Systems Simplified

David (Dave) Valentine is the CEO of Avadel, an agency that helps people connect with their ideal prospective clients. He owns seven businesses that have collectively generated over $1 billion for over 1,000 clients, including major brands and Fortune 100 companies like Target, Time magazine, and American Express. Having risked a heart attack from burnout at age 29, Dave realized he needed to scale his businesses without being overwhelmed by stress. Merging conscious capitalism with an unconventional marketing approach, Dave has rapidly grown his businesses by investing in people rather than paid advertising. In this episode: If you own multiple businesses, you've likely experienced significant stress and burnout from managing operations independently. What incremental processes can you implement to relinquish your businesses in exchange for freedom and flexibility? After being warned of the risk of a heart attack shortly before age 30, serial entrepreneur Dave Valentine began implementing systems for networking, lead generation, sales, and operations to gain freedom from his daily responsibilities. He provides personalized value to potential clients through thoughtful and intentional interactions. Dave also recommends integrating automated processes for lead generation, hiring sales professionals to acquire new clients, and documenting standard operating procedures to save time and enhance results. In this episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit interviews Dave Valentine, the CEO of Avadel, about process implementation for business freedom. Dave talks about the importance of documenting procedures, his unconventional networking strategies, and how he acquired and scaled seven companies.

John Li is the Co-founder of PickFu, a DIY consumer research tool providing unbiased customer feedback to improve decision-making. He is also the Co-founder of Menuism, a community of online restaurant menus. As a former Program Manager and Software Design Engineer for Microsoft, John understands the importance of market research and the consumer's voice. In this episode: Consumers are the essence of any digital marketing and e-commerce business, and their insights determine product and campaign performance. What processes can you implement to leverage customer perspectives for sales and revenue growth? As an expert in market research, John Li recognizes the benefits of employing customer surveys and polls to generate feedback on business systems and ideas. When launching a new product, website, or marketing campaign, you can develop targeted survey questions that encourage consumers to vote on various options, harnessing the insights to create a customer-driven product or design that boosts sales. PickFu's branded consumer insights process helps you identify a target demographic to analyze and apply relevant survey results. John Li, the Co-founder of PickFu, joins Adi Klevit in today's Systems Simplified episode to discuss how to assess customer feedback to enhance your business. John explains the importance of integrating customer surveys into marketing campaigns, how businesses can benefit from the customer polling process, and how to develop targeted consumer messaging.

Eliot Wajskol is a Certified EOS Implementer at EOS Worldwide, the Entrepreneurial Operating System for businesses. As a recognized leadership team facilitator and coach, he helps growth-minded entrepreneurs, visionaries, and leadership teams solve root problems and lead more effectively. With 25 years of entrepreneurship, management, and operational experience, Eliot has helped launch, grow, and transform businesses from startups to $25 million in annual revenue. In this episode: Frequently, business owners encounter barriers, including a lack of team enthusiasm, profitability, control, and vision alignment. Ideally, most entrepreneurs want companies to operate without them. So how can you transfer your responsibilities to capable professionals? As an EOS expert, Eliot Wajskol encourages visionary entrepreneurs to take a systematic approach to task delegation, time management, and prioritization. This entails separating and ranking daily activities according to your talents, weaknesses, and passions. Eliot also recommends employing an accountability system to acquire team members who share your vision and values and place them in roles that align with their skills and experiences. In this episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit invites Certified EOS Implementer Eliot Wajskol to speak about how to delegate tasks and manage your time to live the life you want. Eliot shares how to achieve the ideal entrepreneurial lifestyle, his time management and prioritization systems, and the process of relinquishing tasks.

Hannah Smolinski is the Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group, a virtual CFO agency providing small businesses with financial clarity and profit maximization strategies. As a CPA, Hannah's professional experience with one of the world's largest accounting firms shaped her vision of bringing high-level financial expertise to the small business community. She founded Clara CFO Group to be a trusted resource for small businesses as they navigate key financial decisions, strive for sustainable revenue, and plan for scale. In addition to her work with Clara CFO Group, Hannah also hosts a YouTube channel with over 50,000 subscribers, where she extends her mission of empowering small businesses. Through this platform, she shares financial strategies, best practices, and educational resources that assist companies in understanding their financial statements and achieving financial success. In this episode: As businesses scale beyond $100,000 a year in revenue, overhead expenses become more frequent and costly. Consequently, accounting executives lack financial clarity, creating the need for a fractional CFO (chief financial officer) to implement systems and provide guidance. How can you leverage these professionals to maximize profitability while focusing on your strategic vision for the business? According to executive CPA Hannah Smolinski, revenue and expenses impact profitability, so developing recurring revenue streams is pivotal for growth. Fractional CFOs can help you establish these systems by evaluating your P&L statements to optimize labor and additional overhead costs. If your company loses revenue consistently, a fractional CFO may recommend restructuring your business processes to boost profitability. This involves expanding your service offerings and value propositions based on your top clients' needs. Tune in to this episode of Systems Simplified as Adi Klevit talks with Hannah Smolinski, the Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group, about creating recurring revenue streams. Hannah discusses the core profitability drivers for companies, when to hire a fractional CFO, and her process for helping businesses systemize their financials.

Sadie Lincoln is the Co-founder and CEO of Barre3, a fitness company combining strength conditioning, cardio, and mindfulness for a balanced, full-body workout. Barre3 has grown to include more than 170 franchise studios managed by female entrepreneurs. Sadie has been featured on Inc. magazine's Female Founders 100 list and NPR's How I Built This. As a global spokesperson, she frequently speaks on topics including mindful leadership, the power of body wisdom, and redefining success in fitness. In this episode: Growth-minded and visionary entrepreneurs often scale their companies singlehandedly. But this limits personal and professional freedom, so hiring seasoned professionals to execute your vision for the business is paramount. How can you systematize operations to franchise your organization effectively? After placing too much pressure on herself to scale, Sadie Lincoln obtained counseling, peer support, and an executive coach to relinquish her tasks and begin the franchising process. Sadie's system for identifying potential franchisees is to provide exceptional services and demonstrate proficiency and core values. This empowers clients to become potential business owners and create consistent experiences that perpetuate your company's legacy. In this episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit sits down with Sadie Lincoln, the Co-founder and CEO of Barre3, to talk about franchising and growing your business. Sadie explains her system for accelerating business growth, how she franchised Barre3, and why she delegated her tasks.

Lori Stickling is the Co-owner of Covenant Plumbing, which has provided world-class plumbing services since 2006. The company was voted the best local plumbing service in 2021 and 2022. In her role, she specializes in strategic small business management and marketing, sales, customer relationship management, communications, and human resources. Before Covenant Plumbing, Lori was a Business Analyst at State Farm, where she focused on PeopleSoft HR software. In this episode: As a small business entrepreneur, you've likely struggled with time management, as it's often difficult to juggle multiple operations and tasks simultaneously. How can you implement systems to delegate responsibilities, organize your business, and regain freedom? Family business owner Lori Stickling found herself wearing too many hats. She implemented processes and software to transition into a management role and delegate tasks effectively. Consequently, Lori reclaimed control of her personal and professional life. When integrating new processes, monitoring your team's performance and ensuring they execute the systems according to your company values and standards is crucial. Join Adi Klevit in this episode of Systems Simplified as she talks with the Co-owner of Covenant Plumbing, Lori Stickling, about integrating systems for organization and freedom. Lori shares small business owners' common challenges, advice for working with a spouse, and how processes enable business growth.

Amina Moreau is the Co-founder and CEO of Radious, an online marketplace that converts houses, apartments, and other residential properties into collaborative workspaces, rentable by the day. As a self-described chronic entrepreneur, she has built numerous companies, including Stillmotion, a five-time Emmy award-winning filmmaking company, Sway Storytelling, and Float Small Business. In this episode: In the pandemic's aftermath, hybrid and alternative work systems have become highly coveted. Yet there are societal discrepancies among these terms, causing some employees to feel lonely and companies to spend millions of dollars on underutilized office spaces. How can you redefine remote and hybrid work to foster a collaborative and uplifting culture? As a practical visionary, Amina Moreau recognizes that most hybrid and remote systems are ineffective as companies find themselves bound by office leases, leading to uncompromising policies and a lack of productivity. She encourages business leaders to establish a contract with a company offering fractional office spaces to promote flexibility and justify utilization. It's also essential to develop strategic processes for remote work, which may involve weekly meetings in an office space or day trips to facilitate autonomy and collaboration. Amina Moreau, the Co-founder and CEO of Radious, joins Adi Klevit in today's episode of Systems Simplified to discuss leveraging fractional office spaces for collaborative remote work. Amina shares how to balance remote, hybrid, and in-person work environments, her processes for building remote and hybrid cultures, and how her company transforms residences into collaborative workspaces.

Pepe Marais is the Co-founder and Group Chief Creative Officer at Joe Public, a full-service agency and communication group supporting high-growth brands. Joe Public has been ranked as the #1 agency in South Africa for five years. In 2004, Pepe founded Joe Public's CSR program, One School at a Time, an organization that creates exceptional education systems. He has received numerous local and international industry awards, including being ranked as the "Most Admired Creative Leader," and has served on various judging panels and boards. In this episode: As an advertising agency, creativity is a necessity. So when faced with implementing processes and procedures, many ad agencies reject the task, believing it restricts freedom and creativity. Conversely, business systems promote a sense of control through organization and consistency. How can you create and implement growth-oriented processes? The leading advantage of procedures is that you can evolve them consistently to align with changing business needs and industry standards. But successful process implementer Pepe Marais says you can't develop systems without a strategic goal or purpose in mind. Identifying an intention behind your execution maximizes the full potential of these processes and provides clarity into propelling your business forward. In today's episode of Systems Simplified, Pepe Marais, the Co-founder and Group Chief Creative Officer at Joe Public, joins Adi Klevit to talk about executing processes with a "why." Pepe addresses the role of systems in scaling a business, the takeaway advertising model, and how to manage client expectations.

Jon LoDuca is the Founder of PlaybookBuilder, a revolutionary knowledge management tool that helps drive higher results in organizations by supporting a continuous learning culture. PlaybookBuilder enables innovative organizations to onboard, train, and drive the adoption of their learning content and share it with team members, prospects, clients, and vendors. For the past 20 years, Jon has helped the top 1/4% of entrepreneurs to identify, package, and monetize their expertise. He is also the Founder and CEO of The Wisdom Link, Inc., an intellectual capital development company. In this episode: Studies reveal that 40% of your day is spent unconsciously inside a process. Yet many business owners are reluctant to document and implement processes and procedures. What are the benefits of developing SOPs, and how can you alter your perspective to execute them? Process pioneer Jon LoDuca lists three common reasons entrepreneurs neglect systems implementation. Most owners view this feature as a one-time project rather than a vital business function, causing them to delay execution. Additionally, they often struggle to identify an ideal process. But Jon says documenting your current approaches allows you to adapt and improve them for efficiency and effectiveness. To simplify documentation, you can record a video interview explaining your strategies. Although many entrepreneurs believe process implementation hinders creativity and innovation, it drives organizational change, accountability, and an engaging culture. Adi Kelvit interviews the Founder of PlaybookBuilder, Jon LoDuca, on this episode of Systems Simplified, about effective process documentation and implementation. Jon talks about how to document SOPs through video interviews, the three reasons entrepreneurs neglect process implementation, and how procedures facilitate creativity and innovation.

Cara Turano is the President and Executive Director of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN), which helps entrepreneurs acquire capital to develop their businesses. As the Former COO of the Technology Association of Oregon, she has spent over 20 years in technology-related companies, including startups. As a non-profit executive and active community leader, Cara has been recognized as an Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40. In this episode: Entrepreneurship is a rewarding process with opportunities for personal and financial freedom and relationship building. Yet, for many founders of emerging startups, access to capital is limited. How can you obtain adequate funding and invest in other startups to fuel systematic community growth? As an advocate for entrepreneurship and community leadership, Cara Turano understands that not all funding is accessible and requires a process-oriented approach to obtain. Therefore, it's essential to identify investors' priorities and align your vision with the appropriate financer. Cara recommends joining angel investing programs and networks to assess competition in the market, partner with multiple investment businesses, and invest in angel funds to give back to your community. In this episode of Systems Simplified, Adi Klevit sits down with Cara Turano, President and Executive Director of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, to discuss how to obtain and create access to capital for startups. Cara shares processes for securing funding, how to unify entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds through networking, and how to systematize risk as an investor.