The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork

Latest Episodes:

24: Why Go 'Fun-Size' in Your Approach to Goals Oct 30, 2019

Show notes

With Halloween just days away, at first, I panicked when I realized we didn't have any candy for all the cute little neighborhood trick or treaters...and then put my big girl panties on and headed to Costco (mistake #1).

We needed a bunch of other things too that people should never buy in bulk, like greek yogurt, and almond milk, spinach...so this wasn't just a candy only trip.

Finally made it to the Halloween candy section and Costco really went all out...I mean the smallest bag still costs $20 and has over 300 pieces in it, I don't think we have more than 15 kids in the neighborhood, but obviously we need to be prepared, so we'll get it.

I always wanted to be the "cool house"...you know the one where they give out the best candy (Reeses, not Smarties)....but never even dreamed of a life where I could be the BEST HOUSE...you know the one that gives out the full-size candy bars.

Well, thanks to Costco, that's me this year.

But...that's where the happy part of this story ends…

I should have known better, never open the Halloween candy before Halloween...because once it's open, it's basically begging you to eat it.

And now I have full-size candy bars (and remember, Reese's not Smarties) staring at me everytime I open the pantry...which is A LOT because additional reminder, 7.5 months pregnant.

All that to say...I truly understand why the fun-size bar was created. No one needs these full-size bars in their house, or given to their kids.

They created fun-size candy bars for a reason -- sometimes we shouldn't eat the whole thing.

The same thing is true for Clockwork...but up until NOW we've been giving you full-size bars and if you're anything like me this week, you've learned your lesson and you're sticking with fun-size from now on.

For the first time ever, we're offering a fun-size version of our Clockwork Accelerator program, and it's called Clockwork Kickoff.

So, now you can take a bite + get tonssss of the goodness of Clockworking your business, without feeling overwhelmed, overstuffed and regretful as you near the end...just like that fun-size candy bar.

A few weeks ago when we closed enrollment for our Run Like Clockwork Accelerator program, many of you reached saying you want to clockwork the business, but you didn't feel quite ready.

You felt you didn't have the team, time, or money to start clockworking just yet.

In fact, you told me you were looking for first steps to get you started with Clockworking now, until you're ready for the full thang!

I think that's smart, you wanted the fun-size.

So, we created it over the past few weeks for you.

Clockwork Kickoff -- how to start clockworking your business, even if you have no team members, no time, no extra money, and no clue how to hire yet!

So, what do you get when you join Clockwork Kickoff?

Instant lifetime access to the training — no waiting for the next start date, and you can revisit the information any time you want to grow your business, dial in your efficiency, or make a new hire.

8 bite-sized lessons to get you clarity and into action — we've made them short, actionable, and easy to implement because we know you're pressed for time.

Lesson 1: Start Here!
Lesson 2: The 4 Types of Work
Lesson 3: Moving Towards Your Ideal
Lesson 4: Time Tracking Analysis
Lesson 5: The 4D Debrief (Part 1 + 2)
Lesson 6: 6. The Fastest Path to ROI
Lesson 7: Your Action Plan
Lesson 8: Do THIS Next!

Our tricked-out tracking spreadsheets to make data collection 100x easier

Action based assignments with worksheets to get you results fast!

PLUS -- when you join before Thurs. Oct 31st at 11:59pm EST, you'll also get:

BONUS: exact schedule of how to go through this program successfully
BONUS: 2 LIVE Q+A coaching calls to get all your questions answered!

That's right, LIVE feedback and coaching from our Run Like Clockwork team to make sure you're on the right track as you implement these first steps. This is a bonus we won't be offering in the future, so snatch it up this week!

Investment: $497

If money, time, or small/no team was what was standing in your way before, NOW is your chance to take action on Clockworking your business in a more bite-sized way!

Join us in Clockwork Kickoff here >> runlikeclockwork.com/kickoff

23: Where Most CEO's Leave Money on the Table Oct 23, 2019

Show notes

Why most CEO's never see the ROI of time tracking -- they don't finish the final step!

Just by doing the time tracking exercise, and the debrief process, you can EASILY recover an hour or more a day THIS WEEK -- BUT, that doesn't happen magically, you've got to have the data, you've got to be relentless with the value of your time, and then most importantly you've got to be really intentional with the actions you take with that newly recovered time otherwise it won't result in any ROI.

Most CEO's are disappointed when they do time tracking because they don't follow it through with this final step and never get an ROI from the process.

After doing this work myself and working with hundreds of clients -- what I know to be true is there are 3 things that will happen with that newly recovered time...so, let's make sure we are choosing which one is most important for us personally! There's no right or wrong -- it's just what's right for you.

You can just let it disappear again (which is the most likely), because it's our natural default. If you're a doer, a high achiever, your default is going to be to take that recovered time and just fill it without thinking with more doing. But this doesn't come from an intentional place. This will not grow the business, and becomes a cyclical trap.
You can funnel that recovered time towards a more VALUABLE work type or work activity. If we've trashed + trimmed to recover time, it means you've freed up time that we can now spend on a higher value doing or something higher value like delegating or design time. Being intentional is what's key here. If you're intentional and spend this recovered time in a more valuable place, it will create ROI for the business.
You can use that recovered time to do less...if you're in need of more personal time, more free time, more family time, more time for a new business, etc -- you can just take this time back for yourself. It will also likely grow the business even without DOING more because you'll have more mental space and be more refreshed when you do spend time in the business.

The key is to not let #1 happen -- the unintentional time filler -- but instead intentionally choose option #2 or #3.

And how do you intentionally choose it?

Think about what your goals are for the business. Think about what you personally need. Think about what would be a more valuable use of your time in the business.

And then…

Actually BLOCK IT OFF on the calendar.

That's right, each week you're going to start blocking this recovered time off on your calendar and write in what you're doing during those blocks. Whether it's an hour or 20 hours. If you don't protect it, it will get filled up with something less important. If you don't block it off, you'll forget to spend it in that intentional way, someone will pull you into a meeting or you'll get sucked into something you've previously trashed...it's not because you're a bad person or have poor work ethic -- it's because this is what's most natural for us and we have to build habits to keep that time moving in the right direction.

Some helpful links for you:

Grab your time tracking sheet here.

Listen to the time tracking episode here.

Listen to the time tracking debrief here.

Listen to the clockwork delegation episode here.

Share with us over on instagram and let me know what you're doing with your extra hours this week! (@rlclockwork).

22: How To Get The MOST Out Of Your Time Tracking Oct 16, 2019

Show notes

Now that we've tracked our time (get started here if you haven't yet), it's time to actually dig into this data. It's not useful to just track it without taking the next step to analyze it and then take some appropriate actions.

We've developed a super simple step-by-step debrief for you to work through + review after you've tracked your time so that you can actually USE that data to improve the future + how you're using your time.

Remember, this is DATA -- so we've got to actually look at it closely and make different decisions on how we spend this time in the future if we want our day to day to look any differently. Collecting data isn't useful on it's own...we have to DO something with it!

Here's how we debrief:

Trash
Trim
Treasure
1. What types of tasks?
2. How many hours?
3. Do we currently have someone or is this a gap?
Transfer
If you have someone on the team you can transfer to, follow our delegation principles -- listen to this episode!
If there's a gap -- use it to create a job description
Calculate -- how much time did I get back? AND -- what am I going to do with that time?
Get out a post-it and write "is this something I need to be doing?" and stick it to your computer...this isn't a one and done activity, we want to train your brain to start looking for things you can trash, trim, + transfer all the time -- but in order for that to happen, we have to keep it top of mind! Hence, the post-it.
I'd love to hear your biggest time tracking takeaway -- share with us on IG @rlclockwork!

Here's what some of our clients' biggest takeaways were this week...

OMG it's literally insane. I probably only tracked 75% of my context switches and it's already nuts back and forth.

My time tracking is crazy. I could fill pages and pages. So many distractions and interruptions even if i say do not disturb.

it may never be the right time to capture a "typical" week. But as imperfect as it was, my time tracking has already given me LOTS of valuable insight about how I personally can be much more efficient with my time.

Takeaway: how much stuff I do that someone else should be doing.

Takeaway - We will never stop improving and I need to capture more systems to effectively transfer tasks!

My biggest takeaway? For the first time since we started the company and have been consistently time tracking for a year -- I feel like I'm not DOING that much. WOOHOO! And I share this because -- it takes time! But it's totally possible with the right intention + action.

Time to go debrief your data!

Grab your time tracking sheet here.

Listen to the time tracking episode here.

Listen to the clockwork delegation episode here.

21: It's 4D time tracking week! [REPLAY] Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

It's time tracking week y'all! Every single quarter we have our team and our clients track their time so that we can see where your most valuable resource is actually going. It's the data we need to make improvements!

One of the most important pieces of clockworking your business + removing yourself from the day-to-day operations starts with a 4D time tracking analysis.

I know, I know...not the sexiest thing to add to your week, but it will 1000% be worth it for a few reasons.

This is DATA! Just like the financial data you rely on to run your business, you need data on where your time is going too.
We can use this data to figure out who your next hire needs to be, how much time you need them for each week, and you'll have a complete list of tasks you want them to be responsible for to use in the job description.
You'll be able to get time back THIS WEEK just by following today's steps.

In this episode, Adrienne shares the 3T's you'll apply once you have your time tracking completed, and she reveals the 4th "T" that didn't even make the book, but is going to change your perspective on everything you do in the day.

If you want to use our time tracking sheet that we share with all of our clients, you can grab that here.

Share with me over on instagram and let me know what you're 3T'ing this week! (@adriennedorison, @rlclockwork).

20: Which problem to solve first to get fast ROI Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

Two common bottlenecks to ROI that we help clients identify through the Clockwork Accelerator are:

Are you solving the wrong problem?
Are you solving too many problems all at once?

Both of these deplete efficiency and result in misallocated funds.💸

The reason I love helping my clients identify these bottlenecks is because they get immediate ROI on joining the Clockwork Accelerator and reap long term rewards.💥

I gave a mini-training here on how to know WHICH problem to solve in your business to maximize results with minimal efforts!

I also answered a lot of great questions about the Clockwork Accelerator. If you're still on the fence, watch the LIVE and drop your question in the comments or in a DM 🙌🏽🙌🏼🙌🏾

Don't let the risk of inaction keep you from a great ROI + a business + team that runs like clockwork!

Enrollment for the Clockwork Accelerator closes TONIGHT Sept 30th at 11:59pm PST ⏰

runlikeclockwork.com/vacation

19: Top 5 Reasons to Clockwork your business NOW Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we're counting down the top 5 reasons you need to start Clockworking your business NOW! It's time to stop putting this on the backburner, for oh so many reasons, but let's talk about the big ones.

It's the most responsible thing you can do as a business owner.
Scaling chaos is a bad idea.
Your 2020 outcomes depend on it. "We do not rise to the level of our goals, we fall to the level of our systems." -- James Clear
You're losing money every day you don't.
Time is your most valuable resource.

Whether you decide to do this on your own, or go on this journey with us -- JUST START NOW. And if you're interested in getting the support you need to get clockworked, our Run Like Clockwork Accelerator program is open NOW for enrollment. You can go here for all the details: runlikeclockwork.com/vacation

18: The Single Most Important Activity In Your Business Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

Efficiency is all about doing LESS, but getting better results. Which means we have to understand what are the RIGHT things to keep doing versus just continuing to do everything and add bloat to the business.

As Mike and I were looking for most efficient organizations on planet...we found bees.

Everything they do + the very way they operate takes EFFICIENCY into the equation.

They do many different things to leverage efficiency, but most importantly…is their understanding of their resource use in relationship to their highest priority goal. The goal of a bee colony is to survive — that's nature, right?

They've used this principle to identify the SINGLE most important activity inside their colony...we call this the Queen Bee Role.

This concept has changed our clients entire approach to business. It's allowed them to lean down, to do less, to spend less money + resources, all while getting BETTER results. For some, it's even saved their businesses just by identifying what it was + therefore being able to shift things to protect it.

ONE SHIFT. ONE CONCEPT. KNOWING YOUR QBR.

The QBR is the single most important activity inside your business, but it's different for all businesses, and we're going to help you find yours on next weeks QBR webinar -- it's free and I want you to join us.

runlikeclockwork.com/qbr

We're offering this masterclass at different times so you can find what works best for you. But don't miss this -- because your companies long-term survival depends on it!

17: How to THINK like a Clockwork CEO Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

This episode is going to be a little different than our usual as today we're going to talk about your THOUGHTS and mindset around Clockworking your business and the traps we see that hold CEO's back from designing the Clockwork business that runs itself. So if you've loved the IDEA of Clockworking but still can't wrap your head around how YOU are going to get there...this episode is going to be such good food for thought for you!

Let's talk about the 5 invisible bottlenecks that are holding you back from becoming a CLOCKWORK CEO...

The "I know this" trap
"I'm the only one who can do this" / no one can do this as well as me
"Growing a team is going to be MORE work for me."
"I can make more money if I don't hire anyone."
"We just don't have the time right now to set up the systems, we'll do it next year…"

These are just SOME of the thoughts and limiting beliefs we see CEO's sharing all the time that are holding them back from Clockworking...there's more, but hopefully this opened up your awareness even just a little bit to see where YOU are stopping YOU.

Join us for our FREE live Post It Note challenge next week where we'll be helping you assess whether or not your business can survive without you at this point, and we'll show you your exact next steps if not. It's the ultimate litmus test that every CEO needs to take!

>> runlikeclockwork.com/challenge

16: How To Get Your Time Back THIS WEEK Jul 17, 2019

Show notes

One of the most important pieces of clockworking your business + removing yourself from the day-to-day operations starts with a 4D time tracking analysis.

I know, I know...not the sexiest thing to add to your week, but it will 1000% be worth it for a few reasons.

This is DATA! Just like the financial data you rely on to run your business, you need data on where your time is going too.
We can use this data to figure out who your next hire needs to be, how much time you need them for each week, and you'll have a complete list of tasks you want them to be responsible for to use in the job description.
You'll be able to get time back THIS WEEK just by following today's steps.

If you want to use our time tracking sheet that we share with all of our clients, you can grab that here.

Share with me over on instagram and let me know what you're 3T'ing this week! (@adriennedorison, @rlclockwork).

15: How To Sell The Idea Of Clockwork To Your Team Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

One of the most common questions we get is..."but how do I get my team to care about my 4-week vacation?!"

NEWSFLASH: YOU DON'T!

Instead of thinking about how Clockwork benefits you as the owner, you must flip the script and start thinking about the benefits of implementing the clockwork process from your team members' perspective.

In this episode, Adrienne shares her list of her TOP 4 benefits to the team, and then encourages you to keep brainstorming + then share with your team. It's your job to get them enrolled in the Clockwork vision, and that starts with you understanding how it will benefit them!

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

Pop over here to grab our free Clockwork quickstart guide + other free resources that will help you as you start clockworking your business: runlikeclockwork.com/kit

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

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