The Ops Authority

Does the thought of digging into the financials of a business make you uneasy? Do you shy away from the responsibilities of looking at the numbers?

Today we are talking about why financial knowledge is needed for Directors of Operations (DOO).

Why Financial Knowledge is Needed

We talked a bit in episode 75 about the benefit of being able to see the financials of the business you are working in. With this knowledge you are able be a strategic partner in their business. It is key for you to have access to that information, so if you run into a leader that doesn't want to share that with you, that is an issue.

I also know that one of the greatest fears of becoming a DOO is financial knowledge. Most often, this is the area that people feel the least competent in. I know, because it was my fear once upon a time… I made it a much bigger deal than it was. I want to share the importance of getting to know the numbers, and what your role is with those financials as a DOO.

Strategic Partnership

Why does the DOO need to be able to read these financial reports and have a bit of financial knowledge? Well, because you are the guide for the business and money will rule decisions. To make fact based decisions, you need to see the data. You will need to see the numbers and look at the trends that are happening. This allows you to be a strategic partner.

Also, one of the things that leaders/visionaries tend to ignore are the financials. And as Jenni Davis points out, leaders sometimes feel successful in this area, but they are really only doing bank balance accounting… meaning they are only looking at what is in the bank. This is a huge mistake. Somebody needs to be tracking the trends because your leader likely won't be giving financials any attention.

Compliance

As a DOO you will need to keep track of compliance, meaning they need to pay their taxes on a quarterly basis. You are the one who will help them make sure their taxes are done and up to date. You will need to see the financial statements each month, and hopefully the business will also have a bookkeeper on staff. Your best bet will be to partner with the bookkeeper, so you will be able to understand the trends and how you can help the leader to strategically make better decisions.

Understand Trends and Patterns

The profit and loss and the cash flow statements are actually very simple. By looking at these you will be able to tell the financial health of the business. You'll be able to read the reports, give them guidance and understand what is happening in the business. What are the spending habits of the leader you have? This is your time to give them wise counsel about next best steps. Avoid looking back and criticizing, but use the data from the past to help you make decisions in the future.

Make notes of opportunities, successes or patterns. If you have an increased profit margin, make sure to celebrate and note what led to that. You want to understand the patterns that are taking place and this will give you incredible confidence in your communications.

"When you become comfortable talking about financials you will see how easy it is to create strategies… and your value will skyrocket."

How Often?

I like to have monthly financial meetings. It may be me speaking with the bookkeeper and taking the information back to the leader, or it might be a meeting with all 3 of us. This is a very private matter, and needs to be a safe space.

One of the non-negotiables should be a quarterly meeting with the bookkeeper, and the goal should be to find ways to improve the reporting. When you meet, take the time to give an update on the business. What has changed? You want to look product by product, and compare how much it costs you to sell it in relation to the other products you have.

"By looking product by product, it will tell you where you should be investing your time."

Once you are aware of the financials, your job is to tell a story. It's not to be a bookkeeper or accountant, it's to tell a story.

Being open to understanding financial terminology and reports, and being coachable has huge dividends, and if you are going to be in a strategic role in a business, you cannot shy away from the financials!

Weekly Ops Activity

On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you with financials? Come and share in the Ops Insiders FB group.

Previous Episodes Mentioned

Episode 75: 4 Popular Models for a DOO Business

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/76.

Have you figured out how to determine if a business is ready for a Director of Operations (DOO)?

We are talking about how to know when it's time to sell your DOO services to your clients. Basically how to give yourself a boost, a new title, and potentially more income from your existing clients.

How to determine when a business is ready for a DOO

I'm going to walk you through a few things that I look for when I'm trying to determine what kind of help someone needs in their business.

Strategic Partner

Are they looking for a strategic partner? Are they willing to say "here is my vision" and what the strategy is for their vision?

For example, my vision is to have 500 certified DOOs by the year 2025. When I was ready for a strategic partner, I turned that vision over to my Director of Marketing, Esther. She came up with the strategies to achieve that goal. I did not want to take up more of my bandwidth, so I handed it all over to her, and she owns the strategy and the project management.

Does the business owner already have the strategy and just need someone to manage it? That's ok, and it can be a comfortable place to enter a business, but you should ask several questions about their ability to bring someone into the business at a strategic level.

Ask them:

Who creates the strategy?

What is their strategic plan?

Do they need someone to help them create the plan?

Are they ready for someone to come in and help lead their team?

My method is to use the Strategic Mapping Model™ (part of the Director of Operations curriculum) to help them on a strategic level. If they aren't ready for that, they may not be ready for a DOO. The best use of a DOO is when you can come in at the strategic level as well as the management level. You are not there to do the implementation.

A lot of leaders are tired from managing the talent on their teams, and many DOOs have that gift of leadership. You need to ask them if they are comfortable being the manager/leader. Are they ready to get rid of the management aspect and just do the leadership piece? If so, that would be a great time to bring in a DOO.

Team

If they do not have an implementation team in place, then bringing in a DOO is putting the cart before the horse. You always want to make sure they have implementers and that you understand where their gaps are when it comes to the implementation side.

Ask them:

What are the things that they are still doing in their business? Or what have they not relinquished control over?

Example: weekly emails, social copy, graphics

Who is project managing right now? Them or someone else on the team?

Notice there might be some sensitivity if you come into a team and are taking over roles/responsibilities from another team member.

How satisfied are they with their team?

May want to rate on an A-F scale.

Revenue Patterns

Understand what kind of revenue patterns the business has been experiencing. It's likely they are looking for a DOO because their revenue has increased and they are now in a scaling phase. I want you to be very aware of what their revenue patterns look like. Is it reliable?

Ask them:

What have their revenue patterns looked like over the last 4 quarters?

Explain that the answer will help you understand how much time and focus they will need from you in their business.

Financials

Are they ready to share financials with you? If a DOO is in a business and can't get their hands on the financials, they will not be able to be a strategic partner in the business. Part of our role is to help optimize and contain costs but we cannot do that if we don't have access to the financials.

Ask them:

If you join their business as a strategic partner, are they comfortable sharing their profit and loss with you on a monthly basis so that you can help by making or approving the decisions?

Make them comfortable by stressing that they will have the last say. You aren't taking over for them, you just want to make sure the business is growing and that they are seeing more and more profits increase as a result of your work together.

At the end of these questions, if you are feeling resistant, or if your instinct is telling you that this person isn't ready, be honest with them. Use it as an opportunity to coach them, and explain why you aren't a good fit or why they may not be ready for a DOO.

"If you don't find yourself having a 2-way conversation at the beginning of an engagement, be prepared to go to the lowest common denominator… the implementation level."

I know all of you have the ability to be a strategic partner in a business... it takes leadership, it takes resourcefulness, and it takes the ability to build deep relationships.

Weekly Ops Activity

Come into our FB group and tell me… do you play at the strategic level in your client's business?

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/75.

Did you know that there are multiple ways you could structure Director of Operations (DOO) business?

Today we are going to be talking about the different ways you can do business as a Director of Operations. When I started this certification four years ago, I created all the content based off the way I was doing business then, which was the 1:1 retainer model. I thought this was the way that everyone would want to build their DOO business. As I have had more and more people coming through, they continuously show me new and creative ways to do business as a DOO while leveraging the content I created for them.

"I thought the retainer model was going to be the model for everybody, but they can take these techniques and training and turn it into something that fits them."

I want to walk you through the four primary ways that DOOs set up their businesses once they finish the certification process.

If you are curious about what the DOO Certification Program entails, check it out!. We will be beginning another cohort at the beginning of 2021, and if you are ready to apply, complete the application so we can hold your spot!

Four Popular Models

Today I'm going to talk about the four primary ways that DOOs are setting up their business, but there are actually 22 different ways that people are using this content in their business to fit their lives. You won't be short on options!

As we've gotten to know people coming through the program, we have developed a quiz to help us understand how important different criteria is to you as a business owner. We look at things like:

• How important is income?
• How risk averse are you?
• How important is marketing?
• Do you like leading teams?
• How long do you like to be in relationships with people?How available are you to work?

We ask you to rate how important these are to you, and based on the outcome, we help you identify which path is right for you specific to your circumstance. We also use Kolbe A test to make this determination.

The four different models we are focusing on today are the retainer model, the project based model, the agency model, and a product model.

Retainer Model

If you are looking for consistent income, and are not looking at incurring a lot of risk, or if you don't have a lot of money to spend on the marketing side of things, the retainer model works well. 70% of people who come through the program start out here, and it allows them to get practical experience so they can determine later if they want to do something else.

In this model you serve in 2-3 businesses in a fractional, part time or full time capacity. If it fits for you to go full time with someone you will have the least amount of risk and the greatest amount of income with the least amount of complexity. Going full time in the right size business can be a big blessing.

A retainer model brings you consistent revenue, and you will be making anywhere from $2500-$8000/month as a retainer as you oversee the operations, lead the project management, lead the operational strategy, and oversee team members. This is the beginning of an executive strategic partnership in a business.

"If you love being the right hand of a business, this retainer option is a beautiful, comforting, safe option for you."

Project Based Model

This means that you love project management, and you don't mind marketing because if you have project based relationships, you will need to be marketing more regularly. You need to make sure you love leading teams, and that you love creating systems and processes, which will be required of you. The great thing about this model is that it can fit into your lifestyle and meet you where you are. If you have project management experience, and if you have project management acumen, you will have authority in the project management space.

If you are someone who likes variety, and don't like sticking around in a business for a really long time, then this is a good model. One thing I will caution you on is that you will be spending more time, money, and energy in marketing more so than the retainer model

Agency Model

Lots of people come to me from the VA/OBM space who are curious how to work with more clients without working more hours. One way to serve this need is to create an agency. There are so many different ways to build an agency but one of the ways is for the DOO to serve as just that - the DOO in the agency (which is likened to an account executive). They use the people on the team to be the implementers in the business. There are many ways to set this up, but here are the business implications of having an agency:

• You should feel really comfortable with marketing
• You should enjoy leading teams and managing/providing feedback on a consistent basis
• Passion for growth and people growth

Your goal is to multiply the number of relationships that you are managing. Your availability to work will need to be quite high. This model can be extremely lucrative, but you will need to be the consummate leader and strategist for these businesses because you will have to manage up and down at the same time.

Often after a DOO has been serving in this capacity for a couple of years, they come back to me with creative ideas. The marketing is a hard job, and they feel done with marketing. They often come back wanting a retainer or full time position in a business. But there is another option...

Product Model

One of our first certified DOOs Theresa Beretta had served as a DOO for several years and was able to reflect and see where her real zone was. She came up with two: the ability to create processes and systems in a business, and the customer and client experience. She decided to use her expertise to create a product; a membership for SOPs, The SOP Success Lab. This is a great example of how she started as a retainer DOO, scaled up, and niched down to having her own zone of genius in the product space.

It takes some time to get to this point, and you should serve in the retainer or project space before you can figure out what your zone is.

You will need to have a good understanding of marketing to get lots of eyes on your product and gain visibility. You may also need some additional income to be able to pour back into your business so you can build your audience.

I hope this episode has helped you start to think about all of the opportunities available for DOOs!

Weekly Ops Activity

Come into our private FB group, and tell me: In 1 year, what kind of business do you want? A retainer business, a project business, an agency, or a product based business?

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/74.

Are you interested in becoming a DOO, but not feeling confident in the amount of digital marketing knowledge you possess?

Today, I'm answering a question that popped up in my facebook group:

If I want to be a Director of Operations, how much digital marketing knowledge do I need?

Here's the scoop. There are 2 sides of business, the front side and the back side.

The front side is marketing, which is how people find you. It covers the strategies you implement to get more eyeballs on your business, to get people to know, like, and trust you, and includes the sale. These are all of your marketing activities.

Once you make the sale, what are all the things you need inside of your business to fulfill for the customer? Typically we are talking about HR, project management, financial management, data, technology, and delivery (client management, client success, accountability coaches, any other coaches). All of this makes up operations.

Understanding Operations vs. Marketing

In the beginning of a business, the CEO will own both sides. But as they begin to grow and scale, they will start to need support on both sides. If they are not at a place where they are able to have support on both sides, then the leader will likely take over one side. Most often I see that the CEO tends to fall naturally to the marketing side.

"It is not fair for one person to come into a business and have to bridge the gap between marketing and operations."

These are two very different skill sets, similar to right and left brain thinking. You are not likely to find someone who is truly gifted in both areas.

If you are in the career path of becoming a Director of Operations (DOO), but you are finding job descriptions in which they are wanting you to have a lot of marketing knowledge, you should know this is a big red flag. This means that the business is not likely profitable enough to support you, or may not be big enough to bring on a leader at the strategic partner level.

"Your job is to come in as an excellent operator, not an excellent marketer."

A DOO is not expected to be a marketing expert. It is an unfair place to be when you are asked to be the bridge between the front and the back side of the business. Step up, own your role as an operator and make sure you're setting appropriate expectations with the leader. If you are asked to be both the marketing and operations director, that is a huge red flag.

The Gray Area

Businesses are moving online at a faster pace than ever before. Covid-19 has been really stressful for the economy, but for the online business space and those who support it, opportunity has been increasing. It is up to us to help educate these leaders on where operators fit in their businesses.

As leaders move their business online faster, they are now marketing more often from a digital perspective. There is some gray area because there is project management on the backside of the business in operations, but there is also project management needed in the digital marketing side of the business.

Because you are an operator, you have a gift in managing people, projects and processes. There will be projects on the digital side. If you are a DOO in a business, there should be no problem project managing the digital marketing side of the business as long as you have someone to help you with that strategy - because that is not your role in the business.

In episode 70, we talked about the four different layers of a business. You will definitely own the management layer, meaning you will be a project and people manager inside of businesses. You will need to practice your project management for these marketing projects that come along, but this does not mean you should be the one creating the strategy.

Your project management experience will be key. As you are entering a business, make sure you identify with the mission of the business, that your values overlap with the leaders, and you will also want to ask what side of the business the leader will be taking care of. If they are bringing you on in an operational capacity, make sure they have some marketing support.

Use this time to reset expectations and make sure they are not expecting you to be the marketing director or strategist. How do they sell? How do they make money and what is generating revenue for them? This will help you determine what methods they are using, and how comfortable you feel project managing those.

Do not stress about the strategy part, but make sure they have people on their team who are actually implementing. If they expect you to be implementing their marketing this is a HUGE red flag. If you are a DOO, the last thing you should be doing is marketing implementation for a business. If they don't have the internal structure set up with people who will be implementing on the marketing side, you can give them strategy on the ops side, but you shouldn't come in as their DOO until they have those things in place.

"If a client expects you to be implementing their marketing [as a DOO], this is a HUGE red flag."

So the answer to this question is that you need zero knowledge to begin with. I started with no experience, but by getting experience in businesses and managing digital marketing projects (alongside someone who helped with strategy)... I learned about digital marketing. And you can do the same! Just remember, it is an unfair place to be if someone is asking you to be both the marketer and operator in a business.

Weekly Ops Activity

Come over to the FB group and tell me the different types of digital marketing projects that you have managed.

Previous Episodes Mentioned

Episode 70: How to Avoid Settling in Your Ops Career

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/73.

How comfortable are you with visibility in your business? Is it something you've been avoiding?

One of the biggest questions I get from those who come through the Director of Operations Certification Program is how to become visible so they can build out their business.

On this episode, Lisa Simone Richards joins me to go over some tangible strategies that will teach you how to increase your visibility and book out your services.

Meet Lisa Simone Richards

Lisa is a publicist for online coaches who want to confidently stand out and attract more people. She wants to teach you how to become an influential Director of Operations (DOO) and an expert in your industry. She will show you how you can be visible while honoring who you are. We are going to talk through some really tactical strategies that can help get more eyeballs on you so that you can book out your services.

Often a DOO is comfortable working behind the scenes, and is a little bit intimidated when it comes to visibility. What are some tips for us to get more eyes on us with the goal of booking our services out?

"Know your strengths and run with them."

• What are your personal strengths?
• Know who you are and how you shine. What is the format you're most comfortable with?
• • Written piece, podcast guest, stage, etc.
• What are the goals you have for your business? People are looking for one of three things from the ABCs of publicity:
• • A: Awareness. People can't work with you if they don't know you exist.
  • B: Buzz. If you are about to launch something, you want to be talked about/heard about/seen in a bunch of different places at once (podcasts, tv appearances or articles).
  • C: Credibility. Are you looking to build and establish credibility? What would make sense for you to do to boost your credibility to drive traffic to your business?

Is written work still an effective strategy to attract visibility?

• As long as you are strategic about where the written work is being placed, it can absolutely drive traffic. Blogging or guest blogging is not as popular as it was 10 years ago, but…
• You can leverage others' audiences, for example, writing an article that can be syndicated.

Where would you suggest we try to get work that would be picked up for syndication?

• Contributing content for different sites is easier than you think.
• Google "write for us (whatever industry)" and you will get a list of results that are looking for content, and you can find out where you can submit an article to.

For those who don't mind being on stage/presenting, what are some tips for them?

• Get creative about how you show up in front of others on social media.
• Think about doing guest trainings in other peoples masterminds:
• • Leverage your networks and build relationships
  • Reach out to them and come from a place of
  • Offer to add value to their audience
  • Creates a win/win/win situation:
  • • Hosts are surprising and delighting members with a value add.
    • Members get to learn something they otherwise wouldn't.
    • You get in front of qualified leads, and you are now a warm lead.

What are some ideas on how to get visible in your local area?

• Think about the local things in your backyard that you can be featured in.
• • Morning television show? Radio station? Article in newspaper?
  • How can you make it interesting for the audience who is consuming it?
  • How can you make it easy for someone to say yes to your pitch?
  • • How can you craft an idea from top to bottom and hand it to them tied up with a pretty bow.
  • Have a healthy media mix. People like to learn in one of 3 ways: watching, listening or reading.

"Some of these opportunities are way easier to get access to than you think, it's just a matter of knowing how." --Lisa Simone Richards

"You don't need to be the best at what you do… you need to be the two things my mom asked me not to be… fast and easy." --Lisa Simone Richards

When we think about the ABCs, how do you figure out which is most important?

• What matters in your business right now?
• Example of Awareness: One client was moving from a brick and mortar business to online, so she just needed to be seen.
• Example of Buzz: If you have a launch coming up, you want a bunch of people talking about it.
• Example of Credibility: Focus on getting your name in a specific publication.
• What is the purpose? Do you need people to know who you are, satisfy a dream, launch a product, or be seen on multiple touch points?
• Don't feel like they have to be exclusive, they can overlap as long as you are clear on what the intention is.

Which of these are most meaningful today? I want you to think about those ABCs as they relate to your business today because I want you to get visible right now so you can grow your business in a way in which you can accomplish the vision you have for yourself!

Connect with Lisa

Website

Quiz

Lisa Simone Richards is a publicist for online coaches who want to confidently stand out to attract more people. She's here to show you how to become an influential coach and an expert in your industry. When she's not speaking on stages across North America or shooting national TV segments, you can find her swinging a kettlebell, at a dog park, or baking her next experiment in the kitchen.

Weekly Ops Activity

Google "write for us (whatever industry)" and tell us what your results are!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/72.

Are you curious where you fall in the operations hierarchy? Do you know what level of service you provide, or are you looking to ascend the operations ladder?

**If you haven't listened to episode 70 yet, make sure to go back and give it a listen, because this episode is a continuation of the topic discussed in that episode.

Last episode, we talked about the 4 layers in any business: vision, strategy, management and implementation. Which layer do you feel the most empowered in? By figuring this out, it allows you to have a growth path, so you can understand where you will spend your time, money, and energy.

If you are in the implementation and management layers, your next step will be strategy… how are you going to continue to develop your strategic muscle? Look at it as a continuation and development plan for yourself.

"We cannot stop developing ourselves."

Sometimes we build our service based businesses in a place that confine us. With this framework, you will now be able to see where you fit, give yourself guardrails around what types of work you will and won't accept, and create a development plan for yourself.

"When you are working within your zone, you are going to be able to do the work that comes the most natural to you, work with clients who fulfill you, earn what you are worth and never have to do the things that feel difficult to you."

5 Levels of Operations

We are examining the backside of business and figuring out what the career path is for someone who has the passion and skill set in operations. My business works with business owners to help them build out their teams and organizations. We design businesses so they can scale by looking at talent and team placements. I want to help you to understand where you fit and where your growth is. This episode is dedicated to developing the operational side of businesses.

There are 5 different levels of operations:

• Chief Operations Officer (COO)
• Director of Operations (DOO)
• Operations Manager
• Operations Coordinator
• Operations Assistant

If you have that innate operational skill set and are interested in elevating into the strategic component, make sure to apply to the Director of Operations Certification Program, beginning very shortly!

Chief Operations Officer

The COO is the main visionary for the way a company operates. They cast the vision, and often the strategy, and the solutions of how their team is going to execute in an operations space. This role is often misunderstood, and I often see small businesses looking to put in a COO way too early. A COO has a lot of expertise… usually 10+ years of knowledge and experience in the areas of HR and finance.

Director of Operations

Of the layers mentioned in episode 70 (vision, strategy, management and implementation), a DOO is going to oversee and heavily participate in the strategy and management. The DOO role is built on the framework of the Strategic Mapping Model ™. This is how you go from management to strategy.

The greatest disciplines that the DOO has is in the people, process and the project space along with financial knowledge. The greatest expertise in this role comes from project management.

Someone in this role has 5-15 years of experience in operations in one of the disciplines previously mentioned. They perform strategy and management, and are not doing the implementation. This is a great fit for small businesses today. A DOO has to have a team underneath them. DOOs have to have someone to manage and implement the strategies that they put in place.

"You should not come in as DOO in a business until you know your client has an implementation team in place."

Operations Managers

Operations Managers are great for small businesses and in the online business space. An Operations Manager is going to focus on management, but also have a hand in implementation. Their zone is in project management as well as in task management, and they have between 3-8 years of experience. They have been task masters and are up-leveling into the leadership role of management.

When I do organizational design, this is the very often the first management layer that I suggest that a business brings on. Operations Managers do implementation but also have the management skill set that will allow them to continuously rise and develop.

Operations Coordinator

This is an implementation-only role; not management but task execution. Someone in this role should have 2-5 years of experience and is familiar with your model, your line of work, or is an expert in getting things done.

Operations Assistant

This is an entry level, implementation-only role, and could also serve as an intern level role. This is an ideal role to bring someone on who doesn't yet understand your space or industry. If someone has the zest to do good work or if they are curious, you can bring them on and train them. By the one year mark, they should start owning some of their tasks, and start to ascend into that operations coordinator role.

Different Aspects of Roles

Very few businesses have a need to have more than three levels in their businesses, and most don't need a COO or an Operations Assistant. For this reason it is most likely the middle three layers will be the roles that you see in job descriptions, although titles may vary.

Within the different levels of operational roles, the amount of innate leadership expands as we get to the top. Also, the commitment to the business will be much higher at the COO level, and smaller at the Operations Assistant level. Additionally the higher the position, the higher the autonomy.

Lots of times we are growing in our careers we will start at the bottom. It's common to have the CEO of the business serve as the COO and the DOO, and bring in their first or second hire to help in the assistant or coordinator space.

I hope this has given you a good understanding of where you fit, and help you dream about where you want to go!

Don't forget to apply to our DOO certification program. It is a 6 month experience where you will understand, develop, and train on what it looks like to be a DOO. If you are looking to develop your skill set and step it up from the implementation and management role, make sure to get your application in!

Weekly Ops Activity

Stop by the Ops Insiders Facebook group, and let me know what you use as your title in your business.

Previous Episodes Mentioned

Episode 70: How to Avoid Settling in Your Ops Career

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/71.

Do you have trouble defining how you will best function in an organization? How about confusion over your title?

Today, we are going to learn a little bit more about how operations complement you and help you figure out where you fit into an organization. Often, people come to me and tell me about their skill sets, what they have done, and their experience and wonder "where do I fit, what should I be doing, and what should my title be?"

Today is all about designing and putting a purpose on where you fit in an organization and I'm going to give you a few pointers on how you can stop the guessing.

Determining How You Fit

There are so many women who will downplay their skills, which in turn earns them less, they don't reach the goals that they want as fast as they could, and they don't serve in their highest and best ways. I want to help you understand what your highest and greatest place is in the business and design a path for you to grow.

With these tips, I believe this will help you understand and build an expectation and a personal development plan.

Step 1: The Outside of the Organization

What is your function?

When I talk about function, I mean either the front side or the backside. The front side is the

marketing side, and the back side is the operations side. There is actually a 3rd side once a business gets big enough, which is the delivery or face to face side.

In the beginning, leaders own all of it. Eventually when businesses start to scale or gain momentum, you'll find that the leader will get busier and the intensity of things that need to be done increases. They will find their natural pull… which function of the business they are naturally strongest in.

Most of the time they will lean towards the marketing side, because it is a lot harder for someone to sell their passion than it is for them to show up and sell. If they hold onto the marketing piece, then they will need someone to take over operations.

Ask yourself: Do your strengths naturally align with marketing or operations?

Marketing creates, attracts, sells and secures business. Operations creates the foundations through your team, your financials, data, project management, finding efficiencies through systems and processes and also that service and delivery. You can see just how much work each of those functions take, which is how we start to build organizations.

Step 2: Look Inside the Business

Inside each function, there are 4 layers. They include vision, strategy, management and implementation.

Vision: the place where a vision is cast, where big goals and questions about success come from.

Strategy: providing solutions that are going to be based on research, experience, and our own knowledge.

Management: the oversight of the day to day; people processes and delivery

Implementation: a role that is task focused.

There are 4 different layers of the marketing side and of the operations side of business. Every layer has to be covered or owned by someone in the organization. In a new business, the owner covers every one of them.

"One reason why business feels so heavy at first is because you are one person focusing on the front and the back side of the business."

As you grow, you will bring in support on one side or the other, and will recognize your weak side vs. your strong side. Sometimes I see leaders who don't have clarity, but this exercise can help them get clear about what level of person they need to bring into the business.

You can't outsource all of the operations to one person, and the reason that you can't is because you cannot hold all 4 layers inside of one person. When the owner realizes operation is their weak side, they have to decide what they are going to hold onto from the function of operations.

Most of the time the business owner will hold onto vision and strategy. What they really need from an operations support perspective is someone to help them do the task, and eventually they will want someone to manage those tasks so they are not doing it all. It is their job to determine what they are going to delegate.

Here's where operators come in. You get to determine what layer you fit in as a service provider; strategy, management or implementation (vision is typically reserved for the CEO). You need to pick the level you are most confident in. Often there will be a blend where you are holding both strategy and management or the management and implementation layer.

When I talk about strategy, management and implementation… which fits you best? Once you decide, secure work for that specific layer and design your own plan around it. In corporate, you would devise a development plan with your leader, but in small businesses, this doesn't often happen. I hope this can serve as your guide.

Director of Operations is a combination of the strategic and the management level; we do not own implementation. This is a dreamy state for many of you in the management and implementation layer. If you are there, I would love for you to join us in the upcoming Scope Creep Solution.

The Scope Creep Solution is a 5 day sprint to improve your project management skills and develop in your career. It will give you an opportunity to brush op on your techniques as a project manager, evaluate the opportunities you have, and take action.

Sign up here.

I want you to choose a path, marketing or operations; and then I want you to identify the level you are working in and go after opportunities that fit. DO NOT short side yourself! This is the way to hold yourself responsible and accountable for continuously raising the bar. Let's grow!

If raising the bar means becoming a Director of Operations, the applications are now open!

Weekly Ops Activity

I want you to tell us what layer you are currently operating in: vision, strategy, management or implementation (or a combination). Join the conversation in the private FB group!

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/70.

Is setting goals a priority in your business? Are you too busy setting goals for others, and often overlook your own business plans?

We are just getting ready to start the Scope Creep Solution, a 5 day experience that will allow you to get a really good grip on your project management. Scope creep can make you second guess yourself and feel defeated… but I am here to give you a 5-day actionable plan to help you improve that. Sign up before we kick off on Nov 16, and get your amazing workbook. I look forward to seeing you there!

Today my guest is Catherine Calmes, a certified Director of Operations (DOO) who helps online business owners by providing operational planning and team leadership so that their businesses can run efficiently. She uses her background in home organizing, workplace productivity and her managerial experience to help them make the vision for their business a true reality.

She has had several different careers plus still works part time in corporate, and she uses all of those skills to make a business that suits her. Catherine enjoys helping her clients break their goals and ideas down into actionable tasks, assign the work to their team, and communicate clearly to move forward.

Meet Catherine Calmes

We are here to discuss Catherine's expertise in operations, setting goals, and what it looks like to attain those goals. We are so used to helping others set goals, and it's often hard to turn the mirror back on ourselves.

Background

• Certified DOO, and runs Calmes Consulting
• Started her first business as a home organizer
• Also worked a corporate job making maps for the oil and gas industry, but noticed she had a lot of planning and organizing skills that weren't being utilized, and felt unfulfilled in that
• Found a part time job as an assistant to a wedding planner which led to joining a professional organizing group
• Attended a conference and found out about virtual home organizing, so she transitioned her business online and started organizing for people who owned businesses
• As she grew her knowledge in the online space, she joined coaching programs and became a tech VA, then grew into a role as an OBM
• Found the Director of Operations certification program

Who do you work with now?

• Specializes in helping business coaches
• Knows a lot about the behind-the-scenes of coaching because of her experience with her first client
• Has a particular soft spot for moms who are business coaches

How has your visibility journey been?

• Initially was not confident in this, so she hired a coach
• Helped her with confidence and got her to do live streams
• Believes we spend so much times behind the scenes as operators, but realized it is important to get information out about how people can grow their business and benefit from knowledge of operations

How do you work with your clients in regards to goal setting?

• Have 2 main options
• • Self Guided Metrics and Management Workshop: Includes a video, spreadsheets and worksheets which teach about Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); how you can create KPIs, track them, and use them to grow your business.
  • Prepare, Plan, and Profit Intensive: Works with clients to prepare mission, vision, and values, create goals, and a strategic plan.

What are common goals that we need to set in our businesses?

• Need to think about more than just money
• Dig deeper and ask "why?" Money is great, but what is the vision behind your business, and how does that relate to your goals?

Can you give a real-life example of KPIs for one of your clients?

• 20% growth in the number of leads each month
• Acquire 4 new clients into coaching program each week
• Increase revenue by X%

How do you come up with the specific numbers for the KPI?

• First start with your goal: if they want to get 20 new clients/month, you need to break it down and figure out how you will measure it
• Goal of 20/month divided by weeks in a month will tell you how many you need to be on track
• Recommends looking at the numbers based on how often you are measuring (if measuring quarterly, look each month; if measuring monthly, look each week)
• Recommends creating a dashboard to track progress (there is also a tracker in the Metrics and Management workshop)

How many KPI metrics do you usually track?

• Depends on the size of your business, and if you've been tracking KPIs before
• If you've never tracked anything before, start with one

• People often look at vanity metrics when it comes to social media, but that doesn't always translate to profit

What do you do when you personally meet your goals?

• That is when she knows she needs to set new goals; the vision for your business is always moving and changing so you need to adjust
• Celebrates by sharing it with here husband
• Usually treats herself to something; for example she just booked out one of her offerings and ordered a new desk in celebration

"The emotional part of attaining a goal is so important… it's cathartic and motivating." --Natalie Gingrich

Operations can help people become business leaders by using business data. We can take this operational goodness and turn it into an opportunity to serve other people with our gifts. I hope you took away a lot from this episode.

Join the Scope Creep Solution: November 16-20, 2020

We are just about to open up the application period for round 7 of the Director of Operations Certification Program. I firmly believe that project management is one of those skills that every DOO needs to have and already possesses, but it doesn't mean that there aren't challenges in that space.

And that's what I'm going to walk you through in the Scope Creep Solution. By participating, you will get a good feel of how I teach, what type of information you will receive, and the type of community that you will get when you come into the program. It all begins with the Scope Creep Solution, and I cannot wait to see you there!

Sign up here.

Weekly Ops Activity

Come over to the Ops Insiders Facebook group and share one metric that reflects your success that is not financial.

Connect with Catherine Calmes

Catherine is a Certified Director of Operations who helps online business owners by providing operational planning and team leadership so their business can run efficiently. She uses her background in home organizing, workplace productivity, and managerial experience to help make the vision for your business a reality.

Catherine enjoys helping her clients break their goals and ideas down into actionable tasks, assign that work to their team, and communicate clearly to move forward.

Catherine's goal is for you to be able to accomplish more in less time so that you can scale your business to the next level. Your business will flow with ease and you will feel confident about what your team can accomplish.

By making plans, responsibilities, and deadlines clear, teams can be empowered to deliver great results and Catherine is here to help.

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Lead to Succeed

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/69.

How do you set yourself up for success as an operator from the get-go? What does your discovery process look like? Do you have one in place?

In today's episode I'm discussing the 10 things you need to ask in a discovery call. A discovery call is when you get on a call with a potential client, and the goal is so you can understand where they are in their business, what their needs are, and where they are going. It reveals the answers you need to be able to empower yourself to make the strongest decision.

Before you commit to a client, or price a project… you must do a call. Today I am walking you through the specific questions I ask during these discovery calls.

1. What is the mission of your business?

Why do you do this and why are you committed? The benefit to knowing this is that you are going to see the conviction to their cause, and are going to be able to see if they are in transition. Did they start the business with one mission and now are growing into a different mission? As the person who is potentially going to be joining this team, you need to have an honest conversation about what they are doing, why they wake up in the morning, and what their intention is in serving their audience.

2. What is your vision?

What do they see for their company in 3-5 years? This is an opportunity to exhibit leadership and to show up and coach them to dream bigger. This puts you in a leadership role and also exhibits a partnership mentality so the rest of the conversation will be set up in a way that they are going to trust you. You are trying to understand where they want to take this company. During this time I want you to get a good understanding of how far ahead their vision for their business extends, and what it looks like.

There are 3 specific questions that I ask when I talk about vision:

1. How far out can you see your business?
2. What will the business accomplish in the next 5 years?
3. What would happen if success poured down on you in the next 3-5 years?

"Leading with curiosity puts you in a leadership spot."

Vision has 3 parts:

1. Where do they see their business if everything goes right?
2. Where do they see themselves in their business in 3-5 years if it is a success? Will you be working as much? Looking to sell? The main content creator? Acting in a CEO position?
3. Understand where they will personally be in 3-5 years. How old will their kids be? Are there any significant milestones? Looking to go part time? This will help you understand where they want to go, and their boundaries.

"These are the unstated expectations that stay in the back of the mind for the entrepreneur."

3. What are your values?

You will want to separate these answers into two separate categories: "What makes them tick?" & "What ticks them off?" Ask them to identify what they love about the people that they chose to have relationships with. Out of this, you will start to hear about their values. Start with personal then shift into professional. Ask: "What is it about people on your team that you love? Tell me about a time that you had someone on your team that you just loved... what was it about them that made you feel that way?"

Next, have them identify people they choose to avoid and ask them what it is about those people that makes the decision for them. Then, ask them to think about a time they've had a team member who ticked them off, and have them give specific examples. This info is gold...you want to make sure to take good notes. Listen closely and assess these answers carefully, so that you're not setting yourself up for a relationship that is going to be stressful.

"Ask questions. Remember you're setting yourself apart by being someone who asks really good questions and takes leadership of the conversation."

4. Tell me about your team.

I start drawing an organizational chart as they answer. Ask them who is on their team and have them identify their major function. Next, ask them to rate your team members on a scale from A to F. This will help you understand how much turnover you are walking into. Do they have a front line of team members to implement the day to day? Are they prepared for a Director of Operations (DOO)? You can also ask how many people they have had working on your team in the last 12 months. Ask follow up questions to clarify… were they asked to leave or was there a falling out? You will start to see patterns that will help you understand trends.

5. Who leads your team meetings?

This will help you understand the current functionality of the team, and what kind of communication their existing team uses. If the CEO runs the team meetings, ask if they are prepared to have you as a DOO come in and run the meetings? How often do they communicate? Do people on their team understand their roles and what their performance goals look like?

6. How do you make money?

You are essentially asking what their revenue streams are, as well as the type of offers they have. You need to know this before you go further in the relationship. You need to see what types of revenue streams that you are going to be supporting, and if they are to complex for your liking.

7. How do you market your service?

You want to make sure that as an operator, you are not crossing into the marketing space unless that is your preference. As an operator you can support the marketing strategy, but you don't want to be responsible for marketing strategy. Most operators do not have the competency for marketing strategy, unless this is part of your skill set.

You need to lay out the expectation that the DOO is not going to come in and own marketing. If they don't have anyone in place, I always make sure that they realize that they as the CEO will be the chief marketer. Be very careful that you don't over promise what you will do. Coach them to understand what operators do and what marketers do, and that although they work together, each skill set looks very different.

8. What are the needs of your business?

Start writing down roles, responsibilities, tasks, and understand what their expectations are. Do you possess the skills that they need? Be confident, and speak up to tell them what you can provide, and what may be out of scope for you.

9. What are your expectations?

At this point in the conversation they should be comfortable speaking with you. You have helped them pull this all together through this strategic discovery call, so hopefully they have shed their ego and started to dream. Ask them what their boundaries are, and what their expectations are for this role. What does success look like? Do this toward the end of the call when they are comfortable with you. If you already know that you will not be a good fit for them, this is the point that you should politely exit the call.

10. How comfortable are you with someone joining you as a strategic partner in your business?

Ask this, then just be quiet. If they don't know what that means, explain that you are a leader who is accompanying them to help them lead their teams and their projects. How open are they to you coming in and doing your best work? Explain to them how you work.

When you go through all 10 of these questions in a discovery call, you get to understand if you have a good connection. You get to see how they deal with resistance and feedback. Are they being honest with you? Are you the right fit for this role? You do not have to make a commitment on this discovery call!

At this point, you may be thinking that this is an intense process, but think about all of the bad business relationships you may have had in the past. Would a conversation like this at the beginning of the relationship have helped you to understand who you were getting into a partnership with?

Get familiar with the client before you say yes... the benefits are worth the work!

Weekly Ops Activity

Take this framework and create a template that you can have in your pocket, ready to go that will guide you through the conversation. Also add any that work well for you!

Previous Episodes Mentioned

Episode 65: From Corporate Ops to Small Business HR Expert with DOO Expert Coach Kimone Napier

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/68.

Do your financials frighten you? Do you dread the end of the month when you have to look at your books?

Today we are wrapping up our Director of Operations (DOO) expert coach series with our financial DOO expert coach Jenni Davis. Jenni is more than a bookkeeper, financial coach and operator… she is a combination of high level profit strategy and operations expertise that focuses on the whole health of the business. Through profit strategy and cash flow design she comes alongside her clients with a can do attitude and takes ownership of the financial aspect of the business so they don't have to anymore. Her goal is to eradicate financial stress for her clients and plan for profits like they have never seen before. She's breaking the mold in the accounting and CFO space combining financial and operations in a way that skyrockets cash flow and plans for profit. Jenni is a profit advisor, a CFO, and an operations director all combined into one.

Meet Jenni Davis

Jenni joined us in round 5 of the Director of Operations certification program, which was actually rated the #1 training by our students! Once you get a better understanding, you will be less intimidated by financials.

Background

• CEO of JMD Business Solutions
• As a profit strategist and cash flow coach, she empowers service based businesses to optimize daily financials in their business so they can reclaim their profit and ultimately let them have the freedom to do what they love as a visionary in their business
• Works mostly with married-preneurs or partnerships

Tell us about where you came from.

• Comes form long line of entrepreneurs
• Grandfather installed values of good work, and taught her systems and processes
• Worked in corporate retail and education, then decided to stay home with kids in 2008
• Wanted to do something in additions to staying home, so she started a small bookkeeping and tax practice
• Realized business owners needed someone to come alongside them with services such as marketing, team management and operations
• Decided to redesign business so she could offer all of those services

What are your designations? How did you come across "Profit First"?

• Always worked as a Quickbooks advisor
• Met Mike Michalowicz Author of "Profit First" at a conference
• Quickly implemented this model in her own business
• Decided to get certified so she could offer this strategy to clients
• Was a certified OBM, the found the DOO certification program

Tell us about your team.

• Has a team of client managers who come in and support clients individually
• Additionally, she meets with clients to do high level strategy
• Has a VA who handles the operations for her business

Has your avatar changed over time?

• She really loves learning all of the new industries
• Foundationally, all businesses need the same thing

"It doesn't matter the industry or business model… operations don't change. It is looking at human capital, resource management/financials, and the projects they want to do." --Natalie Gingrich

Tell us about married-preneurs.

• Has been blessed to work with many couples who are in business together
• This model has another level to it because a relationship is intermingled with the business
• Works as a 3rd partner in the business to help navigate the waters

What are examples of those struggles?

• Strategic mapping is always where she starts because she can set the goals with each partner so every move is with purpose
• This helps with the personal relationship in the business
• A key part of the mapping is to incorporate the personal side

"When everyone has a job and knows what they are doing, it really makes the day to day operations easier." --Jenni Davis

How have you rounded out your skill set with a focus on operations in your business?

• Reevaluated her service offerings
• Knew in order to serve married-preneurs she would have to incorporate strategic mapping and profit advising
• DOO certification taught her how to pivot and provide what the client needed
• Offers high level services where she serves as a DOO in businesses, profit coaching, basic bookkeeping compliance, CFO services
• Had strategy piece, but had been giving it away for free; she couldn't show up without offering it

"When you are working with a client and they show you their financials, you are a partner on a whole new level." --Natalie Gingrich

Share some key takeaways about focusing on financials in a small business.

• Do not be afraid of your financials; they are telling you a story about where you have been and where you are going. Do an expense audit.
• Ask questions: don't be afraid of your bookkeeper or accountant; they aren't only there to manage your money, but educate you in your money.
• Allocate 1% of your revenue to a profit allocation account; then quarterly, you can take half of it out as a profit distribution for you as a business account.

Money tells stories, and it is important to evaluate trends to determine the next steps or pivots in a business. Look at the data points of the past to forecast the future so you can make better calculated moves, and so you won't have to guess. Clients will be looking to you to draw out those stories that will help them make decisions, and I hope this episode has helped bring some clarity to this topic!

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Weekly Ops Activity

Set up a savings account and start contributing 1% of your monthly revenue.

Connect with Jenni Davis:

Jenni Davis is founder of JMD Business Solutions. Since 2007 Jenni has been working with 6 figure businesses as a Trusted Advisor and Profit Strategist. She has worked in many different industries to clean up and maintain the financial structure of business through operational efficiencies. She has had the privilege to see success with her clients as they build wealth and increase profits.

Jenni is a self described Nerdy Numbers Girl, who teaches that Profit does not happen by accident, It is a well crafted machine that is developed over time with streamlined systems, proper finance management, and teaching business owners to find their passion and purpose while watching the profits grow.

When Jenni is not partnering with her clients, she can be found spreading time with her 3 grown children and Husband of 32 years. She also enjoys riding her bike on the beach, or cuddling up with a good cuppa tea.

Other Ways to Connect with Me:

Website

Private Facebook Community

Facebook Page

Instagram

This episode was first published at theopsauthority.com/podcast/67.