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Adi Klevit is the leader and visionary of Business Success Consulting Group. Her 30 years of knowledge and experience as a trained Industrial Engineer, management consultant, and business executive give her a unique understanding of the challenges businesses face. Adi utilizes her practical know-how and wisdom to successfully help organizations and companies of any size dramatically improve their efficiency and performance. By leveraging her ability to understand business processes as well as people and drawing on her high-caliber skills in vital areas of personnel management, finance, and operations, Adi can help virtually any business owner achieve their goals and bring order to their lives. Adi is also the host of the Systems Simplified podcast and author of a new eBook, Stop Carrying Your Business in Your Head, the foundation for a full-length book on process documentation, knowledge transfer, and operational excellence.
What if your most valuable content is already sitting unused in your video library?Creating more is not always the answer. The bigger opportunity may be turning every video, podcast, training session, or interview you have already produced into a collection of useful, discoverable business assets.The solution is a repeatable AI-powered workflow that transforms unstructured content into optimized blog posts, newsletters, social posts, short-form videos, sales materials, SOPs, and more—without relying on a one-sentence prompt and hoping for the best.In this episode of the Leveraging AI podcast, Isar Meitis speaks with Ryan Robinson about building that workflow from the ground up.Ryan demonstrates how a YouTube video can become an SEO-optimized article using RightBlogger. He also breaks down how business leaders can recreate and adapt the process with tools such as Claude or ChatGPT.The real lesson goes beyond video-to-blog conversion.You will learn how to give AI the context it needs, refine its first drafts, turn successful processes into reusable skills, and automate the creation of downstream content assets.You will also hear why AI-generated work still needs human review—and where those checkpoints belong before anything reaches a client, colleague, or public audience.In this session, you'll discover:How to turn videos, podcasts, and other unstructured inputs into valuable business contentWhy asking AI to “write a blog post” is not enough to produce useful resultsHow RightBlogger converts videos into structured, SEO-optimized articlesHow keyword research, content structure, internal links, external links, and FAQs improve an AI-generated draftHow to have Claude or ChatGPT interview you before creating the deliverableHow to convert a successful workflow into a reusable skill or standard operating procedureWhy the finished blog post can become the source of truth for newsletters and social contentHow to build specialized skills and connect them through an orchestrated workflowRyan Robinson is an experienced content creator, blogger, entrepreneur, and the founder of RightBlogger. He has built a successful online presence across blogging, YouTube, podcasting, and major digital publications, helping hundreds of thousands of people improve their content and grow their reach.Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/theryanrobinson/ About Leveraging AIThe Ultimate AI Course for Business People: https://multiplai.ai/ai-course/YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@Multiplai_AI/Connect with Isar Meitis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isarmeitis/ Join our Live Sessions, AI Hangouts and newsletter: https://services.multiplai.ai/eventsIf you've enjoyed or benefited from some of the insights of this episode, leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform, and let us know what you learned, found helpful, or liked most about this show!
If you ask three technicians how a process gets done in your SPD, there's a good chance you'll get three different answers. So how do you get everyone on the same page? In this week's episode of "Built Different: Training in SPD," Jhmeid Billingslea joins the conversation to explain why standardization is about much more than writing another SOP. He breaks down the difference between policies and SOPs, why the best processes are built with frontline technicians, and how clear expectations help teams work toward the same goal. If you're ready to get every shift moving in the same direction, you won't want to miss this conversation! After finishing this podcast episode, earn your 1 CE credit immediately by passing the short quiz linked here: https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/episode33-05 Visit our CE Credit Hub at https://www.beyondcleanmedia.com/ce-credit-hub to access this quiz and over 350 other free CE credits. #BeyondClean #SterileProcessing #Season33 #BuiltDifferent #TrainingInSPD #Standardization #SOP #Policy #Competency #Goals #Consistency
The Big Picture Blueprint: Navigating Land, Real Estate, and Business Success
In this episode, we sit down with Dan Crabill to explore how he went from struggling through seven jobs in just two and a half years to building and successfully exiting a Voice over IP (VoIP) company. Dan shares how finding the right opportunity, focusing on underserved small and mid-sized businesses, and consistently delivering exceptional customer service helped his company grow to support over 30,000 endpoints before its acquisition. He also explains how networking, strategic positioning, and understanding changing market trends allowed him to build a business that stood out in an increasingly competitive telecommunications industry.The conversation also dives into what truly makes a business valuable. Dan explains why systems, standard operating procedures (SOPs), customer retention, and company culture became the foundation of his success. He shares how giving employees the freedom to make mistakes, hiring people for mindset rather than experience, and continuously improving internal processes helped create a business that could operate efficiently without relying on its founders. The discussion also covers sales strategies, referral partnerships, networking, and why building relationships often generates better long-term results than relying solely on cold outreach.Beyond building and selling a business, Dan discusses what entrepreneurs should do long before they think about an exit. He shares practical advice on preparing financial records, increasing company value, negotiating EBITDA multiples, managing due diligence, and reducing buyer risk before taking a business to market.===Key Topics:-Building a successful VoIP business from startup to acquisition-Why systems and SOPs are the foundation of scalable companies-Growing through networking, referrals, and relationship-based sales-Building a high-retention business that buyers want to acquire-Preparing a company for a successful exit and maximizing business value-Leadership, delegation, and creating a culture that drives long-term growth===If you're selling land and still relying on Facebook messages, you're making it harder than it needs to be. Acrefy helps land investors create clean, professional dispo websites where buyers can see everything in one place. It saves time, looks legit, and helps you close faster.
Nick Friedman is the co-founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving, one of the most recognizable home service brands in the country. What started as a college summer side hustle has grown into a $300 million national franchise with more than 100 locations. Nick is also the bestselling author of Effortless Entrepreneur and host of the Hunks Talking Junk podcast. In this episode, he shares the lessons behind scaling a simple service business, building systems that last, and why execution—not flashy ideas—is often the greatest competitive advantage. On this episode we talk about: How College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving grew from a summer side hustle into a $300 million franchise Why branding, customer experience, and execution matter more than having a revolutionary business idea The power of systems, SOPs, and checklists for scaling any business Lessons learned from franchising, appearing on the very first episode of Shark Tank, and building through economic downturns Why resourcefulness may be the most valuable entrepreneurial skill in the age of AI Top 3 Takeaways You don't need to invent the next tech unicorn to build wealth—improving a "boring" business with better branding, systems, and customer service can create extraordinary results. Sustainable growth comes from documenting processes, empowering great people, and continually refining your systems rather than relying on founder hustle alone. Resourcefulness consistently beats raw intelligence. Entrepreneurs who adapt, solve problems creatively, and execute relentlessly will outperform those with the best ideas. Notable Quotes "Execution is a strategy." "Developing systems is something we do—it's not something we did." "If you can do it just slightly better than the alternative on a consistent basis, you win over time." Connect with Nick Friedman: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickfriedman1/ Website: https://nickfriedman.com College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving: https://www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/ Podcast: Hunks Talking Junk A Word from Our Sponsors: - Visit DrinkAG1.com/TMM to get a free AG1 Travel Case with 7 free AG1Travel Packs in your Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last. - Go to Leesa.com for 25% OFF select mattresses (through August 23, 2026) PLUS get an extra $50 off with promo code TMM, exclusive for my listeners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In which Sacha talks about her SOPs for writing, and Rachael marvels at how different the two of them are
AI is everywhere, but are property management companies asking the right questions before implementing it? In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, Jason Hull sits down with Mo Hussain to discuss why successful AI adoption has far less to do with technology and far more to do with operational clarity. Instead of chasing the latest AI tools, Mo introduces his Measure, Map, Automate framework to identify operational bottlenecks, uncover hidden profit leaks, and build workflows that actually improve business performance. Together, they explore why clean data is the foundation of automation, how undocumented processes create costly inefficiencies, and why AI should enhance human decision-making rather than replace it. You'll Learn [00:00] Meet Mo Hussain and the Measure, Map, Automate Framework [03:20] Why Most Companies Ask the Wrong AI Questions [08:10] The Role of Clean Data in AI Success [12:45] Mapping Workflows Before Automating Them [15:30] The Process Myth and Better Operational Systems [21:10] Building Accountability Into AI Workflows [25:15] Designing AI Agents That Actually Perform [27:45] Turning Operational Data Into Business Growth [29:15] Final Advice for Property Management Leaders Quotables "AI value really truly is workflow value." Mo Hussain "AI depends on trusted operational data." Mo Hussain "The winners are not gonna be the companies that have the most amount of data, but they're the ones that can convert data into consistent operating actions." Mo Hussain Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:00) welcome everybody. I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGro, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now let's get into the show. And my guest today is Mo Hussain, and we're going to be talking about how property management companies can stop drowning in data and start turning it into real operational growth. In this episode, Mo is breaking down the measure, map, and automate framework that he has built and approach an approach to uncovering hidden margins, reducing manual oversight, and getting more value out of every door in your portfolio. right. is Mo Hussain. Mo, welcome to the show. Mo Hussein (01:01) Hey Jason, happy to be here. Jason Hull (01:03) So today we're going to be chatting a little bit about how property management companies can stop drowning in data and start turning it into real operational growth. And Mo's going to break down the measure, map, and automate framework, his approach for uncovering hidden margins, reducing manual oversight, and getting more value out of every door in your portfolio. So cool, measuring is important. We'll get into that. So before we get into that, Mo, Can you give people a little bit of background on yourself? How did you get into entrepreneurism? How did you get connected to property management? And help everybody understand who Mo is. Yeah. Mo Hussein (01:42) Yeah. great question. So I I've been in this industry now for probably coming up on 20 years at this point. I I worked at some of the prop tech and software providers that are prevalent in the space. Namely, I worked at both YARTI App Folio, which are both kind of headquartered in in Santa Barbara. and a little bit over ten years ago, I started a consultancy and accounting CPA practice that specifically focuses on Jason Hull (01:56) Namely, I worked at both YARDIE and at Folio, which are both kind of headquartered in in Santa Barbara. a little bit over ten years ago, I started a consultancy and accounting TPA practice that specifically focuses on prop tech and real estate. So we offer consultations with implementations, custom reporting, operationalizing around technology, which is which is now the buzz around kind of AI and automation at this point. Mo Hussein (02:11) Prop tech and real estate. So we offer consultations with implementations, custom reporting, operationalizing around technology, which is which is now the buzz around kind of AI and automation at this point. and then we've also built products for the space to help with automations, help with you know accounting compliance and bringing visibility and custom reporting capabilities to operators. So kind of leveraging all the experience. Jason Hull (02:25) And then we've also built products for the space to help with automations, help with you know, accounting compliance and bringing visibility and custom reporting capabilities to operators. So kind of leveraging all the experience Mo Hussein (02:40) from working as a consultant and also as an accountant and even working as some of these tech providers now being a actual supplier in the industry. Jason Hull (02:41) from working as a consultant and also as an accountant and even working as some of these tech providers now being a aqua supplier in the industry. Very cool. Very cool. So you're a little bit nerdy. Mo Hussein (02:52) A little bit. Data. I love data. Right. Jason Hull (02:53) Okay, so am I. So am I. All right. So cool. So let's talk nerdy to me, Mo. All right. So let's let's chat about this. So let's get into it. So t tell us about this. Wha why is this wh how'd you come up with this framework? Why is this important? I love frameworks because frameworks are usually where we take something that we notice a pattern in, there's some complexity involved, and we make it simple. So explain to us. Mo Hussein (02:59) Yeah. Jason Hull (03:18) Where does the measure map and automate framework kind of come from? Mo Hussein (03:22) Right, right. And this is this kind of stems from a conversation you probably have with plenty of your your clients and even prospects when you start engaging, you know, the the the very popular question now of how do we use AI? I want to streamline and automate. And it's a very loaded, it's a very loaded, fairly ambiguous question, right? How do we use AI? We want to implement AI into our operations, right? Jason Hull (03:23) And this is this kind of stems from a conversation you probably have with plenty of your You know, the the the the very popular question now, how do we use AI? It's a very loaded, fairly ambiguous question, right? How do we use AI? We want to implement AI more. Mo Hussein (03:48) when conversely, like you know, operators and property managers should be starting with a different qu set of questions, right? Like how like where are we losing things like NOI, margin, time, control, or even consistency, right? AI really only matters when it connects and automation really only matters when it connects to a to a revenue lever or some type of a cost lever or productivity gain or or risk reduction, right? Jason Hull (03:50) Conversely, like you know, operators, property managers should be starting with a different set of questions, right? Like how like where are we losing things like NOI, margin, time, control, or even consistency, right? AI really only matters when it connects in automation really only matters when it connects to a to a revenue lever or some type of a cost lever, productivity gain or or risk reduction, right? Yeah. there's there's a couple Mo Hussein (04:14) and there's there's a couple of key components Jason Hull (04:16) key components in even conversations that you've probably even had with with property managers today is that firstly like you know operators today they already have a lot of data. They probably have access to a lot of different data sets across, you know, operations, but it's probably, you know, disconnected and disjointed and different reports and disconnected systems, hidden in spreadsheets and and dashboards that probably don't drive much much action, right? and everybody wants Mo Hussein (04:17) in even conversations that you've probably even had with with property managers today is that firstly, like, you know, operators today, they already have a lot of data. They probably have access to a lot of different data sets across, you know, operations, but it's probably, you know, disconnected and disjointed and different reports and disconnected systems hidden in spreadsheets and and dashboards that probably don't drive much much action, right? and everybody wants to Jason Hull (04:43) to automate and execute Mo Hussein (04:43) automate and execute an operational kind of workflow. But the hard part is not whether, you know, AI can really do something, but the hard part is whether a company even knows where value is leaking and who owns that action and and whether these workflows are even clear enough to to be able to automate. And that's kind of the premise of this framework is to kind of measure what that pain is, you know, map that workflow, automate that repetitive work and manage Jason Hull (04:45) an operational kind of workflow. The hard part is not whether you know AI can really do something, but the hard part is whether a a company even knows where value is leaking and who owns that action and and whether these workflows are even clear enough to to be able to automate. And that's kind of the premise of this framework is to kind of measure what that pain is, you know, map that workflow, automate that repetitive work, and manage ideally performance through some type of closed loop accountability. We just put an actual word to it, right? A framework to it, I'm sure Mo Hussein (05:07) ideally performance through some type of a closed loop accountability. We just put an actual word to it and a framework to it, but I'm sure very similarly to the conversations that you're probably having also even with customers. Jason Hull (05:15) Very similarly to the conversations that you're probably having also with customers. Yeah, yeah, got it. Yeah. it's interesting because we're now seeing a lot of these tech companies or tech forward companies that are kind of backtracking on AI a little bit. They were giving out basically blank checks to use AI as much as they could. Some were even creating sort of a contest internally, incentivizing like who could use the most tokens. Mo Hussein (05:29) Mm. Right. You're right. Jason Hull (05:41) Which is a little bit insane to just give people a blank check as if that always the more tokens you burn, the more productivity is being created, right? Mo Hussein (05:51) Right, right, right. And we're seeing, yeah, and you know, as we're seeing these newer models that are coming out, whether it's, you know, through Cloud, Anthropic or even these other these other LLMs, the token utilization is becoming more and more expensive, especially with these newer models. And so now the question of just like, hey, how is that utilization actually translating to actual business value? Right. And this was a question that eventually would have been would have been pushed, right? Jason Hull (05:54) Yeah and you know. Of just like, hey, how's that utilization actually translating to actual business value? Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. Like how to use AI. Yeah. Bad question. A better question is how do we actually make sure we're creating more profit? How do we actually make sure we are lowering costs? Like And that's the the idea, they think, well, AI must be so much cheaper than people. And what's interesting, I've also seen some reports lately showing the amount of money these different LLMs are losing right now. They're spending a massive amount of money to deliver AI to us at a super cheap price right now. And but they're losing money. Every time we're chatting, they're losing money. Mo Hussein (06:47) Mm-hmm. Right. Right. Jason Hull (07:01) And that's that's a wild business model. They're obviously hoping to win some sort of AI race. They're hoping to get us maybe in the future. And there's a lot of talk lately as well of people thinking we gotta shift to local models. Like we gotta I gotta run this AI stuff on my own computer and not be giving all my money to anthropic or open AI you know, open AI or whatever. So okay. Mo Hussein (07:15) Mm-hmm. Right, right. Right. Jason Hull (07:26) Cool. So let's continue on. Me measure, map and automate. Yeah. Yeah. Mo Hussein (07:29) Yeah. Yeah. And by the way, going on your point, Jason, it's you know, you you also, you know, creating automation and leveraging these models locally, it there's definitely value in that. But you know, now more than ever, f you know, teams are kind of distributed, right? And so ideally, if you've built automations and leveraging these L LMs and Jason Hull (07:35) Yeah, y you also you know Locally it is definitely that Teams are kind of distributed, right? Yeah. Ideally, if you've built automations and leveraging these LLMs and Mo Hussein (07:52) And things of that sort. You probably want to have like some type of an interface that's like cloud based, right? Or for folks to be able to kind of collaborate in some type of a ideally like a safe environment, right? and so measure, map and and automate. So you know, there's there's kind of those three components to be able to actually fully ideally leverage leverage AI. But Jason Hull (07:55) some type of a an interface that's like cloud based, right? Or for folks to be able to kind of collaborate in some type of a ideally like a safe environment, right? yeah. So measure, map and and automate. So you know there's there's kind of those three components to be able to actually fully ideally leverage leverage AI but there's there's a couple like kind of key core components that feel like Mo Hussein (08:20) There's there's a couple of like kind of key core components that I feel like is very important for folks to to really understand before they can they they can even take advantage of of AI, right? so one is you know AI, AI value really truly is workflow value. And so like the most the biggest opportunities when it comes to automation leveraging AI is things that are repetitive. Jason Hull (08:25) is very important for folks to to really understand before they can they they can take advantage of of AI, right? so one is, you know, a AI AI value really truly is a workflow value. And so like the most automation leveraging AI as things that are repetitive, you know, judgment heavy, ideally high volume workflows. Think about things like you know, leasing follow-up, delinquency, turns, maintenance, triage, variance explanations. another another key thing to understand is you know AI depends on trusted ideal operational data. And so if you don't have accurate or clean property unit, resident, vendor, Mo Hussein (08:44) you know, judgment heavy, ideally high volume workflows. Think about things like you know, leasing follow-up, d delinquency, terms, maintenance triage, variance explanations. another another key thing to understand is, you know, AI depends on trusted ideally operational data. And so if you don't have accurate or clean property unit, resident vendor payment data and it's and it's inconsistent, you know, AI just Jason Hull (09:10) payment data and it's and it's inconsistent, you know, AI just helps accelerate the wrong answer, right? This notion of like hallucinations also kind of exist. and you know insights without ownership is is just is really just theater. And so although AI may identify a problem and recommend an action, things need to be routed, right? And asci you know action needs to be assigned, there needs to be some accountability that gets created there and then a measurement of of of Mo Hussein (09:13) helps accelerate r the wrong answer, right? And the this notion of like hallucinations also kind of exist. and you know insights without ownership is is just is really just theater. And so although AI may identify a problem and recommend an action, things need to be routed, right? And as I you know action needs to be assigned. There needs to be some accountability that gets created there and then a measurement of of of a of of a of a result. Jason Hull (09:40) of of a of a result. and then lastly like humans humans control still matters, right? Things that have a very high potential opportunity cost. you know, operators should be very careful on how they utilize AI. So, you know, things around fair housing, sensitive sensitive decisions like screenings, evictions, legal communication, you know, employee decisions and maybe even large payment loopholes and so Mo Hussein (09:42) and then lastly like humans, humans control still matters, right? Things that have a very high potential opportunity cost. you know, operators should be very careful on how they utilize AI. So, you know, things around fair housing, sensitive sensitive decisions like screenings, evictions, legal communication, you know, employee decisions and maybe even large payment approvals. And so Once we have these kind of these table stake table stake items, if you will, kind of address, then you know we can move on to kind of you know the our framework of kind of measure, map, and automate. And so in each of these different components have different purposes, you know. The whole point of the measure step is is to quantify where pain exists and to validate kind of being buying versus buy like building. And so you want to ask things like where Jason Hull (10:09) Once we have these kind of these table stakes stakeheads, if you will, kind of addressed, then you know, we can move on to kind of, you know, the our framework of kind of measure, map, and automate. And so and each of these different components have different purposes, you know. The whole point of the measure step is is to quantify where pain exists and to validate kind of being buying versus buy like building. And so you want to ask things like where Mo Hussein (10:36) where time, where margin, where service quality or accountability is lost today, right? Examples can be things like, you know, days vacant, you know, delinquency rate, maintenance response times. These would be kind of like outputs like invoice coding time, reporting hours, renewal conversions, right? Jason Hull (10:37) Where time, where margin, where service quality or accountability is lost today, right? Examples can be things like, you know, days vacant, you know, delinquency rate, maintenance response times. These would be kind of like outputs like invoice coding time, reporting hours, renewal conversions, right? Yeah. Got it. Yeah, that that makes a lot of sense. So you've got to be you have to have good data. Which the crux of th where their data is all probably housed is inside of their property management software. Mo Hussein (11:06) Right. Jason Hull (11:07) And so hopefully that software is kinda tracking some of this stuff. But, you know, everybody's had a CRM that the team didn't put enough notes in. And then it becomes kind of useless, right? So you're like, what happened with Fred on that call earlier, you know, or previously? I I think I think we talked about this. Can't remember. Why aren't you putting in notes? And so then the flaw becomes the human in the loop in a lot of instances. But then you're saying, you know, also humans matter. Like Mo Hussein (11:14) Right. Right. Jason Hull (11:34) Related to fair housing. We've got to have the human in the loop making decisions. I don't think it would go fair very well to be standing in front of a judge and say, Well, the AI messed this up. It wasn't me. Mo Hussein (11:43) Right. Right. Right. Yeah, that's very that's very correct. the the the other thing is is that you know software is a tool, right? So they you know, for like that example that you just gave of like, hey, you know, I had a conversation with Freddie or an owner or what have you, and you know, the notes weren't captured. And so if there's if if if if there's there needs to be also a cultural Jason Hull (11:46) Yeah, that's very that's very Yeah, they you know, put like that example that you just gave of like, Hey, you know, I had a conversation And you know, the notes weren't captured. And so if there's if if if if there's there needs to be also Mo Hussein (12:06) shift within the organization to become more performance kind of driven, right? And using, you know, places of truth. You know, I, you know, we use Salesforce in our own internal kind of CRM and you know, there's this old ad like this old saying of just, you know, hey, if it didn't happen to Salesforce, it didn't happen at all. In other words, if your system of record hasn't been updated and things haven't been added to it Jason Hull (12:06) cultural shift within the organization to become more performance kind of driven, right? And using, you know, places of truth. You know, I you know, we use Salesforce in our own internal kind of CRM and you know, there's this this old like this old thing of just, you know, hey, if it didn't happen in Salesforce, it didn't happen at all. Right. Mo Hussein (12:29) to to ensure that it is correct and accurate and up to date, then Jason Hull (12:29) to it to to ensure that it is correct and accurate and up to date, then the organization sees it as, you know, as it didn't happen. And somebody, you know, using anecdotal feedback like, well I did this, but I just didn't update this. And so that's it's very important that, you know, whatever system you're using to kind of measure different KPIs and metrics, that that, you know, that behaviors within the organization are shifting towards that. And it's it's something it's a cultural shift that needs to also Mo Hussein (12:32) the organization sees it as you know as it didn't happen. And somebody, you know, using anecdotal feedback of like, well I did this, but I just didn't update this, it means it didn't happen. And so that's it's very important that, you know, whatever system you're using to kind of measure different KPIs and metrics, that that, you know, that behaviors within the organization are shifting towards that. And it's it's some it's a cultural shift that needs to also cascade also from from leadership down as well. Jason Hull (12:57) Cascade also from leadership down. Yeah, the advantage we have nowadays with all the AI stuff that's come out is now pretty much everything gets transcribed everywhere. So calls get transcribed, notes can be created automatically. You can also go back and ha check the transcription on a call or a zoom call or recording, figure out what happened. So that you know, not leaving notes in the CRM is a little bit less of a problem than it was in the past. So we've so we've chatted a bit about measure. What is what's important about mapping or map? Yeah. So this is this goes back to my previous point about like you know AI value being it it is workflow value. Yeah so you know you've measured you've identified you know your measurements and KPIs. So whatever those KPIs may be. Next what you need to do is map what the actual Mo Hussein (13:30) The mapping. Yeah. So this is this goes back to my previous point about like, you know, AI value being it is workflow value. And so, you know, you've measured, you've identified, you know, your measurements and KPIs, you know, days vacant, delinquency, whatever those KPIs may be. Next, what you need to do is map what the actual what the actual workflows that are happening, not how leadership or staff thinks it's happening. Jason Hull (13:53) what the actual workflows are happening, not how leadership or staff thinks it's happening. There's a very key kind of a distinction is that, you know, a lot of operators and teams kind of assume, hey, you know, we have a set process, but it may not be happening the way that they are envisioning or the way that they're assuming that this is happening. Yeah. And and map that entire workflow end to end. Mo Hussein (13:59) The very key kind of distinction is that, you know, a lot of operators and teams kind of assume, hey, you know, we have a set process, but it may not be happening the way that they are envisioning or the way that they're assuming that this is happening. And and map that entire workflow end to end. identify what systems are involved, where handoffs occur, where approvals are required. Jason Hull (14:21) identify what systems are involved, where handoffs occur, where approvals are required, Mo Hussein (14:27) where judgment calls are are are are kind of made. And so, you know, every company has, you know, things like experienced managers and accountants and maintenance folks and and they usually know what good looks like versus what bad looks like. And so AI here is to help kind of convert that tribal knowledge ideally into a repeatable operating model. And so examples of how that mapping Jason Hull (14:28) where judgment calls are kind of made. And so every company has you know things like experienced managers and accountants and maintenance folks, and and they usually know what good looks like versus what bad looks like. And so AI here helped kind of convert that tribal knowledge ideally into an overviewable operative model. So examples of that mapping would be is you know, hey, what is the entire need to lease workflow? Mo Hussein (14:50) would be is, you know, hey, what is the entire lead to lease workflow? You know, Jason Hull (14:54) You know, what is the work order to completion, you know? what is our renewal offer to sign and executed actual renewal? And so and actually and again documenting that, a a lot of organizations have some notion of what that workflow kinda looks like. but Mo Hussein (14:54) What is the work order to completion? You know? what is our renewal offer to signed and executed actual renewal? And so and actually, and again, documenting that. A a lot of organizations have some notion of what that workflow kind of looks like. but you know, they haven't actually done they may not have documented, or if they did, it's not updated and they have an out of date SOP or a process diagram. Jason Hull (15:12) you know, they haven't actually gotten any INOT documents in or if they did, it's not updated and they have an out of data so P or a process diagram. Mo Hussein (15:22) And that's that's and that's that's that's a very important kind of key aspect of kind of this process. Jason Hull (15:22) and that's that's and that's that's that's a very important kind of key aspect of kind of this process. Yeah, yeah. Well I a lot of times I end up talking with clients and I've noticed kind of this pattern or trend in the industry of I call it the process myth where everybody thinks if we just had better processes all of our hopes and dreams would come true when it comes to the off side of the business and we would be more profitable. And especially see this in the two to four hundred door range in single family or small multi-residential property management. And so the challenge there is th that it's impossible to create enough processes, KPIs, and systems to make mediocre people be great. But they pe that doesn't stop business owners from trying. They they're like Mo Hussein (15:59) Right. Right. Jason Hull (16:04) They they they wake up in the morning, they're like, I want to play an impossible game today. And they they still try. And I call it the process myth because if you have really great people, even if your processes are garbage, that I've seen these businesses still perform well. But the reverse is not true. You have mediocre people, you could have insane amounts of systems and processes and stuff, and the business still has a lot of headaches and problems. Mo Hussein (16:16) Mm-hmm. Jason Hull (16:29) And so I've kind of noticed this pattern. I call it the three levels of process. And level one is documentation. It's just like writing stuff out. But that's kind of like the owner's manual in the glove box of the car. Nobody looks at it, it doesn't get updated. You know, it's like it's it's it's gathering dust, and people don't actually, that's not actually how the processes are run. And over time, things gravitate towards ease or grace or what the flows best for the person doing the job. Mo Hussein (16:39) Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Jason Hull (16:57) Not for what's best for the job sometimes. And so it gravitates a little bit towards chaos or being worse. Then there's this level two, which is checklists. This is where people are using things like Asana or Process Street or Lead Simple or they some sort of checklist space system where now they're verifying the works getting done in a certain way. But checklist has its own problems in that it's very linear and not every process is linear. Mo Hussein (16:59) Right, right. Read simple. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Jason Hull (17:24) There's decisions and splits and merges and sting things happening concurrently in property management. And so the challenge with checklist also it can tend to slow things down. It's not as efficient. So the next level and the problem I had with checklist, we used to use process street, is that it it if anytime a process got complicated, I had to build logic and you know, if-then sort of situations into it. And it usually got to the point where I didn't even understand it. Like a year later, I'm looking at a process. I'm like, I had to retranslate this back into something that made sense to my brain. And I always, and the nerd had to be the one that did all the updates on it because nobody else could understand it. So then we eventually graduated to level three. So level three is visual workflow. This is for humans. Mo Hussein (18:01) Right. Mm-hmm. Jason Hull (18:13) And so, and with with this, my tip to everybody listening, if you have a system, whether it's checklist or it's any of these three levels, you know, documentation, checklist, or visual workflow, that you your first two processes you make as an operator or as a business owner is how to create a process in this system is number one. And number two, how to QA. Mo Hussein (18:26) Did Jason Hull (18:37) A process that is made in the system to know it's actually a good one. If you just make those two, you don't have to do any of the other stuff. Everybody else can do it. You just make those two. That's my tip for all you business owners. And now with AI, you can start adding AI. Once you have things visually mapped out, it's you've got the map like you're talking about. Now you can figure out all right, where can AI take over some of this stuff? And where do we still need the human in the loop? Right. So yeah. Mo Hussein (18:43) Mm. And automation. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Right, Jason Hull (19:05) So any tips for those listening to this that are already geeking out with AI, they're doing a little bit of this measuring and mapping and automating. What are some of the biggest challenges you've noticed where this kind of breaks down or people are making mistakes? Mo Hussein (19:19) It's it's honestly it's the it's the you know, AI value. it's it's a lot of the small individual decisions that are made in a in a repetitive fashion and that that are made a lot that really are gonna unlock like true value for for any operator. And so like, you know, having very clean data, standardized, you know, systems of truth by what we mean by that is that, you know, hey, you know. Jason Hull (19:20) It's it's honestly it's the it's the you know, AI value it's it's like true value for for any op clean data, standardized, you know, systems of truth. But what we mean by that is that, you know, hey, you know, you know, whatever work order system that you're using, for example, has accurate, you know, work order data. People, you know, you're making a segment for actually closing out the work order when they complete it. Hey, the end of the week, I'm gonna now try to remember what I did earlier in the week. Mo Hussein (19:47) you know, whatever work order systems that you're using, for example, has accurate, you know, work order data. People, you know, your maintenance technicians are actually closing out the work order when they complete it. Not just, hey, the end the week, I'm gonna now try to remember what I did earlier in the week. Close it out. So the data is the data can't be trusted, then AI is just going Jason Hull (20:04) data the be trusted and AI Mo Hussein (20:07) to cause additional kind of confusion. And so having accurate systems of record. And I gave that example of of of a work order when a technician kind of closes that, right? the process map, I think the you know, the three buckets are like three level that you kind of gave, I think is a great, great. Jason Hull (20:20) Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. yeah. level that you kinda gave I think it's a great, great anecdote and framing of how processes should be kind of looked at. And and I think one thing that a lot of operators usually tend to overlook or assume is you know how things are being done versus how they actually are being done within the schemes, right? So an owner somebody at some point said, okay hey this is a process we're gonna take and then over time that just kind of got changed. Mo Hussein (20:29) anecdote and framing of how processes should be kind of looked at. And and I think one thing that a lot of operators usually tend to overlook or assume is you know how things are being done versus how they actually are being done within the teams, right? It's an owner, somebody at some point said, okay, hey, this is the process we're gonna take. And then over time that just kind of got changed. And there may be, you know, two different property managers Jason Hull (20:55) And there may be, you know, two different property managers Mo Hussein (20:58) operating in two different regions in the same company that are doing leasing renewal differently, right? That going back to that point that you mentioned about systematizing and having accountability loops and task base or like checklist items and ensuring that those things are actually done in that same quality and that same fashion is very, very key. And so getting data, like getting the right data, accurate data, Jason Hull (20:58) operating in two different regions in the same company that are doing these things renewal differently. Right. That point that you mentioned about synthesizing and having accountability loops and task based or like checklist items and ensuring that those things are actually done in that same quality, in that same fashion is very, very key. And so getting data, getting the right data, accurate data Mo Hussein (21:23) and then also like your process mapping and your Jason Hull (21:24) And then also like your process mapping and your processes kind of documented. I think I think the visual representation is a great way to have that. And those are the two key things that ninety percent of folks that are trying to leverage AI and automation and even the folks that are starting to try to jump into this space and try to automate and use AI for these things like usually we're like where where they're really struggling with. got it. Yeah, I think Mo Hussein (21:26) processes kind of documented. I think I think the visual representation is a great way to have that. Those are the two key things that ninety percent of folks that are trying to leverage AI and automation and even the folks that are starting to try to jump into this space and trying to automate and use AI for these things like usually we're like we're where they're really struggling with. Jason Hull (21:50) I was just on a webinar recently and they were talking about building AI agents and they were talking about if you want to make really effective AI agents, you need to give them a really good job description, just like a human. And what what's really funny is if you we coach clients on this a lot, but if we tell the clients to to go, we coach clients on Creating job descriptions. We call our version of them R docs because each section starts with an R, like role, responsibility, et cetera, all the typical stuff. But then we have some additional sections that we found really paramount. So what we'll tell them to do is go ask your team members, give them this framework, and have them create their own R Doc. And then you take a look at this and see if that's what you would have created. Because it's never like what they think their job is. It's usually very different than what the business owner thinks their job is. Mo Hussein (22:25) Mm-hmm. Right. Jason Hull (22:36) And maybe even different what the manager, the ops person thinks the job is, but then you can actually literally get on the same page with them. You can be like negotiate this and be like, this is what we think your priorities should be, and what your outcomes should be, and what we want you to be able to accomplish. And this is helpful for them to know what they're aiming for so that they can please you because your team members want to please you if they're good. But usually there's a big disconnect, like you're saying, between what Mo Hussein (23:00) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Jason Hull (23:05) the the employee thinks their j role and job is versus what their manager thinks they should be doing versus what the business owner thinks everybody should be doing. And so nobody's on the same page. And then you're everybody's roles are a little messy. And then you're going, let's give them processes now to work on. And they're not even clear on what their job is or what their role is. Yeah. And so same thing if you were going to build an AI agent and you were like, I want you to try and be good at everything. And then suddenly it's like really Mo Hussein (23:29) Right. Jason Hull (23:34) Hallucinating a lot and it's messing everything up and yeah. And it's not a realistic creature, you know, just like some people give create job descriptions that are for like four different personality types. Right. And then they hire somebody that maybe can actually do all four things, and we call those really highly adaptable, weird creatures entrepreneurs. And then they wonder why that property manager left and stole all their clients. Mo Hussein (23:34) Horrible. Right. Yeah. Jason Hull (23:57) Instead of finding somebody that's like really good at being one thing. Right. Yeah. And that's how you should see Asia. Mo Hussein (24:00) Right. That that that that role clarity is very, very, very important, right? And that's how you should see agents as well, is that like, hey, it's like a trained employee. And so you should exp you should expect the same level of, you know, investment involvement, if you will, and trying to and try to help them be the best of like, you know, whether it's a leasing agent, a maintenance coordinator, or whatever that their role may be. And I I think another aspect is and I'm curious how like how Jason Hull (24:12) you should expect the same level of you know investment involvement if you will and trying to and try to help them be the best of like you know whether it's a leasing agent a maintenance coordinator or whatever that their role may be and I I think another aspect is and I'm curious that like how you know when you guys are having conversations with clients around role descriptions stuff it's the concept of ownership like hey what you know how to how to align ownership to and lining that up to hopefully the mental business Mo Hussein (24:28) you know, when you guys having conversations with clients around role descriptions and stuff, it's the concept of ownership. Like, hey, what, you know, how to how to align ownership to and lining that up to hopefully an eventual business outcome or KPI or something so that, you know, their performance drives also the business performance, right? How have you guys had this conversation or how do you talk about kind of that concept? I can kind of allude to it without kind of explicitly calling it out. Jason Hull (24:42) Kate guy or something so that you know their performance derives also the business performance, right? Yeah. How do you talk about kind of that concept? You kind of allude to it without kind of explicitly calling it out. Yeah, I think well, sometimes I'll just totally call a business owner out on things. But I think what I think will be interesting is people are building starting to build agents. I think that they should. They should have an understanding of personality types. I think they should have an understanding maybe or a conversation with AI about what Myers Briggs type might be good for this agentic role. And because like somebody that's really good at like strategy and the strategist role, which would be like an INTJ in Myers Briggs, might be good at some operational stuff, but they would be really terrible at customer service. Mo Hussein (25:19) Mm-hmm. Jason Hull (25:33) Because a lot of INTJs don't even like humans, right? And so they're logical thinkers and they're really judging and they're practical and they're in you know introverted and they're really bad at understanding how the other person feels or even expressing that. And so you're you you don't want to create these try and create AI AI agents that are multiple split personality types, because I don't think they're gonna be as effective. And you can't also, just like you wouldn't want somebody building the process. QE QA QA of the process. You don't want them both. You don't want AI to be checking itself. Right. Right. The the brain that had problems doing the messing things up, maybe, or didn't do it totally right. You don't want them checking their own work. Right. And so, yeah, so I think this is going to be interesting that people are going to be building agents and they usually think just logically here's the context it needs, here's the role, whatever. But I think also maybe give it the personality that it. Mo Hussein (26:08) Right, right. Right. Jason Hull (26:29) What's the disc assessment for this person, this agent? What's the Myers Briggs type for this agent? And then if especially if they're communicating with humans or doing a task that you want them to be somewhat human like, they're going to be much better at doing this if you give it you create them in the right way. Just an idea. the other thing to know as a business owner, you need to know who you are so that you can build your dream team around you. So your advisors, whether they're agentic or human, your advisors, your team members, it should be built ultimately around you thriving and being healthy in your own business so that you've got the tea the tools and the resources that fit you. But most business owners make the mistake. Of trying to build the business around the business and then wonder why they're miserable and why they're kind of a slave to their own business. Right. Mo Hussein (27:16) Right. Right. Right. Jason Hull (27:20) So anyway, Mo, measure, map, automate, MMA. Doesn't involve fighting too much. You know, like mixed martial arts. It's a little bit on the, you know, less physical side of things. fun chatting about. Mo Hussein (27:26) No. Jason Hull (27:34) all the the AI stuff that's going. How can people anything else that you want to add to our conversation here about yeah this model? And then could you tell us a little bit about what you do and how maybe you help property managers with this stuff? Yeah. Yeah. so I guess just to put it succinct, kind of a a sandwich kind of takeaway. So yeah, operators need to wait for a perfect AI. Mo Hussein (27:48) Yeah. Yeah. so I guess just to put it succinctly, kind of a a a sandwich kind of takeaway. So, yeah, operators don't need to wait for a perfect AI strategy. Start by identifying, measuring where value exists, where things are leaking, then mapping workflows and then deciding what can be safely automated and measuring whether those actions improve performance. and so Jason Hull (28:00) Identifying, measuring where value exists, where things are leaking, then mapping workflows, and then deciding what can be safe and automated, and measuring whether. Mo Hussein (28:10) like you know, over time we'll see that you know the winners are not gonna be the companies that have the most amount of most amount of data, but they're the ones that can convert data into consistent operating actions across how they've operated every door. if you we help clients with you know putting together SOPs, also mapping their technology needs, where where they're where they're having operational leaks in the business can be Jason Hull (28:10) So like you know over time we'll see that you know the winners are not gonna be the companies that have the most amount of most amount of data, but they're the ones that can convert data into consistent operating actions across how they've operated every door. if you we help clients with you know putting together SOPs, also mapping their technology needs, where where they're where they're having operational leaks and the business can be optimized. Mo Hussein (28:37) Optimized further using Jason Hull (28:38) Further using technology and automation, we have a platform that we've built, Prop Strata, to actually connect and help with that automation type effort. and we're also we also do a lot of accounting and and CPA work. you can reach us at www.balanceasset solutions.com, and my emails mo at propstrata.com, or you can reach out to our team at info at balance asset. Mo Hussein (28:39) technology and automation. We have a platform that we've built, Prop Strata, to actually connect and and help with that automation kind of efforts. then we're also we also do a lot of accounting and and CPA work. you can reach us at www.balanceasset solutions.com and and then my email is mo at at propstrata.com or you can reach out to our team at info at balanceasset solutions.com. Jason Hull (29:03) Cool. So they could take a look at this at propstrata.com. Mo Hussein (29:07) Correct. W dot propstrata.com. Jason Hull (29:11) Okay, cool. Very cool. All right. yeah, check that out, everybody. It sounds interesting. All right. Well, Mo, I appreciate you coming out and hanging out with me here on the DoorGro show and sharing everything. All right. So if If you have ever felt stuck or stagnant in your property management business and you want to take it to the next level, reach out to us at doorgrow.com. We are the world's best at creating high-growth property management companies in the single-family residential space or the small multi-space. And if for a free training or how to get unlimited leads for free, text the word leads to 512-648-4608. That's 512-648-4608. Also, join our free community just for property management business owners at doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, and ideas to learn about our offers, subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on whatever channel you saw or heard this on. We'd really appreciate it. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth. is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.
The Efficient Advisor: Tactical Business Advice for Financial Planners
You built the process... so why aren't you (or your team) following it? This episode is all about the difference between creating great processes and actually getting your team to follow them. While most advisors spend time documenting workflows, the real challenge is building habits that stick when business gets busy. Libby shares practical strategies for turning systems into your firm's default way of operating, helping advisors reduce mistakes, create consistency, and build a business that can truly scale without relying on constant oversight.In this episode, you'll learn:Why implementation is a completely different skill than process design, and why even great systems fail without consistent execution.Simple ways to help your team build new habits, including creating "pause points," making SOPs easy to access, and eliminating exceptions.How to create a culture that rewards following the process instead of celebrating lucky shortcuts that eventually create more work.Practical leadership strategies for auditing your systems, encouraging team feedback, and building lasting process adoption through repetition and accountability.If you've ever built a process only to watch your team slowly drift back to the old way of doing things, this episode will give you a practical framework for making change stick. Small, consistent improvements—paired with intentional implementation—can transform the way your business operates, creating a smoother experience for both your team and your clients while helping your firm scale with confidence.Join the Systems to Scale Group Coaching Program HERE! Register for the Asset+Map Do It Together Webinar HERE! Check out The First 100 Days Course: The Advisor's Blueprint for a Remarkable Client Experience HERE!Learn more about T2MWorks HERE! Learn more about Asset-Map financial planning software HERE! Learn more about our sponsor Beemo Automation HERE! Check out the Efficient Advisor YouTube Channel HERE!Connect with Libby on LinkedIn HERE!Successful businesses don't get built alone. You need community! You need collaboration! Join us in The Efficient Advisor Community on Facebook.
Tunde and Moji Adefolaju opened their SERVPRO one week before COVID shut everything down. Six years later they're running six territories and 15 service vehicles in Northern California.In this episode, host Clinton James sits down with the husband-and-wife team behind SERVPRO of East Concord / Brentwood. Neither came from restoration — Tunde managed construction projects, Moji came out of banking and oil and gas. One 40-minute phone call with a franchisee they'd never met sent them into the industry.You'll walk away with:- How they survived a launch that landed on top of a global shutdown- Why they built SOPs and culture early, before they had the crews to run them- The collections fight every restorer has, and how they shortened their payment windows- How they split residential and commercial: Google for one, relationships for the other- Why they added a 1-Tom-Plumber franchise, and how the two brands feed each other- Moji's advice for women getting into restoration----------Subscribe to Restoration Pros Unplugged and visit restorationprosunplugged.com----------Running a restoration company and want to get more jobs from your online marketing? Book a free discovery call with Water Restoration Marketing at https://waterrestorationmarketing.com/discovery-call/
If this resonated with you, here are additional resources:⭐ APPLY TO SHIFT: https://sidehustlepro.co/shiftIn this episode, I sat down with Dawn Fitch, founder of Pooka Pure and Simple, to talk about the winding road that took her from designing album covers in the music industry to building a natural beauty brand rooted in her own health journey. Dawn opens up about the years it took to get an MS diagnosis, and how healing herself led her to start formulating clean, simple products long before she ever thought of herself as a business owner.We get into the real, unglamorous parts of entrepreneurship: street teaming outside churches before social media existed, a cease-and-desist letter that almost derailed her Whole Foods deal, and the hard lessons of scaling into big box retail. Dawn also shares how she walked away from a failing retail lease with nowhere to go, only to land in the space that's been home to her production for over a decade.Finally, Dawn walks me through the newest chapter of her story: a 250,000 dollar grant from Audible's DEI program that brought Pooka into a beautiful new Newark location, and how an activity she almost treated as an afterthought, the Bloom Bar, became the biggest draw of the whole business.Main TakeawaysProtect your business structure early. Trademark your name, keep separate books, and build SOPs before you're forced to by a cease-and-desist letter or a big retail opportunity.Don't chase big box retail until your core revenue stream is stable enough to absorb the rules, returns, and thin margins that come with it.When a business decision doesn't feel right, it is okay to walk away even without a backup plan. Trust and timing can lead you somewhere better.Build a real activation or experience around your product. Community and connection, not just the product itself, is what keeps customers coming back.Highlights Include(00:41) Dawn's start as a graphic designer in the music industry, designing album covers(01:36) The moment paralysis first hit while she was walking to work(03:04) The five-year journey to her eventual MS diagnosis(05:15) How the name Pooka came from her mother calling her kids her pooka leaders(07:19) Why email marketing became the backbone of the business from day one(11:01) The cease-and-desist letter over the brand name right before entering Whole Foods(13:49) How putting her pride to the side led to her first 10 Whole Foods stores(18:29) Her advice on knowing when a business is truly ready for big box retail(26:51) Why Pooka exited all 62 of its Whole Foods stores last year(29:04) How the Best Life Tribe Facebook group and a sea moss request from a member helped save the business during the pandemic(32:07) Landing the 250,000 dollar Audible DEI grant for the new Newark space(35:14) How the Bloom Bar, almost an afterthought, became the biggest draw of the businessWatch & ListenSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/13qDj08lBR4ymzGhXIKy8tApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/side-hustle-pro/id1126021323Social MediaWebsite: pookapureandsimple.comInstagram: @PookalitaTikTok: @Pookalita1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Show Notes: Why Everything Still Comes Back to You—even With a Good Team You may have good people, solid software, regular meetings, and even a few SOPs—but somehow, every important decision, problem, and handoff still comes back to you. In this episode of The TriMetric Roadmap Podcast, Scott Landis and Jeff Jacob unpack Freedom Lever number three: Run It — Operational Infrastructure and Intelligent Systems. The problem in many founder-led companies is not that the team is incapable. The deeper issue is often that the business lacks the structure, systems, decision rights, and execution rhythm that allow good people to perform without constant founder involvement. Important information lives in people's heads. Accountability is unclear. Handoffs break down. Decisions get pushed upward. And the founder remains responsible for connecting all the dots. Scott and Jeff explain that every business already has systems—even if those systems are informal, inefficient, or built around the founder's memory and instincts. The right question is not whether you have a system. It is whether the system is effective, scalable, and capable of operating without you. Jeff shares examples of how better systems created immediate operational improvements for clients. One company reduced an invoicing process from ten days to one day. Another was able to hold a board meeting with accurate, current financials during the first week of the month because the supporting systems were already in place. The episode also explores why systems cannot simply be copied from another company. Effective infrastructure must account for the founder's strengths, the people on the team, the business model, and the company's specific constraints. That is why the process begins with diagnosis. BFA's TriMetric approach examines: Business Health Executive Performance Life Quality The findings reveal where the business is weak and which systems will create the greatest improvement in performance, profitability, value, and founder freedom. Scott and Jeff also discuss the growing role of intelligent systems and AI agents. The purpose of AI is not simply to replace employees. Used well, AI can remove repetitive work, improve information flow, reduce friction, and free people to contribute at a higher level. An AI readiness audit can help identify: Tasks that consume unnecessary time Repetitive work that can be automated Information bottlenecks Areas where AI agents could support the founder or leadership team Systems that need to be improved before automation is added The goal is not more technology or more complexity. The goal is a company with clear roles, reliable processes, strong accountability, effective handoffs, and intelligent systems that help the team execute consistently without everything depending on the founder. Because a business does not run without you simply because you hired good people. It runs without you when the right infrastructure allows those people to succeed. Join the next Founder Roundtable at GetBFA.com. Next episode: Grow It — Growth Engine and Revenue Strategy, where Scott and Jeff discuss how to build a more predictable and profitable revenue engine.
Growing your restoration company doesn't always mean growing your profits. In this episode of Restoration MasterClass, Nelson Higgins, VP, North America at DocuSketch, explains why so many restoration companies see their margins shrink as they scale—and what they can do to stop it.From documentation and SOPs to reconstruction workflows and technician efficiency, Nelson shares practical strategies to protect profitability while building a business that can grow sustainably. If you're looking to scale smarter and keep more of what you earn, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can put to work right away.
Growing your restoration company doesn't always mean growing your profits. In this episode of Restoration MasterClass, Nelson Higgins, VP, North America at DocuSketch, explains why so many restoration companies see their margins shrink as they scale—and what they can do to stop it.From documentation and SOPs to reconstruction workflows and technician efficiency, Nelson shares practical strategies to protect profitability while building a business that can grow sustainably. If you're looking to scale smarter and keep more of what you earn, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can put to work right away.
Web: www.JonesHealthLaw.comPhone: (305)877-5054Instagram: @JonesHealthLawFacebook: @JonesHealthLawYouTube: @JonesHealthLawHealthcare organizations are responsible for implementing appropriate training and internal procedures to facilitate a high-quality and compliant environment. Quality of care is not limited to the medical services or products provided to patients; it also stems from the way the employees perform their duties, and the work process they follow. The work processes should be continuously monitored and adapt to the evolving operational requirements and trends in healthcare.Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are detailed written instructions that explain how employees should conduct routine business processes. SOPs help simplify complicated processes into manageable steps for employees to perform their duties more efficiently.
Closing the Valuation Gap: Eliminating Founder Dependency and Engineering Autonomous Revenue Engines with Muriel TouatiIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Muriel Touati, the Founder and CEO of Exit 3D Studio and author of The Valuation Gap, to examine the systemic operational flaws that trap service-based founders in relentless daily execution. Muriel, an international business growth strategist and enterprise exit advisor, details how B2B agencies and professional service firms routinely cap their own equity and valuation multiples by relying on founder-driven sales, unwritten processes, and word-of-mouth client acquisition. This conversation delivers an essential strategic playbook for business owners looking to build predictable inbound lead pipelines, successfully delegate high-ticket sales closing, and transform an exhausting job into a highly scalable, autonomous corporate asset.The Asset Autonomous Paradigm: Systematizing Sales Delegation and Closing the Service Valuation GapThe fundamental constraint capping the valuation of most service-based companies is "founder dependency"—a condition where revenue generation, client retention, and daily fulfillment rely entirely on the personal network and physical hustle of the owner. When a founder remains the sole sales closer and primary problem-solver, the business operates with severe structural fragility, causing prospective buyers and private equity groups to heavily discount the firm's exit multiple. True enterprise value is unlocked when an owner systematically audits their daily involvement, identifies single points of failure, and implements standardized operating procedures (SOPs) that allow non-founder team members to run critical sales and delivery functions independently.Transitioning away from founder-led sales requires a disciplined, step-by-step framework for recruiting, onboarding, and handholding a dedicated sales closer until they consistently match or exceed the founder's conversion performance. Many business owners make the critical error of completely stepping away from the sales process too early, mistaking delegation for total abandonment without providing proper training. To build a predictable revenue engine, founders must join live sales calls alongside new closers, provide detailed post-call debriefs, and gradually transition deal ownership only after the representative demonstrates complete mastery of the company's sales playbook. Pairing this hands-on sales onboarding with an inbound content strategy that invites prospects into the brand's narrative—rather than relying on cold outreach or unpredictable referrals—ensures a steady stream of pre-sold, warm leads ready for the sales team to convert.Ultimately, preparing a service business for a lucrative exit requires closing "the valuation gap" long before an owner actively seeks a buyer or liquidity event. Because professional service firms lack traditional tangible assets, buyers evaluate the business based entirely on intangible strength: operational process maturity, team autonomy, client concentration metrics, and repeatable customer acquisition systems. Conducting routine "exit drills"—where the founder intentionally steps away for extended periods to test operational resilience—exposes hidden dependencies and allows leadership to refine backend workflows before entering negotiations. When an enterprise synthesizes predictable inbound lead generation, documented SOPs, and an autonomous sales infrastructure into a unified corporate architecture, it eliminates founder friction, maximizes profit margins, and secures premium market valuation.About Muriel TouatiMuriel Touati is the Founder and CEO of Exit 3D Studio, an international growth strategist, and the author of The Valuation Gap. Drawing from an extensive background building and scaling digital marketing enterprises and guiding B2B acquisitions across global markets, Muriel specializes in helping service business owners eliminate founder dependency. She is a dedicated exit strategy advisor focused on helping founders build predictable revenue engines, delegate high-stakes sales closing, and maximize enterprise equity.About Exit 3D StudioExit 3D Studio is an elite business growth and exit-readiness advisory firm engineered to help B2B service companies scale sustainably and increase market valuation. The firm specializes in delivering comprehensive founder-dependency audits, inbound sales pipeline engineering, sales team onboarding playbooks, and strategic SOP documentation frameworks. Through tailored growth blueprints and resources like The Valuation Gap, Exit 3D Studio enables professional service providers to remove operational scaling debt, build autonomous sales infrastructures, and execute high-value exit strategies.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeExit 3D Studio Official Website: exit3dstudio.comMuriel Touati on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/murieltouatiKey Episode HighlightsThe Founder Dependency Audit: Testing organizational vulnerability by taking extended breaks to identify which operational and sales functions break down without the owner.The Sales Closer Handholding Protocol: Implementing a step-by-step shadowing and debrief framework to safely delegate sales closing without risking conversion rates.Inbound Relationship Architecture: Transitioning away from cold outreach to publish narrative-driven content that attracts pre-sold, high-intent B2B prospects.Standardizing Intangible Assets: Documenting recurring operational workflows into clear SOPs to build enterprise value in service-based companies.Closing the Valuation Gap: Preparing for a business exit years in advance by diversifying revenue streams, eliminating key-person risk, and proving predictable growth.ConclusionThe conversation with Muriel Touati underscores that building a business capable of running without its founder is an intentional, step-by-step architecture rather than an unreachable ideal. By standardizing internal corporate governance, building a hands-on sales delegation pipeline, and focusing on the intangible assets that drive buyer demand, business leaders can transform an exhausting daily operation into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur
Being the best technician in your company feels like a win. It can also become the thing holding your business back. Learn how to delegate with confidence, build systems your team can follow, and transition from working in your business to growing it. In this episode of Masters of Home Service, host Adam Sylvester sits down with Austin Rogers (Avai Property Solutions) and Sadi Ingallina (Grow Your Tree Co.) to break down why stepping out of the field is one of the hardest but most important transitions for home service business owners. They share practical advice on hiring, training employees, creating SOPs, and building systems that make delegation easier. New to Jobber? Claim your exclusive listener discount: https://bit.ly/4y8A4GJ Show Notes: [00:47] Why being the best technician can limit business growth [02:29] How to transition from technician to business owner [04:15] Why some home service owners struggle to delegate [06:55] Using SOPs and checklists to improve employee training [08:55] Should you hire experienced employees or train from scratch? [10:07] How to stop jumping back into field work [12:06] How to build a team that doesn't depend on you [14:25] Stop fixing symptoms and solve the real problem [16:25] How business systems create owner freedom [17:09] The first SOP every home service business should document [19:06] The biggest fear when stepping out of the field [19:18] The next thing Sadi and Austin need to delegate [19:50] The last task they successfully handed off [20:02] What they're most proud of after stepping back
Your HR tech is only as good as the process behind it. Most small businesses are running payroll, time tracking, benefits, and onboarding across three to six disconnected tools — the data doesn't talk, nobody owns the whole system, and you're paying for modules that were never turned on.In this series finale, Kerri walks through:The five core functions every HR payroll system should cover — payroll processing, employee records, time and attendance, benefits administration, and HR workflowsHow to audit the tech you already own before you spend a dollar on something new (pull the contract — you're probably paying for modules you never activated)What you actually need at each stage: under 10 employees, 10–30, and 30–100+Why implementation fails — and why the software company isn't going to chase you down to finish itHow to make your benefits broker bring enrollment technology to the table instead of buying it yourselfWhat to understand about PEOs before you sign a co-employment agreementThe five SOPs every small business needs documented, with or without softwareYOUR ACTION ITEM: This week, pull the contract for every people-related tool you pay for and write down four things per tool — what it does, what it costs, who's using it, and whether you're actually using it for what you bought it for. If only one person knows how to run payroll, fix that this month.
Today, Eric explores one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI. Stay tuned as he explains why AI will not build your business, and why building a successful business remains entirely your responsibility as an entrepreneur or business owner. Your Vision AI can help you brainstorm, improve your wording, and challenge your thinking, but it cannot define your vision. Only you can decide what kind of company you want to build, what type of freedom you want, and where you want your business to go. Trust As information becomes cheaper, trust becomes more valuable than ever. AI can write proposals, research prospects, and prepare you for meetings, but it cannot build trust, read body language, handle objections, or make someone feel understood. Accountability AI cannot hold you accountable. It can tell you what to do, but it cannot make you do it. It cannot make sales calls, follow up, delegate more, or have uncomfortable conversations. Hard Decisions AI can give you input and help you evaluate your options, but you are the one who must make difficult decisions. Whether you're firing someone, walking away from a client, or making a major investment, leadership requires courage, not computation. Consequences Responsibility can never be outsourced. AI can provide advice, but as a business owner, you are responsible for the decisions you make and the consequences that follow. The Value of AI AI can help you brainstorm, research, create SOPs, write proposals, support your marketing, prepare meetings, role-play sales calls, and accelerate learning. It reduces the value of repetitive work and routine tasks, allowing you to focus on the work only you can do. Summary As AI becomes more capable, your vision, leadership, judgment, relationships, courage, and accountability become even more valuable. Your competitive advantage is not AI—it's how you use it while continuing to lead your business. Connect with Eric Rozenberg On LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Website Listen to The Business of Meetings podcast Subscribe to The Business of Meetings newsletter
An established business can still operate like a startup behind the scenes. When routine decisions, training, approvals, and critical knowledge continue to depend on the owner, growth becomes harder and the entire operation remains vulnerable.In this episode of It's The Bottom Line that Matters, hosts Jennifer R. Glass and Patricia Reszetylo examine why standard operating procedures become even more important once a business reaches the five-year mark. The methods that helped the founder build the company can eventually turn the founder into its biggest operational bottleneck.The conversation covers how SOPs protect quality, prevent standards from drifting, shorten employee training, and preserve knowledge that might otherwise remain trapped inside the founder or a key employee. Patricia also shares how these issues apply to a chef-driven restaurant whose culinary knowledge must be transferred across distance.Jennifer introduces a practical three-question operational audit: the sick-day test, the text-message tally, and the onboarding clock. Each question reveals where missing documentation, weak training, or excessive dependence on one person may be putting the company at risk.This episode is useful for owners who repeatedly answer “How do I?” questions, personally train every replacement, or worry that the business would slow down if they stepped away.The payoff is a company that can maintain its standards, survive employee turnover, and continue operating without requiring the owner to remain available every hour of every day.Speaker Bios:Jennifer R. Glass helps business owners identify the operational, financial, and decision-making friction that interferes with sustainable growth. Her work focuses on stronger business alignment, practical execution, and building companies that can move forward without constant founder intervention.Patricia Reszetylo works at the intersection of profitability, marketing, business systems, and operational discipline. She helps business owners turn ideas and founder knowledge into practical structures that support better execution, stronger follow-through, and long-term business value.Keywords/Tags:It's The Bottom Line that Matters, Jennifer R. Glass, Patricia Reszetylo, standard operating procedures, SOPs, small business systems, business operations, founder dependency, founder bottleneck, business continuity, process documentation, employee training, onboarding, operational efficiency, business growth, business scalability, quality control, knowledge management, business valuation, succession planning, business owner freedom, established businesses, five-year business mark, repeatable systems, institutional knowledge, operational audit, restaurant systems, AI knowledge base
Send us Fan MailBusy doesn't mean profitable, and “we sold a ton” doesn't pay the bills. We're joined by John Dowling, author of Service by the Boxes, to unpack why so many equipment dealerships grind through full shop schedules, nonstop parts traffic, and big whole-goods numbers, then look up at year-end and wonder where the money went. John's blunt diagnosis is an “invisible threat” problem: leaders often believe they're in the equipment business, when the real mission is profit and cash flow. We dig into the economics that get ignored, including parts and service profitability, labor gross margins, parts margin floors, and how absorption is really about controlling expenses across the dealership. From there, we shift into leadership and operations: firefighting executives, teams trained to ask permission instead of solve problems, and why basic management systems like performance reviews and clear roles matter. John makes the case for SOPs that explain the why and the how, remove friction points, and create the kind of consistency customers and employees can trust. Customer retention is the multiplier that ties it all together. We talk about customer churn, lifetime value, key account habits, and the open-ended questions that uncover what customers actually need. We also get real about data analytics and AI: the tools are here, the data is already in your systems, but the advantage only shows up when you use it to lead proactively. John is giving away his new ebook, “What's Really Holding Your Dealership Back,” at servicebytheboxes.com before it goes to print. Subscribe, share this with a dealer leader who needs it, and leave a review if these conversations help you run a stronger business. Visit us at LearningWithoutScars.org for more training solutions for Equipment Dealerships - Construction, Mining, Agriculture, Cranes, Trucks and Trailers.We provide comprehensive online learning programs for employees starting with an individualized skills assessment to a personalized employee development program designed for their skill level.
A small-town strength gym outside Austin went from being stuck in the high 20s/low 30s to consistently $40–50k months without ever listing prices on their site. Episode SummaryHill Country Movement spent years hovering around $28–30k a month, even with solid coaching and a loyal community. They weren't broken—just capped. This conversation walks through the real changes that finally moved them past that ceiling: tightening their no-sweat intro, packaging a real 12-week kickstart, and getting serious about high-ticket personal training and hybrid offers.You'll hear how they use “no prices on the website” to avoid price shoppers, why in-person consults matter so much, and what shifted once Lasso took over their marketing and follow-up. If you're in a smaller market, charge more than your competition, or feel tapped out as the main coach and seller, this is a clear, real-world look at what it actually took to hit $50k months and hire full-time career coaches.Key TakeawaysYou'll learn:How pulling pricing off the website cut down on price shoppers and made consults easier to close.Why a structured 30–45 minute no-sweat intro that digs into the client's real “why” makes premium packages feel like the obvious next step.How Hill Country Movement packages high-ticket hybrid options (1:1 plus small group) and a 12-week kickstart to raise average client value.How they position being the most expensive option in a small market by leaning on coaching quality, degrees, and a truly coached environment.What changed once they stopped trying to be their own ad agency and let Lasso handle campaigns, workflows, and lead flow.How reworking their offers and sales process took them from years at $28–30k to consistently hitting the 40s and then $50k months.Why they only hire full-time, career coaches instead of “free membership” part-timers, and how that supports service and retention.How getting the owners off the floor opened time for systems, SOPs, and family, without sliding backwards in revenue.How they handle “just tell me the price” texts, when they give a range, and when they know someone isn't a fit.Episode Chapters01:02 Who Hill Country Movement serves02:31 PT, small groups, and hybrid offers10:34 Selling high-ticket packages in a small town12:08 No-sweat intros and uncovering the real “why”13:23 A la carte plans and “just tell me the price”16:34 Starting with Lasso & baseline revenue18:12 Hitting $50k months and ROI on Lasso19:31 Breaking the long-time $28–30k plateau25:05 Hiring full-time career coaches26:16 Systems, automation, and smoother scaling30:33 Million-dollar goal and future facility plansAbout the GuestBane and Gina are the co-owners of Hill Country Movement, a boutique strength and conditioning gym in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. They focus on personal training, capped small-group training, and habit-based nutrition coaching for “everyday athletes”—busy, middle-aged adults who want to stay strong and capable for real life. With a team of degreed, full-time coaches and a coaching-first environment, they built a premium, service-heavy model that supports higher pricing and deeper results. After years stuck around $28–30k a month, they reworked their offers, sales conversations, and marketing with Lasso's help and are now consistently in the $40–50k range while spending less time on the floor and more time on family and growth.About the PodcastGym Marketing Made Simple cuts through the noise around gym growth. Each episode focuses on practical marketing, sales, and leadership systems designed for boutique fitness gyms. The goal: clear messaging, better leads, and cleaner sales processes so owners can grow without guessing, chasing, or burning out their teams.Listen & Subscribe
You do not need to be technical to build a smarter business. You just need to know how to use the tools in front of you. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast w/ Paul Alex, we break down how non-tech founders can use AI to automate tasks, save time, reduce costs, and move faster without writing a single line of code. Because AI is not just for software engineers. It is for founders, operators, creators, sales teams, and anyone who wants to remove bottlenecks from their business. If you are still writing every email from scratch, handling every admin task manually, creating every piece of content by hand, and avoiding AI because you think you are “not technical,” you are slowing down your own company. Paul explains why the smartest entrepreneurs are not trying to do everything the hard way. They are using AI to support the repetitive work so they can focus on the work that actually drives growth. In this episode, you'll learn: Why AI is a powerful tool for non-tech founders How automation can save time on emails, SOPs, content, and admin work Why using AI can reduce production costs and increase efficiency How smart tools free your team to focus on sales, relationships, and strategy Why founders who adopt AI early can move faster than their competition The truth is simple: AI is not replacing the founder. It is helping the founder operate with more speed, clarity, and leverage. High-level entrepreneurs do not waste hours on tasks that software can help support. They use AI to draft faster. Create faster. Organize faster. Automate faster. And free up human energy for the decisions, relationships, and strategies that actually grow the business. The smartest founders are not doing everything manually. They are upgrading the system. They are automating the noise. They are protecting their time. And they are using AI to build a more efficient business without needing a technical background. Adopt the tools. Move faster. And keep leveling up. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024 Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQ LinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream” www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Your practice management software isn't the problem. More often than not, it's the workflows behind it. In this episode, Dr. Len Tau sits down with Jill Nesbitt, founder of Optimize Dental Consulting, to discuss how dental practices can maximize their technology, improve patient experience, and eliminate operational bottlenecks without constantly chasing the next software solution. Whether you're a solo practice or managing multiple locations, Jill shares why software adoption, team training, and standardized workflows have a greater impact than the software itself. They also explore common mistakes practices make during software transitions, why patient billing often creates the biggest frustrations, and how optimizing existing systems can improve efficiency, profitability, and patient satisfaction. What You'll Learn Why workflow matters more than the software itself The biggest patient experience issues caused by poor system adoption Signs your practice has outgrown its current software How to successfully transition to cloud-based dental software The importance of team buy-in and change management Ways to maximize the technology you're already paying for How better workflows improve collections, operations, and patient satisfaction Why standard operating procedures (SOPs) are essential for software success Common mistakes practices make during implementation How multi-location practices can standardize operations without sacrificing efficiency — Key Takeaways 01:42 Stop Blaming the Software: Fixing the Workflows That Shape Patient Experience 03:16 Meet Jill Nesbitt and Optimize Dental Consulting 06:15 Why Most Practices Only Use a Fraction of Their Software 08:29 Choosing the Right Cloud-Based Practice Management System 12:30 How Software Directly Impacts Patient Experience 16:37 When It's Time to Switch Software 22:50 Unlocking Hidden Features and Workflow Automation 25:26 Training Your Team for Long-Term Success 28:34 Managing Change and Getting Team Buy-In 31:18 The First Step to Optimizing Your Current Software 34:58 Lightning Round with Jill Nesbitt 39:02 Final Thoughts and How to Connect with Jill — Connect With Jill Website:https://www.optimizedent.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillnesbitt — Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com. This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here. This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here. Raving Patients Podcast is your go-to place for the latest and best dental marketing strategies that will help you skyrocket your practice. Follow us for more!
What happens when you've done everything right, built the SOPs, color-coded the calendars, created the checklists, and your business still finds a way to make you sick?That's exactly where this week's guest, Kathy Gray, found herself. Kathy is the owner of Creative Critters, a growing early childhood education company based in Virginia with five centers (and counting). She's been part of the Schools of Excellence community for years, and in this conversation, she gets real about what it actually looked like to lead “with empathy first” and what it cost her.If you've ever felt like being a good leader means being endlessly available, endlessly understanding, and endlessly willing to make an exception for one more person, this episode is going to hit close to home.Kathy and Chanie unpack the difference between leading by example and leading by self-sacrifice. They talk about what happens when a director is too afraid to protect the standards because she's afraid of losing staff (spoiler: you lose the right staff anyway). And they get into one of the most important distinctions in leadership: care is not the same thing as capacity.This episode also digs into how Kathy started using data, specifically staff time-off data, to finally see what her culture was actually telling her. One number she found: at one center, they had a full staff only 35% of the time. That's not a staffing problem. That's a standards problem.By the end of this conversation, you'll understand why the phrase “protecting the standards” matters so much more than “being consistent,” and why the goal isn't to stop caring. It's to stop absorbing everyone else's outcomes as your own.What You'll Learn:Why leading “by example” can quietly turn into leading by self-sacrificeThe critical difference between care and capacity, and why confusing them costs you your best staffHow Kathy used time-off data to uncover what her culture was really telling her (and what she found)Why protecting the standards is different from being “a stickler” or being harshWhat it means to let the company, not the leader, carry the weight of the standardWhy healthy dependence on your team is not weakness, and what's lost when leaders try to do it all aloneKathy's honest reflection on what still isn't where she wants it to be, even after years of growthResources Mentioned:This Can't Be Normal by Chanie Wilschanski: https://thiscantbenormal.com Access Chapter One of This Can't Be Normal for Free: https://thiscantbenormal.com/chapter-one Connect With Us:Let's Chat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaniewilschanski/Join us on Substack: https://chaniewilschanski.substack.com/
Anna is the founder of TAP Virtual Solutions and TAP OBM.She has 18 years of experience in operations and project management, helping business owners organize the messy backend of their business.She works with founders, coaches, consultants, and service-based businesses that already have clients, revenue, ideas, and a team, but still feel like everything runs through the owner. They are growing, but their systems, workflows, SOPs, accountability, and team structure have not caught up yet.That is where Anna Rikka comes in.She helps turn vision into actual execution. Not just ideas sitting in someone's head. Not just random tasks scattered in Slack. She helps create real systems, clear ownership, better workflows, and a business that does not depend on the founder holding everything together every single day.She is also passionate about helping VAs grow into stronger operational roles because she believes there is a big difference between being a task doer and becoming a true strategic partner. On podcasts, Anna Rikka enjoys talking about operations, leadership, delegation, building teams, scaling without chaos, and what it really takes to create a business that can run without the founder rescuing everything.
Send us Fan Mail“You can make more money, but you can never redo a childhood.” ~ George RiveraKey Discussion Highlights & TakeawaysThe Wake-Up Call: How a final conversation with his dying father shifted George's perspective from chasing money to valuing time.Scaling Freedom vs. Chaos: Why your business structure dictates your lifestyle, and how to intentionally design a business that scales freedom.The Freedom Audit: A step-by-step process to track your time, apply the “10K per hour filter,” and ruthlessly eliminate, automate, or delegate tasks.Delegate Outcomes, Not Tasks: Why delegating simple tasks causes “context switching” and kills productivity, and how to use AI and SOPs to delegate entire outcomes.The 18 Summers Rule: A powerful reminder that parents only get 18 summers with their children, making the case for being present now.⏱️ Show Timestamps & Chapter Markings00:00:00 – Welcome to The Remarkable People Podcast00:01:26 – George's Golden Nugget: The 18 Summers Perspective00:02:29 – Sponsor Break: Console Vault00:04:16 – The Early Hustle: George's 31-Year Entrepreneurial Journey00:05:37 – The Turning Point: A Conversation with His Dying Father00:07:16 – Cash Rich, Time Poor: The Temptation to Burn It All Down00:08:48 – Redesigning the Business: From 90 Hours to Complete Freedom00:09:30 – Teaching His 8-Year-Old Son Real Estate Negotiation00:15:11 – Helping Founder Dads Reclaim 10-20 Hours a Week00:16:50 – The Freedom Audit & The Time Liberation Trifecta00:20:18 – How to Delegate Outcomes (Not Tasks) Using AI00:22:49 – The Myth of the “Open Door Policy” and Context Switching00:27:42 – Founder Dad Tables & Connecting with George Rivera00:30:39 – Final Thoughts: Escaping the Founder PrisonRemarkable Guest Info:Guest Bio:George Rivera is a 31-year entrepreneur who started his first online business in 1995 while still in high school. Despite reaching incredible financial success, George found himself trapped in the “founder prison,” working 90-hour weeks and sacrificing his family life. Following a profound realization before his father's passing, George re-architected his life and business to prioritize his family. Today, he is the creator of the Buy Back Time Formula and Founder Dad Tables, dedicated to helping other cash-rich, time-poor fathers reclaim 10-20 hours a week to reconnect with their families without sacrificing their business.Website: https://buybacktimeformula.com/brandingFor full episode details and All Remarkable Special Offers, visit https://DavidPasqualone.com/GeorgeRiveraSupport the showTHE NOT-SO-FINE-PRINT DISCLAIMER: While we are very thankful for all of our guests, please understand that we do not necessarily share or endorse the same beliefs, worldviews, or positions that they may hold. We respectfully agree to disagree in some areas, and thank God for the blessing and privilege of free will.For more Remarkable Episodes, Inspiration, and Motivation, please visit https://davidpasqualone.com/remarkable-people-podcast/ now!
In this episode, Jen shares the hard-earned lessons she has learned over the years about working with freelancers — how to build better working relationships, what red flags to stop ignoring, and how to protect both your peace and your business. She talks candidly about wanting freelancers to feel valued, have fun, learn, and grow, while also realizing that too much blurred energy can become detrimental to the business.Jen walks through the patterns she has seen over time: unreliable communication, unclear expectations, blurred personal boundaries, talent without reliability, energy that shifts the whole tone of the studio, and the reality that not every freelancer is the right fit for every business. She explains why initial interactions matter, why common sense is not universal, why examples and SOPs can be game changers, and why treating every freelancer like family can backfire.This episode is not about becoming cold or harsh. It is about becoming clearer. Jen shares how to create a healthier freelancer culture where expectations are understood, honesty is encouraged, fit matters, and both sides feel valued.In this episode, Jen talks about:Why initial interactions tell you a lotWhy freelancers are not familyWhy you are running a business, not a sororityWhy not everyone will care about your business like you doWhy expectations need to be painfully clearWhy photos, samples, mockups, and SOPs are so helpfulWhy common sense is not commonWhy time expectations need to be spelled outWhy reliability matters more than raw talentWhy your energy sets the tone but cannot fix everythingWhy some people are simply not the right fit, and that is okayKey takeawayYou can care deeply about people and still run your business clearly.The healthiest freelancer relationships come from honesty, boundaries, clear expectations, and recognizing that not every talented person is the right fit for your studio.
Thank you for joining us for another episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm. Today you'll discover how to build a self-sustaining accounting firm that thrives without your constant presence. Roger Knecht and guest Dr. Ruth Mannschreck share a five-part framework for creating robust systems, fostering a magnetic company culture, and hiring for long-term success. In This Episode: 02:34 The Catalyst for Business Transformation 06:16 Collaborative Problem Solving and Systems 10:05 Communication and The Warm Handoff 17:27 Hiring for Soft Skills 23:06 Defining Culture through Behavior 28:10 Effective Leadership Styles 34:37 Redefining Success Beyond Busy Work Key Takeaways: Standardize your client journey using video-based SOPs to ensure consistency. Implement a culture of leadership where every team member is empowered to take initiative. Prioritize soft skills during the hiring process to ensure long-term cultural fit. Shift your mindset from being "busy" to being "effective" to reclaim your personal time. Featured Quotes: "I'd like to get people out of their office and back into their lives and have their practice support their life instead of the other way around." — Dr. Ruth Mannschreck "If they can't make decisions, if they can't move forward without stopping by your office to ask a question, you've missed a big piece there." — Dr. Ruth Mannschreck Conclusion: Thank you for joining us for another episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm with Roger Knecht. For more information on how you can establish your own accounting firm and take control of your time and income, call 435-344-2060 or schedule an appointment to connect with Roger's team here. Sponsors: Universal Accounting Center Helping accounting professionals confidently and competently offer quality accounting services to get paid what they are worth. Offers: Get access to the 'Self-Propelled Business Framework' at www.WorkFewerHours.com Special Offers for our Podcast Listeners, CLICK HERE to take advantage of them today! Remember this: Accounting Success IS Universal. Be sure to listen to our next episode and subscribe. Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have. We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your bookkeeping, accounting, & tax business, please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 801-265-3777. And know that if it's about accounting, it's Universal.
In this episode the hosts analyze a high-margin Amazon agency for sale while a veteran business broker reveals how buyers can win—or lose—competitive acquisition deals and what "SBA pre-qualified" really means.Business Listing – https://quietlight.com/listings/18829076/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.Looking to build a professional website in minutes? Try Wix: https://wix.pxf.io/c/6898629/3115214/25616?trafcat=templateHubSpot is the backbone for how businesses scale without chaos. Try them out here: https://go.try-hubspot.com/OeG9VrSubscribe for more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast?sub_confirmation=1Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.acquanon.com/newsletter
Watch the YouTube version of this episode HEREYou don't know where you'll be next Tuesday and that's exactly the point. In this episode of Maximum Lawyer, Tyson Mutrux sits down with trademark attorney and educator Sonia Lakhany, who has turned her entire life into a delegation and systems experiment by putting everything she owns in storage and becoming a “fancy homeless” digital nomad. Sonia shares how she runs two thriving companies while living out of a single bag and cycling through hotels around the world, using extreme efficiency, SOPs, and intentional lifestyle design to strip away errands, household chores, and decision fatigue so she can focus on deep work, creativity, and enjoying the freedom she built.From departure checklists and dopamine menus to virtual mailboxes and hotel‑based “done‑for‑you” living, Sonia walks Tyson through the operational choices that make her nomad life possible and the business lessons law firm owners can steal even if they never leave their hometown. She talks candidly about solo travel, loneliness, and choosing not to have kids, how ADHD and a craving for “whimsy” drove her away from traditional employment, and why she now sees trademarks as the ultimate lifestyle practice area for lawyers who want flexibility, global reach, and lean, high‑margin firms. They also dig into her 4L Education platform and flagship “Two Weeks to Trademarks” course, including why hundreds of alumni keep coming back for live reteaches, how she leverages AI to systematize her own law firm, and what it really looks like to build a business that funds your bucket‑list life instead of competing with it.What You'll LearnHow Sonia designed a “digital nomad” life that eliminates errands, chores, and home maintenance through radical delegationWhy running two companies from hotel rooms forced her to systematize everything from travel checklists to client workHow solo travel, white space, and pattern interrupts supercharge her creativity and strategic thinkingWhy she believes permanency (houses, kids, routines) isn't for everyone and how that shapes her business choicesWhat makes trademark law a lifestyle‑friendly, globally scalable practice area for lawyersHow her 4L Education and “Two Weeks to Trademarks” course help attorneys escape burnout and build flexible practicesWhy alumni keep re‑attending her live reteaches and how AI is changing the way she teaches and practices trademarksHighlights 00:00 – Why Sonia doesn't know where she'll be next Tuesday and her “fancy homeless” origin story05:00 – Delegating life: hotels, virtual mailboxes, and stripping away errands and chores10:00 – Departure checklists, extreme efficiency, and SOPs for travel and business20:00 – Solo travel, loneliness, and designing a life without partners, pets, or kids30:00 – ADHD, whimsy, and why Sonia was never built to be a traditional employee40:00 – Building lean teams, avoiding management bloat, and redefining success beyond headcount50:00 – Inside 4L Education and “Two Weeks to Trademarks,” lifestyle lawyering, and global trademark opportunities55:00 – Live reteaches, CLE, unreasonable hospitality, and using AI to future‑proof your practiceConnect with Sonia:Instagram YouTube Linkedin
Send Jackie A Message!Everyone in the yoga and Pilates world is telling you the same thing right now: you need a handbook. And they're right — until they let you believe the handbook is the fix. Because here's what the research shows: SOPs don't fail because they're badly written. They fail because nobody is holding the standard.In this episode, Jackie names the trap almost every studio owner falls into — asking a document to do a manager's job — and gets precise about three words we throw around like they're interchangeable: leadership, management, and systems. You lead the direction. You manage the standard. The system remembers it for you. Miss the middle layer, and even a beautiful forty-page handbook rots in a Google Drive folder while you keep re-fixing everything yourself.In this episode:Why documents are inert — and why "I wrote it down" is not the same as "it's handled"The three layers defined: leadership (what matters and who you're being), management (accountability, feedback, and training — this week), and systems (the handbook, SOPs, and checklists that remember the standard)The story of a client, a Pilates studio owner, with forty-two pages of SOPs and a team following none of them — and the exact changes that made the handbook realThe 90-second coaching conversation to use the next time a standard slips (word for word)How to onboard so the handbook actually lands: walk it, shadow it, teach it backStandard of the week, checklists, public praise, and handing ownership to your leads — the rhythms that keep standards aliveThe one rule you can't break: hold the standard the same way for your newest hire and your biggest superstarYour action step this week: pick one standard that keeps slipping. Don't rewrite the SOP. Give it an owner who isn't you, put it where it will be seen, and add it to your next team check-in. One standard, one owner, one rhythm.A handbook tells your team what good looks like. Management is what makes it happen. Leadership is why they want to.Work with Jackie MurphySay Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceoThe Grow Mastermind: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/mastermind
The difference between surviving busy season and enjoying it comes down to one thing: your systems.In this episode, Nadine sits down with business coach and Wed2You founder Becca Mai to talk about why every bridal seamstress needs standard operating procedures (SOPs). From recovering after a serious accident to navigating life with multiple sclerosis, Becca shares how creating simple, repeatable systems has helped her build a business that doesn't rely on constant hustle.Together, they unpack how SOPs can make hiring easier, improve your client experience, create healthier boundaries, and help you avoid burnout during busy season. They also discuss practical ways to start documenting your processes, why automation doesn't mean losing your personal touch, and how small changes today can completely transform future wedding seasons.If you've ever felt overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or like your business can't function without you, this episode will leave you with practical ideas to create more freedom and less chaos.In this episode, you'll learn: What SOPs are and why every bridal business needs them How systems make hiring and training far less overwhelming Why automation can strengthen—not replace—your client relationships How clear boundaries create a better experience for both you and your brides Simple ways to start building sustainable systems, even during busy seasonConnect with Becca: Website: https://wed2you.co Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wed2you Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wed2you LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wed2youConnect with Nadine:Check out the exclusive private podcast series, Fitting Packages 101: https://enchanting-sun-77080.myflodesk.com/privatepodcastBecome a member: https://secretsofabridalseamstresspodcast.com/membershipInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretsofabridalseamstress/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nadinebozemanYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@secretsofabridalseamstress/
Growing a business requires more than the right technology. It requires business systems that make important work repeatable, consistent, and easier to scale.In this episode of MOJO: The Meaning of Life and Business, Jennifer R. Glass speaks with Adi Klevit, founder of Business Success Consulting Group and host of the Systems Simplified podcast, about how processes and standard operating procedures, or SOPs, help businesses operate more effectively.Jennifer and Adi explore the difference between a business process, an SOP, and the technology used to support them. They discuss why buying a new software platform does not automatically solve an underlying process problem and why businesses need to understand what they are trying to accomplish before adding another tool to their technology stack.The conversation also looks at one of the biggest risks facing growing businesses: important knowledge that exists only in one person's head. From employee onboarding and customer service to sales, payroll, marketing, and inventory, documenting repeatable processes can create greater consistency and make delegation easier.You'll also hear practical advice about deciding which processes to document first, keeping systems updated as the business changes, improving adoption across a team, and making sure industry terminology and acronyms are clearly understood.Whether you're starting a business or managing a fast-growing company, this episode will help you think differently about the systems behind your business and what needs to be in place before you can truly scale.Key takeaways:A system is bigger than software. Technology can execute or automate part of a process, but the underlying business process needs to be understood first.A process and an SOP are related but different. The process maps how work moves from point A to point B. The SOP explains how the work is executed step by step.Document what is repeatable. If something happens regularly, it may be a candidate for systematization.Protect institutional knowledge. A business becomes vulnerable when essential knowledge resides only in one employee's head.Systems support delegation. Documented processes make it easier to train people and move work away from the owner.Systems must stay alive. Documentation should be reviewed and improved rather than created once and forgotten.Technology needs a purpose. Before adding another platform, determine what role it plays in the larger business process. About my guest: Adi Klevit is the leader and visionary behind Business Success Consulting Group. With thirty years of experience as a trained Industrial Engineer and management consultant, she brings a unique understanding of the challenges businesses face today. Adi utilizes her practical know-how to help organizations of any size dramatically improve their efficiency and performance. By leveraging her ability to understand both business processes and people, she helps business owners bring order to their lives and achieve their goals. She is also the host of the Systems Simplified podcast, where she interviews successful entrepreneurs about the power of systematizing a business.Connect with Adi:Website | LinkedInSystems Simplified Podcast
In this episode the hosts analyze a high-margin Amazon agency for sale while a veteran business broker reveals how buyers can win—or lose—competitive acquisition deals and what "SBA pre-qualified" really means.Business Listing – https://quietlight.com/listings/18829076/Welcome to Acquisitions Anonymous – the #1 podcast for small business M&A. Every week, we break down businesses for sale and talk about buying, operating, and growing them.Looking to build a professional website in minutes? Try Wix: https://wix.pxf.io/c/6898629/3115214/25616?trafcat=templateHubSpot is the backbone for how businesses scale without chaos. Try them out here: https://go.try-hubspot.com/OeG9VrSubscribe for more episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@AcquisitionsAnonymousPodcast?sub_confirmation=1Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.acquanon.com/newsletter
Your team is leaving money on the table, and the Summer Sizzle Sale is ending soon. For 8 years, Weaver Sales Academy has helped 17,000+ insurance professionals sell more and close better. Don't head into Q4 with the same gaps costing you sales.
Can you run a successful business with ADHD? If you are a neurodivergent VA, OBM, or Done-For-You service provider who feels stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure what to niche into, this episode is for you. Today I talk with Maisie Rose, a business coach who started as a VA and spent about a year sensing she had outgrown it without knowing what to grow into. She shares how Foundations to Flow helped her name the work she was meant to do, coaching other neurodivergent business owners, and how she pushed past the imposter syndrome that made her doubt she was qualified.We talk about ADHD and shame, why asking for help is a strength rather than a weakness, and how the right accountability and support can change how you show up. Maisie also gets practical for the VAs and OBMs who work with neurodivergent clients, sharing simple ways to break big projects into tiny steps, why detailed SOPs make such a difference, and how bringing fun and nervous system regulation into the work helps things actually get done.
There is no shortage of founders who have read Principles or Traction. Far fewer have built their business around what those books teach, week after week, when it is inconvenient to do so. In this episode, Marcus Cauchi speaks with Keith Gillispie, founder of REI Automated, about the discipline of turning ideas into working systems, and why that discipline is harder than the ideas themselves. Why this conversation matters Most conversations about business systems focus on tools. This one focuses on behaviour. Keith didn't just read about principles, operating systems and delegation frameworks. He applied them, tested them, and kept refining them long after the novelty wore off. For founders who are drowning in advice but starved of consistent execution, this episode offers something more useful than another framework: a working model of what it actually looks like to follow through. Major discussion points Discipline over information. Keith names two books that fundamentally shaped his business: Principles by Ray Dalio and Traction by Gino Wickman. What sets his account apart is not the reading list but what he did with it: he built explicit, testable principles into daily operations, and adopted Wickman's Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) as the structural backbone of how his business runs. Writing and testing SOPs. Keith's method for creating a standard operating procedure is deliberately unglamorous. Do the task. Write down exactly what you did. Follow your own instructions the next time and notice everything you missed. Repeat this three to seven times until the gaps close, then record a video walking through the process. Only then does a task become fit to hand to another person, or to an AI agent. Where AI should not go. Keith runs a company that sells agentic AI voice agents for real estate sellers, so he has a commercial incentive to promote automation. He was candid about its limits. When he tested his own AI on a negotiation for his own property, reaching the point where the AI pressed him on price, he found the experience uncomfortable. His conclusion: AI handles information well, but emotional, high-stakes conversations still need a human. Hiring as a discipline, not an event. REI Automated filters candidates roughly one hundred to one. Keith uses the GWC framework from Traction (get it, want it, capacity for it) to decide not just who to hire, but who to keep, and applies a consistent SOP-based interview and onboarding process across every role. Cadence over intensity. Rather than reviewing performance monthly, Keith's team submits short daily and weekly reports, which are read and responded to using Claude, and quarterly goals ("rocks") drawn from EOS. He argues that weekly management gives a business fifty opportunities a year to course-correct, against twelve for a business run monthly. The absence test. Keith takes one week off every month with no calls, texts or Slack messages. During a recent house move that disrupted his usual routine for roughly a month, revenue held within a thousand dollars of the prior month. He was candid that the business currently sustains itself well in his absence, though he is less certain it grows without him. AI as a thought partner, not a shortcut. Keith's team members are expected to bring Claude fully into their process, including drafting their own SOPs when Keith does not have time to write one himself. He was clear this only works because the AI has deep context on the business and because his people bring genuine critical thinking to the exchange, rather than treating it as a way to avoid thinking. A moment of disagreement. Marcus challenged Keith's use of performance improvement plans, arguing that everyone should effectively be on one from day one, and that needing to formalise one is often a sign management has let something slide. Keith pushed back, drawing a distinction between personal development and performance accountability, and defended his position with a clear rationale. Practical takeaways Before automating or delegating any task, do it yourself first and write the SOP from direct experience. Follow your own SOP repeatedly until you have found and closed the gaps, then record it on video. Review your business weekly, not monthly. You get roughly four times as many chances to correct course. Keep team communication in shared channels rather than direct messages, so ideas get scrutinised by more than one person. Test whether your business can run without you before you assume it can. Use AI to draft and challenge your thinking, not simply to execute tasks you have not fully worked out yourself. Memorable quotes "Sometimes in order to be helpful, you have to say the hard thing." "When we're dealing with information, AI is fine. When we're dealing with emotion, that needs a human touch." "You always have to take away before you can add." Books and resources mentioned Principles by Ray Dalio Traction by Gino Wickman Essentialism by Greg McKeown The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey Guest biography Keith Gillispie is the founder and CEO of REI Automated, which provides education, software and coaching to real estate investors on building automated, systemised businesses. He spent eight years on active duty with the US Marine Corps, during which he began investing in real estate and developed the systems-first approach that now underpins his companies. Subscribe If this conversation was useful, subscribe to TheInquisitor Podcast for more conversations that challenge conventional thinking on selling, leadership and building businesses that last.
Burnout has become one of the biggest challenges facing dentists today, but it doesn't have to define your career. In this episode of the Raving Patients Podcast, Dr. Len Tau sits down with returning guest Dr. Eric Block to discuss the realities of burnout, the hidden stressors dentists face, and the practical systems that can transform a chaotic practice into one that supports both professional success and personal well-being. Dr. Block shares his own journey from questioning his career to rediscovering his passion for dentistry. Together, they explore leadership, standard operating procedures, going out of network, patient relationships, technology, and why creating efficient systems isn't just good for business—it's essential for your mental health. Whether you're a new dentist or an experienced practice owner, this episode is full of practical advice for building a healthier, more profitable practice. What You'll Learn Why burnout happens to so many dentists and how to recognize the warning signs. The importance of seeking help before stress becomes overwhelming. How leadership directly impacts practice culture and team performance. Why documented systems and SOPs reduce stress for both dentists and staff. The benefits and challenges of transitioning out of PPO insurance plans. How adding new technology and services can reignite your passion for dentistry. Why sleep apnea treatment is one of the biggest opportunities in modern dental practices. Practical strategies for creating a practice that supports your life instead of consuming it. Key Takeaways 00:54 From Burnout to Better Dentistry: Systems, Technology, and Sanity 03:53 Dr. Eric Block's journey into dentistry 05:40 Experiencing burnout and finding help 10:11 Why dentists struggle after dental school 14:45 Recognizing the warning signs of burnout 16:45 Getting help through therapy, coaching, and mentorship 18:53 The reality of PPOs and going out of network 23:42 Why every practice needs documented SOPs 25:46 Becoming a stronger leader 27:45 Building a practice that supports your life 29:58 What makes a healthy, high-performing practice 32:00 Why sleep apnea treatment excites Dr. Block 34:15 Lightning Round 37:50 How to connect with Dr. Eric Block — Connect with Dr Eric Website: https://useflomo.com https://thestressfreedentist.com Email: eric@useflomo.com — Learn proven dental marketing strategies and online reputation management techniques at DrLenTau.com. This podcast is sponsored by Dental Intelligence. Learn more here. This podcast is sponsored by CallRail, call tracking & lead conversion software for dentists. Find out more here. Raving Patients Podcast is your go-to place for the latest and best dental marketing strategies that will help you skyrocket your practice. Follow us for more!
Send us Fan MailA busy clinic isn't automatically a valuable business. In this episode of the Private Practice Survival Guide, Brandon Seigel explains how to build a value dashboard that buyers and lenders actually care about, why revenue isn't the same as value, and how to remove owner dependency so your practice becomes a transferable, scalable asset. You'll learn the exact KPIs to track, the systems to document, and the playbook that proves your practice can run without you. He also breaks down valuation frameworks—from revenue multiples to EBITDA—and shows how diversified revenue and strong leadership benches command higher multiples.What You'll Learn:The difference between revenue and true enterprise value—and why replacement cost mattersHow to calculate and reduce your owner dependency scoreThe essential monthly KPIs for a 12-month rolling value dashboardHow to build SOPs and a practice playbook that buyers trustWays to diversify revenue (private pay, telehealth, groups, training, wellness, consulting, education)Common value-killing mistakes and how to avoid themHow valuation ranges are influenced by margins, growth, systems, and risk profileBuild a business worth owning—and selling—so you can thrive, not just survive. #PrivatePractice #PracticeManagement #HealthcareBusiness #EBITDA #BusinessValuationWelcome to Private Practice Survival Guide Podcast hosted by Brandon Seigel! Brandon Seigel, President of Wellness Works Management Partners, is an internationally known private practice consultant with over fifteen years of executive leadership experience. Seigel's book "The Private Practice Survival Guide" takes private practice entrepreneurs on a journey to unlocking key strategies for surviving―and thriving―in today's business environment. Now Brandon Seigel goes beyond the book and brings the same great tips, tricks, and anecdotes to improve your private practice in this companion podcast. Get In Touch With MePodcast Website: https://www.privatepracticesurvivalguide.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonseigel/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonseigel/https://wellnessworksmedicalbilling.com/Private Practice Survival Guide BookThis show is proudly produced at PS Studios — learn more https://www.psstudios.co
The right partnerships won't make or break your studio—but they can become revenue sources you never imagined, from free team perks to five- and six-figure deals. Most owners underestimate just how broad "partnership" really is, and how much money is sitting on the table. Lisé Kuecker and Alina Cooper break down how to build boutique fitness partnerships that actually pay in Episode 739: Turning Studio Partnerships Into Real Revenue. Start small and local: coffee shops, salons and restaurants make low-cost, high-return referral partners when you're early Get the timing right: you need steady memberships, solid SOPs and a ready team before partnerships become a distraction instead of a boost Stack the revenue tiers: move from goods-in-kind to big giveaways, affiliate profit-shares, in-house pop-ups and brand collabs Go where the real money is: corporate and real estate partnerships can drive 30% of revenue—or capital contributions in the hundreds of thousands Protect and nurture the relationship: align on values, track the data, build in exit clauses, and add one partnership at a time Every strong partnership starts with two questions: what do your clients actually need, and what can you genuinely do for the partner in return. Nail that alignment, invest in the relationship, and you build a revenue stream that compounds for years. Episode 739 shows you how. Catch you there. With grit and gratitude, Lisé LINKS: https://studiogrow.co/ https://www.instagram.com/studiogrowco https://www.linkedin.com/company/studio-growco/ https://open.spotify.com/show/04zR1tRiRhQUdIfvLbh60N https://www.youtube.com/@studiogrowco/videos
The Joint Readiness Training Center is pleased to present the one-hundredth-and-sixty-seventh episode to air on ‘The Crucible - The JRTC Experience.' Hosted by the Senior Enlisted Medical Advisor and Role II Observer-Coach-Trainer for the Task Force Sustainment (BSB / CSSB), MSG Timothy Sargent on behalf of the Commander of Ops Group (COG). Today's guests are four seasoned senior NCOs within one of our infantry task forces. CSM Edwards Cumming is the TF CSM, 1SG Jeremiah Guerra is a CO Team 1SG, 1SG Mark Varley is a CO Team 1SG, and SFC William Deutsch is the Senior Medical Observer – Coach – Trainer within Task Force 3 (IN BN). This follow-on episode continues the discussion on casualty care within maneuver formations, shifting the focus from point-of-injury treatment to the realities of casualty evacuation, prolonged field care, and integrating the medical and maneuver enterprises during Large Scale Combat Operations. Leaders discuss common observations from JRTC, emphasizing that the greatest contributor to preventable casualties is often delayed evacuation caused by poor planning, ineffective communications, and a lack of understanding of CASEVAC and MEDEVAC capabilities. Topics include casualty collection points (CCPs), ambulance exchange points (AXPs), Role I and Role II care, prolonged field care, casualty triage, evacuation decision-making, and the importance of incorporating medical leaders into the planning process from the outset. A recurring theme is that casualty evacuation is a command-and-control problem as much as a medical one, requiring rehearsed PACE plans, clearly defined responsibilities, and disciplined execution to preserve combat power. The discussion also explores how units can better bridge the gap between the maneuver and medical communities through integrated training, shared understanding, and realistic repetitions. Leaders emphasize embedding medics within platoons, cross-training infantry Soldiers in lifesaving skills, developing SOPs that are understood at every echelon, and preparing junior leaders to assume greater responsibility when key personnel become casualties. Additional topics include maintaining momentum during casualty evacuation, using evacuation assets for both medical evacuation and logistical backhaul, building trust between medics and maneuver leaders, and exposing combat medics to realistic trauma training before deployment. Ultimately, the episode reinforces that casualty care in LSCO extends far beyond medical treatment—it requires disciplined planning, effective leadership, rigorous rehearsals, and a culture in which medics and maneuver leaders train together long before the first casualty occurs. Part of S03 “Lightfighter Lessons” series. For additional information and insights from this episode, please check-out our Instagram page @the_jrtc_crucible_podcast. Be sure to follow us on social media to keep up with the latest warfighting TTPs learned through the crucible that is the Joint Readiness Training Center. Follow us by going to: https://linktr.ee/jrtc and then selecting your preferred podcast format. Again, we'd like to thank our guests for participating. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and review us wherever you listen or watch your podcasts — and be sure to stay tuned for more in the near future. “The Crucible – The JRTC Experience” is a product of the Joint Readiness Training Center.
Most discussions about One QMS focus on harmonization.But before deciding whether a single global Quality Management System is the right approach, it's worth understanding the three primary ways organizations structure a QMS.In this episode, I compare centralized, decentralized, and federated (hybrid) Quality Management System models, including the trade-offs of each in terms of ownership, standardization, flexibility, governance, and decision-making.We also walk through how the document hierarchy typically differs across each model—from the Quality Policy and Quality Manual to standards, SOPs, work instructions, and records—and discuss why governance often has a greater impact on success than the operating model itself.Timestamps00:00 Why "One QMS" Is Trending01:33 The Three Primary QMS Models01:50 Centralized QMS02:01 Decentralized QMS02:28 Federated (Hybrid) QMS03:50 Comparing the Document Hierarchy04:14 Centralized Document Structure05:04 Decentralized Document Structure05:22 Federated Standards, SOPs, and Governance06:50 The QMS Tree: Philosophy, Governance, and Execution08:20 Why Governance Matters More Than the ModelSubhi Saadeh is a quality professional, consultant, auditor, and trainer who specializes in drug-device combination products, medical devices, pharmaceutical quality systems, supplier quality, and lifecycle management. Through Let's Combinate, he helps pharmaceutical and medical device teams bridge the gap between drug and device quality, regulatory expectations, and practical execution.
Vincent Yoder is CEO of RT Yoder, scaling a family-founded trades business into a multi-division platform through AI, acquisitions, and systems-driven growth across electrical, plumbing, and HVAC services. Top 3 Value Bombs 1. Emotional discomfort often reveals the biggest opportunities for personal and entrepreneurial growth. 2. Creative deal structuring, like consulting for equity, helps entrepreneurs gain ownership by delivering measurable value. 3. AI becomes far more powerful with strong SOPs and context-rich systems, giving businesses a major advantage. Check out the website and connect with Vincent to discuss acquisitions, AI systems, and scaling service-based businesses - Yoder Enterprises Group Website Sponsors HighLevel - The ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies. Learn more at HighLevelFire.com. Nexus Install - Have a high-ticket offer? Nexus Install builds you a custom LinkedIn prospect booking system designed to generate more quality sales calls. Email JLD at John@EOFire.com to learn more.
What if the biggest bottleneck in your business isn't your team, your budget, or your idea, but simply the fact that you haven't asked AI the right question yet? In this episode of The Happy Hustle Podcast, Michael Ballard closes out our AI Masterclass Workshop with maybe the most tactical, business first talk of the whole event. Michael is the founder of SlashDev, a software development agency that builds websites, mobile apps, CRMs, and lead generation systems for clients across a wide range of industries. He studied finance and entrepreneurship at the University of Washington, and back when vision models were just starting to recognize objects, he spent a year deep in a machine learning program dreaming up things like inventory scanners. He later worked at Ericsson on their automation and AI team, watching firsthand how a massive company rolls out new technology slowly and carefully. For the past five years he has poured that experience into SlashDev, and if you have seen the Happy Hustle Club's software platform, the one built around our Ten Alignment System, that is his team's work too. This episode matters because Michael does not talk about AI like a shiny new toy. He talks about it like a business owner who has to justify every dollar spent. His whole framework comes down to three questions. Does this generate revenue? Does it cut costs? Does it improve the product? If the answer is no to all three, skip it, no matter how cool the demo looks. One of the most useful ideas he shares is running a full audit of your business using a tool like Claude Code. Talk through your marketing channels, your partnerships, your team, your SOPs, even the salaries tied to certain tasks, and ask AI what the highest value opportunities are. He points out something a lot of us miss, which is that if everyone in your industry is showing up to a certain conference or using a certain channel and you are not, that is free money sitting on the table. He also gets real about content. Michael says he genuinely dislikes making content and barely uses Instagram, yet his team used AI voice cloning and animation tools to produce reels that pulled in twelve million views without him ever sitting in front of a camera. That is not about replacing authenticity, it is about removing the excuse that content takes too much time. The lead generation piece might be the most eye opening stat in the whole talk. His team scraped 49,000 leads for 158 dollars and used AI to score over 3,600 of them as ideal fits, ready for custom outreach that used to take a whole team to pull off. He also walks through building AI systems that answer texts after hours so hot leads never go cold, and one that studies your best sales calls so your entire team starts closing the way your top performer already does. Michael does not shy away from the limits either. When a listener asked about HIPAA compliance for a medical business, he was honest that it is still a real legal risk worth caution, and he pointed to cloud providers with compliant setups as a starting point rather than pretending there is a shortcut. If you are running a business and wondering where to actually point AI first instead of just experimenting for the sake of it, this episode gives you the exact lens to look through. Go listen to the full conversation at https://caryjack.com/podcastin/ and start with just one high ROI move this week. That is usually all it takes to see what is possible. Connect with Michaelhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076038248142https://www.instagram.com/slashdev.iohttps://www.youtube.com/@slashdevio/featuredhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/slashdev-io/ Find Michael on this website: https://slashdev.io/ Connect with Cary!https://www.instagram.com/caryjack/https://www.facebook.com/SirCaryJackhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/cary-jack-kendzior/https://twitter.com/thehappyhustlehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDNsD59tLxv2JfEuSsNMOQ/featured Get a copy of his new book, https://www.thehappyhustle.com/book Sign up for The Journey: 10 Days To Become a Happy Hustler Online Course @ https://thehappyhustle.com/thejourney/ Apply to the Montana Mastermind Epic Camping Adventure @ https://thehappyhustle.com/mastermind/ “It's time to Happy Hustle, a blissfully balanced life you love, full of passion, purpose, and positive impact!” Episode Sponsors: If you're feeling stressed, not sleeping great, or your energy's been kinda meh lately—let me put you on to something that's been a total game-changer for me: Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers. This ain't your average magnesium—it's got all 7 essential forms that your body needs to chill out, sleep deeper, and feel more balanced. I take it every night and legit notice the difference the next day. No more waking up groggy or tossing and turning all night If you're ready to sleep like a baby, calm your nervous system, and optimize your recovery, go grab yours now at https://www.bioptimizers.com/happy and use code HAPPY10 for 10% OFF. =================================================================== My Green Mattress If you've been waking up with back pain, feeling stiff, or just not getting that deep, quality sleep. This might be what you're missing: My Green Mattress. It's made with clean, non-toxic, and eco-friendly materials, so you're not just sleeping better, you're sleeping healthier too. The comfort and support are on another level, and you can really feel the difference night after night. 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See what the team at The Successful Bookkeeper has on right now → Amanda McKinney is back, and this conversation picks up right where the field is most uncomfortable: the place where your own capability quietly becomes the ceiling on your growth. If you've ever thought "it's faster if I just do it myself," this episode was made for you. Amanda brings her accountability coaching lens to the real-world pressures bookkeepers face — the revolving door of client work, the resistance to delegation, and the habits that quietly drain capacity before burnout ever arrives. Chapters [00:00] The 3-Times System Rule [01:18] Welcome and Guest Introduction [03:30] Amanda's Journey Since 2023 [08:30] Working With Teams Long-Term [13:00] When Capability Becomes an Obstacle [17:00] Warning Signs of Unsustainable Pace [21:00] The Case for Hobbies [25:00] Building Systems to Delegate [29:00] SOPs in Practice: Quarterly Taxes [32:30] Amanda's Podcast Pause The Highly Capable Trap Being good at your work is a genuine asset — right up until it isn't. Amanda explains that capability creates capacity, and capacity gets filled. "The problem with being capable is that it opens up more capacity. And when you have more capacity, you get more work. Either it's given to you or you give it to yourself." For bookkeepers, where the work never truly stops, this cycle can accelerate fast. Recognizing the pattern is the first step out of it. Warning Signs Worth Watching Amanda walks through the early signals that something needs to change — before burnout forces the issue. Physical heaviness when someone asks how you're doing, or the moment you realize your only answer to "what do you do for fun?" is your work. She shared that in 2024, that was her own reality. "I realized, oh my gosh, I have no hobbies. I don't have anything that I do just for fun." Intentionally adding even 15 minutes of something non-work-related a week can start shifting that. The 3-Times Rule for Systems This is the practical core of the episode. Amanda's rule of thumb: if you do something more than 3 times, it needs a system. She uses invoicing as a quick gut-check — if you can't describe your process fast, you're spending unnecessary brainpower every single time. The fix is straightforward: the next time you do that task, record yourself walking through it using a screen recorder like Loom or Neato (free). That recording becomes your SOP, and that SOP becomes your delegation tool. She applied this to her own quarterly tax payments: "I did it in like 15 minutes. Whereas that would have taken me an hour or two if I didn't have those steps written out." Delegation Without the Dread Most bookkeepers resist handing work off because training someone else feels slower than doing it themselves. Amanda reframes this: a documented system removes most of that training burden. The SOP does the heavy lifting, and the person you're delegating to — whether human or software — gets a clear path to follow your standards. As Michael put it during the conversation, "SOPs are the pathway to profitability." Sustainable Growth Requires a Pause Amanda recently did something that surprised her own audience: she intentionally paused her podcast after eight straight years of weekly content. The flood of concerned emails she received made her realize how rarely people pause before something forces them to. The message for bookkeepers is the same — growth that lasts has to be built on something sustainable. Waiting for a crisis to rest isn't a strategy. "You don't have to be burnt out before you make a decision to change something." Links Mentioned Loom — screen and voice recording tool for creating SOPs Neeto — free alternative screen recording tool (used by The Successful Bookkeeper team) purebookkeeping.com — episode sponsor; system to grow your bookkeeping business thesuccessfulbookkeeper.com — show resources and guest info Accountable podcast by Amanda McKinney (300+ episodes available; currently on intentional pause) About the Guest Amanda McKinney is an accountability coach, speaker, and the host of the Accountable podcast (formerly The Unapologetic Entrepreneur). She works primarily with driven entrepreneurs and leadership teams to help them follow through on goals that keep getting pushed to the back burner — without burning out in the process. She has been coaching since 2017 and now leads engagements ranging from 90-day individual programs to 9–12 month team partnerships. You can find her through her podcast archive of 300+ episodes or by reaching out directly through her website. About the hostMichael PalmerMichael Palmer is the host of The Successful Bookkeeper podcast and co-founder of Pure Bookkeeping and The Successful Bookkeeper. He started this work because of his father — a brilliant electrical contractor who worked twice as hard as he should have had to, because nobody on the financial side was in his corner. That gap is what The Successful Bookkeeper exists to close. His view: bookkeepers are the most undervalued force in small business — and every bookkeeper who builds a real business changes two families: theirs, and their clients'.
https://youtu.be/31XywTpVWJ4 Robin Dimond, Founder and CEO of Fifth & Cor, is helping organizations tap into the growth of their people by developing future leaders, fostering meaningful relationships, and creating a culture where employees and clients grow together. Through a collaborative agency model built on trust, innovation, and continuous learning, Robin empowers organizations to adapt quickly while creating lasting success. In this conversation, Robin introduces her Grow Your People’s Lives in 5 Ways Framework—Health, Wealth, Spirituality, Friends & Family, and Mental Health. She explains why investing in the whole person creates stronger leaders, how requiring employees to train their replacements builds a sustainable leadership pipeline, and why every client engagement begins with a discovery process and strategic blueprint. Robin also explains how fostering innovation, embracing AI as a tool rather than a replacement for human judgment, and remaining agile help organizations thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. — Tap Into the Growth of Your People with Robin Dimond Good day. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint, and today my guest is Robin Dimond, the Founder and CEO of Fifth & Cor, a marketing and innovation company harnessing the best tools to support brands, consumers, and communities. Robin, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me, Steve. I appreciate it. Well, it’s exciting to have you, and we already have some things in common that might or might not come up in the conversation. But what I’d like to ask you, which is kind of my favorite question on this show, is: What is your personal ‘Why’, and how are you manifesting it in Fifth & Cor? I think my personal why—I know what it is. My personal ‘Why’ is my legacy. And because I do not have children of my own, I get the great pleasure of being able to touch so many lives through employees, clients, and partners. So I get to live my ‘Why’ out every day. And I’m a little bit different than most CEOs. I’m looking for the next CEO to replace me. So I go in with the mindset of, “One of you will take my job one day,” and it makes me super happy. That’s my ‘Why’. Wow. So what do you want to be when you grow up? What I want to be when I grow up? Technically, I’d like to be the janitor. I believe in cleaning up the messes that are left, and I love that. I love the difficult clients. I love the difficult situations. And I think I’ll step down one day and be the support for somebody who’s currently on my team or the next person to join my team. Wow. That is awesome. So you want to focus on the message as opposed to running the day-to-day, because that’s where your interests life and where you’re building your legacy. Yes, I think that is. They call it a Chief Heart Officer in some places. It’s that person who makes sure that the message of the company, what it’s built on, and its foundation are seen all the way through. And that’s the part I love. Yeah. So you’re a real visionary. Yes. So we’ll talk more about your vision, but what I want to ask you about is this podcast is really about frameworks. What we’re trying to do here is find unique frameworks, processes, structures, or ways of looking at the world that CEOs have come up with that could help audience members think about business through a different lens. So is there anything that comes to mind along those lines? What we found that really works for us is when meeting somebody, we talk to them. Then we do a discovery to figure out if we're aligned, and we find that to be very helpfulShare on X whether it’s with people, partnerships, or clients. So that discovery process, to make sure we’re all on the same page, is so important. From there, we build out a blueprint for them, and then we present the blueprint as if we were the ones running the business. We want to make sure that we’re answering those questions. We make sure that we’re doing that, and then we have checkpoints. So we sit with a blueprint, saying, “Okay, over the next 30, 60, and 90 days, what are our processes?” The thing that we do differently than most companies is you don’t get an account executive when you come to us. You get a team of people, and you’ll see all their faces all the time. So there is no miscommunication. If you hire us, you get a team. You’ll get a director who’s overseeing your strategy. You’ll get a coordinator who’s on top of trends. You’ll get a public relations person. And you’ll get a project manager who oversees—we call them our handlers—because they oversee the project all the way through. It has made us successful, and it’s made our clients super successful. I love it. Especially the blueprint part of it, because it kind of chimes with the framework. So is this your blueprint? How is it unique? It is, because everyone told us, when you look at agencies or agency models—and we try not to refer to ourselves as that—an agency model will have one account executive, and that person goes back—I call them the man behind the curtain—because they go back and talk to everyone. What we do is say, “Hey, you’ve hired us, and you’ve hired experts.” We put all of them copied on every email, on every call, working on strategy with your team. And that’s why some of our results are 10,000% growth on your platforms in only 90 days, because we can all work together as a team. Wow. So that’s very interesting because it’s not an easy thing to pull off— Nope. To have so many people work together. But maybe that’s the secret sauce here. The secret sauce is you can’t even get promoted at this company if you don’t hire your replacement. So if you haven’t trained someone behind you, don’t come and ask me for a raise. Don’t ask for a promotion. You should come and say, “Hey, Morgan’s ready to move into my spot. This is how I got her here. I’m ready now to be promoted to the next role.” So we are building tiny leaders behind us who are building teams. That’s such music to my ears. Yes, I mean, it’s all about leaders building a company, right? Yes. I totally agree with that. So how do you do that? How do you even do that? Does it mean that any subject matter expert you hire has to be a leader first and foremost? You can’t have someone who just wants to be a specialist stay a specialist? So I say, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.” So it should be in some way. It starts in the interview process, and I think this is where a lot of CEOs miss. In the interview process, we start with those questions. Where do you see yourself? Who are the five people you surround yourself with? What do you bring to the table? Asking those very open-ended questions. Where do you see yourself going? Some people are so honest, Steve. I’d love to bring you on interviews because they’re so honest. They’re like, “Oh, I want to go to law school.” I’m like, “Great. So your time here is going to be short. It’s going to be the next year. What are you going to do in that next year?” “I’m going to help you with contracts.” “Perfect. Okay, let’s get your portfolio looking better so you can go on to the next thing.” Sometimes we’ll get a subject matter expert who is hyper-focused on public relations, but they say, “I want to be a creative director.” “Okay, great. So during your time here, what are you going to learn? What courses can we invest in you? What trips can we take you on?” So we work with people who have a growth plan of their own and are willing to be agile. That starts at the bottom and moves toward the top.Share on X That’s genius. Working with people who have a growth plan. Because ultimately, if they don’t have a growth plan, then most likely they’re not going to grow, because you can’t just grow without a plan, right? If you don’t have a vision for growth, it’s not going to happen. Does it mean you’re flexible enough to adapt, to some degree, to these people with a growth plan so that you can share in the fruits of their growth? Absolutely. We have people start in one section. So we have operations, growth, and delivery. We’ll have someone start in delivery and see that they’re so good at operations that we’ll move them, and then backfill their role. So we have people who move horizontally as well as vertically into different groups. I think that’s the part where you have to be open with your team. You have to say, “Hey, Steve, you’re not that great at creative. You know that.” And you’re like, “Yes.” And I’m like, “But you are so amazing at operations. Let’s move you over there.” Or, “Steve, you’re such a great thought leader, and I’ve wanted to start a podcast. I’d like to bring you in. Let’s backfill your other role that you started with at our company.” So it’s having that open dialogue from day one and having the team be able to recognize where they’re strong and where they need to move. I love it. Love it. So what are the challenges with this model? So many. When I first started, I think I saw what was not working. Before, for you to get ahead, you had to… I spent my time in New York. You had to outpace that person. You had to kind of put the other person down so that you could get promoted. And I saw some negatives in that. This, I would say, is about being transparent and being vulnerable. It’s also admitting where my mistakes lie or where my weaknesses are. I have dyslexia, so I should never proofread anything for anyone, truthfully. So it’s about being vulnerable. Sometimes that leads to not the greatest people coming into your company because you’re putting yourself out there with that vulnerability. But for every bad apple, there are 20 great apples out there. Yeah, I mean, this is beautiful. I always believe that in order to have people trust you, you kind of have to trust them first. That’s a fragile thing, and you have to put yourself out there. Okay, some people are going to take advantage of it, and you have to… They are, and it happens. I think every business owner or any leader has to realize that that’s going to happen. But that’s going to happen in your dating life. That’s going to happen in relationships. It’s going to happen in partnerships. In business. It’s going to happen. But the great part, and the great reward, is seeing someone else come alongside and take your business to the next level, or take your clients to the next level. I think it’s worth being vulnerable to gain that traction. Yeah, because those people don’t want to work for A-holes, right? They want real people who treat them as equals in some ways because they’re also very talented people. So Robin, let me switch gears here and ask you: what drives growth in Fifth & Cor? I think what drives growth is our innovation. And we're able to adapt very quickly. In a world where marketing is constantly changingShare on X and I don’t know what the correct term is, Steve, but I say “squished”—we’re getting pressure from the platforms, from social media changes and updates, all of that. We get changes in our coding. We get changes and pressure from our clients. And we get industry changes. From Boomers to Millennials to Gen X, there’s constant change, so we have to be agile. In our industry, when I started, it was doing billboards. Design was a long process. Now, if we’re not adapting and changing every 30 to 60 days, we can’t keep up. So I can’t make a roadmap or a blueprint for our company three years out. TikTok was here one day. It was gone the next day. Then it came back again. So planning and strategizing means being agile, being flexible, and being able to move around that for clients so that they don't lose their numbers. I think that's what's driving growth. We're extremely innovative, and we think quickly on our feet.Share on X Can you give me an example? Yes. I would say the TikTok one is a huge one because we were like, “Clients, you’re about to lose TikTok. They’re warning it’s going to disappear.” Then the next day it was back. So we came up with complete strategies to get rid of it and then bring it back. The next is PR. Sometimes the world changes. Unfortunately, September 11, we had some other things happen in the news that were really big. It was something where we had to go to our clients and say, “Look, we need a new plan. We need a change. We cannot be tone-deaf right now going into it.” I mean, that all happened, obviously, in September. It was a really rapid change in what was going on. Another example is Shopify went down last week, so all of our clients’ websites went down. There was nothing we were doing. It was something outside of our control. But we sat there with our clients and said, “Okay, let’s ramp up your social. Let’s go live with some videos and talk about it. Let’s do a press release about how you didn’t lose sales during this time and how you’re going to bounce back.” So it’s constantly thinking on our feet. It’s constantly communicating with our clients and saying, “Look, this happened outside of our control—and yours. This is how we’re going to fix it.” Yeah. That’s amazing. So how do you keep the team? We talked about how you’re attracting these A players to your business and being flexible to make sure that you tap into their desire to grow, and you grow with them—their way and your way, obviously. But how do you get all these stars to work together? So culture comes from the bottom up. It doesn’t come from me. That would be a dictatorship. So culture comes from the people we hire, and we let them run with new ideas, and they take ownership of those ideas. We did not have public relations four years ago. That was someone else’s idea, and now it’s one of our largest service lines. Project management is another one. We were not ready to do project management, but people kept seeing our project managers, and they were like, “Well, can we just hire them? Can we just hire them to do this service?” They saw our projects through. So even if someone wasn’t using marketing, they were using our project managers for tech implementations, events, and marketing. So we’ve created opportunities for people to grow with us. But if you come with us, we say you have to grow in five areas of your life. Health. We actually have a challenge right now, Steve, if you want to join it. It’s who can walk the most miles in June. So health is a challenge to make sure we focus on your health. Yeah. And we have health-related activities—kayaking. It’s on my LinkedIn posts if you want to go look. We do wealth. We want to make sure you're debt-free. When you come to us, you don't have to be, but we want to make sure you're working with our CFO to become financially independent.Share on X If you’re going to buy a home, we want you to be financially responsible outside of our company. So in case something does happen, you’re growing toward that. We want you to grow spiritually—whatever you believe your spiritual growth is. If that’s going outside and lying in the grass, if it’s going to your church, if it’s giving back to your community, there should be a spiritual challenge. We look at your family and friends. They don’t have to be blood relatives, but you should be intentional about what you’ve done for your family and friends to help them grow. Whether it’s a family dinner… You’ll see my team posting about their family dinners on LinkedIn. You’ll see them talking about taking time to do activities with them. So we look at five areas of their lives, making sure they’re growing, and we have challenges to support that. And then mental is the last one. What books did you read? What courses did you take? What did you do to advance yourself? And Steve, they hold me accountable. They’re like, “Did you finish that CEO book, or are you going to…?” I’m like, “Oh my gosh. Okay. Let me do it.” So it’s something our team can challenge. And if you don’t want to participate, that’s okay. But we’re probably not the company you should be joining. That is amazing. So people really look after each other. You have this peer accountability going that makes sure everyone is healthy, gets out of their financial challenges, has a social network around them, and takes care of their mental health. That is amazing. Isn’t that too much for a company to take on? That could be seen as a huge burden—that you worry about all those people in so many different ways, and then you worry about your clients, and you want to make sure your people work together. Doesn’t that become overwhelming sometimes? I don’t have to work with my clients because I have the most amazing team. I work and focus on my team, and my team’s love and joy get passed on to our clients. It’s a pass-it-down, share-it kind of thing. When they’re happy, healthy, and financially wise, they take care of our clients better than I could ever. They know their birthdays. They know their activities. They know different things. We’re constantly monitoring that. I’m supposed to take care of our team. Isn’t that something that… I don’t know if it was Jeff Bezos in the early days… Back in his early days, he did say that. And I want to be focused on that. I want to be innovative. We reward innovation. If you come up with a new way of doing something, you can win prizes, bonuses, gift cards. It is always a challenge: how could you do something better? Someone solved something the other day that we couldn’t figure out for the past three years. I was like, “Open up your email. There’s a gift card in there.” We want to reward people. We want them to enjoy the bonuses of doing different things and thinking outside the box. That’s very exciting. It sounds like you’re running a perfect business. No, it’s not perfect. People are messy, and I want other business owners to see that. There are some days that I look at the day and I’m like, “Oof, this is a big one.” Or it’s saying goodbye to the people who don’t fit into that culture, who might be the bad apples. That’s hard. Not every person we bring on is the right fit. Not every person wants to grow. Some people want to be button-pushers for the rest of their lives, and we might have missed that. Those are the challenging days. Some days, when you get super involved in people’s lives, it means you get super involved in life. Their health might diminish, and you have to step in and take over. We had somebody who fell backward and fractured their skull. Well, we had to keep going while they recovered. That whole part isn’t easy. It’s scary. There are some days I’m like, “What the heck am I doing, Steve?” I say that a lot. But looking back, it’s rewarding. So Robin, what is one thing that you’re actively trying to figure out in your business? Right now it’s where the industry is headed, and we’re actively, all day, every day, trying to figure that out. We are seeing the most innovation happen during these times, and keeping up with it is exhausting. To give you an example, the printing press came. The car came. Right now, it’s the next generation, who were born with one of these in their hand. Whether it’s AI that’s coming, or something else, every day there’s something new being released. So it’s, how do we adapt, but also not get burned out? That is the biggest thing I’m trying to solve right now. Yeah. So if anyone would like to help me, please email me. I’ll buy you cocktails or coffee. I’ll do either one, because that is exhausting for a business owner right now. So what part of adapting is the risky part? Give me an example of adapting and risking burnout. The burnout comes from trying to stay on top of what’s new every day, whether it’s a new platform that came out or whether it’s AI that’s going to replace all your marketing people. It’s about being flexible, but also being smart and not making too many decisions too quickly. Our advisory board is my backbone. There are five advisors who pour into us, who are sounding boards and give as much time as possible. I think they’re the ones who keep me in line. I didn’t have them at first, so I would recommend getting a board of advisors that you really trust, that you can look at their lives, and they can show you where burnout could happen.Share on X And if you had a magic wand and you could fix something inside your business, what would that be in the next 12 months? If I had a magic wand and I could fix anything inside our business, I think I would fix the rate at which we’re growing, if that makes sense. We’re growing way faster than I thought, and my magic wand would be to have enough systems in place to keep up with it. Once we build a system, we outgrow that system, and I’m like, “Cheese and crackers, we’ve already outbuilt it.” So I think it would be staying on that hamster wheel, making sure we put more infrastructure in place. Yeah, and with AI, it’s a different kind of operating system for a company, isn’t it? It is. AI needs to be used across everything. AI should be in your business. You should be using it. You should be leveraging it. But AI can’t replace people. I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s being able to adapt your team into AI-powered systems, while also having them use their judgment and their brains. They’re going back and checking it. Yeah. You know what I’m wondering sometimes about AI is, yes, it is making us very productive. I can get a lot more done. But at the same time, I have to make a lot more decisions, so the cognitive load has increased. My brain load never decreased with AI. I now have to solve problems faster, and I think that’s where people are missing it. People are like, “Well, my blogs will write themselves now.” I’m like, “Okay, but who’s putting in the content for your blogs?” Or, “Oh, it’s going to put this product on my website faster.” Okay, but who’s double-checking it? Where’s the shipping going? Where are the numbers going? People need to think about the fact that we’re doing things way faster. And then there’s fatigue. We’re being exposed to things at the swipe of a finger. You can see six, seven, eight things happening, and that’s exhausting. What is happening to the mental load of decision-making? Yeah. And then at the same time, it’s not just that we have to make more decisions, but there’s more noise out in the market. So you’re out-competing… Okay, everyone else is more productive, so it’s just a war of… what’s the opposite of a war of attrition? I don’t even know. I know what you’re talking about, but it’s like you have to be so intentional now. Yeah. It’s the war of overwhelm, basically. Yes. The war of overwhelm. Yeah, that’s wonderful. Okay, but let’s go back to Fifth & Cor. Basically, you’ve come out of your discovery with this blueprint, and then you have this team approach. These people are all fully self-realizing in the five areas of their lives, and they’re coming together, working together, and incorporating AI. So who is an ideal client that can really take advantage of everything you can do? Not just parts of it, but everything. What’s the ideal client for you? I love that question. An ideal client is not an industry or a revenue number they have to have. An ideal client is someone who comes with a problem and is flexible and agile enough to let us come up with a solution. And they’re a true partner. We’ve had a client who’s been with us for four and a half years, all the way since our inception, and they’ve been able to roll with all the new changes. They trust us. So it’s someone who is innovative in their business. They’re willing to be agile as they move. That is the perfect client. Revenue does not matter. You can have all the revenue in the world, but if you’re slow to adapt or you’re not willing to go with the times and the changes, that’s a problem. What we did pre-Covid does not work right now. The same things that worked six months ago don’t work now. So the ideal client must be someone who’s willing to be innovative, attract new ideas, and execute quickly. Do you have a way to help your clients be more like that? Yes. Even in our onboarding stakeholder session, before we do a discovery call and present the proposal, we talk to them about that. We help them get set up. We come up with SOPs so they have documented processes throughout the entire engagement. I always say, “In case we get hit by the lottery bus…” That’s my way of saying, if we disappear tomorrow, you have systems in place so your business won’t need us. So we help them grow, and then we have checkpoints with them. “Okay, are we doing this? These are the results. This is what you trusted us with over the past 30 days. Here’s what we’re doing over the next 30 days.” So we’re constantly meeting with them and saying these things. The clients who don’t work out long-term are the ones who say, “No, we’ve always done it this way, and we’re going to keep doing it that way.” Those are the ones where I’m like, “Well, why did you even call us? If you’ve always done it that way and you weren’t getting results, that’s the definition of insanity.” So it’s clients who are willing to move with us, move with the times, and are willing to bring in other teams. I love that. They’ll bring in their tech team, or they’ll bring in their logistics team, to sit there and say, “Okay, what are we doing, and how do we take it to the next level?” Love it. And you can only do this with A players because otherwise it would be very painful. Love it. So if you’re listening to this podcast and Robin Dimond explaining her business and how she’s putting her employees first and making sure they have a well-rounded life so they can live up to their potential inside the business, while also harnessing their own growth ideas, so you’re tapping into what they already want to do. Then the clients are brought along, and the same thing happens to them. They’re inspired, they’re challenged to do better, and then you help them. So if you want to be a client who enjoys that kind of approach, then my question to you, Robin, is: where can they find you and your colleagues, and what should be their first step? Perfect. You can find us at fifthandcor.com. Fifth represents the five senses, and Cor is Latin for “heart.” So that’s the reason why we do everything—the heart behind our senses. So, fifthandcor.com, or you can find us on LinkedIn. You can personally reach out to me. It’s Robin Dimond. I’d love to connect with you. I already have 30,000 connections, so I’d love to do that and set up a meeting with you. That’s fantastic. Both my parents were doctors. My dad passed away, but my mother is still a dermatologist, and my dad was a cardiologist. They had a company, and it was called Dermacor, which is basically the skin and the heart. I love that. Yeah. Well, now that we know we’re related… I feel like that’s just part of our story too. Yeah, that’s a Central European idea, perhaps. So if you enjoyed this episode, obviously reach out to Fifth & Cor, find out more about what Robin and her team are up to, and stay tuned because every week I bring a wonderful entrepreneur like Robin who’s got great ideas, and you can try to steal their ideas. So thanks for coming, Robin, and thanks for listening. Thank you. Important Links: Robin's LinkedIn Robin's website
We sit down with Josh Sprague, founder of Orange Mud and Seven Clay, to unpack the hard pivot from jack-of-all-trades operator to disciplined builder. He shares how a simple birthday joke at his office turned into a serious wake-up call, and why implementing EOS, org charts, and SOPs let him stop being the bottleneck without lowering standards.From there we go deep on the craft behind endurance gear. Josh explains the biomechanics that drive a truly stable hydration pack, why stability prevents chafing, and how fabric choices, breathable spacer mesh, ripstop nylon, and YKK zippers add up to durability you can trust for long trail runs, ultramarathons, gravel rides, and adventure races. He also tells the unfiltered startup story: ugly early prototypes, the mystery of tech packs, factories that will not call you back, and how one good connection can change everything.We also tackle the complicated economics of “Made in USA” versus overseas production, plus the exact kind of frustration that sparks new companies. When local shops could not deliver quality embroidery, Josh built Seven Clay and scaled it nationwide. If you care about product design, manufacturing, small business scaling, customer feedback loops, and endurance performance, this conversation delivers real decisions, not vague motivation. Subscribe, share this with a founder or athlete friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway: where are you still being the “fixer” in your own life?Website:https://www.orangemud.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorJsXpTkD5q-ZFa8rT3EU-qgw4jKNmhh79Eo2LUkrk3otAxOc5RInstagram: @orangemudhttps://www.instagram.com/orangemud?igsh=eXhiNWxyZXVvazI1@sevenclayhttps://www.instagram.com/sevenclay?igsh=eGNoYzIzY2NrZmIwShoutout to:Josh SpragueThe Sprague FamilyAg-Gear Store https://www.aggearstore.com/Use Code: Milesmountains For 15% Off Raising Awareness:Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)Mental Health Send us Fan Mail
Stop Selling Hours: Build a Valuable Accounting Firm with Ben Towne Kenny interviews Ben Towne, host of the Max Value Podcast and a business valuation expert who owns Towne Advisory and Assure Advisors, about why billable hours don't equal value and how firms can focus on results clients care about. Ben explains shifting fear into manageable risk by taking small steps, sharing how he moved from outsourcing to building an India-based support firm. He describes valuation as a discovery process that depersonalizes the business to assess inputs, cash flow outputs, and uncertainty, and says businesses of any size can benefit from valuation thinking even without a full formal report. Common overlooked value drivers include clean books, transferability, repeatability, dependence on key individuals, SOPs, and revenue concentration. They discuss AI creating uncertainty but enabling “more with more,” and the ongoing importance of trusted human relationships. Ben encourages listeners to trust themselves and consider entrepreneurship sooner. 00:00 Welcome And Guest Intro 01:07 Beyond Billable Hours 03:34 Small Steps Beat Fear 06:02 Valuation As Discovery 08:39 Advising Clients With Valuation 12:38 Hidden Value Killers 14:52 Build A Sellable Firm 16:43 AI And The Profession 21:00 Human Trust Still Wins 23:18 Connect With Ben 24:17 Trust Yourself Closing
Are you managing AI adoption on your team, or is it managing you?In this episode, hosts John St. Pierre and Rich Hoffmann tackle one of the biggest leadership challenges right now: helping employees embrace AI instead of fearing it. They dig into why change resistance almost always comes down to a perceived loss of privacy, trust, individuality, or job security, and why leaders need to name that directly instead of dancing around it.Rich shares eight AI use guidelines he built with a coaching client, covering everything from opt in consent for recordings to being transparent about AI shaped outputs to rewriting things in your own voice. John and Rich also get into piloting small AI use cases for quick wins, capturing institutional knowledge into SOPs and competency models, hiring for AI embracing talent, and mentoring employees into higher level work.What you'll walk away with: a clear framework for setting AI ground rules on your team, practical ways to pilot AI without overwhelming your people, how to turn tribal knowledge into documented systems before it walks out the door, what to look for when hiring for an AI forward culture, and why focus groups and open communication matter more than a top down mandate.Hosted by John St. Pierre and Rich Hoffmann, Entrepreneurs United is built for founders and leaders who want straight talk on building businesses that actually work. New episodes every week.https://entrepreneursunited.us/links
This Episode is Sponsored by StayFi Your ultimate tool for Vacation Rental WiFi marketing allowing you to collect guest emails automatically via custom captive WiFi login splash pages. Drive repeat direct bookings and convert your OTA bookings to book direct for their next visit. Visit https://stayfi.com/vrsuccess/ and use code VRSUCCESS for 50% off 3 months of StayFi service. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This episode almost wasn't the one you're hearing. Heather had already recorded, edited, and prepared social media for a different episode when a morning of reflection sent her down a different path instead. The trigger was rereading her own contribution to Brooke Pfautz's book Vacation Rental Secrets, written a few years back - an unusually honest account of the mistakes she made running CottageLink Rental Management, the property management company she sold four years ago. Reading it back, Heather noticed a pattern. None of the mistakes came from working too little or caring too little. Every one of them came from not having the tools to see clearly, document what she knew, or build systems that didn't depend on her being at the centre of everything. That reflection became this episode: ten specific, practical things she would do differently if she were running a property management business today, with the AI tools now available. This is a solo teaching episode, released the week the second cohort of the AI Ambassador Program opens. It is aimed squarely at operators who want to know, in concrete terms, what using AI well in a property management business actually looks like - not in theory, but from someone who has run the business, made the mistakes, and now has the tools to fix them. Key Takeaways Build a brand voice document before writing a single word of copy. Capture your tone, values, and the phrases that are distinctly yours before you ask AI to write anything on your behalf - otherwise inconsistency creeps in and your team, guests, and owners start to feel it. Stop letting every vendor demo convince you a new platform will fix your business. Your PMS is the one system that genuinely needs a professionally built, purpose-designed solution - but beyond that, a lot of what operators buy off the shelf could now be built to fit their specific business instead. Document every process before it only exists in your head. Talk a process through, out loud, while you're doing it and let AI structure it into a living SOP - the knowledge that only lives with the founder is a liability, not an asset. Build a genuine owner communication system, not just good intentions. Work through frameworks for the hard conversations in advance, and use AI to generate genuinely personal quarterly owner reports at scale, not a mail merge with names swapped in. Use AI to keep direct booking relationships warm, not just to build them. The follow-up sequences that go quiet the moment peak season hits are where most operators lose ground - AI can keep that infrastructure running consistently even when you're buried. Analyze reviews instead of just reading them. The most useful information is often buried inside five-star reviews as an aside - patterns that only become visible when reviews are aggregated and analysed rather than read one at a time. Build a real owner acquisition pipeline instead of relying on referrals. Referrals are a result, not a strategy - a proper follow-up sequence and a clear sense of the right-fit owner prevents leads from going cold. Build an institutional knowledge base, not just a folder of SOPs. Capture the reasoning behind decisions, not just the steps, so that judgement can travel with the business even as people move on. Treat AI as a thinking partner, not just a writing tool. The most valuable use of AI is stress-testing decisions before you commit to them, not just producing first drafts. Start with clear values and strategy, and let AI help you communicate them. Clarity about what you're building and who it's for makes every daily decision easier - and AI can help both articulate that strategy and communicate it consistently across a team. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________