Sink Handle Podcast

It's hard to pick between more than one priority when you believe in each of them.  In a perfect world you can delegate things.  Bring in more people and accomplish more than you can do alone.  Unfortunately there are things that you just can't delegate.  Some things are yours and yours alone.  This podcast is one of those things for me.  I get plenty of help with the editing and the promotion but I'm the one on camera.  As summer approaches and I look at all the things on my plate I have to make some hard choices.  Listen to this episode to hear how I look at this pod and the amount of my time it consumes.   Timestamps: 03:04- Scheduling 27 hours in a 24 hour world 06:25- The work you can't delegate 12:41- Podcasting is hard 20:08- How I'm using a side project to test my skills   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Melinda Lee realized that her entire family line was full of silenced women. That realization led her to follow a calling as a communications and presentation coach.  Melinda saw that a lot of the challenges we all have to clear communication and public speaking were things that had nothing to do with memorizing the words.  In this interview we talk about dealing with “the inner critic”, how our bodies are living in the past, and the special needs that entrepreneurs have for presentation skills.  Melinda also shares some practical tips for public speaking that include what footwear you should have on.   Timestamps: 02:48- An extraordinary history of silence 06:40- Should I write out what I want to say beforehand? 11:10- Speaking in person vs. Zoom vs. Podcast 14:07- “The Inner Critic” 16:58- Our bodies are living in the past 20:02- Entrepreneurs need to speak 26:12- The things we can do to prep to speak   Want more from Melinda? Email her here: melinda@speakinflow.com Or connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall/ Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakinflow/ Or just go directly to her site: www.speakinflow.com   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Email is still the best way to market to your audience.  It builds familiarity, establishes authority and trust.  It can also be horribly misused and cause a lot of ill will when done wrong.  This week I talk to Liz Wilcox who teaches online business owners how to make email genuinely effective.  Liz shares how to build a great welcome series.  Explains why we should stop using the word “copy” and shows me that I've been making email much too complicated.  This talk was a big help to me and I hope it saves you as much time as it's saving me.   Timestamps: 01:36- A strange background 04:54- Lose the word ‘Copy” 14:10- It's a newsletter not a novel 24:06- Repeating yourself 39:44- The biggest mistakes people make with email 41:55- Outsourcing your emails 46:20- Getting people to reply   Want to contact Liz?  Visit her site: https://lizwilcox.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelizwilcox/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Liz-Wilcox-103239837942432   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Nathan Hirsch runs a bunch of companies. In college he bought and sold textbooks until the school hit him with a cease and desist order.  Then he became a drop-shipper and sold millions of dollars of baby products. Later he and a partner would sell their company and walk away with life-changing money. So is he relaxing? Nope. Today he has a company that teaches small business owners how to hire, train, and use VAs and freelancers and another pair of companies that provide bookkeeping services to digital businesses.  Nathan talks about how quickly he's been able to get out of the day-to-day in his companies, how good SOPs and solid books set him up for a stunningly fast sale, and why he isn't just sailing around the world in a yacht these days. Timestamps: 02:53- When you have to pivot your entire business 07:37- The decision to sell the company 15:52- From Hiring VAs to teaching how to hire them 18:11- Walking away 24:10- What entrepreneurs need to focus on   Connect with Nathan on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhirsch/ Learn more about AccountsBalance (mention the show for 2 free months!): Accountsbalance.com Check out all of Nathan's tools and resources for hiring and training freelancers: OutsourceSchool.com If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Delegation is one of my most talked about subjects here on the pod.  There's a good reason for that; I've spent a lot of time and energy thinking about it and building practices I can rely on to delegate effectively.  The other thing is that when you run an agency you're essentially a middleman between the delegation your clients use you for and the things you delegate to your team.   In this episode I break down some best practices on delegation.  Things you should be thinking about from the moment you want to hand something off, to the way you can build practices to make the entire experience repeatable with a minimum of fuss.     As always, please take a moment and give the show a review.  It makes a big difference.     Timestamps: 02:10- Hire for tasks not job titles. 04:10- Don't try to make 5 jobs 1 job. 10:20- Make the Scope clear 13:54- The value of systems in delegation If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

What do you do when you have a breakdown after working for a tyrant of a boss… but the boss is you?  That happened to this week's guest Lydia Lee, who we spoke to in Bali where she spends half her year. It turns out that a breakdown like that is a real wake up call.  Now Lydia coaches mid-career professionals who are looking for something different from the rest of their work life.   This is a great conversation about building the work life you want to live with; not a bigger career or a smaller career, just the right one for you.  We talk about entrepreneurship, delegating work, running a 1-person company, who to work with and how to repell the kinds of people you want to avoid.   More than anything we talk about being deliberate with the choices you make about you're work life. Consciously or unconsciously you'll make a lot of choices and the quality of those choices will impact everything from your compensation to where you live to your health.   Timestamps: 03:32- The early mistakes people make when they start a business 09:34- Work can be joyful 13:04- Corporate jobs a damn risky 18:04- Making your business… smaller 24:15- Why Lydia won't hand over content creation 30:44- Working in the Sweet Spot 33:45- Follow Deep Interests NOT Passion 37:40- Right… for right now. 45:16- Attract the right people. Repel the right people. Want to contact Lydia?  Email her at: lydia@screwthecubicle.com Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cubiclecrasher/ Subscribe to her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/screwthecubicle Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydiallee/ Watch her adventures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screw_the_cubicle/ If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

Ads!  The average American sees between 4000 and 10,000 every day.  Most of them are junk.  Some of them work.  Marketing isn't black magic, it's a process you can be better or worse executing.  Today I talk to Kristina  Pierce who, for 25 years has been crafting, buying, and monitoring ads across a wide variety of media.  From her HQ in upstate New York, Kristina now runs Pierce Media, an ad agency specializing in social media ads for service based businesses.   Kristina knows a tremendous amount about advertising and happily shares with me details about strategy, the math of advertising, and deep geek stuff about the platforms.  Don't just listen to this, bring a pencil.   Timestamps: 02:03- The conversation that happens before you buy ads. 07:20- People make decisions in a certain way. 12:42- Get yourself some specialists. 22:29- Testing Your offer 34:45- Vanity metrics 40:20- Pinterest, Bing & other useful forgotten platforms   Want more from Kristina?  Visit her site or on social media: Website: www.kpiercemedia.com FB: www.facebook.com/kpiercemedia IG: www.instagram.com/piercemedia Linked: www.linkedin.com/in/kristinapiercemedia   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

Let's talk about money!   How much money should your business have put in reserve?  How much in profit?  How much money should you save in taxes?  Should these bundles of cash be stored in one place or many… and where? Lots of businesses out there struggle to make the right moves with their cash.  Many even struggle with the idea that there ARE right moves to make.   Yet clearly there are better and worse ways to manage your company's cash.  One of the better ways is to follow the “Profit FIrst” model which this weeks' guest Jenni Davis is an expert in.  Jenni's company helps scores of small (and not so small) businesses to deploy the “Profit First” methodology in their finances.   Instead of assuming that what the business owner gets is what's left over when the bills are paid, “Profit First” places the owner at the center of the business's transactions.  It says that the owner should be the FIRST person paid, not the last; and here at Reynolds OBM we agree.   This week while so many of you are thinking about tax day we thought it would be the perfect day to rebroadcast this gem.  Originally episode 85, it returns now as the team here takes spring break.  Enjoy!   If you'd like to know more about profit first contact Jenni: https://jmdbusinesssolutions.com/ Check her out n FB: https://www.facebook.com/JMDBusinessSolutions Try this primer to Profit First: https://reynoldsobm--jmdbusinesssolutions.thrivecart.com/profit-first-simplified-diy/ If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/  

Jen has a lot going on. Like many entrepreneurs, this daughter of teachers was driven to business ownership by life events.  In a twist of fate it was the forced choice to run her own company that convinced Jen she doesn't have to make choices like that ever again.   Yes, you can have it all.  Jen publishes the Becoming Iconic magazine, coaches business owners, and runs an agency which provides branding, marketing, and operations support to the female entrepreneur who refuses to compromise.    Jen and I explore a bunch of different corners of business ownership including just how underrated the difficulties are, the mental game of entrepreneurship, how being able to repeat things is what success looks like, solopreneurship vs. CEO, and a great deal more.   Timestamps:  00:47- Jen's on a mission. 03:29- Why the company is called “Becoming Iconic” 09:49- Things go wrong. 13:00- When you have it all and still want more. 16:48- Innovation is at the core of entrepreneurship. 22:04- Why “solopreneurship” is overrated 27:22- The best piece of advice for entrepreneurs 30:11- You can't enjoy things when you're dead. 33:40- “Obsessive Gratitude” 39:15- How to enjoy life more than your husband's next wife. 46:40- Listen to a dog bark Want more from Jen?  Follow and connect with her here: Becoming Iconic https://www.instagram.com/becomingiconic/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-szpigiel-931499195/   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

Bureaucracy.  Even the word makes some people groan. I had a realization the other day that a lot of small businesses don't see any daylight between good systems and unnecessary bureaucracy and frankly that's a shame.  Just because you're a startup doesn't mean you shouldn't be developing systems for doing things efficiently.  Just because you're an established company doesn't mean your systems are efficient. Your goal as the business owner is to make sure that your business can run without you.  IT'S ALSO YOUR JOB to see that your business runs the way you want it to.  One without the other and you're not going to be happy.  In this episode I talk about a few ways that I run Reynolds OBM that should make sense to all of you.  I talk about a few small projects you can start that will reduce the amount of questions you get, decrease the amount of time you spend looking for things and decrease the number of calls you get from people who don't know what to do or where to look for something.  Take a listen.   LINK TO KELLY'S FREE URL TRACKER: https://www.getyouracttogether.co/urltrackersignup If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

There's a trap that a lot of my guests recently have talked about.  A trap of our own making that agency owners keep falling ito as they work to grow their businesses.  We trap ourselves in our clients' work.  We know we need to get out of it and yet as hard as we try there's always a good reason to stay involved personally.  Always a reason to do their work ourselves instead of handing it off to one of our people.  I've fallen into this trap many times myself so I thought I'd devote an entire episode to talking about it.   In this episode it's just you and me and I'm going to show you exactly and specifically how this trap has snared me in the past.  I'll also show you what's on the other side when you make the decision to slip out and run your company instead of work on your clients.   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

Many small businesses start their own channels through podcasting to get exposure, build brand, and show expertise all at the same time. What they don't know going into it is just how much work it's going to be to run your own production company.   Stephanie Judice knows.  She and her nine-person team produce podcasts for upwards of twenty clients every week. They've edited, post-produced, and distributed thousands of episodes content for their clients and today she joins me as a guest to talk about the challenges and successes along the way.   We talk about getting out of the day-to-day of the business, hiring for efficiency vs. hiring for redundancy, what you're responsible for as the owner, and building and rebuilding of roles for people you want to keep.  This is a great conversation, listen in!   Timestamps: 09:40- Perfectionist vs. Leader 13:00- I started asking my team what to fix 17:50- The upside of losing a good person 22:10- The pride of employing people 25:56- Building a team for flexibility 33:45- It's probably your fault 35:30- 20 Clients, 10 team members, 2 kids Want more from Stephanie?  Visit her site or on social media: Website: www.stephaniejudice.com FB: www.facebook.com/stephaniejudicepodcastmanagement IG: www.instagram.com/stephaniejudice   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

Nobody wakes up in the morning and decides to be the worst business person they can be. Yet a lot of very talented, very skilled people from plumbers to lawyers and everything in between have trouble running their businesses and that very often comes down to how they deal with the money.  Jen Paterson is a money coach for that crowd.  I talk with her about everything from setting up bank accounts, to our attitudes towards money, to buying shoes guilt free.  There's a lot in here for every business owner regardless of their craft.  Listen in.   Timestamps: 00:18- What a “Money Coach” does. 06:36- Pay Yourself 12:00- Reprogramming the ways you talk about money 23:28- Bank Account Architecture 29:08- Revenue rollercoaster 33:30- Picking your banker 39:27- Business is a different skill Want more from Jen?  Visit her site or on social media: Website: https://www.dollardivas.org/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jenpaterson.biz/   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Nobody wants to feel like they're being sold.  Nobody wants to feel pressured or have useless information thrown at them. This is why it's important to be thoughtful about how you design the flow a prospect goes through on their way to giving you money.    When his clients need help navigating the build of that process, James Hipkins takes their hand and dives deep.  James and his team have been building large, corporate websites for 10 years and he'll tell you the hard part is all the work you do before you start designing things.  More recently James's focus has turned to small businesses where he believes a lot more help is needed.   I talk to him about the things you SHOULD be thinking about when you design your website (hint: design is waaay last), not building on rented land, the cookie strategy, and a lot more.     Want more from James?  Visit him site or on social media: Website: https://red8interactive.com/ FB:https://www.facebook.com/inn8ly/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/inn8ly/ Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameshipkin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jhipkin/   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Brandon Cockrell was a salesman knocking on doors in 100-degree heat in Georgia in a suit.  That taught him that digital sales is pretty great. Today his team builds digital sales systems for companies that need people to sign-up, opt-in, book-now, or buy today.  His wholehearted adoption of technology as a way to drive revenue has given him a lot to say and I talk to him about the “when?”, “how?”, and “how much?”   Timestamps:   02:37- Help an “Ops-Gal” get started with her sales funnel. 09:37- Proving out the hard stuff in your sales process 14:03- What ROI should you expect when you market? 24:20- TikTok 30:21- How many touchpoints for a conversion to a sale? 34:04- The value and trouble with organic reach   Want more from Brandon?  Visit his site or on social media: Website: https://www.linchpinsales.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/linchpinsales/?hl=en   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat  

This is a great episode!  Christina Lenkowski is a veteran public relations expert. She's worked for big companies like Cirque du Sole and Dark Horse Comics but what she's discovered is that podcasts are the most effective form of publicity.   Now she helps her clients go from “Best Kept Secret” to “Go-to Expert” by raising their voice on other people's platforms.   There's a lot here as Christina shares how she gets her clients on 24 shows a year, how you can make it easy for show hosts to book you, and ways you can use the content you generate from appearances.   Timestamps: 02:02- What working remotely tells you about yourself. 04:56- The value of being a podcast guest 12:14- Share that content over and over 19:11- Anderson Cooper is not coming for you. 20:11- Pitching to podcasts 24:38- The first paragraph of a pitch to a podcast 29:15- Missteps when you pitch a show 32:23- You have to be visible to grow 36:36- It takes time to get on shows 43:16- Repurposing your interview as evergreen content   Want more from Christina?  Visit her site or on social media: Website: https://www.publicityxchristina.com/ Quiz: https://www.publicityxchristina.com/quiz-landing-page FB: https://www.facebook.com/publicityxchristina IG: https://www.instagram.com/publicityxchristina/ If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www.reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/  

Amazing guest this week! Debra Joy is on her fourth business.  One was sold, another went public, and one went nowhere.  For the last 15 years she's been a coach to entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives so they can achieve success with less stress.   We talk about the effects high stress can (and does) have on our bodies, the power and hazard of goal setting, and how leaders can unconsciously create traumatizing environments at work.  Debra talks about helping clients achieve big things.  She also talks about using the journey to become the kind of person you want your goals to make you.  Timestamps: 00:23- Somatic experiencing practitioner? 03:06- ...but all I wanted was to fix the world. 09:07- choosing when to overdue it 10:57- the goal VS. why they want the goal 14:49- A somatic practice as a perspective in coaching 18:06- Work as a traumatizing environment 23:30- habits 27:19- Kelly gets coached.   You can Find Debra here: Website: http://www.debrajoy.me/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/withdebrajoy IG: https://www.instagram.com/debrajoy_coach/ Linked: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debrajoy/   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Ana Natkins had a career in the corporate world. There she developed and strengthened her natural ability to look at complicated workflows and break them down into small, digestible pieces. Today she runs Anna's Simple Solutions, where she and her team use those skills to help overwhelmed, neurodivergent business owners simplify their processes and increase productivity through the use of technology. In this conversation I talk with her about the tools she uses, her love for Clickup and Airtable, and some basic things to remember about the neurodivergent and how they sometimes work. Timestamps: 01:23- Neurodivergence in the workforce. 06:24- Mom + Entrepreneur = Guilt 12:45- Setting up your company so that your people can thrive. 15:25- Two Ops nerds geek-out on Airtable 25:00- Ana's networking database is on steroids   ANA's Links: Website: https://www.anasimplesolutions.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/AnaSimpleSolutions IG: https://www.instagram.com/anasimplesolutions/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ananatkins/ Need help from Kelly? http://www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat

Laura Sinclair started her career in corporate social media at a time when corporations left “that social stuff” to interns. It didn't take forever for her to get good and to realize that she could go out on her own.  In 2014 she left corporate and bought a failing business which she swiftly turned around so dramatically that it was generating more money each month than she paid for it. Forced to close a brick and mortar business during lockdown, Laura now shows other business owners how to market themselves and get on the same upward trajectory. We talk about dumb ways to waste $10,000, working while scared, keeping yourself in the right mindset, how a lot of marketers make things more complicated than they need to be, and a great deal more.   Timestamps: 01:02 - Luxury auto to gym owner to marketer. 06:26 - $10,000 down the drain 09:42 - Marketing from Desire not Pain 15:16 - Confidence and fear 23:10 - Jazzed for January 25:00 - Marketers make marketing complicated 31:15 - Sales > # of Followers 40:10 - Yuckiness in sales   Want more from Laura?  Visit her site or on social media:   Want help from Laura? Visit: www.laura-sinclair.com Or on IG: https://www.instagram.com/itslaurasinclair/   Need help with your small business or agency? Contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/

Jessica Armstrong is the owner of TC Created, a service agency that supplies realtors with transaction coordinators so they can spend their time in front of buyers and sellers.  In this episode, Kelly and Jessica discuss how starting a business is a journey of self-discovery, how challenging it is to be objective when you delegate work to others, and how success in business has let Jessica to coach others.   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ Thanks to Jessica for joining us!  If you'd like to contact her try her site: www.tccreated.com To follow her on IG follow: https://www.instagram.com/tccreated/ Timestamps: 2:19- Starting a business is a journey of self discovery 7:40- Important things to think about when you hand off work to your team. 12:22- How Jessica's coaching practice is a result of trauma and generosity. 23:16- Getting salespeople to buy your service

What do you think will happen in 2023? I think I'm getting flowers.  “Why?” you ask. Because I'm planting flowers.  You all know my love of good systems for everything from my clients to my garden.  Today I've got for you today is a story about what happens when a client breaks all of those systems. We don't wake up everyday amazed that water comes out of the pipes and the trains come on time. Maybe we should. There's a lot of work that goes into systems when everyone needs them to work.  So what happens when the hub for all those systems gets improperly migrated? What happens when all the company's documents, all the access permissions, all the SOPs, (each interconnected to the others with up-to-date links and passwords in a reliable filing system) what happens when they all get scrambled like an overturned scrabble board?     If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/

A special message from Kelly.   If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/  

Katie Suarez is a 5th generation Montanan with 20 years in the construction and building sector.  When she launched her company it was obvious that she'd be serving the sometimes gruff, always direct entrepreneurs of that space and their softer, kinder cousins from the design industry.   Today, ‘Kate' empowers residential contractors and interior designers to uproot traditional ways of working and seamlessly transition brick and mortar offices and studios into virtual businesses. Her goal is to release the pressure felt by small business owners by partnering with them to take on all of their "business-y" responsibilities, so they can focus on what they truly love and do best!   Timestamps: 07:25- When your ego gets in the way of letting other people do the work you need them to do. 11:10- How nitching down has given Katherine the ability to tell a client what they need just based on their current revenue. 20:07- How Kate gets clients 30:09- Hold on… is Katie married to Kelly? 31:01- Mistakes Kate made in the beginning. 35:24- How Kate puts her week together 40:11- Putting your neck on the line for your people

If you've been around here for a minute, you'll know I love to talk about systems and having things run well. It's been our focus over the last 6½ years as we help small businesses get organized and run better. Throughout that time I've been a broken record that you need good systems to run things well. Maybe over the last few years you've wondered if it's true.  So I wanted to share two stories of how I had my systems tested just to show you that yes, it works. If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/

Full Swing is a PR Agency born in 2019 and has already become one of the 2% of women-owned businesses that generate greater than $1M/year in revenue.  It didn't start out that way. Caitlin Copple Masingill and her co-founder are on a mission to give more women the power, money, and decision making authority to make a big dent in the world.  She didn't originally think that she was building an agency.  She intended to build a small owner-operator business that could meet her goals.  It didn't take too long before she met people who helped her expand those goals.  Now she's proud to employ a team, offer healthcare on day one, and operate an unabashedly capitalist business in a markedly values-driven way.  Need help with your PR? Want to contact Caitlin?  Visit: https://fullswingpr.com/ Connect with Caitlin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullswingpr/ If you need help with your small business or agency contact the Reynolds Online Agency: http://www.reynoldsobm.com To get on the waiting list for Kelly's group coaching program click here: http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat Join Kellys' facebook community here: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ Timestamps: 05:18- The cool part about ignoring conventional wisdom 07:15- The thing that people don't talk about enough 12:48- The team Caitlin built & planning future headcount 16:50- The single most game-changing thing that put her on the path to running a 7-figure company 23:21- How Caitlin gets clients 26:20- Who free webinars don't work for. 29:42- A day in the life 34:58- The hard part of letting go of the work 38:54- The biggest mistake Caitlin made building the business

In the last few weeks, I've seen this trend in some businesses and since I like things to be streamlined and running well, it drives me mad.  What I'm seeing is a push to go for the cheapest option by default.   I'm not talking about those of you who are just getting started and piecing it together. I'm not advising you to charge lots of things and go into debt.  Admittedly, I know some of this is fear from the talk of recession and I'm not saying that cheap things don;t have their place but the cheapest option as the default choice is just DUMB. You need to look at what you are getting for your money.  What is the best value.   Need Help with your agency or small business? Contact Kelly Here: Reynolds OBM Agency Join Kelly's facebook group HERE:Reynolds OBM on Facebook Get on the waiting list for Kelly's next group coaching program: Get Your Agency Together Group Coaching

Luisa Alberto was variously told that she should be an artist, a physical therapist, a philosopher.  Now she's found her calling running People First Finance which is run by, staffed by, and supports female run businesses.   In this episode of our Agency Series, Kelly and Luisa talk about building a great business culture, the need for financial competence in business owners, and much more.   For more from Luisa visit her homepage: www.peoplefirstfinance.com Or on instagram @peoplefirstfinance   For help with your agency or small business contact Reynolds OBM at: www.reynoldsobm.com Join Kelly's facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/   08:00- How a landlord accidentally set Luisa on a path to financial literacy. 10:30- The windy road to realizing you need to hire people 23:40- What brings her team culture together 28:12- Getting contractors to be every bit as devoted as employees 35:57- The problems clients keep showing up with and the core of Luisa's business 44:43- Having enough space to look at your business objectively

The other day someone told me, “You can't scale a broken business, you need to fix it first.”  It was one of those moments when something sounds so profound and so obvious at the same time. Like I already knew this but I was hearing it for the first time. This idea is one of those things that gets skipped A LOT but when you actually think about it, it's so important.  So today I wanted to talk about that, about not scaling a broken business.    In order to scale a business well, it needs to be running well or it all falls apart.  It's like an old car; at slow speeds for stops around town it's ok if the brakes aren't great and everything is being held together with rust.  But when you hit the interstate you need all the parts to work.    Now, when you ask most entrepreneurs what their business needs, you will almost always get “more leads” or some version of that as the answer.  So much focus is put on getting people in the door and selling and everything else is less important. Until of course everything breaks.   I'm a self professed ops nerd so I may seem a bit biased here, but hear me out. What if what you need isn't just more business?   For help with your business visit Reynolds OMB. Join Kelly's Facebook group.  

Once upon a time Mary Zargarian had a great life in corporate America.  Now she directs all of her leadership skills and hard work into building her agency. Zargarian Consulting helps its client roster of service-based, largely women-owned businesses and nonprofits optimize their workflows and free up time for their core priorities. On this podcast she gets specific about why she hires the smartest people she can, how to have tough conversations with clients, and how you can accidentally encourage bad behavior from clients. Timestamps: 00:58- The change from solo operator to agency owner. 06:55- What offers Mary focuses on and why. 08:20- When clients say, “We don't have systems.” 12:00- How Mary structures her agency 17:45- Why you should hire strong people that are smarter than you. 23:59- How agency owners get in trouble with the mis-match between client fees and sub costs 28:45- When you sometimes enable poor behavior from your clients 32:34- Having tough conversations with clients 42:10- Finding new team members   Visit Zargarian Consulting Reynolds OBM's Homepage Join the Facebook Group

So today is 100.   If you have listened for a while you've heard lots about where we have been already and right now I'm so focused on looking forward that I can't wrap my head around looking back.  I've actually been avoiding recording this episode for days and I think it's just that I didn't want to look back.  There's too much excitement about what's to come.  But first I want to celebrate. 100 episodes is a really big deal. http://www.reynoldsobm.com https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat

On today's episode from our Agency Series we meet Laura Kelly the Founder and CEO of TulaBooks, a modern bookkeeping business.  I talk to her about why all of her people are employees and not contractors, how she chose to be an agency and not just a freelance CFO, and we nerd out on software that makes agency life easier. Laura has more than 15 years of accounting, finance and HR experience, and she brings that knowledge to her small business clients every day. She is an expert number cruncher, but her true passion is storytelling and translating your numbers to show you what they really mean for your business and your life.   Timestamps:   02:20- Why are you not just a bookkeeper? Why make this agency? 05:25- Transitioning from an hourly CFO to an agency owner 08:10- wanting to burn it to the ground 18:15- Scheduling work for your team 21:00- Software to use on clients who don't know where they spend their money 25:30- Being your “Numbers Translator” 30:15- How Laura picks her people and onboards them 40:32- The things that make Laura's agency different 43:15- Why Laura has such low turnover 44:45- The benefits of becoming a “removable CEO”   Visit Tulabooks: https://www.tulabooks.co/   Visit ReynoldsOBM: http://www.reynoldsobm.com   Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/

I see a lot of business owners jump around so much they never get to the success.  Each time I talk to someone, they have a whole new offer, or team or strategy.  When they don't see immediate results, they change everything.  I get it.  As soon as I publish something and I have not sold a million of something I feel like a failure.  But just because there aren't immediate results, doesn't mean it's the wrong thing.  It could just be no one saw it yet or that the messaging around the thing needs some tweaks. Consistency is the long term payoff.  If you knew that you would make a million/have success in 2 years if you just posted on LinkedIn everyday, wouldn't you do it?  But we don't.    

Ashley Weigl makes systems sexy.  She's a certified OBM, certified Dubsado Specialist, and Clickup Extraordinaire. Her boutique agency was born in the pandemic but she had no idea where how it would thrive.  In Ashley's experience most small business owners don't know how much they're their own bottleneck. In this pod she gets honest about the challenges of matching contractor time with client time, how being detail oriented aids building culture, and she warns against letting negative thinking about the economy distract from the work of growing a company. Join the waitlist for Kelly's group coaching program. You can vist Ashley's homepage HERE.

when I started growing a team, I thought I had to train them on everything because I knew it all. Or I would be aggravated that they didn't know how to do it exactly like me because I knew the only good way to do it.  The only right way.  I would freak out if they messed up and used that as proof that I was the only one who could do these things and it was proof that I shouldn't delegate.   Sound familiar?   Kelly's group coaching program: http://www.reynoldsobm.co/gyat The Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/ Today I am here to remind you that you don't know everything.   I'm not saying that you have to admit this to your significant other but you need to admit this to yourself. One of my favorite things about my agency is that I get to work together with like minded people. They have fresh eyes and different experiences.  You will have to show them around yes and that's what all those systems and processes are for.  But please remember to create a culture where your team feels like they can speak up and give suggestions.  Let them help you.  They will know things, different things, that can make the service you provide to your clients better and your business stronger.

 The group coaching program: Get Your Agency Together   Welcome back to another episode in our Agency Series!  On today's show: Audra King (M.Ed.) is obsessed with making business building easy and accessible. She has built a 6-figure business by constantly asking herself (and her clients) "How can we make this feel fully aligned and fun?" She backs up her big-picture planning and coaching offers with a full-service agency, so you can start, pivot, and grow your business with ease. Her driving beliefs? When women create wealth, we make the world a better place, and to always Follow the Fun!   Timestamps: 00:53- Listen to a cat sneeze 04:15- How Audra started an agency without knowing it 09:16- Making choices about what you want to work on in your own business 11:57- The feeling that drove Audra to build her company's strategy 14:33- The scary thing about narrowing a client base 18:20- How to know when you've taken on too much 28:38- How Audra structures her team 36:07- Audra's three (or 3.5) step process for hiring 40:25- Why contractors with prices too low is a red flag 47:50- Matching up client payments to contractor payments. Audra's workshops: shelovesherbiz.com/ftfworkshop   Audra's homepage: shelovesherbiz.com   Kelly's homepage: reynoldsobm.com    

GROUP COACHING PROGRAM NOW OPEN CLICK HERE I've been thinking a lot about how we compare our businesses to those of other people.  Especially now and especially through social media lots of stories pop up about “six-figure” launches or “seven and eight figure” agencies. Don't compare yourself to these. You don't even know what you're comparing yourself to. You have no idea what's happening behind those headlines.  Those launches may be losing money. Those companies may be bringing home 1% of what they bring in. You have to run your own race.  Keep your head down.  Build the business and get the lifestyle you want. Don;'t compare yourself to other people.  Especially when you have no idea what their situation really is. Everything else is just flash and marketing. The only thing that matters is if you're making progress against your own goals. Visit Reynolds OBM Join the Facebook Group  

Rachel Pereyra has always been the breadwinner for her family. When pandemic hit and she started her agency it had to provide for the family from the first day. In this episode we look at her journey and how she makes decisions for herself and her company. About the guest: Rachel is the queer founder of Mastermind Business Services, an operations agency built to help other women and LGBTQ+ led businesses generate a greater impact on the world. She has over a decade of operations + leadership experience between corporate and the online world that she leverages to lead her team and help her clients achieve their goals. Outside of her work life, Rachel is also a wife, a mother of two humans, and a pizza addict who lives just outside of Austin, Texas. Timestamps: 00:55- Introducing Rachel Pereyra 03:42- The reckoning that Rachel sees in the online business space post-pandemic 07:38- How Rachel structures her team 10:37- Rachel's plan to get out of the work of the business and let her team run 14:50- “F*ck it Mondays” 16:27- How do you look at the finances in your company? How do you decide to spend money? 19:57- Matching up client payments with contractor invoices 22:50- Making money as the agency owner and the time/money trade off 27:40- How Rachel runs internal communications between her team, her contractors, and her clients. 34:31- Don't take on the energy of your clients. 38:20- Picking team members 45:04- Team members that are smarter than you. Mastermind Business Services Reynolds OBM Homepage Kelly's Group Coaching Program

Take a step back and look at your business.  To make the company what you want it to be you should ask yourself some hard questions. This week I'm on vacation with family but while we sit on the beach my mind will still spend some time on my company.  I'm asking myself hard questions that can reveal where I need to put my energy in the coming months. Here's a few you should be asking of yourself.  If you don't know the answers you should be finding help. Today I expand on each of these and others: How much can you let go in your business - realistically? Can your team run things without you? Will your business break if you brought on 5 more clients?  What about 10? What happens if a team member leaves?  What if it's more than one?  What if it's your right hand person? Visit the Homepage Join the Facebook Group Link to the Group Coaching Program

We continue the Agency Series with Erica Fullerton, CEO/Owner of Ovello, an agency that serves primarily small businesses and MLM/Network Marketers.  Erica's path to entrepreneurship started as a virtual assistant during maternity leave and has grown to a 15 person team.  Today we talk about running a business, the challenges or hiring and building trust, how she came to choose the services she offers, and much more.  Some of the highlights include: Timestamps: 01:01- You're offering admin and social media services.  How did you pick those as offers? 02:17- Why Erica decided to go the agency route instead of another structure 03:23- How Erica structured her agency. 06:13- How Erica still spends her time. 07:25- How big is your team? Are they employees or contractors? How big do you want to get? 10:16- How do you prepare for the inevitable exit of your contractors? 12:08- What kind of focus do you place on culture internally? 15:30- How do you keep track of everything? What tools do you use? 20:52- What makes your agency different? 23:45- What are the tough parts of running your agency? 25:38- How do you pick VAs, onboard, and build trust so that you can hand them off to your clients? 30:06- How are you structured on pay? Are your people on retainer? Hourly? When do you pay them? 34:42- How have the last couple years affected your business?  How are you looking at the next year?   Erica Fullerton-: Ovello's Homepage: www.clubovello.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/clubovello IG: www.instagram.com/club.ovello   Kelly Reynolds: Visit our Homepage Check out the Facebook group Join the waitlist of Kelly's group coaching program.

Mindset is the thing. It keeps you going and makes you successful.  Every business owner has a crisis around mindset sooner or later, but there are reasons it's particularly important for the agency owner. Agency owners have a different challenge than other business owners.  They hand off their work, and their relationships to their clients, much earlier.  In a small business the owner is front and center.  At a franchise they rely on the brand of the parent operation.  In the agency very quickly the client is handed over from you as the business owner to someone executing the work.  They represent you no matter how old the client or how new the team member. In this episode we talk about some of the mindset issues that plague business owners and agency owners in particular.  We also talk about some techniques to help you navigate through those challenges. Reynolds OBM on Facebook The Get Your Agency Together Group Coaching Program

Welcome to our Agency Series. This week we talk to Sadie Prestridge, Owner of Prestridge & Co., an Virtual Assistant Agency.  Sadie talks about her journey from VA to owner of a 12 person team, the big mistakes she made early on, and much, much more. Timestamps:     01:00- How I got into this business. 04:30- How I figured out what I wanted to offer my clients. 09:03- The difference between a VA and an EVA 12:00- What kind of people Prestridge & Co. works with 19:45- About the choice to work or spend time with family as an agency owner 24:26- How Sadie structured her company, who she's hired and how they work with clients 28:56- tools for people that want to get their agency together 29:41- Keeping client work consistent when somebody leaves or goes on vacation 34:19- Getting out of the client work and adapting to the work of running your own company 39:50- Meetings, communication, and culture with a remote team 43:18- Hiring contractors or employees how to pay people. 46:39- Structuring client packages 51:30- Financial breakdown of a billable hour. 54:05- The hardest part of running an agency. 57:16- What makes Prestridge & Co. different   http://www.reynoldsobm.com http://www/reynoldsobm.com/gyat https://www.facebook.com/reynoldsobm/   Guest Links: https://prestridgeandco.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Prestridgeandcompany

You're probably not the right person to do the work of documenting all your systems.  Why?  Because you're too close to them and too busy.  Think about it.  Systems are just documented processes and every time a person gets good at a process they find little shortcuts to do the work well.  Sometimes those shortcuts are technological (the cache of your computer jumps you to the right page or a cookie remembers something for you) and as a result when someone tries to repeat a process there are obvious simple things that aren't listed in the system.  It could be passwords you keep on a sticky note or a website you use to convert a file before you work on it.  Things like this are common.   Then there's the time value.  Remember that if you want a process to be repeatable by someone else you're already admitting that it's something you shouldn't be spending time on.  Documenting that process is even less effective use of your time… until you scale that across your whole company.   Today's cast is a hard look at why you aren't better systematized in your company and what you can do about it.

It's good to be back! I've been gone for a couple months from the podcast booth and now I want to tell you about the giant wrecking ball that hit my business and kept me from recording.   About 60 days ago one of my largest, oldest clients decided to sell his business.  This company has about a hundred employees and generates revenue in the low eight figures.  This meant a lot of uncertainty for my company but it also meant a ton of extra work in the short term.  This podcast is the story about what happened.   reynoldsobm.com Get Your Agency Together Group Coaching

I was the one with the laptop on vacation with my family just answering one more email.  I was the one with too many clients that were always on fire which stressed me out.  I was the one that really wanted to bring on help but had no idea how to even start.  Since I started coaching, I would see these same things come up over and over.  I would see those overwhelmed business owners try to start an agency without any idea of what to do first or next.  There would be chaos.  There would be times where the agency owner would be working so hard and couldn't pay themselves because all the money went right back out the door.  I also found that some people that came to me for private coaching really needed more structure.  More step by step guidance to find their path to the agency they wanted to build, that worked for their lives. 1-on-1 coaching goes where the client needs it to go but sometimes I just want to roll out big chunky, strategic tools that help the kind of situations I used to be in because I know how painful those situations are.  My group coaching program is where I get to do that.   You can find out more about what I do by visiting Reynolds Online Agency. You can find a link to the Get Your Agency Together program HERE.  

First thing's first! Seats are available for Get Your Agency Together check it out HERE while you still can! Today I have something special for you!  Last week I asked my friend Jenni Davis of JMD Business Solutions to go live with me in my Facebook group to talk about Profit First which is a financial method for handling your business finances.  And since my mission is to help service providers build profitable and sustainable agencies, I thought I would share it here on the podcast as well. We get into what #ProfitFirst is, and how the process helps small business people.  Jenni tells us a lot about how she advises and educates her clients so they can run their businesses without the financial whipsawing that can sometimes happen in a small business. We talk about: Who much money a company should have in reserve How many bank accounts a small business should have & why (it's more than you think!) How her clients learn to expand their margins Why so many small business owners get confused into thinking things are good when they look at their revenue You can find Jenni HERE. Join the Get Your Agency Together group now while there are still seats!  

We start out just working hard to get clients.  Then, there are so many things to get done for the clients that the working on our own businesses get pushed off.  At some point, if all is going “well”, our business can't function without us there all the time so we bring a laptop on vacation.  Your business is not sustainable.  For your health, your sanity, and your family's happiness you can't keep going like this.   It's not about a certain amount of money or a certain team size.  It's about making it sustainable and profitable. You need to be able to go on vacation.  You need to know that nobody on your team can take you hostage by being irreplaceable.   I'm evangelical about this.  You need to build things that don't break.  You need to build a thing that makes money for you and that doesn't break if you get a sniffle. I've seen enough good hard-working people get dragged down by working 12 hour days.   Many people rely on my business.  My family, and me team,  for the income.  My clients for the services.  So I need to make that work in case I get sick or just need a break, and so do you. Make sure to visit the website: Reynolds OBM Agency To find out more about the group coaching program click HERE

2021 was a big year for me to try things out.  I wanted to learn things and do things and take a crack at things I hadn't done before.  Boy, was it fun.  Now, like a test kitchen for some high end restaurant, it's time to shutter that part of the process and apply what I've learned to the menu.   When you're in an intensive learning process you must conclude it to move forward.  Students get a graduation but you never will.  You'll always have another thing to learn.  In the academy you can go on learning forever.  You can get more degrees and more certifications but in business the day comes when we have to take all that and go make money.  We have to move forward because that was the whole point of learning something to begin with.  If you get stuck in a learning cycle you won't ever apply what you've been learning. When you get to the end of a learning cycle for your business you need to decide if what you've learned is going to be part of your work or if you now know enough to hire well.  If it's going to be part of your work, what are you going to let go of?  Last year I tried a lot of new things but I can tell you now, I'm not doing all of them these days.  Instead, I know how to hire for them like a champ. Featured on the pod today: Reynolds OBM Agency Get Your Agency Together Group Coaching Program

How many times have you thought, If I just had one day to catch up on this work I would be ok. But let me guess that day never comes and you are always behind. I have been here, friends.  In this episode we'll talk about why the day never arrives, how to finally get things done by using your schedule instead of a list, and why you should consider never doing anything from that list in the first place. Links: Visit us at: ReynoldsOBM The details of my group coaching program are HERE.

These last few years have been crazy.  So many things have changed; sometimes overnight.   Many of us don't like change.  We tell ourselves “Stay in your cozy corner.  Be safe.”  But that's not how you grow.  You've heard people talk about comfort zones and that you need to get out of them and it's true. In this episode I talk about that feeling of wanting to burn it all down, drop all of your clients and start something else.  DON”T DO THAT.  You and your family have an addiction to food and shelter.  Trust me I understand that urge but “embrace change” really also means “manage change responsibly”.   This episode of the podcast is brought to you by the Get Your Agency Together group coaching program.  Another cohort opens this spring.  You can be the first to get news about it by visiting Reynoldsobm.com and joining the waitlist.  Click HERE for more details.

The purpose of my business is to create a lifestyle for me and my family. Everything I talk about on this podcast, everything I do as a teacher and coach, it's all to help you do the same thing.  It's to help you build the lifestyle you want based on the needs of your life.  Before I started this company, my corporate life was anything but geared to a family life. It's why so much of my message is to avoid building a business that you don't like.    With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to show you what it's like around here, behind the scenes.  What a typical week looks like.  I thought about just showing you a day in my life but most of my days aren't really that similar even if there is a rhythm to the week.  Which is exactly how I like it.   Visit ReynoldsOBM.com The next cohort of the Get Your Agency Together group coaching program starts this April.  Get on the waiting list HERE.  

As we approach 80 episodes, I'm suddenly aware that I've never talked about “offers” and I LOVE talking about offers.  In my private and group coaching as well as my work in the DOO certification I love to push people's assumptions about what they think they should be offering and why. There are tons of people I talk to who think they need to offer something they don't like doing or need to keep offering something that isn't making them any money.  It's crazy.   You're the boss.  The market will tell you what you can sell, not your clients or your history.  Not only that but it's ok to change your mind.  Nobody says your company needs to keep its offers written in stone.  As your life changes your offers may change too.   Here are some questions you should be asking yourself from time to time: What do you like to do? What don't you like to do? What are you doing now that works? What are you doing now that doesn't work? What do you want to be known for? For more info and more great podcasts visit the show's blog page at Reynolds OBM.  To be the first to know when the next round of Get Your Agency Together group coaching opens by joining the waitlist HERE.