs are leaders who have innate gifts and skills in the operational space.

"DOOs think analytically, they communicate effectively and they execute efficiently."

DOOs acquire, develop and deliver. This involves different types of resources such as staff, materials, equipment, and almost always involves technology.

Recently a previous client made a comment about my time in her business:

"You were the gap between planning and production."

It doesn't matter the industry you are in or the business model that you are participating in... there are operations involved in all of them. There is the front side of business (marketing) and the back side of business (operations) and those two pieces are critical for any business model. If you already have the gift of operations, you should be able to see very clearly where you fit, and this gives you a lot of autonomy to figure out the industries, models, or people you want to work with.

Operations is a "second" or "next" career… it is not a first job out of college. In the DOO space you need experience and innate leadership skills to come in at this level inside of a business.

When I look back over two decades of my own work experience, I see a common thread of service and leadership: being able to take in lots of information, break down complexity and manage projects and people to execute on a mission.

"I wanted impact, I wanted a legacy, rather than a job. I wanted to do work that brought me joy and still challenged me."

All of this led me to becoming a DOO in other peoples businesses by accident. I was building a completely different business when I left corporate. But then I started connecting with friends and colleagues, and all of my gifts had me pouring into their businesses with strategy, operational focus, processes, building teams, hiring and simply making things happen.

I realized I was leveraging my innate skills with the clients I loved working with, and I came into partnership with people who I liked and was able to help them extract what their mission and vision were and make it a reality much faster. I never thought my corporate experience would collide with my natural skills and overlap my personal mission of impact.

At this point, I saw the need for a Director of Operations: a strategic and operational leader for small and online businesses. As I delivered a new level of care and leadership to businesses, the need was growing before my eyes, so I created this program to impact other women who had these same skills.

The Most Common Professions Before Becoming a DOO

These are the most common professions people perform before they arrive at the DOO program.

Administration

Admin looks different in every industry, but could include executive assistants, administrators, online business managers, office managers, or front desk staff. These people are masters of chaos and they bring order and find solutions through process. They are amazing with customer service and have a gift in creating and finding order in very complex situations.

Accountants & Bookkeepers

The basis behind both of these professions is data, and being able to mine data and create stories behind it. They execute, create processes and develop procedures for reconciling expenses and create complex reports that tell the story of health and profit inside a business.

Every business wants exposure to data and metrics so they can operate more efficiently and create the most profit. Financials is one of the five pillars inside of operations, so when people come to us with a background in the financial space, I see them expand and leverage their strategic gifts once they decide to become DOOs. The reports tell stories, and as DOOs we leverage reports to help leaders identify where the gaps are, how they can strategically plan forward, and if there are any operational shifts that need to be made.

Medical Space

We have had nurses and therapists who have come through the program. Those in the medical space take critical and complex information from doctors and turn it into empathy to critically connect with patients, to leverage analytical skills, and to create appropriate and consistent care plans. Nurses are masters of project management, human resources, and finding and leveraging strategy in any medical situation.

Web Design and Development

These are creatives that are capable of managing so many moving pieces. If you have been behind any web design project, you know how complex they can be. There are many milestones to this work and they create plans and execute while exercising their creative genius.

Retail Management

There is a lot that goes into being a leader or manager in a retail store. It is a combination of a CEO and a COO because they are responsible for everything inside of a store. You won't find better management than a person who has served in this capacity. They have to think strategically but also execute every single day, customer by customer.

Human Resources

There are so many different facets in Human resources. Everything from building teams, hiring teams, performance and growth plans, initiating deep rich culture, benefits, or participating in leadership and development. There are so many different paths in HR, but at the center of all of them is the love of people. We channel people to create strategic plans and to help grow teams and businesses. The only way that scaling actually happens is through people. Those of you who have a background in HR or recruiting will have a knack for becoming a DOO.

School Teacher

Much like nurses, teachers have a pedigree in pedagogy, which is teaching others how to learn, but they also have to be process driven. The most effective teachers are strong leaders.

Your favorite teacher growing up was probably very nurturing, made you feel comfortable, but still taught you a whole lot along the way. They followed and created curriculums that made learning fun. Teachers make phenomenal operators because they are so used to juggling so much and still following and executing a plan.

Military

This is the most universally known operations role in the universe. Operations in the military execute on a strategic plan. Every mission from combat to intelligence, logistics, or pilots has to have operators. We have had many former military members who have recognized the skills that they had and wanted to leverage them. The military allowed them to see their process skills and leadership strengths.

Project Management

If this is a career path you have been on, you know that project management is about

developing a plan, communicating a plan, and leading a plan. Project managers bring calm to chaos. They support others in fulfilling those tasks. They navigate shortcomings, late

deadlines, and evaluate goals. These ladies are analytical, leaders, and communicators. They know how to create, execute, and manage the plan.

Event Management Professionals

This is very similar to both project managers and retail store managers. They add skills like negotiation and have a very strong presence. The skill of being decisive and making a decision on the spot is very important in event management. They are extremely efficient, and also great people leaders, because the only way to get through an event is to leverage a team (be it managing volunteers, or coordinating with sponsors or speakers). There is a lot of innovation that comes out of this profession.

Business Owner

Several people come to us with a background in business. They found their passion and created a revenue stream, but when they got into it they realized they enjoyed the fulfillment of the product more than the marketing and they want to stay in their zone. Once you find your industry, look around and see what your gifts are. It may cause you to take a turn.

If you identify with any of these skill sets, you need to look at the DOO certification program and see how you can create impact leveraging the natural skills that you have!

Learn more about the DOO program, and join us in our upcoming round starting June 10th!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

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Private Facebook Community

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This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/97.