The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork

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**The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork**

Equipping you with the tools, strategies, and support to grow + scale your business sustainably—without sacrificing your quality of life.
Hosted by operational efficiency expert + CEO Adrienne Dorison and business strategist Emily Doyle, The CEO Help Desk is your go-to podcast for solving real business problems in real time. From streamlining systems to developing leadership and building a self-sustaining team, each episode offers actionable insights based on the book Clockwork to help you run your business with more ease—and way less overwhelm.

To stay in the loop with all things CEO Help Desk, visit runlikeclockwork.com. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and tag us on social with your takeaways so we can cheer you on!

Latest Episodes:

44: How to get EFFICIENT during uncertain times Mar 25, 2020

Show notes

The most important question you need to be thinking about right now:

What is your opportunity?

Continuing to do everything in your business is … EXPENSIVE.

Efficiency is all about understanding how to use your resources (time, money, labor, etc.) more effectively so that you can use LESS and get the SAME or BETTER results.

That's no longer a luxury, that's essential to stay in business over the next 3-12 months.

You need to be looking at your business with a critical eye and clarifying where you can cut back without losing revenue. This will help you increase your profit margins and overtime can increase revenue overall as you divert the resources you ARE using into the right places.

That's efficiency. That's clockworking.

NOW is the time to be fixing the cracks in your foundation so that you can make it through this + be even stronger on the other side of it.

On this week's Run Like Clockwork episode (taken from a live training + Q+A session), I share 5 tips for being EFFICIENT during these uncertain times + market:

Use you data/metrics.
Create a plan.
Trash, trim + transfer things off your plate.
Stop multitasking.
Take some downtime.

I explained these tips in more depth on this livestream as well as took questions from small business owners just like you.

I answered questions like…

Should I stop making investments in my business right now?
What should I do if I have an upcoming promotion? Should we continue to sell?
Are certain industries seeing more of a "slow-down" than others right now?
How can I serve my audience + community more?
I had to send my team home, and can't keep up with business, how do I communicate with my clients?
Why we're still enrolling for our RLC Accelerator program.
What's your best advice for a small business owner in danger of shutting down?
+ more!

If you have questions not addressed on this episode, drop your questions over on Instagram @rlclockwork and we will either answer them there or in an upcoming episode.

Reminder: none of us predicted this, and none of us have experienced anything like it, but we get to choose how we're going to react and respond as a business owner to it all. It's our responsibility to keep our businesses' afloat through this challenging time, and I believe you can do it.

Experiences like this form the foundation of our strength.

If you're interested in receiving our support with creating more efficiency in your business right now, we've just opened up an extended 12 part payment plan for our Run Like Clockwork Accelerator program. This is the best way for us to support you in becoming ultra-efficient in this uncertain economy. Our highest priority is to help keep as many small business owners in business through this challenging time. Our April cohort starts Monday, March 30th, 2020!

43: Permission to Pivot + Review of Adrienne's Bae-cation Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Guess who's back?! Back again!

Yasssss! I'm back and had a delicious, completely unplugged 4-week Bae-cation (when you take time off to have/take care of your baby ;) ). Not only did I NOT check in even once (often tempting), the Run Like Clockwork team took the business through cart close, onboarding and serving new Accelerator students, and hiring + onboarding a new team member. I guess you could say the business + team ran like clockwork. :D

Today on the Run Like Clockwork Podcast, I'm back along with the entire RLC team to share our biggest takeaways and wins during my 4-week bae-cation as well as ask me questions about how my role will look moving forward as I still nurture a tiny human + lead the Clockwork company.

Get ultra-efficient with us! I'll be hosting a FREE training next Tuesday, March 24th at 4 pm ET: I'll be showing you how to use our ultimate efficiency tool for your business -- your Queen Bee Role -- and if you do nothing else during this uncertain time -- implement THIS for more efficiency! You can sign up here.

42: Hiring + Managing for Strengths Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

DITCH the job titles. I know, it sounds radical and can feel rebellious, but trust us on this one - it's the thing to do!

When you shift from job titles and degree labels and instead focus on strengths - GAME CHANGER.

You've probably had many job titles in your life and likely have a degree (or two). But what do you really do? What are you really great at? What is the common thread between all your titles? THAT is your strength.

It's the same thing when hiring. When you hire for strengths, you get the best of your team member. And major perk? They tend to love working in your company lightyears more because they're working in their zone of genius, doing what they love most. Win win!

In this episode of the Run Like Clockwork Podcast, Emily shares:

How we write job descriptions and hire based on strengths
The benefits of "User Manuals" for your team
Personality tests we use as a team
How to cultivate team communication around strengths

What do you look for when hiring? Connect with us over on Instagram and let us know any of your best hiring practices! (@rlclockwork)

Pop over here to grab our free Clockwork Quickstart Guide + free training that will help you as you start clockworking your business: runlikeclockwork.com/quickstart

Subscribe, rate + review this podcast so that more entrepreneurs can benefit from the power of clockworking their business!

41: What We Wish All Bosses Knew Mar 04, 2020

Show notes

We often hear that people think clockworking is going to be too hard // too time consuming // too much change // no one else can do it like I can // insert whatever excuse here.

You can either have excuses or you can have success.

In this Team Takeover episode of the Run Like Clockwork Podcast, Emily is here to dispel the most common falsehoods about Clockworking. This is what we wish you knew about Clockwork from the inside of a business that IS clockworked, and WASN'T a year ago.

Clockwork myths dispelled today:

It's too time consuming
It's too hard
It's too much change (my team will rebel)
It won't work for my business
No one can do it like me
I don't want to take a 4 week vacation

I hope that addressing these myths helped clear up some of your own questions. And if any of these questions resonated with you or sparked more, nuanced questions for your business specifically, you may want to consider joining our Run Like Clockwork Accelerator where we can answer all your questions and provide specific feedback to your business. Enrollment for our April cohort closes soon.

40: Top 5 Tips from a Clockworked Team Feb 26, 2020

Show notes

What's that saying "straight from the horse's mouth"?

That's what you get in this episode!

You're here because you know the value of designing a business that runs like clockwork and want to start or continue clockworking your business. Today you get to hear straight from the team's mouth 5 Top Tips to apply as you clockwork.

Be confident in your clockworking and do not turn your back on this decision.
Maintain open connection + conversations within your team.
Make it a habit (to dig deeper into habits, check out the Atomic Habits for Clockworking episode)
Cultivate a culture of efficiency, being open to creative ideas and having each other's backs.
Trust the process

Connect with us over on Instagram and let us know what other benefits you came up with of clockworking from your team members perspective! (@rlclockwork)

Pop over here to grab our free Clockwork Quickstart Guide + free training that will help you as you start clockworking your business: runlikeclockwork.com/quickstart

Subscribe, rate + review this podcast so that more entrepreneurs can benefit from the power of clockworking their business!

39: Team Debrief from Adrienne's 4 Week "Vacation" Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

We did it! Adrienne had her baby Kit and took her 4 week "vacation"...and Team RLC held down the fort! Phew!

On this special "Team Takeover" episode, Emily, Laurie and Erica share how the 4-week vacation went for the team.

The team shares WINS that happened on the backend:

Hired Gabbi
Closed a cart without Adrienne
Enrolled new students
Made big decisions on our own
System Improvements & upgrades - team collaborations

What didn't go so well:

Nothing major happened that couldn't be dealt with by us! -
Minor: emailed to wrong list a couple of times but kicked us into gear that there is a system failure here to be fixed.
Some strategy decisions just had to be made, with the realization that we might have to change things when she came back
No access to permissions to update Clickup

Each team member shares their biggest learnings. Overall, BIGGEST lesson is that we truly are not creating oxygen, so it is ok to make a decision with the information we have and keep moving forward.

On a 4-week vacation you can expect problems. You're actually looking for problems because it gives you and your team clarity on what needs to be fixed when you return and gives your team a chance to flex their decision making muscles.

Does your 2020 business plan include a 4-week vacation (or do you want it to)? Not sure where to start clockworking your business + team to run itself when you step away? Great! Grab our Clockwork Quickstart Guide + Business Bottleneck training to get moving in the right direction.

38: What NOT to Do to Your Team When Clockworking Feb 12, 2020

Show notes

The definition of "clockworking" is to design a business + team that runs itself. In order to do that, as the business owner, you need to empower your team to take responsibility for the outcome and anonymity in their decision-making.

On this episode of the Run Like Clockwork Podcast, Erica + Emily discuss 4 things to NOT to do to your team when clockworking your business:

What NOT to do:

Insert yourself into things you've already removed yourself from.
Believe that you are the only one that's capable of doing the job the best.
Don't completely disengage from the team
Expect your team to read your mind.

What TO DO:

Share the vision for team buy-in.
When you communicate the WHY, give context to the what.
Know & communicate what a WIN looks like.
Get your team input on the process.
Delegate the outcome, not the exact process you've always done things.

Ready to get started clockworking your team + business? Your first step is grabbing the Clockwork Quick-Start Guide that includes a bonus "Find Your Bottleneck" training.

37: Atomic Habits for Clockworking Feb 05, 2020

Show notes

Which goal would you prefer to pursue?

-To be a business owner who takes a 4 week vacation Or

-To become a CEO who runs their business as efficiently and responsibly as possible.

Do you hear that subtle shift between the performance goal and identity goal? The goal of Clockwork is not just the 4 week vacation, which is a performance goal. #operationvacation But ultimately, help business owners become a CEO who is efficient in all areas of business. #identityshift

Your habits and the habits of your team are a huge part of that identity goal.

At Run Like Clockwork, we believe that you can't succeed at clockworking your business until doing the work associated with that change becomes an automatic habit.

In this episode of the Run Like Clockwork Podcast, Emily covers the following aspects of habits for clockworking:

Performance vs Identity goal/habit
How to create habit feedback loops that serve you and your team
Trash, Trim & Transfer
Cue & Cravings for Clockwork
4 things you can do to make habit formation easy

"Motivation rarely is enough to carry you all the way through to the formation of a habit. You need more than just motivation to make a habit really stick."

Ready for the first steps in Clockworking your business? We've got you covered! Grab our free Clockwork Quickstart Guide and get a bonus training with it, too.

36: How to Get Your Team to Care Jan 29, 2020

Show notes

A common complaint or fear we hear from owners regularly is — "I'm super excited and invested in clockworking my business… my team just doesn't seem to care as much. How do I get them to care as much as me?"

We get it! When it's not your business, inherently the stakes aren't as high.

While Adrienne is on her 4 week vacation/maternity leave, Emily & Laurie do a Team Takeover episode and share 3 ways that you can get your team to care more about the business.

Share the vision for your company with the team. Be bold, open, and share your biggest dreams, and explain how each team member will fit into that.

Clockworking is a revolution!!! This doesn't just benefit the boss… it benefits our society! Want more practical examples? Check out Episode 28: Mike's Best 4-week Vacation Tips.

Have an open and honest conversation about what owning a business is like for your life, and how it impacts you and your life. Adrienne + Tyler demonstrate this beautifully in episode 26: 3 Lessons from a Week-long Vacation

Excited to get started clockworking and get your team on board too? Grab our Clockwork Quickstart Guide! It has links to resources that will benefit you + your team so you can start designing a business + team that runs itself!

35: Clockwork Rapidfire Q+A Jan 22, 2020

Show notes

Here's a juicy episode for you! I'm answering ALL your questions, rapidfire!

Questions I answer on this episode:

How can I start implementing Clockworking with new hires from the very beginning?
When hiring someone new -- how long should it take to get them fully integrated + into a fully 'delegated' state?
What do you do when you want to fire almost everyone?
How do I support my team with hitting income company income goals?
How do I deal with team members making client facing mistakes?
Do you have any advice for protecting design time and preventing it from devolving into other other D's (doing, deciding, delegating)?

I hope that me answering these questions helped clear up some of your own questions. And if any of these questions resonated with you or sparked more, nuanced questions for your business specifically, you may want to consider joining our Run Like Clockwork Accelerator where we can answer all your questions and provide specific feedback to your business.

I plan to do more of these rapidfire Q + A episodes so if you have other questions, share them with us on Instagram @rlclockwork.

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