The Ops Authority

Inevitably, there will come a time in your business where you have to let someone go. Even though this is not fun to talk about, it's important to be prepared and know what to do when you must deal with the firing process. As you grow your business, you will likely have a bad hire or a mis-hire. Or, you might find that you don't need a position anymore; perhaps you aren't getting ROI from this rol...

How are you measuring success and performance of your new hires? Do you go by a gut feeling, or do you have something more substantial in place? We've been talking about the hiring process in the last few episodes. By this point, you've done the work, and found a good fit. But now that you've hired how do you know if your new hire is worth it? In this episode, I'm talking about Key Results Areas (...

Hiring is an entire project within itself… it has to have a plan, a goal, and excellent delivery. So once you've found the perfect fit... what happens next? Onboarding is challenging, and for that reason it often gets overlooked. Even if this is your first hire, you do not want to skip this part.  I'm here to talk you through the onboarding process, and give you a rundown of what a new employees'...

As an operations expert I'm hired to help businesses grow their teams. I do this by asking the right questions that help define the role they are hiring for. This is an important marketing piece of your business that requires strategy. To scale your business with the right people, you'll need to spend some time articulating and defining exactly what you need. If you do this right, you'll find a hi...

What makes the hiring process so hard? Why do you find yourself hiring the wrong people, and why is your turnover so high? These are some of the questions I get over and over. Hiring is one of the biggest challenges I see in growing businesses. Today we are going to be talking all about hiring the right people. I'm giving you all of my best tips from my years of experience in recruiting in the cor...

What does it look like to build a business as a Director Of Operations (DOO)? How do you build a truly sustainable, profitable business utilizing the skill set of a DOO? A Director of Operations certification will help you leverage the unique skills and innate talents you already have. There's no one way to build a DOO business, and no one does it exactly the same. In today's podcast, I'm going to...

Are you interested in upleveling your skill to become a Director of Operations (DOO)? Or are you an established business owner who anticipates hiring a DOO in the near future? Perhaps you're wondering what specific skill sets a DOO needs to be successful. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about the six criteria that a DOO needs to have in their toolbelt. This will help you determine i...

Is the Director of Operations certification right for you? How does it differ from the OBM certification? And what kind of impact can the DOO certification have on your business? Investing in a certification is a big decision, and sometimes it helps to hear from other people who have gone through a program before committing yourself. That's why I put together this episode: to give you a chance to...

Have ever wondered what it looks like to be a Director of Operations or to have one working inside your business? In this episode, I'm sharing a typical week in the life of a Director of Operations so that you can understand what this role entails.   You might be listening to this episode as the CEO of a business, or you might be someone is a service provider and loves supporting other business ow...

It's a brand new year, and you want growth, both professionally and personally. In this episode, we're going to identify your current stage of business, look at what type of team growth is needed for each phase, and determine exactly what type of support you need if you are ready to expand your business in the coming year.   Understanding the Stages of Business Before we dive into how you want to...

It's the end of the year and you're inundated with people telling you to plan your 2020 strategy and review your mission, vision, and values. Those tasks are really good, but you can also gain clarity and increase productivity with smaller to-do's as well. In this episode, you'll learn 10 little tasks that will help your business go into 2020 a bit more healthy and happy. And who doesn't want a st...

As small business owners, we reflect at the end of each year. However, sometimes all this reflection can leave us in a negative headspace. We find it easier to think about what we didn't get done, how we failed, and what we neglected to start. This year, let's spend time looking at all the great things you accomplished.  In this episode, you'll learn how to track your accomplishments by using the...

This year was a big year for me, and perhaps it was for you too. I experienced audience, technological, messaging, and marketing changes. I moved from being a client-services business to an education-business model. That's a lot right?! In this episode, I share year-end thoughts, reflections, and actionable exercises to help you wrap up this year. We want 2020 to be a more profitable and balanced...

The holiday hustle is coming! How can you balance the holidays with your family while being productive in your business? How can you think strategically in your business without sacrificing family time? In this episode, I share seven ideas to help you manage the holiday hustle. These ideas aren't prescriptive so pick and choose what works best for you.    1. Remember You Have Less Time  During the...

If you're the CEO of your business, what's it like to be supported by a Director of Operations (DOO)? Exactly how can a DOO benefit your business? On the flip side, what if you love operations? What is it like to be a DOO? How can you work with a CEO?  In this episode, I talk with Redefining Mom CEO Monica Froese and her DOO Theresa Baretta. We dig into how Monica utilizes a DOO in her business an...

Are you running out of steam as you lead your business? As an entrepreneur, do you feel stuck and frustrated? Does life feel out of balance? Running your own company means it's easy to feel tired doing all the tasks necessary to keep your business going. I don't want you to stay stuck and frustrated. Let's get you re-energized!  "Creating a business is the fun part. Staying in business is the hard...

Customer Journey: what is it and how can you ensure a positive one for your customers? Why do you need to define your customer journey? What should you consider in developing one?  The client and customer experience is one of seven pillars of your business, but it may rank near the bottom when you're in the thick of generating revenue. However, the customer journey is important to your small busin...

As a small business owner, you may hesitate and get nervous when you think about bringing on your first hire. You start to think, "The work isn't that hard. I'll keep doing this myself" or "I don't even have time to think about what I need let alone hire someone!" That's what this episode is all about. When you're preparing to scale your business, you are fully aware that you can't keep doing ever...

As you lead your business, do you experience mental blocks, time challenges, or the desire to bring in more revenue? Every entrepreneur experiences these issues while battling feelings of overwhelm because she's trying to do it all.  In this episode, I talk with two-time A-Team alum Veronica Staudt, owner of Vintage Meet Modern, about what the A-Team is, how it works, and what you'll get out of it...

Have you ever wondered where to invest in your business? Do you ask yourself who's trustworthy? What makes a business investment smart? There are countless ways to invest in your business. Which one is right for you? In this episode, you'll learn the types of investments available, what to consider before you make a financial investment to grow your business, and what paid options are best for eac...

Visibility is a key aspect of any business, but how can you stand out in a crowded digital space? And what will work for you at your current stage of business?    In this episode, I break down what I've done the past three years in my own business, what I'm doing now, and how you can create a strategy that works for you. Whether you want free visibility or you're ready to invest, this episode will...

You have a passion and gifts that you want to share with others so you decided to start your own business. Your passion comes with 1 million ideas and you're putting in the time and energy to bring your passion to the marketplace. Then you grow. Now you feel paralyzed by too many tasks. You feel tired and pulled in so many directions. You start second-guessing being an entrepreneur -- or at least...

Money equals business. You got started in business because you wanted to make a profit. Yet money is not just business; it's emotional too. Money can cause disagreements, make us feel amazing, or frustrated. So what's a practical way to view money in your business?    In this episode, you'll learn how to set real, practical, and beneficial financial goals for your business. We'll look at how else...

It's difficult to thrive when you feel inefficient and overwhelmed. That's where systems come in. But what does a system look like? How can it help you grow and scale your business? In this episode, we're going behind the scenes of my business. My right-hand operations superstar Esther Littlefield shares what systems we have in place, what steps make up those systems, and how systems can fail.  If...

Do you feel sluggish in your day-to-day work life? Are you curious if you use your time wisely? Are you ready to run a more profitable business? Every small business owner has limited time and desires success, so here's how you can inventory your productivity and maximize your time.   If you feel like you're in a work slump and you're unsure how to get out, start by assessing your productivity. Le...