Hands-Off Growth

How can you succeed while doing less? Focusing on the present may allow you to create more value. Mandi Ellefson describes her Wim Hoff ice bath meditation experience as she shares tips on overcoming fear.  Key Ideas: Taking deep breaths to center yourself grounds you in the present and helps you see past your fear. Mandi describes how she was able to shift from fight-or-flight to a place of calm....

This week we have a replay of one of Hands Off CEO's most popular episodes. Mandi Ellefson is discussing why popular scaling advice is terrible for consulting agencies. She shares insights about marketing, systems, and what you should actually do to scale. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: “Do you really want to systematize and accelerate a process that's just getting okay and mediocre results?” Mandi...

Mandi Ellefson shares how leaders can drive rapid growth in their company beyond themselves in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: Convincing someone to do something: they have to want to do it, and money isn’t the most reliable incentive. [1:32] The food chain of passion. “If you don’t have a lot of passion, then neither will your team.” [3:43] The secret to growing...

What do you need to put in place to generate cash flow? Are you ready to hire the right people to support your growth? Mandi Ellefson discusses how to take advantage of the buying season to increase business growth. She advises CEOs to get out from under day-to-day operations, freeing up time for more strategic planning. Key Ideas: Quarter 4 is when your clients and prospects are pulling out their...

The right executive assistant is the Chief Bottleneck Breaker of your company. This role should NOT be ignored. Mandi Ellefson discusses how an executive assistant can free up 20 hours per week, and why this role is especially relevant for CEOs. Key Ideas: Mandi’s own experience can attest to the benefits of an executive assistant, as hers was able to free up no less than 20 hours per week by doin...

Increase your productivity without the strain? Yes, please! Executive assistants can make it happen. Mandi Ellefson shares how she cut 20 hours off her work week by hiring an executive assistant, and why every CEO should have one. Key Ideas: Trends are changing in the staffing industry, Mandi claims. Recently, it hasn’t been as competitive as it has in the past. Through paid advertising, you’re li...

Reach your ideal prospects wherever they hang out - via LinkedIn or cold email or any other channel - and scale your consulting agency. Mandi Ellefson shares the five variables that make cold outreach work in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO. Key Ideas: Use direct outreach to make money quickly if you’re in a bind and need to bring in more clients. It’s a good strategy to use as you build up you...

What does your job look like when you start working on the business instead of working in it? Mandi Ellefson describes the three main roles that CEOs assume to maximize both their time in the business and the earning potential of the whole company in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO. Key Ideas: A CEO is responsible for providing vision, accountability, and support. Vision encompasses growth stra...

Can you imagine going from 3,000 to 30,000 visits a month? BroadVision Marketing takes clients from local to national levels, adding millions of dollars in as little as 6 months. Mandi’s guests Jaco Grobbelaar and Jon Sooy of BroadVision Marketing share how they scale their clients further than they could have ever imagined.  You’ll hear Mandi, Jaco and Jon talk about: BroadVision Marketing positi...

Businesses are great sources of income, but you shouldn’t have to keep working forever to build your wealth - and especially not after retirement. Mandi Ellefson explores how business owners can avoid this in this week’s show. Key Ideas: Mandi shares how she first started seeing business as a vehicle for building wealth. [2:12] “We had seen all the advice about buying into the stock market in your...

Committing to a bigger purpose than profit is a surefire way to build a strong company; one that can withstand even a pandemic. Mandi’s guest in this episode of Hands-Off CEO is Karen Hite, Director of Operations at Digital Agency Hacker and co-founder of Hite Digital. Karen will explore why having a grand vision, passion and purpose leads to long-term success. You’ll hear Mandi and Karen talk abo...

There are CEOs who are adding millions of dollars to their annual revenue - the ultimate Hands Off CEOs. There are leaders who are able to scale their business profitably, and they have five traits in common. If you want to see the kinds of productivity and profitability that these top-performing CEOs are getting out of their teams and businesses, this episode is for you. Mandi Ellefson is sharing...

The temptation to get back into client work can be overwhelming for a CEO scaling their team - especially when it feels like your reputation is on the line. This means that too many CEOs are stuck overseeing project management that really should be delegated to other team members, leaving them with less time to actually run their business. In this episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi’s guest Gray Macke...

In this week’s solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson explains how selling the wrong offer traps you in the company as CEO. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: Mandi shares an example of selling the wrong package at the wrong time. [1:16] Hands-Off CEO takes their clients through an intensive and thorough process to generate growth. “It used to take us 6 to 9 months to actually help our clients i...

Mandi Ellefson’s guests are Nikole Mackenzie and Ashley Carroll, founder and COO of Momentum Accounting. Momentum Accounting helps creative agencies and other professional service companies scale from $1 million to $10 million in annual recurring revenue. They are a 100% US-based, remote team of business-savvy accountants and technology experts who provide actionable insights and vision into the f...

There are plenty of mistakes you can make while scaling your service business, and if you’re having trouble scaling to the next level, chances are you’re making the biggest one. This is content that Mandi has been working on for years, and that has been used to help businesses vastly increase their profitability. Listen in to find out what the biggest mistake in scaling is - and how to avoid makin...

Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Kristen Gallagher, founder and CEO of Edify, the frictionless way to onboard software engineers. Edify functionally tailors onboarding to each client’s teams, which works to attract, keep, and grow great employees while helping them get back the time they need. You’ll hear Mandi and Kristen talk about: One of the top reasons for team dysfunction is that context isn’t bein...

In this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson discusses the changes that the business climate has undergone over the last 2 years, and how you can use it to your advantage. She shares tips on ways to strengthen your business, increase your fees, and get a higher commitment from your very best clients. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: The challenges that arose in the spring of 2020, and how sh...

Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Michael Zipursky, CEO and co-founder of Consulting Success and bestselling author. Consulting Success is the most comprehensive learning platform for serious consultants and skilled professionals who want to grow a stable and reliable consulting practice that attracts high-value clients. Michael has advised organizations like Financial Times, Dow Jones, and RBC, and helpe...

In this week’s solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson describes what to look for when hiring an operations manager, and the three ways you can fail. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: Before you even hire an operations manager, your company has to be ready for it, Mandi says. “Your company has to be at a place where you know what you're selling, who you're selling it to, and the foundations of t...

Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Zac Stucki, founder of Homeric Consulting Services and a team member at Hands-Off CEO. Zac’s specialization is scaling service-based companies and dealing with the operational constraints and challenges of fast-growing organizations. His education and training are an asset to Hands-Off CEO, bringing their operations advising to a whole new level. You’ll hear Mandi and Zac...

Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Zac Stucki, founder of Homeric Consulting Services and a team member at Hands-Off CEO. Zac’s specialization is scaling service-based companies and dealing with the operational constraints and challenges of fast-growing organizations. His education and training are an asset to Hands-Off CEO, bringing their operations advising to a whole new level. You’ll hear Mandi and Zac...

Last week, Mandi Ellefson discussed the foundations of what it takes to beat inflation and scale profitably. In this week's episode of Hands-Off CEO, she describes the five exits she shares with her clients to help them safely remove themselves from different parts of their companies.  You’ll hear Mandi talk about: Mandi shares the idea behind exiting. “The whole point of removing yourself… is so...

In this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO, Mandi Ellefson discusses how to fight profit erosion in a time of rapid inflation, and what factors are necessary to scale profitably. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: A lot of consulting agency CEOs find themselves stuck in a cycle of company productivity that’s driven by their productivity, Mandi shares. This makes it difficult for them to successfully exit. “...

Mandi Ellefson discusses how to improve employee engagement in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO. You’ll hear Mandi talk about: “[When] we hear staff say ‘ I’m not getting paid enough ,’ what they’re really saying is ‘ I’m unhappy here; I’m not getting paid enough for the crap that I'm dealing with right now .’” A lack of employee engagement is a common problem for some businesses. Many leaders t...