Podcasts about Bottleneck

You're working 60+ hours a week, racking up business debt from marketing that isn't working, and you haven't even put yourself on payroll. Every time you try to scale, you hit the same ceiling—more clients means more personal delivery time, which means less time for marketing, which means your pipeline dries up. In this episode, I walk you through a real case study of Jay, a Zoho consultant who thought he had a sales problem but was actually trapped in what I call a "capacity spiral." I'll show you the exact diagnostic process that revealed his true bottleneck and how we restructured his business to increase revenue while working with clients he actually enjoys. You'll learn why you can't hustle your way past structural constraints and discover the three-step framework that transforms overwhelmed consultants into profitable business owners.Resources and LinksPaulhigginsmentoring.comPrevious episode: 634 - Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Leaders Instead with Rachel PlowmanCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

What if your greatest strength as a CEO is also your biggest limitation? In this episode of The Enlightened Executive, Susan Drumm sits down with Allison Maslan, aserial entrepreneur, author, and CEO of Pinnacle Global Network, to explore a critical challenge most high-performing leaders face: 

Why you should listenRachel Plowman shares her authentic 9-month journey transitioning from project manager to COO at radianHub, offering real-world insights for anyone considering or navigating a leadership promotion in their consulting business.Learn practical strategies for managing P&L responsibility, project profitability analysis, and time tracking systems that actually work without crushing team morale.Discover how to successfully delegate while maintaining quality standards, plus proven approaches for client relationship transitions during organizational changes.You might be wondering how to develop leadership within your team or whether your current team members can handle bigger responsibilities. In this episode, I talk with Rachel Plowman, COO of radianHub, who shares her transition from project manager to COO over 9 months. We dive into the real challenges of taking on P&L responsibility, managing project profitability, and building systems that support growth. Rachel provides concrete examples of how they improved margins, implemented effective time tracking, and navigated client relationship transitions during her promotion.About Rachel PlowmanRachel has been in information technology for much of her career, with 5 SFDC certifications. After beginning her career in financial services, she quickly transitioned into product ownership and project management with an emphasis on business analysis and software consulting. She has been in the Salesforce ecosystem as a consultative project manager and business analyst, while raising her family and enjoying life beyond software development.Resources and LinksRadianhub.comRachel's LinkedIn profile531 – Gearing Up for a Sale with Russell BadgettRight Click PromptPrevious episode: 633 - From 10% to 50% LinkedIn Acceptance Rates with Oleg SobolevCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

If your business collapses the moment you go on vacation, you don't have leaders—you have helpers. In this episode of the Opt-In Podcast, Melissa Franks, your On Call COO, unpacks the hard truth about bottlenecks in small businesses and why your growth may be stalling because you are in the way.Melissa shares real client stories of founders who couldn't unplug, explains the signs that you might be the bottleneck, and introduces a practical framework for building a team that can operate independently—whether you're in the office, on vacation, or preparing your business for a future sale.You'll learn:How to recognize if you're holding your business back.The four-part framework for creating a self-sufficient team:Clear roles and accountabilityDefined decision rightsSystems and SOPsLeadership developmentWhy empowering your team to lead (not just help) is the fastest path to freedom, growth, and long-term business value.By the end, you'll know the exact steps to start shifting from being the bottleneck to becoming the visionary leader your business actually needs.

Are you secretly holding your franchise back? In this episode, Erik reveals how he became the bottleneck in his own businesses—and the hard lessons that helped him break free. From scaling mistakes to fixing bad decisions, discover the truth every franchisee must face if they want to grow profitably.   ⏱️ Timestamps   00:00 – How franchisees sabotage their own teams 02:45 – Why scaling back can actually grow profits 04:25 – The nightmare of “Store #3” 06:15 – The pricing mistake that killed momentum 07:58 – Spotting the “underperformer clubs” 10:26 – Why you need to step OUT of your locations 12:15 – How sabbaticals reveal hidden weaknesses 14:34 – Don't follow the loudest voices in franchising 17:59 – The real definition of winning in business 19:43 – Why paid ads can't fix broken operations 22:35 – Stop focusing on what you can't change 25:53 – Franchisees & franchisors: more aligned than you think   Connect with Erik Van Horn:

In this Mission Matters episode, Adam Torres interviews Jesse Gilmore, Founder of Niche in Control. Jesse explains why most agency bottlenecks start with the founder, not demand, and walks through his Leverage for Growth framework. He shares a practical time audit plus a 4-step method—Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, Time-block—to free capacity, build systems, and scale from operator to visionary. Jesse also highlights his book, The Agency Owner's Guide to Freedom, which provides mindset shifts and strategies to help founders buy back their time and build businesses that run without them. Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/ Visit our website: https://missionmatters.com/ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Mission Matters episode, ⁠Adam Torres⁠ interviews ⁠Jesse Gilmore⁠, Founder of Niche in Control. Jesse explains why most agency bottlenecks start with the founder, not demand, and walks through his Leverage for Growth framework. He shares a practical time audit plus a 4-step method—Eliminate, Automate, Delegate, Time-block—to free capacity, build systems, and scale from operator to visionary. Jesse also highlights his book, ⁠The Agency Owner's Guide to Freedom⁠, which provides mindset shifts and strategies to help founders buy back their time and build businesses that run without them. Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I uncover the real cost of being the bottleneck in your organization. I challenge CEOs to recognize how getting stuck in daily tasks prevents them from focusing on their true responsibilities—developing their teams and shaping strategic vision. By examining how they spend their time, leaders can see the hidden ways they may be slowing down both their own growth and their company's. I break down the financial, organizational, and personal costs of this bottleneck effect, sharing real-world examples from my coaching practice. More importantly, I offer strategies to break free, shift from operational overload to empowered leadership, and unlock true scalability. Listeners are also invited to a free training designed to accelerate this transformation.

Welcome to the Celestial Insights Podcast, the show that brings the stars down to Earth! Each week, astrologer, coach, and intuitive Celeste Brooks of Astrology by Celeste will be your guide. Her website is astrologybyceleste.com.  

Tired of staffing headaches slowing down growth? We're joined by Wes Kauffman (FASTSIGNS multi-unit owner) and Binsi Das (Sagan). This webinar tells the real story of how global talent helped transform FASTSIGNS franchise operations and why this model is now being adopted across other franchise systems. This is a live recording originally recorded on August 29, 2025 at approximately 1 PM Eastern Time USA. Ready to talk about franchising your business or help with your franchise efforts? Book a complimentary consultation with one of our consultants: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/consultation-routing/#callSubscribe to our other podcast: Multiply Your Success: https://www.multiplyyoursuccesspodcast.com/ Subscribe to our other podcast: Franchise Your Business: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Ff8rTBR1Oykv4dIOOBdhnLearn more about our guests:https://www.fastsigns.com/lancaster-pa/Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/wes-kauffman-95ba5b13Twitter: @wes_kauffmanLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/binsi-d-17256a90/Twitter: https://x.com/BinsiDevadasanhttps://saganpassport.com/https://signtalentsolutions.com/Wes Kauffman is a systems-driven entrepreneur and operator who builds businesses that scale. He leads Concordia Holdings, which owns and operates the largest franchise groups in the Rolling Suds andFASTSIGNS networks. Wes is also the founder of Sign Talent Solutions (STS), which sources and places global designers, project managers, and sales assistants for the FASTSIGNS network of franchisees—while helping owners codify simple, effective SOPs. A data-driven builder with a bias for action, he focuses on operational excellence, talent pipelines, and durable growth.Binsi Das is the Managing Director at Sagan, where she leads global operations, product development, and automation strategy for a rapidly scaling talent platform. With a background in executive operations and systems design, Binsi has helped hundreds of businesses streamline recruitment, optimize offshore hiring, and integrate global professionals into high-performing teams. She has architected Sagan's approach to candidate pipelines, process standardization, and community-led support for both employers and global talent.ABOUT BIG SKY FRANCHISE TEAM:This episode is powered by Big Sky Franchise Team. If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/ or by calling Big Sky Franchise Team at: 855-824-4759. The information provided in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial, legal, or professional advice. Always consult with a qualified professional before making any business decisions. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host, Big Sky Franchise Team, or our affiliates. Additionally, this podcast may feature sponsors or advertisers, but any mention of products or services does not constitute an endorsement. Please do your own research before making any purchasing or business decisions. References to external data sources, studies, statistics, or other third-party content are not claimed as our own unless explicitly stated. We do our best to provide proper credit and citation where due. If we unintentionally fail to cite or credit a source, please let us know, and we'll gladly correct it and provide the appropriate acknowledgment."

AI in the public sector isn't just about innovation — it's about trust, access, and doing it right. On The Ravit Show, I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Brown, Public Sector CTO at Immuta, at the Data + AI Summit — and we delved into what it takes to bring AI to government agencies without compromising on security or compliance.We talked about:- The reality of provisioning secure data access for AI when sensitive data and clearance levels are involved- How to move from manual approvals to automated, policy-based access — especially when “speed of mission” is non-negotiable- Real-world challenges like multi-classification data, contractor access, and inter-agency collaboration- And how Immuta is helping government orgs compress timelines while still meeting the strictest zero-trust requirementsReally appreciated Chris's perspective — thoughtful, practical, and rooted in what government teams actually deal with.#data #ai #DataAISummit #Databricks #immuta #agentic #connectors #theravitshow

Learn how to build systems that make your business run smoothly without you being involved in everything If you're bringing in good revenue but somehow your profits keep getting smaller, this episode is for you. Look, most of us focus on getting more clients and making more sales, but here's what I've learned - your biggest problem might be in how you're actually managing your projects. In this episode, Gray MacKenzie shows us why agencies are working harder but making less money, and the simple systems that can help you stop being the bottleneck in everything your team does. Gray MacKenzie runs Zen Pilot and has worked with over 3,000 agencies. He's the highest-rated ClickUp expert in the world, so when he talks about project management, I listen. What I love about Gray is he gets that we entrepreneurs hate being micromanaged, but we also can't keep running our businesses like everything's on fire. This guy has helped agency owners discover they were actually losing money for 10 years on website projects without even knowing it. His thing is showing business owners exactly why their teams say they're busy all the time but the profits aren't matching the work being done. KEY TAKEAWAYS: How poor management is secretly draining your profits How to track what projects actually cost so you stop losing money on services without realizing it Why you need to reserve 25-50% of your time for unplanned work instead of trying to schedule every minute How to use team task assignments as data to understand why you're constantly exhausted Why bad project management will kill your growth faster than client acquisition problems How to build the culture you want by enforcing standards, not just talking about them Why switching project management tools every two years won't solve your real problems How to spot when "I'm too busy" actually means "we can't see what's happening" Growing your business is hard, but it doesn't have to be. In this podcast, we will be discussing top level strategies for both growing and expanding your business beyond seven figures. The show will feature a mix of pure content and expert interviews to present key concepts and fundamental topics in a variety of different formats. We believe that this format will enable our listeners to learn the most from the show, implement more in their businesses, and get real value out of the podcast. Enjoy the show. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss any future episodes. Your support and reviews are important and help us to grow and improve the show. Follow Charles Gaudet and Predictable Profits on Social Media: Facebook: facebook.com/PredictableProfits Instagram: instagram.com/predictableprofits Twitter: twitter.com/charlesgaudet LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charlesgaudet Visit Charles Gaudet's Wesbites: www.PredictableProfits.com

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods, spoke to Myles Henaghan about the open-sourced "Hierarchy of Engineering Needs" - a systematic framework inspired by Maslow's hierarchy that helps engineering leaders identify and prioritize the most impactful constraints limiting their software delivery systems among competing improvement initiatives. Read a transcript of this interview: http://bit.ly/45OBs54 Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/conference/munich2025 QCon San Francisco 2025 (November 17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ QCon AI New York 2025 (December 16-17, 2025) https://ai.qconferences.com/ QCon London 2026 (March 16-19, 2026) https://qconlondon.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - X: https://x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

EPISODE SUMMARY Feeling overwhelmed by everything on your plate? From client work to admin to endless content creation, it can feel like there's never enough time in the day. The logical next step seems to be hiring help, but without a strategy, you can end up with more chaos, more payroll, and not necessarily more freedom. In this episode, Natalie breaks down how to hire like a founder - strategically, intentionally, and for ROI. You'll learn how to identify the real bottleneck in your business (whether it's admin, delivery, or sales), when to choose a person versus an AI tool, and how to design roles around outcomes instead of to-do lists. If you've been stuck in panic hiring or paralyzed by the fear of building a big team, this conversation will show you how one smart hire (or system) can unlock the next level of growth without adding unnecessary overhead. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Why you don't need a big team to scale, you just need the right hire 01:13 - The danger of panic hiring and how it keeps you stuck 02:36 - The real question to ask before you ever post a job description 03:27 - Bottleneck #1: Admin and operations (why AI might be your best first hire) 04:49 - Bottleneck #2: Delivery and fulfillment + how to systematize or bring in specialists 06:16 - Bottleneck #3: Sales and traffic: why this requires a different kind of support 07:51 - The simple audit that reveals your true bottleneck 09:14 - How to define roles around results, not tasks 10:36 - Why ownership (not just assistance) creates real ROI 11:47 - Teaching every hire to connect their work to revenue 12:16 - The clarity test before you hire anyone 13:36 - The real goal: leverage, freedom, and growth RESOURCES + LINKS Want to know if your next move should be hiring a person or implementing AI? Download the FREE One Smart Hire AI prompt here and get instant clarity on your biggest business bottleneck. Join The Société: Build Your Freedom-Based Business™ With Systems, Templates, Coaching + Community. Just $97/Month. Imagine Having Natalie As Your CMO, On Call 24/7 To Help You Make The Right Moves In Your Business. That's Exactly What You Get With Bossbabe AI The Freedom Engine™: AI-Powered Strategy And Systems That Show You What To Sell, How To Sell It, And How To Scale - Without All The Guesswork. Learn More And Unlock It Here. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter & Get Insights From Natalie Every Single Week On All Things Strategy, Motherhood, Business Growth + More. Drop Us A Review On The Podcast + Send Us A Screenshot & We'll Send You Natalie's 7-Figure Operating System Completely FREE (value $1,997).

Billions are being poured into healthcare AI, yet most innovations never make it past pilot projects. Why? And more importantly—how do we fix it? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Marco Smit, serial entrepreneur, life sciences executive, and AI commercialization expert. With leadership experience at Roche, Genentech, Gesund.ai, CareSyntax, and now Domelabs.ai, Marco has seen the full spectrum of healthcare AI—from hype to hard-earned success. He shares why so many organizations fall victim to “pilotitis”, the critical role of AI governance, and how startups and health systems can build scalable, evidence-driven solutions that actually deliver ROI. From navigating the complex regulatory landscape to choosing the right investors and partners, Marco offers a pragmatic playbook for moving AI from the lab to real clinical impact. Whether you're a startup founder, health system innovator, or medtech investor, this episode is packed with actionable insights on avoiding hype, accelerating adoption, and building AI solutions that last.

Breaking into the medical device market is hard enough, but what happens when patient demand for your product far exceeds what clinics can deliver? For many MedTech companies, this bottleneck quietly stalls growth, even when the device works brilliantly and patients are eager to use it. In this week's episode, sponsored by Physician Growth Accelerator, we talk with Sahil Diwan, co-founder and CEO of SafKan Health, the company behind OtoSet, the world's first automated ear-cleaning headphones and the only FDA-cleared earwax removal device that works in just 30 seconds. Sahil reveals why most medical device companies don't do enough direct-to-consumer marketing, how patient education can unlock untapped market potential, and what it takes to turn an underutilized product into a growth phenomenon. What we discuss in the episode: The surprising scale of the earwax problem—and why it's often underserved How OtoSet went from early clinic adopters to viral social media sensation The capacity constraints that limit device utilization in provider settings Building a certified clinic network and launching company-owned centers Why going direct to the patient can create a powerful growth flywheel Lessons for MedTech leaders on marketing, patient education, and market access Resources from this episode:  Get the free MedTech Talk Tracks for Action Visit OtoSet Social Media:  Connect with Sahil on LinkedIn Connect with Zed on LinkedIn

We sit down with Mark, a digital sculptor who stumbled into the craft during the pandemic and turned late-night experiments of “Dreams” into a thriving career. What started as tinkering with clay shifted into the world of digital sculpting, where Mark now balances family life, a full-time job as a news director, and collaborations with major companies like Bottleneck and Mondo.We get to see the art and hustle behind toy design, from navigating licensing loopholes and copyright quirks to chasing down big ideas before someone else does. Get ready for an inside look at how creativity, collaboration, and community shape the toy scene, including highlights from their own team-up on the Casey Jones/Star Wars mashup that went viral.Whether you're curious about sculpting, fascinated by the toy world, or just love hearing about people carving out their passions, this episode delivers laughs, insights, and plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets.On Instagram: @morehorrificThis Episode is Sponsored by: Empire Blisters – Your go-to source for blister packaging! With 19+ styles and bundle deals, they've got everything you need to make your toys shine. Use code TOYSONTAP10 at checkout for 10% off. Patreon members get 20% off another reason to join!Want to become a sponsor? Email: toysontappodcast@gmail.comSupport the Show on Patreon Unlock exclusive episodes, early access, and behind-the-scenes content: patreon.com/toysontapThanks to Our Supporters: @dketoys | @massiveminihorse | @dimensionxtoys @bootlegtoyco | @pocket_salsa | @dirtyyetti @dan_overdorff_art | @zimotco | @barbarian_rage @mannycartoonstudios | @pickmansvinyls Shaun C. Downey | @richiemanic | @recollectiontoys @rubbercitytoys | @acid9toys | @teneki_toys @angryhedgehogRate & Review the Show! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen it's the best way to help Toys on Tap grow!

BREEDERS SYNDICATE MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!https://www.syndicategear.comCheck out our BuyMeACoffee to Access Our Discord & Membership Plan Here:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/matthewriotBREEDERS SYNDICATE LINKS: https://linktr.ee/riotseedsFollow us on Twitch!https://www.twitch.tv/thebreederssyndicateCheck out our STRAIN DATABASE aka CODEX: https://codex.thebreederssyndicate.com/Copyright Disclaimer: The material contained herein is used under the doctrine of 'fair use' pursuant to Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, allowing for limited use of copyrighted material for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. All rights reserved to the original copyright holders.Intro / Outro courtesy of:Sight of Wonders / Approaching the Middle East / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com#breederssyndicate #cannaluminati #riotseeds #blueberry #strainhistory #cannabis #education #chemdog #chuckypollens #weedpodcast Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5591549961568256Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/breeders-syndicate-3-0--5630034/support.

Are you still doing every little task yourself - even though your business has doubled in size? Have you already hired help… only to find yourself even more stressed and scrambled than before? And what's the one overlooked area in your business that could unlock serious profit (without adding more chaos)? In this episode, I share a raw and honest update from inside my own business - unpacking the changes I've made this year, the hires that didn't work, and the big moves that are finally helping me regain bandwidth, momentum, and clarity. You'll hear why even experienced business owners like me can become their own biggest bottleneck - and how to recognise when your success requires a new level of support, fresh systems, or a change in mindset. Plus, you'll get an exclusive preview of Eve Molzhon's upcoming Dog Handler Academy Leadership Summit (where I will be delivering this year's keynote) recorded at my IMPACT event last month. If you run a team (or want to), this event is a must-attend for anyone who wants to lead with impact, scale with sanity, and avoid the leadership mistakes that sink growing pet businesses. In this episode, you'll discover: The Power of Leverage – Why identifying your next key move can unlock exponential growth (and what happens when you don't). When the Bottleneck is You – How to spot when your own habits or workload are stalling progress—and what to do about it. The Hidden Cost of Marketing Lag – Why success takes time, and what to focus on while the results catch up. Build the Team Before You Need It – How hiring ahead of demand gives you space to grow into your next level. Why You Should Get in the Room – A sneak peek at Eve Molzhon's Leadership Summit and what makes it different from every other industry event. Want to lead like a pro and be the leader your business needs? Get your ticket for the Dog Handler Academy Leadership Summit at: www.doghandleracademy.com Don't forget also I'm hosting my own dog daycare business bootcamp in October in Annapolis, you can grab your ticket now at: www.petbusinessmarketing.com/bootcamp Need help fixing your business? To join the worlds leading pet business development program go to www.petbusinessmarketing.com/diamondnow If you're ready to attract better clients, increase your profits, and grow with confidence, then you should apply to join Dom's Diamond Coaching Program click here to start now

Is your QA team really slowing down delivery, or are they just revealing the cracks in your development process? In this episode of Arguing Agile, we're talking about one of the most persistent myths in software development and reveal why QA teams are often unfairly blamed for systemic issues.We explore:The shift-left movement and why QA belongs in customer conversationsHow collaboration breakdowns create false bottlenecks Why treating QA as a cost center backfiresReal strategies for breaking the cycle of blameThe hidden value QA brings to lean startup principlesFrom waterfall thinking to modern agile practices, we break down why QA teams are actually your best allies in creating customer value - if you let them.#QualityAssurance #AgileCoaching #ProductManagementREFERENCESArguing Agile 211 - Communication is Product's Only Job)Arguing Agile 201 - Mastering Stakeholder Communication and ManagementArguing Agile 199 - W. Edwards Deming's Profound Knowledge for Transforming OrganizationsLINKSYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Website: http://arguingagile.comINTRO MUSICToronto Is My BeatBy Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

Send Jackie A Message!You can't scale your studio if every decision requires your sign-off. In this episode Jackie explains the simple, powerful habit she calls The Leadership Pause:  a Micro-Habit that changes how your team shows up, makes decisions, and owns results. If you're tired of being the default problem-solver, this episode gives three practical shifts (ask first, replace approval with ownership, default to execute) and real scripts you can use the moment a teacher, VA, or manager asks for direction.What you'll hear:Why leaders accidentally become bottlenecks (and how that slows growth)The three micro-strategies that create ownership and speed on your teamReal examples from Colleague, Clients, and Jackie's own team Exact scripts you can use with your team todayA safe, step-by-step way to build a more independent team without making anyone feel abandonedWant to practice this live? Join Jackie's free Three Marketing Mistakes workshop on August 14 — link in the show notes.Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficial Learn about The Studio CEO Program Click here to learn more about our Free Marketing Webinar

There's always going to be a bottleneck in sales. There's always going to be something that is not working as smoothly or as ideally as it could or should. And our job is to constantly identify, what is it now? What is it today? Now that I got this other thing fixed, what's the new thing that's slowing us down? David: Hi, and welcome back. In today's episode, co-host Kevin Rosenquist and I discuss your biggest bottleneck to sales. Welcome back Kevin. Kevin: Great to see you, David. And this is definitely one that I think anybody can relate to no matter what business you're in, but you're talking about your biggest bottleneck to sales. Let's not bury the lead. What is it? David: In every business there is generally, more than one bottleneck, but there's one big one that is going to keep you from hitting the next bottleneck, or the one after that, or the one after that. And if you don't tackle that first one correctly and get rid of it, then you never get to down the line. It's like an assembly line. If you think about a factory that's manufacturing something and there's an assembly line, if there's a problem at the first station in the assembly line, everything stops, right? Because you can't move to step two until you've done step one. And so for most of us, when it comes to sales, there is a bottleneck. And it might not be at the very beginning. It might be towards the middle, or it might even be near the end. But until you identify what your biggest bottleneck is, you cannot apply the appropriate resources necessary --the time, the energy, and the focus --to blast that thing out of there, so that you can then move forward with everything you need to do. Kevin: All right, so you couldn't just give me the one thing. That's fine. Can you give me some of the more common bottlenecks that you see when it comes to sales? David: Well, sure. When you're in a selling situation, what are the biggest bottlenecks you run into? Well, I'm having trouble reaching the person that I need to reach, right? They're not responding to me. Or some people, toward the end of the sales process, they get right up until the point of closing and then they choke. So that's an example of a bottleneck where if you don't get that one nailed, you can go all the way through a sales process, then get to that point and then not be able to close the sale and everything is kind of wasted. So looking at the steps along the way, what are you going to look at? You're going to look at the people that you're interacting with, the conversations that you're having with them, the timeframe that it takes you to get them from point to point. Because for a lot of people, that is a big one. Not being able to set a pace, set a tempo that allows you to be able to get to that sale sooner rather than later, that could be a big bottleneck for people. A lot of times we have an idea of how we would like the sales process to go. But if the client has a different idea, we're going to have to follow what they're going to be willing to go along with. So in those situations, if we say, alright, I'm going to try to do everything I can here to advance the process to get them to the next step. Maybe it's just a matter of, in the promotional products industry, will they send me the art? They may have agreed to the sale, they may have agreed to the quantities, they may have agreed to the colors and the Pantone color matches and the tight registration. They've agreed to all that. And you can't get them to send the art. That's really frustrating. And it can be a bottleneck that holds up everything. And these bottlenecks that I'm referring to are the things that hold up everything that comes past it. So by simply taking some time to identify what are the biggest bottlenecks, because if you find in your business that it's, "I can't seem to get art from the client," then you need to make sure you put a process in place tha...

Feel like you're doing everything but still stuck at the same revenue level? You're not alone. In this episode, we're breaking down the exact actions, shifts and mindset required to break through from $20K to $60K months - without burning out or bottlenecking your business. Here's what we're covering: -Why sales avoidance is keeping you broke - and the script that changed everything -The real reason you're stuck at $20K (and it's not your staff) -The “cash flow calendar” that turns chaos into consistent sales -The brutal truth about undercharging, overworking, and doing it all yourself -What to delegate first so you can finally get out of the burnout zone -How to design your dream team with just 50 extra members -The biggest trap at $40K - and how to avoid starving your business of growth -Why your impact statement matters more than your income statement -The $1M shift: You're not selling sessions anymore - your product is your people Chapters: ⏳ [00:00] The Scariest Part of Scaling: Why You Can't Stay Stuck ⏳ [01:45] Every Revenue Level Has a Feedback Loop - Here's How to Read Yours ⏳ [03:00] Breaking Through the $20K Barrier: Leads, Sales & Cash Flow Calendars ⏳ [06:00] Stop Doing $30 Tasks - Here's How to Buy Back Your Time ⏳ [10:00] The Rule of Ones: Why Focus is the Fastest Path to $1M ⏳ [14:00] From $40K to $60K: The Team, Systems & Leadership Shift ⏳ [17:00] The Ideal Team Design That Funds Your Freedom ⏳ [21:00] Replacing Yourself: Why You're the Bottleneck ⏳ [24:00] Vision, Mission, Culture: The Untapped Power of an Impact Statement ⏳ [27:00] Fuel, Not Fear: How to Keep Going When Survival Isn't the Driver ⏳ [29:00] Your Next Move: DM “Map” for the Full $1M Revenue Plan Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment below with your biggest takeaway. We read them all. Want to LEARN proven systems to grow your business without burnout? Go here: https://live.geronimoacademy.com/newsletter Connect with us: My website: https://thegeronimoacademy.com IG Geronimo: https://www.instagram.com/thegeronimoacademy IG Hey.Doza: https://www.instagram.com/hey.doza LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/andrewhandosa

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are you a CEO still caught in the weeds of day-to-day operations? If so, you're not building a truly scalable business. Today's episode is here to help you shift that mindset. Our featured guest is a CEO who has grown his agency by focusing on smart leadership—prioritizing culture, developing strong management structures, and intentionally making himself less essential to every meeting. Like many agency owners, he once believed he had to outwork everyone to prove his worth. But over time, he discovered that the agency performs better when he leads with vision instead of constant presence and that CEOs don't need to be grinding to be effective. In this conversation, he shares how he came to that realization, what it's meant for his agency's growth and client success, how he built a trusted A-team, and more. Kevin Miller is the co-founder and CEO of Gr0, a performance marketing agency that's exploded from startup to 200+ clients and over 80 full-time staff in just five years. Before launching GR0 in 2020, Kevin cut his teeth at Google, served as Director of Growth at OpenDoor, and was inspired to jump into the agency world by a friend who built and sold one of the first Facebook-focused DTC agencies. His background in SEO and paid media, combined with experience at both bootstrapped and venture-backed companies, gives him a rare, well-rounded perspective. Today his mission is clear: build a high-performance team that wins together. In this episode, we'll discuss: Two levers to driving growth. Why CEOs are more effective when they're not grinding. Understanding that delegation is not optional. Client acquisition that doesn't feel like sales. Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources This episode is brought to you by Wix Studio: If you're leveling up your team and your client experience, your site builder should keep up too. That's why successful agencies use Wix Studio — built to adapt the way your agency does: AI-powered site mapping, responsive design, flexible workflows, and scalable CMS tools so you spend less on plugins and more on growth. Ready to design faster and smarter? Go to wix.com/studio to get started. Getting to See the Possibilities of the Agency Space Watching a friend grow and sell a Facebook-focused DTC agency helped Kevin clearly see the differences between growing a bootstrap business versus a venture-capital backed business. His friend ended up selling the business for over $100 million, which Kevin hadn't think it was possible to do in the agency space. It was an inspiring moment that led to the realization that he too could build and scale his own business, which he chose to do in the SEO niche. From Zero to 200 Clients: The Growth Playbook With just half a decade in the agency business, Kevin can see most people just can't handle it. “Every day is a different game of guacamole with all sorts of people problems.” After all, in this business our product so the best way to guarantee you're creating a safe environment where people want to stay is to over index on culture. This is how a young agency can go from scrappy startup to 8-figure beast in half a decade. It's all about building a culture that attracts and retains A-players. If your account manager leaves, that client feels like they have to start over. It can be the worst experience for a client and the best way to avoid is to create an environment where everyone feels like part of a team. Kevin runs GR0 like an NBA franchise where everyone's expected to perform at a high level, without being a burnout factory. He's also very strict about behavior. No matter how talented you are, you can never be rude to a client or other employees. It's a team-first culture with high accountability and even higher standards that has grown fast by keeping people, delivering great work, and staying crazy responsive. Two big levers driving their growth: Kevin attributes his agency's success with client to two main elements: Rapid response times: Emails, texts, Slack messages… they don't sit idle. Obsession with client results: Deliver, retain, and let referrals do the work. Additionally, he knows it's not all about attracting new business. Churn is a killer. Retention isn't sexy, but it's the secret to compounding revenue. Inside the Org Chart: A 5-Level Machine In terms of the deals the agency is closing with clients, Kevin is a big believer that there's little room to do great work on a monthly basis, which is why he prefers offering six-month contracts that will later get renewed for another six months. He's also put a lot of thought into the agency's organizational structure, which he breaks down into five levels: Executive Team VPs Associate VPs / Directors (each running a service line) Campaign Managers Contractors & Specialists As to him, his role as CEO is divided into three categories: Coach – Recruiting and leveling up 10x talent across the top team. Closer – Still active in sales, he sets expectations and closes high-value clients. Visionary – Driving innovation like launching new services (radio is next!) and adopting tools like ChatGPT for smarter, faster workflows. You'll Be Needed Less & Less as a CEO – and That's Okay Being a CEO won't necessarily come naturally to everyone, which is why Kevin has a coach that has taught him how to conduct himself and cast the vision for the agency. He's also embraced the fact that putting together a capable team will mean getting told they don't need you to pitch in on every meeting. “If someone doesn't need me in a meeting, I'm relieved. It means we've built something scalable.” A true leader should be helpful and keep the company moving forward, which is why Kevin sees his role more as someone who works for everyone at the company, as opposed to the old model where bosses were tyrants that barked orders all day. It's not easy to lead 200+ employees, and leaders nowadays recognize that the way to do so is not just having a very strong team but also being able to keep them by building a great culture. From Hustle Mentality to Smart Leadership Kevin and Jason both admit they had to unlearn the “first one in, last one out” badge of honor. Many leaders tend to think they have to outwork everyone. Kevin admits he still wrestles with showing up early to prove value—even though the company runs better when he focuses on vision, not presence. The truth is agency CEOs don't need to be grinding to be effective. They need to be accessible, and they need to build teams that run without them. “If I'm on a mountain or a golf course, and I get a call, I'll answer. But if the team doesn't need me? Even better,” Jason shares. This shift, from being the engine to being the guide rail, is one most agency owners struggle with. But letting go (and training others to step up) is the only way you get out of the weeds. Delegation Isn't Optional—It's Leadership 101 Early on, Kevin believed only he could do the work “right.” But that mindset capped his growth—and created unnecessary pressure. Effective delegation and believing in your team is what makes a great CEO. As he says now, “you have to pass the ball and trust they'll show up.” If you're asking, “How should we do this?” you're already in the weeds. The better question is, “Who on my team should own this?” If you need ideas, start with Jason's 1 3 1 method to train team decision-making is a killer takeaway: 1: What's the problem? 3: What are three ways to solve it? 1: What do you recommend? It's a simple leadership tool that trains independence—so you're not the bottleneck every time something needs approval. You Can't Build Big if You Can't Let Go If you want to make sure you have people on your team who'll step up after applying the 1 3 1 method, hire people who can manage themselves. Kevin and Jason both agree they're not built to manage micro-tasks—or people who need micromanaging. “If I'm going to manage someone, I'll expect them to do it like me, at my pace, with my level of commitment. And that's not fair,” Kevin admits. As owners, your growth is capped by how much you think you have to do. Build a team of leaders—not followers. Give direction, not checklists. And accept that mistakes are part of the process. In the mastermind, Jason and the members celebrate even the failures—because sharing missteps keeps others from repeating them. That's how real learning happens. Client Acquisition That Doesn't Feel Like Sales Now let's talk lead gen. How did Kevin's agency bring in over 200 clients? It wasn't ads. It wasn't cold emails. It was strategic referrals—and they engineered that pipeline from the ground up. In Kevin's view, cold acquisition just doesn't work well with the amount of competition in his space. Instead, he built a network of warm referrals of ~25 trusted partners. Each partner gets 10% of the monthly revenue from any referred client. But more importantly, they only recruit partners who already know Kevin and trust his team to deliver. “I'm not reaching out cold saying ‘hey, I'll pay you 10%.' I'm building real relationships with people who already trust me.” This warm referral engine is the opposite of passive referrals. It's intentional, proactive, and mutually beneficial. It scales because Kevin didn't wait—he built the network years before launching GR0. Most of the time referrals aren't scalable. However, when you do it this way—proactively recruiting the right partners—it becomes a one-to-many strategy. This is a model more agency owners should be thinking about. It's lower friction, higher trust, and most importantly: it cuts through the noise in a saturated market. Pricing, Positioning, and Playing the Long Game One thing Kevin admits he should be raising prices more often. GR0 started with $3,000/month clients and now charges $8K–$10K for the same package. But that evolution took five years. Still, their market positioning is clear: “We're expensive but fair. Not overpriced, not low-budget. Right in the sweet spot.” This ties back to the trust built with clients and referral partners alike. If the value is real and the results are consistent, the relationships last. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

Are you the bottleneck in your own business or life?In this episode of Unblocked, I sit down with Joe Patneaude, creator of the STAR Scalability Method, to unpack why so many high-performers unknowingly build businesses that drain them instead of freeing them. For 15 years, Joe has been coaching leaders in financial services to scale smarter, delegate with clarity, and build teams that align with their values, not just their bottom line.If you've ever felt like you're carrying your entire business on your back, or you're stuck in “do more, be more” mode, this conversation is your wake-up call. Joe shares how the STAR Method helps business owners shift from solo-grinding to strategic scaling, without losing control of what matters most. Joe drops powerful insights on leadership, scalability, and unlearning outdated success strategies that are keeping you stuck.If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this. Links and Resources:If you love what you're hearing on the podcast, you've gotta check out my private coaching offers. Click HERE to learn more about one-on-one coaching with me!Get your complimentary copy of The Unblocked Journal to help bring awareness to perfectionist thinking and what it's creating in your life.Join My Do The Thing Community  Let's Connect:Follow me on Facebook & Instagram: @JessicaSmarroShare your thoughts and experiences with the hashtag #UnblockedPodcast and tag @jessicasmarro!Connect with Joe Patneaude:Website: jpcoachingnow.com Book: Follow the STAR (Available now) LinkedIn: Joe PatneaudeLet's Get Unblocked! 

Tired of being the most overworked employee in your own business? You're not alone. Join Mike Allton on AI for Solopreneurs: The AI Hat Podcast, where we cut through the AI hype to show you exactly how to reclaim 15+ hours per week and scale without hiring staff. This isn't about robots or complex theory—it's about practical AI systems that handle the grunt work so you can focus on growth. Every episode features real implementation stories, expert insights, and step-by-step workflows you can use immediately. Ready to stop being the bottleneck in your own success? New episodes drop every Tuesday Follow Mike Allton on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mike.allton/ Past episodes of AI for Solopreneurs: The AI Hat Podcast: https://theaihat.com/podcast/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plus: Lyft bets on robotaxis. And battery startup Lyten buys bankrupt Northvolt's remaining European assets. Julie Chang hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a textIf you're scaling fast but still stuck in every decision, system, and Slack thread, this episode is for you.I sat down with Flynn Zaiger, CEO of Online Optimism, a 13-year digital creative agency recently named one of Inc.'s Best Places to Work. Flynn started his agency six months out of college with no outside funding — and now leads a nationally distributed team that runs with clarity, ownership, and initiative.We talk about the systems and culture shifts that made that possible — including how Flynn built layers of leadership, used internal AI tools without losing humanity, and developed onboarding systems that reduce churn and increase trust. This is a real-world, founder-level conversation about scaling agency leadership without becoming the bottleneck, losing your people, or burning out.Whether you're wrestling with client handoffs, team autonomy, or sustainable agency growth, Flynn's insights will help you move from controlling everything to empowering excellence.

Reach Out Via Text!In this value-packed solo episode, Jeremiah Jennings gives an honest, behind the scenes look at how Growing Green Landscapes evolved from chaotic guessing to confident scaling with the help of LMN. He shares why implementing systems like estimating, job costing, and time tracking has completely transformed his landscaping business, and how putting SOPs and tech in place gave his team clarity and accountability. This isn't just a pitch, it's a roadmap. If you're still running everything out of your head, Jeremiah lays out how tools like LMN can become your operational backbone and free you up to actually lead.Support the show 10% off LMN Software- https://lmncompany.partnerlinks.io/growinggreenpodcast Signup for our Newsletter- https://mailchi.mp/942ae158aff5/newsletter-signup Book A Consult Call-https://stan.store/GrowingGreenPodcast Lawntrepreneur Academy-https://www.lawntrepreneuracademy.com/ The Landscaping Bookkeeper-https://thelandscapingbookkeeper.com/ Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/growinggreenlandscapes/ Email-ggreenlandscapes@gmail.com Growing Green Website- https://www.growinggreenlandscapes.com/

Recorded live at the Ascend Conference in Salt Lake City, this episode of ShiftShapers features John Troutman, Vice President of Business Development at Mind Club America. Host David A. Saltzman and John discuss the “mutual mystification” surrounding mental health solutions—and how employers and advisors can start cutting through the noise with real access, real engagement, and real outcomes.From personal burnout to a professional mission, John shares how his experience as a former pastor helped shape his drive to help a million people get the mental health support they need. The conversation unpacks access issues, poor utilization reporting, stigma, and the vital importance of employer-led engagement.

For anyone building a career in energy—whether you're a graduate, a mid-career engineer, or a senior executive—the rapid evolution of our sector brings both opportunity and complexity. This week, I sat down with Delfina Govia, a Chief Sustainability Officer with over 46 years in the oil and gas industry, to unpack what's changing, what's not, and what that means for the future of work in energy.We talk frankly about everything from her disguised entry into offshore life in the 1970s, to why the energy transition isn't about eliminating fossil fuels—but balancing competing priorities like affordability, infrastructure, and global access. Delfina also reflects on what younger generations need to know as they step into a sector under scrutiny, ripe with innovation, and still shaped by geopolitics and economic realities.

What if the biggest challenge in AI isn't how fast chips can compute, but how quickly data can move? In this episode of Eye on AI, Nandan Nayampally, Chief Commercial Officer at Baya Systems, shares how the next era of computing is being shaped by smarter architecture, not just raw processing power. With experience leading teams at ARM, Amazon Alexa, and BrainChip, Nandan brings a rare perspective on how modern chip design is evolving. We dive into the world of chiplets, network-on-chip (NoC) technology, silicon photonics, and neuromorphic computing. Nandan explains why the traditional path of scaling transistors is no longer enough, and how Baya Systems is solving the real bottlenecks in AI hardware through efficient data movement and modular design. From punch cards to AGI, this conversation maps the full arc of computing innovation. If you want to understand how to build hardware for the future of AI, this episode is a must-listen. Subscribe to Eye on AI for more conversations on the future of artificial intelligence and system design. Stay Updated: Craig Smith on X:https://x.com/craigss Eye on A.I. on X: https://x.com/EyeOn_AI (00:00) Why AI's Bottleneck Is Data Movement (01:26) Nandan's Background and Semiconductor Career (03:06) What Baya Systems Does: Network-on-Chip + Software (08:40) A Brief History of Computing: From Punch Cards to AGI (11:47) Silicon Photonics and the Evolution of Data Transfer (20:04) How Baya Is Solving Real AI Hardware Challenges (22:13) Understanding CPUs, GPUs, and NPUs in AI Workloads (24:09) Building Efficient Chips: Cost, Speed, and Customization (27:17) Performance, Power, and Area (PPA) in Chip Design (30:55) Partnering to Build Next-Gen Photonic and Copper Systems (32:29) Why Moore's Law Has Slowed and What Comes Next (34:49) Wafer-Scale vs Traditional Die: Where Baya Fits In (36:10) Chiplet Stacking and Composability Explained (39:44) The Future of On-Chip Networking (41:10) Neuromorphic Computing: Energy-Efficient AI (43:02) Edge AI, Small Models, and Structured State Spaces

In this episode, we dive into fixing warehouse chaos for e-commerce success. Thomas Kircheis, CEO of PULPO WMS, shares how poor warehouse management hurts profits and customers. Learn why 50% of warehouses still use pen and paper, how a WMS cuts costs and boosts efficiency, and why accurate stock is key for scaling. From optimizing routes to reducing staff, discover practical tips to streamline your warehouse and keep customers happy. Topics discussed in this episode:  Why 50% of warehouses still use pen and paper — and how it hurts your business. How warehouse chaos leads to lost sales and unhappy customers. Why stock accuracy is key to scaling your Shopify store. What makes picking the most expensive part of your warehouse. Why warehouse staff walk 10 miles a day — and how to fix it. How one company cut their warehouse team from 50 to 20. What slows down your fulfillment — and kills your profit. Why better warehouse routes beat hiring more people. What most brands get wrong about warehouse growth. Why setting up a WMS only takes 1–2 weeks, not months. Links & Resources Website: https://www.pulpowms.com/Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/pulpo-wmsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaskircheis/Get access to more free resources by visiting the show notes athttps://tinyurl.com/3u542jpuMORE RESOURCES Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter: https://newsletter.ecommercecoffeebreak.com/ Free Store Optimization Beginners Guide: Instant PDF Download!

Join us in Oregon for our Bloom Together Business Soiree on September 4th! Get your ticket while you can at ⁠⁠https://www.cubicletoceo.co/bloomtogether⁠⁠ In just one year, Emma Tessler restructured her agency to increase revenue by 45% with a single strategic hire. The founder of Ninety Five Media, Emma hit a ceiling with her fast-growing social media agency. Client work was thriving, but her personal involvement in every project bottlenecked growth and drained capacity. The solution? Hiring a Creative Project Manager to be a buffer between her, the Account Managers, and their clients — owning execution, managing the creative team, and elevating systems and deliverables across the board. The results speak for themselves: average client retainers jumped from $3K to an average of $4K–$7K/month, labor costs dropped by 20% with improved efficiency, and Emma finally stepped out of the weeds, regaining time to focus on strategy, visibility, and even take a two-week unplugged vacation for the first time in years. This case study is proof that scaling doesn't always require building a massive team — it requires making the right hire. Connect with Emma: https://ninetyfivemedia.co The Stop Scrolling, Start Scaling Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-scrolling-start-scaling-podcast/id1635151196 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmatessler/ IG: @ninety.five.media Iconic business leaders all have their own unique genius. Take this quick 10 question quiz to uncover your specific CEO style advantage: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://cubicletoceo.co/quiz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If you enjoyed today's episode, please: Post a screenshot & key takeaway on your IG story and tag me ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@missellenyin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cubicletoce⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠o so we can repost you. Leave a positive review or rating at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.ratethispodcast.com/cubicletoceo⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe for new episodes every Monday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do people say one thing and do another? Why do some ads flop while others go viral? In this episode, Dr. Lauryn sits down with behavioral marketing expert Nancy Harhut to explore the science behind how people actually make decisions—and how marketers can ethically influence those instincts to boost attention, engagement, and conversions.Nancy shares decades of experience blending behavioral science with marketing strategy, revealing practical tools that business owners and service providers can use right now. You'll learn about eye magnet words that increase clicks, why the word “free” still works wonders, how to use social proof and authority to build trust, and why loss aversion might be your best sales tool. Whether you're a clinic owner, entrepreneur, or content creator, this conversation is packed with actionable insights to improve your messaging and get better results.Key Takeaways:Behavioral marketing leverages subconscious decision-making. Up to 95% of decisions are made in the subconscious mind—using behavioral prompts can dramatically improve ad performance and message retention.Certain words have proven psychological impact. Words like “you,” “free,” “new,” and “alert” are eye magnets that instinctively capture attention and drive engagement across email, print, and social media.Use social proof and authority to build trust. Testimonials, certifications, and credibility signals reduce uncertainty and help potential clients feel confident choosing your service or product.Loss aversion is more powerful than gain. Framing your offer in terms of what someone could lose (vs. what they'll gain) can double response rates and increase urgency in decision-making.About the Guest:Nancy Harhut is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of HBT Marketing, where she helps brands apply behavioral science to increase marketing performance. With a background as a top-ranked creative director, Nancy has led successful campaigns for major global clients and was named a Top 10 Digital Marketer by the Online Marketing Institute. She's spoken at hundreds of industry conferences worldwide and is the author of Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses. Nancy's work focuses on making marketing smarter by understanding how people really think and act.Buy Nancy's Book: Using Behavioral Science in MarketingFollow Nancy: LinkedIn | Instagram Resources:Join The Uncharted CEO: An 8-week immersive experience for clinic owners designed to increase revenue, maximize profits, and build cash flow systems that create freedom NOW, not at 65. Not sure if The Uncharted CEO is right for you? Take the quiz and find out!Don't miss the upcoming Cash Cow Webinar: A Free Masterclass on How to Systemize, Profit, and Lead Without Being the Bottleneck. Happening twice, on July 29th and 30th, register for FREE today!Join The Uncharted Collective: A Membership for Healthcare Professionals to...

Are you the bottleneck in your business without even realizing it? Not because of a lack of trust or effort, but simply because you've been involved in everything for too long, and now every decision flows through you. In this episode of The Agency Blueprint, I discuss the critical hats every agency owner wears—the technician, the manager, and the CEO—and when each hat should be worn or retired. I also explain why delegation is about moving from control to leadership and not just about removing yourself from the grind. Don't miss this episode to learn more about the 1-3-1 decision-making framework, which empowers teams to think strategically instead of defaulting to you for every decision. Key Questions: [01:08] Are you still the only one thinking ahead in your business, and what needs to shift to change that? [04:39] Which hat are you wearing right now: technician, manager, or CEO? Is that the right one? [07:44] Are you delegating tasks or are you truly transferring decision-making and ownership? [09:02] Have you trained your team to assess risk the way you do as a founder? [13:11] Do you unconsciously enjoy being needed so much that it stops others from growing? [16:51] Are you the bottleneck in your agency without realizing it? What You'll Discover: [01:31] The three hats every agency owner wears—technician, manager, CEO—and how wearing the wrong one at the wrong time keeps you stuck. [03:38] How defaulting to the technician role in times of stress is natural, but damaging to your long-term goals. [04:39] How to track the time you spend in each role and learn when it's time to retire the technician hat completely. [05:53] The five levels of delegation—from step-by-step instructions to total decision-making autonomy. [07:44] How to transfer decision-making power, not just task ownership, in a way that protects your business and develops your team. [09:02] The importance of teaching your team how to think about risk because their risk tolerance won't naturally align with yours. [13:59] The power of uncovering hidden problems and why 99% of the solution lies in proper problem identification. [15:48] How implementing the 1-3-1 framework will give your team the autonomy to act strategically. [16:51] Why you're the bottleneck and how to shift from being a dependency to creating frameworks.

Most SaaS founders track too many metrics and still have no clue where their biggest growth bottleneck actually is. They're drowning in data but starving for insights. In this episode, Wes reveals the concept of building a "reverse funnel" - a simple framework that not only identifies exactly where users are dropping off, but shows you precisely which lever to pull to hit your revenue goals. Key Highlights: 01:39: How to structure your revenue goals (MRR, ARPU, units sold)02:40: The problem with tracking too many metrics without context03:43: How to identify bottlenecks in your quarterly planning04:26: The power of increasing ARPU vs. acquiring more customers06:30: Why founders consistently miss their revenue goals Resources: 

Is AI starting to feel like one more overwhelming thing on your already packed to-do list? You're not alone—and you're not behind. In this empowering episode, Dr. Lauryn sits down with AI strategist Marnie Wills to cut through the noise and help you understand exactly how AI can support your business without stealing your soul (or sanity). Whether you're curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between, this conversation is for you.Marnie shares her journey from PE teacher to multi-business founder to AI trainer, and how adopting an “AI-first mindset” transformed her work, her time, and her impact. They dive into practical use cases for healthcare providers, how to overcome the initial mental block with AI tools, and why adding your personal expertise to AI is the secret weapon most people miss. This episode is a masterclass in starting small, staying human, and scaling smart.Key Takeaways:AI is your second brain—not your replacement. Marnie explains how to collaborate with AI to enhance decision-making, automate repetitive tasks, and amplify your expertise, not erase it.Strategy beats tech skills every time. You don't need to be “techie” to use AI effectively—you need intention, clarity, and the right mindset. Learn how to shift from overwhelm to opportunity.Customization is the key to authenticity. Plug-and-play prompts won't cut it anymore. Marnie shows why creating tailored AI assistants can elevate your content, marketing, and operations.The future belongs to leaders who adapt. From courses to client communications, Marnie reveals how industries are changing—and how healthcare providers can evolve without losing their humanity.About the Guest:Marnie Wills is an AI trainer, speaker, and strategy consultant helping business owners adopt an “AI-first” mindset to scale sustainably. After two decades as a teacher and entrepreneur, she transitioned into tech by combining her passion for systems, automation, and impact. Marnie now leads workshops and trainings around the world, empowering people to customize AI tools for their unique businesses—without needing a tech background.Find all of Marnie's resources and ways to work with her here.Follow Marnie: LinkedIn | Instagram Resources:Join The Uncharted CEO: An 8-week immersive experience for clinic owners designed to increase revenue, maximize profits, and build cash flow systems that create freedom NOW, not at 65. Not sure if The Uncharted CEO is right for you? Take the quiz and find out!Don't miss the upcoming Cash Cow Webinar: A Free Masterclass on How to Systemize, Profit, and Lead Without Being the Bottleneck. Happening twice, on July 29th and 30th, register for FREE today!Join The Uncharted Collective: A Membership for Healthcare Professionals to Build a Profitable Personal Brand in Just 2 Hours a WeekFollow

Dive into the powerful "Flows and Functions" method—a practical, proven framework that breaks down your business into five key areas: lead generation, lead nurture, conversion, delivery, and retention. Learn how to pinpoint your biggest bottleneck and fix it strategically so you can scale sustainably and stop spinning your wheels. Packed with real-world insights and actionable tips, this episode will help you regain clarity, increase revenue, and build a business that flows.   “So when you use intuition on where should I be focused, do it alongside looking at the truth, looking at what's actually broken.”   Key points to focus on: Success Can Still Feel Chaotic Even during high-revenue months (like hitting $100K+), a business can feel overwhelming and unstable without systems and focus in place. The "Flows and Bottlenecks" Method is Essential Businesses have five core functions—lead generation, lead nurture, conversion, delivery, and retention—and identifying the weakest link (bottleneck) is key to sustainable growth. Diagnose Before You Act Most entrepreneurs fix what's easiest or most urgent, rather than what's actually broken. Using data and honest self-assessment is crucial to determining the real problem. Lead Nurture is Often Overlooked Many coaches think they need more leads, but often the issue lies in nurturing and converting existing leads more effectively—like optimizing email or content strategy. Let Data Guide, Not Emotions Don't let fear or ego dictate business priorities. Use intuition, but validate it with measurable insights to make smart, grounded decisions. Use the Project-Process-Person Framework Once the bottleneck is identified, tackle it using this trio: define a project, create a process around it, and assign the right person (including yourself) to execute or support it.     Connect with Jason Meland: Email: jason@goliveonlinemastermind.com Website: https://www.growmyvisibility.com/ Instagram: @coachjasonmeland Facebook: Jason Meland - In Demand Coach LinkedIn: Jason Meland

"Stop putting band-aids on bullet wounds - your clinic has one constraint holding everything back."Most clinic owners jump between marketing tactics, hiring decisions, and operational fixes without ever identifying the real problem. The truth? Your practice is like a chain, and it's only as strong as its weakest link.We reveal how fixing one bottleneck delivers exponentially higher returns than improving ten things at once. Learn the exact process to identify your constraint and the weekly meeting that keeps successful clinics laser-focused on what actually moves the needle.Welcome to the Clinic Growth Secrets Podcast where we give an insider's look into what the top 1% of clinic owners are doing differently to get more patients, make more profit per patient, and keep them longer. Inside, you'll find actionable tips, tricks, and strategies that you can implement into your personal clinic to create massive growth that allows you to help as many people as possible.

Kiera gives advice to those practices stuck in the $0 to $2 million range (because the same problems tend to apply). These hurdles can often be addressed in the leadership, systems, and mindset arenas, and Kiera spells out specific steps your practice can implement today to burst through the barriers. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: Kiera Dent (00:01) Hello, Dental A team listeners. This is Kiera and I am so happy to be podcasting with you today. I hope that you are just loving your life. I hope you remember that we are so blessed and so lucky to be able to do dentistry. I mean, talk about it. So many people dream of this world. So many people want this world and yet you get to live the dream. You get to live the freaking dream. This is your life. And so today I thought it would just be fun to tackle into this of, you know what? Why are you still stuck at 1 million?   and how to break through, or maybe while you're still stuck at 2 million and how to break through. I feel like there's very similar problems from zero to 2 million. So I thought, hey, let's talk about it. Yes, it might seem like, okay, no, they're not quite the same. Actually, they're pretty darn the same. And I thought, hey, why not tell you why you're still stuck here and how to break through that ceiling? I remember once I was told about like the wifi symbol, and I feel like every one of those layers is just your next layer. And it's like, how can I burst through that next layer and actually make my life easier?   I remember I also had a friend and I was working towards my first million. I remember when I hit our first million in the company and my friend texted me and he said, Kara, now that you've hit your first million, the rest are easy from here. And I will say getting to that first million mark is tricky, but then getting beyond it. So from really, it's like zero to 2 million. Honestly, a lot of these things are going to apply. So you're still stuck at 1 million. Let's break through that plateau. You guys, this is the Dental A Team and we freaking love helping practices break through limiting beliefs.   Create the impossible into the possible. Make your life easy. Make your practice experience amazing and truly give you the life and practice that you deserve. I'm obsessed with having your life and business on purpose. Truly, why not? Like why? Why be a business owner? Why do all these hard things if we don't get to do the life that we wanted to have all the things that we wished for and to give our teams the same type of life and experience as well? So the reality is when we look at this, it's not clinical skills typically. Sometimes it is.   Sometimes you do need to take some courses. If it's clinical and you're struggling clinically, think Coice and Spear and a lot of those will be really great for you clinically. So typically though, it's not clinical. It's systems, leadership and mindset. Like literally that's what it is. It's the systems, it's the leadership, it's the mindset. Systems do tie into our numbers and knowing that. And so I just want to break through like these three little hidden barriers that oftentimes keep practices stuck and some ways to get around that. So you can plateau through that one million, that two million mark.   and really be on your way to great success, but doing it not harder. How about that? Like, I don't want to work harder here. I don't want to have to do more. Don't worry. When you actually put these things into place, you get more time back. You get more happiness back. It's not like, let's do this and have less happiness, less time, but you can if you do it your hard way. But we're going to teach you, today I want to teach you how to do this easy. Are you on board for that?   If so, welcome. I'm super happy. I'm Kiera. This is the Dental A Team. We created it to help hundreds and thousands of offices scale beyond that 1 million mark to get to the 2 million, the 3 million, the 5 million. We have offices doing 500,000. We have offices doing 1.5. We have offices doing 3 million, 5 million, 10 million, 20 million. The reality is these things apply across the board. There's different layers and different ways to fine tune and refine based on the size of practice you are. But at the end of the day, these are really easy areas to help you see where your gap is and to break through.   This truly is an episode that's for practice owners who know that they're capable of more, but honestly don't know where to go. I hear all the time when people talk to us about joining dental hygiene, they're like, Kiera, I don't know what I don't know. I'm like, you're right. So let's help you. Let's like peel off the mask, give you the resources and make it to where life is so much easier for you. So number one, the first block that I want to break down for you is you are wearing too many hats.   This happens all the time. It's called the bottleneck. Like think about it. We're like squeezing it because we're wearing too many hats as business owners. And oftentimes what happens is as the founder, you are so used to coming in, being the person who does all the pieces because that's what you had to do when you started it. But that's also a falsehood. And also what it does is it creates chokeholds because what we're doing is we're micromanaging lack of delegation, lack of trust. This is where it gets like really stuck. And the offices were able to break through and evolve.   put systems into place, they realize that they need to have a delegation ladder at our summit, if you were able to attend, awesome. If you weren't, you missed out on our amazing delegation ladder where we literally show you how to go in order of the tasks to be delegating and in what order based on the size and the growth of your practice. So when we get overwhelmed owner or stagnant teams or reactive decision-making, what we need to do is we need to build a leadership depth. So we're training our office manager, we're empowering our leads and we're letting go of low ROI tasks.   Like literally Dan Martell has a book called Buy Back Your Time and it was shocking to look at that. And that's where we came up with our delegation ladder of, wow, like if we could honestly help you all see that we could shift it and these are the tasks to go in order of, and we're delegating out. If you're producing 200, 300, 400, $500 an hour, get rid of those low tasks that truly are not serving you. So on our delegation ladder, the way we started it is we have at the bottom layer, your number one thing to delegate out first is going to be administrative tasks.   After that, it's going to be patient experience and case acceptance. After that, it's treatment coordinator. And that's going to be our case acceptance heavily. So we've got patient experience, making sure you're not the star of the show. Then we move into treatment coordinating and case acceptance. Then we move into marketing and branding. And then we move into leadership. And then beyond that, we move into overseeing. So if you're stuck in the administrative tasks, well, awesome. Let's wait till we need to delegate that and empower that out. If you're stuck in being the patient experience,   The practice runs because Dr. Smith is in the practice and everybody loves Dr. Smith and Dr. Smith, if they're not there, no one wants to come. No, it should be the whole team experience. This isn't Kiera Dent. This isn't the Kiera Dent show. This is the Dental A Team show. There are so many great consultants. They're such a great team experience, but I don't run it. Yes, I have an influence and I started at the beginning and the core values as to why I started the company, that exists as our culture, but I'm not the one responsible for our client experience. Literally, I am here to podcast.   I'm here to do our doctor think tank and I'm here to go speak at events. That's literally what I do now. And I get to see all of you, but I get to influence and train our consultants. I get to help and train in different areas. I get to influence the company because I'm clear at the top in the leadership spot because we have great consultants that take care of our client experience. You should have great team members that take care of your patient experience. Then you need treatment coordinators. You should not be the one doing all the cases and closing all the cases. And if you're not there, we can't close. It should be that your team can close cases without you.   Then we move into marketing and branding and then it's into leadership. So when you're looking at this, what hats are you wearing and how can you shift this and which level of the tier are you on to be able to buy back your time to make it to where you're super focused on those own that you're really great at in your zone of genius. Now I still enjoy some administrative tasks. There's still some things that I'm like, gosh, I really enjoy this. I feel really good checking off a checklist. When you move from administrative into leadership, it's actually awesome and un-awesome.   because you feel like, well, gosh, like I'm just doing all these things, but there's no progress. Like leadership tasks take way longer. There's not as fast of progress, unlike administrative tasks have to do. This is where you grow and you expand. So when a practice, like we have a doctor and they let go of the administrative tasks, so you hired out a virtual assistant or their office manager or team members. And I will say,   Office managers should not be personal assistants. So let's make sure like office managers, you should also be going through this delegation to your levels. Like look at yourself too. So you're able to scale leads in practices need to look at this as well. What are we doing in these tasks? And could we delegate to our other incredible team members and empower them to be great? answer is yes. So when doctors let go of this, usually like when I've seen offices empower their team, stop doing it all. They grow by 10, 20, 30%, a hundred grand, 400 grand, 500 grand.   to their practice because the breadth and depth of their expansion, now they're able to focus on high level dentistry. If you're not sitting there busying your time with answering emails and signing off on payroll and all these other things, you then have time to focus in on your dentistry to give better treatment plans, to give better case acceptance, to refine that skill set for yourself to where you're pushing that out there and that's what you're focused on. You're taking CE on that. Think of the ROI of that time spent.   versus sending emails out that really are not moving the needle forward. So I want you to look at everything on your plate today and I want you to see what things are in administrative, what things are in patient experience, what things are in treatment plans and case acceptance, what things are in marketing and what things are in leadership. And of that, figure out who could I delegate to? How could I get less hats? Who do I maybe need to hire? It's who, not how? There's a book about this, it's really great. And I want you to see, because when you are, everyone's working at the top of their,   a license, that's how I like to put it. So doctors, would mean you're only doing dentistry stuff and CEO stuff. That's it. Everything else is delegated out. You will be amazed at the growth that it adds. So that's number one. Are you wearing too many hats and where can you delegate? Number two, your systems don't scale. So a $1 million systems break down at higher value. Like they truly do. So it's like scheduling strategy and poor case presentation and inconsistent team accountability and not tracking our numbers, not having a great   treatment plan ⁓ presentation, not having great hygiene processes in place, these little things break down and it's like, gosh, like we don't know how to handle this. We don't know how to schedule. don't know how to take these phone calls. So on this, we want to implement scalable systems. like block scheduling. So it's not just dependent upon who's up there scheduling. We know if it's Kiera, if it's Tiffany, if it's Brittany, our schedule will be consistent every single time. That's a true system. I get the exact same result no matter who's sitting in that chair. Our treatment, like,   ⁓ Case acceptance using the NDTR handoff. That's literally a system that allows your case acceptance to scale We have a billing protocol where we literally like pull it all down We have a system of how we follow up with all of our claims We have a system of when we look at our money instead of like, shoot. We don't have money. Let's go look at AR We have a set system of we send claims out on these days. We send out our insurance We follow up on insurance. We follow up on patient balances on set cadences and dates doctors You have a set system of when you look at your bank account when you reconcile your   pieces with your office manager. This is where it is our AR follow-up. Like all of those are scalable systems rather than reactive systems. And the $1 million practices are often like playing whack-a-mole. It's like, here's a hot fire here, fix that. here's a hot fire here, let's fix that. Rather than like, okay, what needs to happen so we can consistently get the results. I'm obsessed with Disney. I love their model. I think they're an incredible company. And I love something that they said is that we're able to create predictable magic with the systems behind the scenes.   So for you, we're able to create predictable million dollars with the systems behind the scenes. Also, sometimes when you're in startup mode, you actually have this identity, which is going to move into our next block. You have an identity of I'm a startup practice. So you actually act as a startup practice rather than thinking like, what does a $5 million practice do? Well, you better believe they're not like just willy-nillying their schedule. They're not willy-nillying their case acceptance. They're not willy-nillying their billing. They don't willy-nilly that stuff. And it's not that they have more time than you.   It's just that they have more scalable systems and they actually have systems in place that work. So when we've implemented block scheduling, you've heard me say it so many times, literally in small practices, we've been able to add 500,000, 1 million. Like it is not something that's hard. These are not fluffy numbers. They're not like, my gosh, I'm exaggerating. They're literally like, I can show you what they were producing, what the block schedule created and how they're able to have consistent days like that. When we implement treatment trackers, we're able to boost case acceptance exponentially because we're tracking and we're looking at patterns.   When we're able to fix AR, we're able to reduce your billing and we're able to increase your collections, reducing your overhead. When we teach you how to look at your numbers, we're able to decrease your overhead, increase your profit, and you're able to like literally sleep at night because you're not stressed out about it. These are the simple scalable systems that we put into place for these million, $2 million practices. It's wild. You can have like some skyrocket success, but if you don't have these systems for sustainability, you'll never be able to break through. This is where you start to plateau. So.   Pick a system. don't care what it is, but commit that you're going to make it scalable and upgrade it this month. All right. Block number three. This is the third one that I see a lot of times of why practices are plateauing and it's because they don't have a vision of where they're going. So like I said, it's that identity. It's like, what is the $2 million vision? What is the $3 million vision? And when mindset is in the right place, clarity can drive these results. So again, thinking I'm not a startup practice, I'm a $5 million practice. What would I do today? What would that CEO be doing? What would that dentist be doing?   They're not much different than you are today, but they are doing things differently. They budget their time differently. They're working out in the mornings. They have an AR system, these things. So what it is is like million dollar and $2 million practices are oftentimes in survival mode. it's like, like I said, whack a mole versus strategic planning. You have leadership teams in place. And when I first started, I was not at a million. was like, all right, if the $5 million practices are doing this and they have leadership team meetings, Kaylee, she was my personal assistant at the time. was just me and her. was like,   We're having this meeting and I don't even know what this meeting is supposed to be, but we're having it. We were broke, we had no money, so we went to her apartment clubhouse. That's where we had it. We had all these papers. I knew nothing of what I was doing, but I started acting in the habits of what these people did. What's crazy is when you start to act like these higher level practices do, you start to become and evolve. So this is where it's going to be. We want a clear 12 month plan of what would the KPIs be tracking? What are the team members?   What are the pieces I need to do to have a $2 million practice or a $3 million practice compared to where I am today? Let's break it down. What does that look like monthly? What's that block schedule look like? What's the type of dentistry I need to do? Do I need to add another provider? But we're making sure overheads in a line with the growth as well. So when I have teams do this and we literally like, build a one, three, 10 year vision for practices, the doctors often come in a lot more.   I would say conservative and their teams grow. But when we get the alignment of the doctor and the team together, it is crazy. The growth we have, I have a practice. he texted me, he said, here, I know when you came in and you set this audacious goal with me and my team, I thought there's absolutely no way that we'll be able to hit that. Like no way that's out of the, out of the control. ⁓ and so they were originally producing about 200,000 months. So they're about a $2.4 million practice. And we set this goal to get them to 3 million. So we said, what, what did a $3 million practice look like?   What do we need to do? And the software was like, are you kidding me? Like we're maxed out, we're tapped out. So many people think this and it's like, that's where we take the impossible and make it possible. We find the solution, we find the ways and we get the whole team aligned. So the whole team's rowing together. So we broke it down. What does that extra 600,000 look like? What does that break down monthly? What does that break down daily? They then hit. So they were at 200, next month 220, next month 250, next month 275. They just broke 300. That's even higher. 300 is 3.6 and remember they were just going for three.   This is how they grow. This is how they get their whole team aligned. This is how we start to look at what systems do we need to put in place? What training do we need to put in place? What team members do we need on the bus? What right people, right seat do we need to have? And it's wild because when the whole team aligns, everybody's there. And sometimes you need an outside perspective to coach you. Sometimes doctors, you don't know how to build that vision. You've never done it, right? It's like, hey, you're telling me to like draw you a map to the moon and I've never been to the moon. So how am even supposed to envision this? That's oftentimes where a coach.   or a consultant like ourselves can paint the roadmap for you. We've been there, we've done that, we've done it many times successfully. We have practices that are 10 million. I have offices, I've got five practices. We add one to two million to their offices every single year, every year consistently. And people are like, how do you do that? I'm like, well, hey, we got the foundations in place. They have scalable systems. We've got leadership teams in the right place. And then we're looking for the refinement pieces that we can do. We focus on case exceptions consistently.   But if I only focus on that with the $1 million practices, well, great, we're getting great cases, but guess what? It's all gonna fall apart because we don't have the systems to create the predictable magic and patient experience to continually retain and keep these patients. So this is where it is. No matter where you are, even if you're not at the 2 million and you're at the 5 million, this still works because guess what? The 5 million CEOs, you are stuck in what you've been doing and you need to expand into the higher level. You're still stuck at not having scalable systems and you need to scale those as well.   You don't have the vision for what does a 7 million or the $10 million of practice have. You are still sitting in your 5 million. So all of these actually, like I just said, 1 million and $2 million practices, this is actually for the higher level ones too. It's the exact same thing. It's just different cards, but the same game that we're playing. And it doesn't mean that you have to grow to this level. It doesn't mean that we're here to push you. It's here to say, this is what's possible if you want it. But the ultimate goal is that your life aligns with the practice that you're doing. That's our goal.   and to make sure that you're insanely profitable and insanely happy. Because I don't want you working harder. The blocks that we have lead to overworked owners, broken systems, and unclear vision, which causes chaos, confusion, stress, all the pieces. So right now, to break through your barriers, it's not about grinding harder, it's not about doing this harder, it's about leading better and building smarter. There's two ways to go about it. We can like slap it all together and help and pray our house of cards doesn't fall down, or we can build foundations, we can build vision, we can build clarity.   We can build focus and we can get traction. Move your practices exponentially. So move forward. Don't do this the hard way. Do it the easy way. And this is something where like we help this all day long. This is what fires me up. If you can't tell from today's podcast, I get lit up over this type of stuff because I love helping offices. See the vision, see the potential, figure out where we need to go. And it actually becomes so much easier when we have a roadmap. We create a map of clarity. So let's do that with you and your practice. Reach out, Hello@TheDentalATeam.com   DM us growth or visit our website. This is where we literally do a complimentary practice assessment and it is crazy. Even just that practice assessment when you come on a call with us will give you so much clarity whether you work with us or don't work with us to see, my gosh, here are my gaps of what's holding me back from moving forward. We created it recently and I'm obsessing over it because offices who come through are like, wow, this call was so valuable because I see where my gaps are. I see where I need to go and hey,   Great, if you're a good fit for us and we're a good fit for you, awesome, let's work together. We fly to your practice, we work virtually with your team, we have in-person masterminds where doctors and leadership teams get together. We truly have built this to be something where you no longer have to question if success is real for you. It's a way for you to have proven, sustainable, successful success indefinitely. So reach out Hello@TheDentalATeam.com And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.  

Every successful agency owner faces the same maddening paradox: you built a business to create freedom, but now you're more trapped than ever. You can't take a real vacation because everything runs through you. Every proposal needs your touch, every creative decision requires your approval, and every client crisis demands your personal attention. You've become the bottleneck in your own operation, and traditional solutions like hiring more people or creating better processes only add complexity without solving the core problem. Mike Allton understands this trap because he's lived it and helped dozens of agency owners escape it. As the founder of The AI Hat and Chief Storyteller at Agorapulse, Mike has developed a proven framework for breaking free from the operational quicksand that keeps agency owners stuck. His approach isn't about replacing human judgment with technology—it's about creating an AI Second Brain that handles the cognitive heavy lifting so you can focus on what only you can do: build relationships, innovate, and lead. Through his H.U.M.A.N. Framework, Mike shows agency owners how to delegate high-level thinking tasks without sacrificing quality or control. What You'll Discover: ✨ How the three bottlenecks are costing you a fortune: Learn why the Sales Bottleneck, Creative Bottleneck, and Client Management Bottleneck are mathematically limiting your growth and stealing your freedom. Mike reveals the hidden opportunity costs that could be costing successful agencies over a million dollars annually in lost potential. ✨ Why traditional solutions backfire: Understand why hiring more people and creating more processes often makes the bottleneck worse instead of better. Discover why static documentation becomes "digital shelfware" and how management layers can actually increase your workload rather than reduce it. ✨ The AI Second Brain system that actually works: Get the exact framework for building an intelligent system that learns your voice, applies your methodologies, and handles complex tasks like proposal writing, creative strategy, and client crisis management. See real examples of how this approach has helped agency owners reclaim 20+ hours per week and finally take those long-overdue vacations. Learn more about Mike Allton Connect with Mike Allton on LinkedIn Resources & Brands mentioned in this episode AI Work Buddy Explore past episodes of the The AI Hat Podcast podcast CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: The Cost of Not Taking a Vacation 00:33 The Real Business Cost of Burnout 00:47 Meet David: A Case Study in Operational Bottlenecks 02:42 Welcome to the AI Hat Podcast 03:16 Why You Can't Take a Vacation 03:53 Identifying the Bottlenecks 07:41 Traditional Solutions That Don't Work 10:16 Introducing the AI Work Buddy Mini Course 10:53 The AI Second Brain: A New Approach 17:20 Real-World Impact: Case Studies 18:37 The Cost of Staying the Same 19:20 Conclusion: Embrace the Future with AI SHOW TRANSCRIPT & NOTES: https://theaihat.com/stop-being-the-bottleneck-how-to-build-an-ai-second-brain-for-your-agency/ Brought to you by The AI Hat - Get Your AI On. Interesting in sponsoring an episode? Learn more here. Produced and Hosted by Mike Allton, AI Consultant & Trainer at The AI Hat, where he's tirelessly helping businesses and marketers get ahead of the AI Revolution and apply advanced technologies to their roles. He's spent over a decade in digital marketing, bringing an unparalleled level of experience and excitement to the fore, whether he's delivering a presentation or leading a workshop. If you're interested in helping business owners with AI in an upcoming episode, reach out to Mike. Powered by the Marketing Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More rain pummels the waterlogged Hill Country, putting a pause on search efforts and bringing a new wave of weather warnings to the region. We’ll talk with James Hartley of KERA, who’s been in Kerrville this weekend.Stuffed animals are strewn across flood-ravaged Texas. People are trying to get them to their owners.The Trump administration is […] The post Trucking industry faces new border bottleneck appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

On this episode of SPOT Radio, Charlie Webb, CPPL, speaks with Karen Goelst. Karen and Charlie dive into strategies for building consensus across departments. By presenting a multi-benefit sales proposition—one that speaks to the priorities of clinical teams, procurement officers, and risk managers alike—they explore how layering value can break through resistance and foster collaborative buy-in.About Karen Goelst: As CEO of KleenEdge, a company specializing in privacy curtain compliance software and patented “no-ladder” exchange solutions, our focus is on empowering hospitals with cost-saving, innovations that get patient curtains exchanged on time.With over 14 years in architectural specialties we leverage lean, safe workflows along with technology to mitigate healthcare-acquired infections ensuring patient and staff safety.KleenEdge has pioneered software that empowers on-time curtain exchanges while providing actionable data. Our mission centers on delivering safety-driven, cost-saving, tools that address compliance and infection control challenges while supporting hospitals in optimizing their resources effectively.Karen Goelst Email: kgoelst@KleenEdge.com Roadtrip webpage: www.kleenedge.comLinkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kleenedge/ 

Breaking Through Requirements Hell: How AI is Revolutionizing Software Development

Fall family photography season is almost here, and if you're already bracing for the wave of inquiries, back-to-back sessions, and late-night editing marathons — this episode is your survival guide. I'm walking you through the three biggest bottlenecks that leave photographers overwhelmed every single fall… and exactly how to fix them before you hit burnout.This one's short and actionable, and yes — I'm absolutely inviting you to stop being the bottleneck in your own business.Find it quickly:00:00 — Why this episode is your fall prep wake-up call01:18 — Bottleneck #1: Editing will eat you alive (human vs. AI)05:22 — Bottleneck #2: You still don't have a 5-minute booking process08:21 — Bottleneck #3: You're still sending every client email yourself10:24 — Why automation still needs personality11:14 — What the Workflow Fast Pass is (and why I built it)13:54 — Let this fall season feel different

This episode explores how leaders unknowingly become the bottleneck that slows down progress—and offers four practical strategies to get out of the team's way. Learn how to shift from control to trust and let your team flow.Host: Paul FalavolitoConnect with me on your favorite platform: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Substack, BlueSky, Threads, DiscordFree Leadership Resources: www.paulfalavolito.comBooks by Paul FalavolitoThe 7 Minute Leadership Handbook: bit.ly/48J8zFGThe Leadership Academy: https://bit.ly/4lnT1PfThe 7 Minute Leadership Survival Guide: https://bit.ly/4ij0g8yOfficial 7 Minute Leadership MerchGrab exclusive gear and more: linktr.ee/paulfalavolitoPartners & DiscountsFlying Eyes Optics – Best aviator sunglasses on the marketGet 10% off with code: PFAVShop now: flyingeyesoptics.comGatsby Shoes – Dress sneakers built for leaders on the moveUse my affiliate link for 10% off: Gatsby ShoesSubscribe & Listen to My Podcasts:The 7 Minute Leadership Podcast1 PAPA FOXTROT – General Aviation PodcastThe DailyPfav

You didn't build a business just to stay stuck in it — so why are you still the one holding it back? In this episode of The Game Changing Attorney Podcast, Michael and Jessica Mogill challenge the belief that being essential to your business is a badge of honor. Instead, they reveal why the most effective law firm leaders are the ones who build systems, empower teams, and make themselves operationally unnecessary. From learning how to keep a pulse without micromanaging to redefining your role as CEO, this episode is a tactical playbook for law firm owners who want to scale without staying stuck in the center of everything. Here's what you'll learn: Why stepping back from daily operations doesn't mean losing control — and how to keep a real-time pulse without micromanaging. How boredom can signal it's time to raise your standards, redefine your role, or set a bigger vision for your firm. What it takes to balance your core business with outside interests, without letting performance slip. If you want your firm to grow beyond you, you've got to be willing to let go. ---- Show Notes: 00:00 – Introduction 02:37 – The Robot Dog Experiment: A Lesson in Responsibility 07:02 – Are AI Relationships Really That Far Off? 08:42 – How Involved Should a Law Firm Owner Be? 11:49 – What to Do When You've Lost Passion for the Business You Built 17:21 – The Real Cost of Split Focus and Chasing Too Many Interests 21:53 – Final Thoughts: You Can Have It All, But Not All at Once ---- Links & Resources: AIbo robot dog by Sony Gary Vaynerchuk Tim Cook ---- Do you love this podcast and want to see more game changing content? Subscribe to our YouTube channel. ---- Past guests on The Game Changing Attorney Podcast include David Goggins, John Morgan, Alex Hormozi, Randi McGinn, Kim Scott, Chris Voss, Kevin O'Leary, Laura Wasser, John Maxwell, Mark Lanier, Robert Greene, and many more. ---- If you enjoyed this episode, you may also like: 373. AMMA — Your Firm's Biggest Threat: Too Many Good Ideas 341. The Real Reason Your Firm Isn't Scaling — And It's Not What You Think 189. AMMA — How to Preserve Your Culture While Scaling Your Business

His transition from staff nurse to contractor to employer How one conversation in a hospital skybridge launched a business Creating an agency by accident and growing to 600 employees The systems that scaled without needing a business degree The moment he realized he was the problem, not the engine A brutal but freeing insight: the founder or CEO is often the biggest bottleneck What no one tells you about the emotional cost of success The first signs that the real journey was just beginning Rick hears what he'd been ignoring and gets baptized Writing, service, and rediscovering what truly matters How Rick found meaning in ghostwriting and mentoring His ultimate advice for those chasing more than money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices