3 LESSONS FOR STRATEGY, STREAMLINING, AND SCALING
Rachel Mazza
I help overwhelmed visionaries scale their biz while stepping out of the day-to-day
I just spent a week in Scottsdale, Arizona.?
Yes – In August.?
Yes – It was hotter than the Abyssus level of hell. Thanks for asking.?
But I loved every second of it.
You know why?
Well first, it’s a dry heat. I’ve got fro’ level curly hair, so “dry heat” is a good look for me.
Second, I spent 3 extremely productive?days with a new client – helping them define their vision, build their team, increase profits, and completely overhaul their business structure so things run smoother, simpler, and are way more fun to play with.
And we freaking killed it.
The client was navigating challenges with team performance…
Constant chaos and scrambles…
Overwhelm and burnout…
And the overall profitability of the biz.?
But everyone left those 3 days on FIRE for this next chapter, excited about the future, and with a big ole’ cathartic sigh of relief because it’s clear that?everything will?turn out GREAT.?
Plus, I had an absolute blast. I was in my “zone of genius” the whole time, which made it FUN to tackle the tough stuff.?
It was a good reminder that stepping away from the ‘day to day’ for a clarity break is rarely a bad investment.
Here’s a few of my biggest take-aways from this strategy session:?
#1 – The biggest challenges in business are rarely about?“business stuff.”? They’re about people.
We spent 2 whole days strategizing about how to increase profits, streamline the business, and build it bigger than ever before.
What do you think we talked about 80% of the time.
Sales funnels?
Products and offers?
Operational expenses?
Nope.
We talked about people.
While front-end funnels, P+L statements, and offer stacks are all?critical elements of?growing a biz – when it comes down to it – they’re actually pretty simple.?
When you need to overcome tough challenges in your biz – it’s almost always a people problem.?
Either the people you’re trying to reach as your customers…
Or the people on your team trying to help you reach them…
Or sometimes, it’s about the people trying to do the same thing for the same people who are taking YOUR people (i.e. – competitors).
That last one is rarely the real issue though. It’s almost always an INTERNAL people problem that needs to be solved.
Do you have the right people in the right seats??
Are those people acting in alignment with the core values of your business?
When it comes to truly “owning” their roles, do all those people get it, want it, and have the capacity to do it?
Does Janet in HR play favorites for the cute new marketing bro, or is does he REALLY need a “personal day” every time it’s sunny and 75 on a Friday.
Go back to the basics of helping and motivating people – and most of your problems will be solved.?
#2 – Business isn’t always easy – But if you’re not having fun most of the time, then you’re in the wrong business.
One of the best moments from the week was during dinner after we wrapped up for the day.?
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The bartender was making eyes at one of us, and?it was clear that she’d noticed.?
We shared a knowing glance as I said, “He looks like you’d regret it, but…YOU WOULDN’T BE SORRY.”
We finished that last part in unison before losing our shit in an unanimously-uncharacteristic fit of girlie giggles.
So ridiculous.?
But it was the result of 3 powerhouse entrepreneurs?letting their hair down after a long day of doing “the big boy shit” and knowing they closed the door on a job well done.?
It was one of the moments that made all the difficult decisions, uncomfortable conversations, and invested time worth the trip.
Not the moments slashing and dashing operational expenses, or designing the new structure of the team…
#3 – No one really knows what they’re doing. You just get better at making decisions and keeping things simple.?
I’ll let you in on a secret.
I have a moment of panic almost every time I start a new project or take on a new client.
My amygdala is 100000% convinced that I have no idea what I’m doing, and that THIS time everyone will finally find out that I’m a big fat frawd.
But somehow – smart, successful people continue to trust me with their business, teams, and livelihood.
And every time I work with a new team, or on a new project – I’m reminded that EVERYONE… even the most successful entrepreneurs… still struggle with imposter syndrome, and take everything one decision at a time.?
Like them, I don’t always have the answers….
And I often get things wrong…
But I always follow through and clean up my mess…
And I’ve invested a lot of time and energy into learning how to keep things as simple as possible.?
Next time you need to make a big strategic?decision, ask yourself:?
“What would it look like if this?were easy?”
Then pull the answer from deep within your loins…
Follow things through until the end…
Focus on helping PEOPLE while you do it…
And things usually work out pretty okay. Hope these few insights help you as much as they did me this week.?
Talk soon,
Rachel
I RARELY TAKE ON NEW CLIENTS, BUT LATER THIS YEAR I’M LOOKING TO WORK WITH ONE VISIONARY OR ENTREPRENEUR WHO NEEDS HELP ‘FILLING THE GAPS’ IN THEIR BUSINESS.
Usually these “gaps” fall into one of 3 categories:
If you know a business owner who needs help to?to boost profits, streamline their systems, and free up time to firmly sit in their Zone of Genius – I’d love to meet them.? No pressure or obligation on either end. I don’t do “hard sales” – just a conversation to explore if it’s a good fit. And if we DO end up working together, I’d?love to pay you a referral fee?as a “thank you” for helping me make a new connection. Send ’em my way.?
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