Order of Operations is a podcast hosted by Nicki Atwood and Libby Lossing, two Directors of Operations for large portfolio franchisees with Mathnasium. The podcast covers topics such as business, leadership, and growth.
Having recently met at the convention, Trey joins Nicki and Libby to discuss their experience working for the mouse! Tune in to learn some behind the scenes of Di$ney and some great customer service and culture along the way!
The old cliche "the only thing constant is change" has been further proven true through this past year. If you are in the middle of a top down change or are about to make one then check out this discussion! Learn about the different types of adopters and how to better manage buy in.
Growing organizations need to be able to run well without the founder always there! Hear about building autonomous teams as Libby and Nicki discuss their experience with growing their teams both in size and responsibility.
A little older and a little wiser, Nicki and Libby are back to recording. Hear what they've been up to the past few months as a mini intro to season 2!
No matter how well you conducted yourself in 2020, the state of the world brought about a general lack of trust. Nicki and Libby go through types of trust with business, signals of lack of trust and how to diagnose what is going on.
Time for a year in review and what a year it has been! Libby and Nicki recap all the content from the year, add in anything that was missing, and share their plan for 2021! Happy New Year all!
What was intended to be a 15 minute turned into a much longer one with Nicki and Libby ranting, sharing shower thoughts, and peppering in Disney references. Boss, leader, and manager can be used interchangeably but carry very different meanings. Which do you feel like you are? Join in the discussion on the nuances on each title.
So many people strive to climb the corporate ladder, but for many women they're faced with the "broken rung". In this episode, Libby and Nicki break down lots of facts and stats about the talent pipeline for women and how Covid is contributing to the first female recession. This problem needs attention so they close out with what you can do about it!
Growth doesn't have to be painful! In the listener requested episode of "When to Centralize", Nicki and Libby and joined by Mo Khalil, a total rockstar in the Mathnasium community, to learn how to centralize responsibilities in an efficient and effective way! Mo takes us through his organization and expansion as well as understanding the capacity of your organization. BTW- you might have noticed how we jumped right to episode 33, as soon as we have enough gratitude voice messages we will publish #32! Go to https://anchor.fm/orderofops/message and leave us a recording of what or who you're thankful for!
A major component to a franchise's success is how well all their key players work together! Franchise Business Consultants are the glue that connects franchisees and franchisor and are imperative to sharing best practices, industry knowledge and business strategy! Nicki interviews Asad Imam, one of her FBCs, to pull back the curtain on what a day in the life is like. Asad, Nicki and Libby share how to make the most of your relationship with your franchise business consultant.
Libby and Nicki finally dig into SALES! Starting at the first conversation with a lead, OOO goes through the general sales process: greeting, discovery, sales pitch and the all important CLOSE. Learn some tips and tricks as well as what NOT to do. This is merely a slice out of the sales funnel- be sure to check out previous episodes on marketing and lead generation for the full process!
Libby and Nicki take a quick break from their vacation to discuss taking time off! This quick mini episode reviews the problems stress can cause and the importance of time away from work.
The goal of the game "Among Us" is to figure out the impostor among the crewmates. What do you do if you always feel like the impostor? Nicki and Libby dig into imposter syndrome, which one of them absolutely has! Find out how much imposter syndrome can cost you, the signs you may have it, and also how to manage it! Fun fact: you can spell it impostor or imposter! **NEW! Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/orderofopspodcast
Amy Bennis joins Nicki and Libby is a horror story swapping episode all about resales! When buying a business, you think you know what you're going to get but there may be surprising lurking in a dark corner. Hear tall tales of chaos, anarchy and a few bugs as you learn what to watch out for as you purchase an business! Be sure to catch Amy on her regular podcast as one of the hosts of "White Privilege Personified"!
Part 3 of the personality tests mini series is all about the ENNEAGRAM! This blend of traditional philosophy and mysticism also ties in some math! Find out the history of the test, details of different types as well as how wings work!
Coach and essential skill extraordinaire Elizabeth Lyons joins Nicki and Libby to discuss the DiSC profile and how to use it best! They explore some history of the DiSC personality profile, what each letter means, how to do a quick test on yourself and those around you, and what type makes a great leader! Hint: that is a bit of a trick question! Elizabeth Lyons is available to continue the conversation and to help with anything that may be troubling you as a leader! She can be reached at elizabeth@erlexecutivecoaching.com. Whether you are ready to invest in yourself or are just looking for more information, contact Elizabeth for a free discovery session!
Nicki goes through one of her favorite topics with Libby: PERSONALITY TESTS! The mini-series starts off exploring the history behind Myers-Briggs, what the 16 different types are, and then how to use all this information. If you can't guess already, find out Nicki and Libby's types as well!
Karen Lossing, who has experience with multiple franchises and also happens to be Libby's mom, joins Order of Operations to recount her onboarding into her franchise organizations! Learn about the courting process and some good questions to ask as you explore career options!
Through this serendipitous marketing series, Nicki and Libby finish their final? chapter with content development! Develop a plan for the material going out to your prospects and customers by setting a customer avatar and determining a style guide. Also, find out why hot sauce is important for content development!
With Covid requiring most people to stay home, digital marketing has become the main way to get in front of potential customers! Libby and Nicki explore different types of email campaigns, different email clients, what they've found to be effective and what they really haven't liked. Learn practical email campaign actions that you can take to improve your lead conversion. Learn some staggering email statistics and how to cut through the noise so you don't turn into one of those statistics!
Join Nicki and Libby as they step away from the main 95% of their lives and dive in to the other 5%! They will go through different Hinge prompts to discuss different controversial opinions, food, adventures, and their lives outside of work. Join in on the fun on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook! What is your biggest date fail? What do you like to order for the table?
Libby shares what she learned from the book "Hug Your Haters". Customer service can be a challenge but its also rewarding! Learn about the different types of feedback, how to take it, and how to manage your response. Nicki also goes through the basics of NPS (aka Net Promoter Score) so you can understand your score!
Nicki and Libby dive into their most requested topic- Profitability! They explore the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz as well as different ways to look at expenses. True to form, Libby has some practical ways of looking at profit and Nicki has some broader strategies to apply.
Join us again for Libby's social media school where she takes Nicki through Facebook pages, Facebook ads, what to post, and some fun tips and tricks! Build up your Facebook presence to build your business!
Libby's brother joins the conversation on social media! Evan and Libby help Nicki learn what not to do on Instagram, as well as how to build and engage your audience!
Hear Nicki nerd out over her favorite things: time management and productivity! Learn different techniques to make the most of your day. They also set the stage for 4 weeks of challenges where Libby and Nicki will try different "success habits". Check out the calendar on Order of Operations social media to join in on the fun!
Libby gets to interview Nicki and a very special guest Ronnie White for this episode! Join them as they discuss investing in real estate and the stock market. Learn what NOT to do with your money and how to make your money work for you!
Nicki and Libby review their favorite conventions and conferences, what they look forward to learning, and how to be on the other side and plan (small) conventions! Find out about Libby and Nicki's differing opinions on fluff during this punderful episode.
In celebration of spending the weekend together, Libby and Nicki discuss networking! Learn who they like to network with, how to network if it's not the most natural thing for you and some tips for using LinkedIn! Be sure you're ready for your next convention!
Join Nicki and Libby as they go on a bit of a rant as they dive into a discussion all about goals! Starting out with SMART goals, then getting into setting difficulty levels and time frames. Get to know the ladies behind the mics a little better as they share their experiences along with personal and professional goals!
To wrap up the series on employment, Libby and Nicki chat with Jodi Joostberns from the top performing Mathnasium ownership group on internal promotions. They explore what career paths look like in their organizations as well as when internal promotions go well and how to avoid them going poorly!
In the second to last episode of the series, Libby and Nicki review 2 articles on employee retention. Learn some practical ways to keep your team engaged and meet Libby's new friend!
On episode 3 of 5, Libby brings her rockstar team member Youngkun (Center Director and regional trainer) to discuss training for new and veteran employees as well as high and low performers!
In part 2 of 5, Nicki and Libby discuss the interview phase of the hiring process. Hallie Gammon, Personnel Director for another multi-unit Mathnasium Learning Center organization, joins to share best practices from her experience!
Nicki and Libby are joined by Casey Daveldek, Talent Coordinator for the Temple team, to discuss recruiting the top candidates with a strong online presence and the top recommended platforms. Learn how to have a great profile that brings candidates to "swipe right"!
Starting out with a review of some facts and statistics, Nicki and Libby lay out the basics of burnout then get into their own experiences with work related stress. Annette, the artist and advocate behind "TheBurntOutBrain", joins them for a conversation about her Instagram account and community. They then wrap up with Problems of the Week submissions!
Nicki and Libby offer two conflicting... well, actually, complimentary perspectives in the role that data plays in decision making. They'll discuss big decisions they've made as well as interview Sam Larimer from another multi-center Mathnasium group on how he uses data in his strategy and leadership.
Innovation can be tricky when part of a franchise. Often you are given bounds by which to operate, but many times you need to break new ground to be successful. In this episode, Libby and Nicki discuss ways their teams have innovated, when you should start innovating, and tips to help you begin. They also interview Derek Pipkorn who has been part of Mathnasium for 2 years and has been pushing back boundaries the whole time!
Nicki and Libby break down the formula for being a great leader by sharing best practices and stories of where they have gone wrong in the past. In this episode, they discuss: Effective communication with your team Developing a clear company vision The difference between authority and leadership Establishing connections with your key players Empowering and enabling your team to get the job done Technical knowledge
Hear all about who the ladies behind Order of Operations are! Find out how they met as well as some honest first impressions. As the start of their podcast journey, find out the start of their Mathnasium journeys, pivotal moments and what they do now.
Nicki and Libby regularly sit down to discuss all aspects of navigating the business world and leading teams in their roles as Directors of Operations for large portfolio Mathnasium franchisees.