The Hands-Off CEO Blog

How Much Profit Should I Be Making? – E95

Growth as a CEO often looks like more stress, more responsibility, too much work, and not enough profit. Even if making good money, many businesses are slowed by how little profits they retain. Real profitability is what a CEO would actually make if they were paid at market rate instead of their own salary. But how do you measure that?…

How to Select the Right Scalability Plan – E94

How do you determine if the direction your company is taking is the right one? In this episode I discuss an effective formula for devising the right scalability plan, and share a step-by-step guide. Key Ideas: If you haven’t established clarity in your vision, it’s easy for your business to end up taking detours. You may eventually reach the right…

Most Ops Issues are Created in the Sales Process – E93

Most Ops Issues are Created in the Sales Process

  There is a big misconception around operations, sales, and marketing and how they all intersect. Mandi Ellefson debunks some of these misconceptions and discusses how operations and sales impact scalability in a consulting agency.   Key Ideas: Most approaches to scaling a consulting agency are actually more applicable to scaling a general company – they don’t account for the…

How to Get Your Team to OWN It! Delegating Ownership – E92

Delegating ownership frees up time for CEOs so they can focus on the business. Mandi Ellefson talks about the right way to let go of your business and hand the reins over to capable leaders, and how this helps you actually work on growing the business.   Key Ideas: The challenge with delegating ownership is that if you don’t scale…

Vulnerable Share About Success in Business and Your Family – E91

What defining moments or milestones have happened to you along the way towards your current level of success? Mandi Ellefson shares her story as she discusses milestones that people typically experience in their business journey, and how to identify and address common challenges. Key Ideas: Very few business women ever reach 7 figures in their company.  “Whenever there’s a certain…

Growth Lessons from the Ice Bath and Retreat Breakdown – E90

How can you succeed while doing less? Focusing on the present may allow you to create more value. Mandi Ellefson describes her Wim Hof 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…

The Integrity of Scaling – E89

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 shares a story about a company that grew from referrals,…

How to Drive Rapid Hands-off Growth – E88

I share how leaders can drive rapid growth in their company beyond themselves in this solo episode of Hands-Off CEO.   You’ll hear me 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…

Q4 Is the Buying Season – E87

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…

Hiring an Executive Assistant – E85

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…