Adrienne Dorison’s Post

I had a call with a client last week, and I had to share because you need to audit your meetings IMMEDIATELY. Part of being a whip smart business owner is recognizing that making more money doesn't always come from just making more sales. It comes from understanding the value of our time and spending it appropriately. And when we can find opportunities for COST SAVINGS -- these can be just as impactful and way easier than driving more revenue. Sometimes it's just one small tweak to unlock 6 figures of growth. That happened last week on this call. The team did their time tracking and then I helped review and audit. We TRASHED 25 team hours of meetings each week.  Adding up to about $3650 / week in cost savings. If we assume we’re working about 48 weeks / year…that’s 1200 TEAM HOURS we just saved. Which adds up to about $175,200 in cost savings for this particular company based on the highly skilled team members she is paying. That's not a typo -- and a 6 figure cost savings is not all that uncommon when we're looking at the right data. >>>The team can now use those recouped hours to increase team capacity immediately — we can either move through projects faster or take on additional clients. <<< We can also now use that time on activities that will GROW the business. So there is even more value to be captured even beyond the $175k we used saved. Things to think through to help you create your own meeting cost savings: • How many hours of meetings do you have each week? • How many hours of meetings do you team members have collectively each week? • What is the purpose of each meeting? • How can we get this same info without spending everyone’s time in a meeting? Let me know if you need help with this, I love a good meeting audit session! But whatever you do, don't ignore this!

What you're working on is infinitely more important than how many hours you're working. 

I still can’t believe I lead a team and run a business and my calendar looks like this… I used to think running a successful business or managing a team meant long hours, endless meetings, and having my hands on every single piece of the business. But now? My calendar is so light I often wonder if I’m missing something. 🧐 Spoiler alert: I’m not. 😎 The reality is, the most important thing I’ve done to go from working 24/7 to having more spacious weeks while the business keeps humming along…? Delegation. And no, that doesn’t mean just handing off tasks haphazardly—it means empowering my team to make decisions, solve problems, and take full ownership of their roles. The best part? My business runs like a well-oiled machine even when I’m not involved in every tiny detail. Actually, it runs BETTER when I’m not involved in every single detail. They can move faster, more efficiently and get more done because I’m no longer the bottleneck. Instead of stressing about the day-to-day, I focus on high-level strategy and growth—and, honestly, I have more free time than I ever thought possible as a business owner. 🙌 Here’s the secret 🤫 It’s not about being the hardest worker in the room (I tried that already, doesn’t work); it’s about building a *system* that works without you. I had to let go of the idea that everything needed my personal touch – that’s just your ego talking. Now, my team steps up, makes things happen, and I can step back and focus on the things that I’m best at – which has nothing to do with putting out fires all day. Imagine waking up and seeing zero meetings, a to-do list that involves deep thinking, and the space to be creative and play…all while your customers keep getting served and the money keeps rolling in. It’s not a dream; it’s what’s possible when you learn to trust, delegate, and lead your team the right way. So, if you’re feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, or like you have to be involved in every decision, let me tell you—there’s another way. And it’s a game-changer. I just recorded a video that goes step-by-step through my delegation process, happy to send it to you if you're interested – it’s going to change your life!

campclockwork.com Nashville, TN October 14-17th, 2024 Step away from the business, play with purpose. We've got 10 bunks left! You coming to camp??

Ever been to a business event that made you wish you were back at home? This will be nothing like that. Camp Clockwork! #runlikeclockwork

I worked really hard to make my life really easy. It took time and effort to set up our business and train our team and develop the systems in a way that allows me to step away when I want/need to. My business CAN run without me. That brings a lot of peace to me and to our team and clients. Things run like clockwork, with or without my involvement. That doesn't mean I don't work though. I love what I do. But I would love it a lot less if I had to do it 24/7. Have you ever seen the movie Matilda? Well, there's a scene that captures this idea beautifully. Bruce Bogtrotter steals a slice of Miss Trunchbull's chocolate cake. And he's punished by being forced to eat the whole 18-inch cake in front of the whole school. Bruce liked chocolate cake, that's why he stole a piece. But when he is forced to eat the whole thing?! Repulsive. That's how anything in life typically works, your business included. When you're forced to do TOO MUCH of something, even something you previously loved, it starts to repulse you. If you find yourself eating the whole entire chocolate cake right now in your business, start thinking about what you need to do to get back to a place where you can just have a slice every now and then, when you want it. When you make decisions in the business be thinking through this lens... >> what could I be working hard on now, that will help me make my life really easy in the future?

Stumbled upon this post on IG and loved this sign off. And then read a few of the comments (you know people are always just trying to be mad about something) and most people didn’t like this approach either. They wanted the CEO to schedule the email during “working hours”. But what are “working hours”? “Working hours” are a construct that society made up. And they made it up at a time when flexible work environments were not a reality or possibility. Just because society told us to work from home “9-5” does not mean we have to (or even should) work from 9-5. 9-5 does work for many people — sometimes because of their personal lives but also sometimes because of their DNA, their energy levels, their creative cycles, etc. If your business has the opportunity to provide more flexibility, it should — you’ll get better work out of your team when they can work at a time that aligns with their life and their natural rhythms. When we allow people to work when it works for them, it also requires personal growth. The responsibility lives with the individual to draw their own boundaries and not respond or even check/read until they’re ready to work. I work when I want to… and that usually depends on: • my kids schedule • my husbands schedule • my creativity • my energy levels My team also works when they want to. And they’re much happier, more efficient and more outcome oriented because of it. Half of my team are early birds and they’re up working on things before the sun comes up. The other half are night owls and we all wake up to a bunch of progress made on their behalf. We usually overlap a bit during the day and sync up on meetings when necessary. But if you have the option to give people more flexibility, why not? The corporate construct of “working hours” should not have you in a choke hold. IT’S NOT REAL. YOU get to decide. seen: me “working” at 6:30am on a Sunday because I felt creatively inspired. No workers were harmed in the making of this post.

Want our system breaking down the 4 keys to making more money as a business coach by improving client results? If you're committed to investing more in your skill development than your marketing budget as a business coach (and agree that should be the standard), this is for you. Here’s the guide: runlikeclockwork.com/4keys I’d love for you to DM me too so that we can connect on this topic! I’ve got a whole soapbox if you want it 😆 1 minute video explainer: https://lnkd.in/ehQmESCh

The biggest red flag 🚩 in the coaching industry? Most coaches are too focused on how to get more clients and not focused enough on how to get their clients better results. When you're looking for a coach to hire to help you grow your business: find one that's focused on improving their craft and developing their skillsets, not just someone who's only trying to become a better marketer. Ask them... What they're investing in? Is it something to help them improve their skills? Or just their advertising? Who they're learning from currently? Is it something that benefits YOU or just them? And if you are a coach...the best way to get more clients and make more money is to be able to get your clients even better results. So think about... What am I investing in? How am I getting better? What skills am I working on? Are these skills that benefit my clients and their results or just my bank account? If we want to be proud of the coaching industry, we have to individually agree to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We have to commit to the continuous improvement of our own skills and tools and stop getting caught up in the quick fix solutions of thinking that marketing is our problem. Over the years, I've seen a lot of coaches become really incredible marketers...problem is...they haven't become really incredible coaches. This creates retention issues. It's easy for them to get customers into the program, and it's impossible for them to keep customers because the results don't match the marketing. The results we get for our clients are the best marketing strategy. Investing in your coaching skills so that you can get your clients even better results will get you a better ROI because you can then let their results do the marketing for you. Here's to holding the industry and ourselves to a higher standard! Happy Friday! Adrienne