The Hands-Off CEO Blog

How to Calculate Cost Variance + a Better Way to Drive Agency Profits

consulting agency owner learning how to calculate cost variance

Don’t risk losing money on your projects; Learn how to calculate cost variance accurately and ensure your agency stays profitable.

The Lifestyle Business Lie – E100

This is part 2 of a 2-part series on the Hands-Off CEO podcast, where you’ll hear me being interviewed by Ross Mayfield, a copywriter and marketing strategist on my team. In this episode, we share some of the more vulnerable stories and experiences we haven’t shared on the podcast before. We dispel the myth of the “seven-figure lifestyle business” and…

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…

Your 3 Roles as a CEO – E83

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,…

How to Use Your Business as a Vehicle to Build Wealth – E81

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…

5 Ways Top Leaders Show Up That Adds Millions of Dollars of Profitable Growth – E79

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,…

The Biggest Sales Mistake that Keeps CEOs Stuck in Service Delivery – E77

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…

5 Expectations for Your Operations Manager – E70

Mandi Ellefson’s guest is Zac Stucki, founder of Homeric Consulting Services and the Operations Advisor 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 the Hands-Off CEO tribe, bringing their operations advising to a whole new level. You’ll hear Mandi and…

Stepping Out of the Day to Day with James Schramko – E57

James Schramko, bestselling author and host of the SuperfastBusiness podcast, invited Mandi Ellefson on his show recently. This is a cross-post of their enlightening conversation about scaling a service business.   You’ll hear Mandi and James talk about: How soon to start building a team and becoming a Hands Off CEO. “Please don’t build a solopreneur business if you can…