Clearing Obstacles - Blissful Ambition

Episode 6 - Lisa Furilla

“I feel like I can learn from everybody I meet. And I allow my management, my employees, everybody to be involved with a lot of the decision making that we do,” shares Lisa Furilla, owner of Practically Perfect Day Spa and Salon. Today, Lisa joins co-hosts Matt and Dan to set an action plan for how to navigate the obstacles she is facing with opening a med spa addition to her business..
 
Lisa has been in business for nearly 13 years and attributes her success to employee management and having a fantastic tribe, many of whom have been with her for more than 10 years. She has a strong passion for her employees and explains that one of her main obstacles is handling those employees who are not aligned with her vision for the business. Since Lisa does not have her vision and core values written down and clarified, it is currently not scalable and difficult to enforce. Additionally, she struggles with ensuring that her employees are following all processes properly and adhering to every safety standard. Doing this sometimes causes Lisa to feel like she is micromanaging. Dan explains that in actuality she is micromanaging the processes, not the employees because safety is a huge requirement for the beauty industry. In order for Lisa to successfully open the med spa, she will need to write out her vision and incorporate her values into an everyday shared ethos, so that those values and their aligned behaviors can be scaled and be present even when she is not.
 
Next Actions
• Write out the vision. Get those ideas, dreams, and values well-documented. That clarifies it for you, for your team, and then provides you with a mechanism to help correct that behavior or departure from your intended vision or values. And then it also has the potential to become scalable.
• Micromanaging the processes as the new business gets underway, so you can avoid the compulsion to micromanage the people.
• Keep the Values alive by incorporating them into everyday ethos and conversations, so they are not merely forgotten platitudes.
 
Quotes
• “It's never been about money for me. It's always been about just enjoying the people around me. I think that makes a big difference.” (5:12-5:22 | Lisa)
• “The beauty industry is constantly changing, and there's always something new out there. So just never getting stuck in your ways, always knowing you have to grow, I think that's kind of what sets us apart.” (5:32-5:45 | Lisa)
• “I feel like I can learn from everybody I meet. And I allow my management, my employees, and everybody to be involved with a lot of the decision making that we do.” (10:56-11:09 | Lisa)
• “You could bring me in a gazillion dollars, but if you are messing up the whole morale of the place, you’ve got to go.” (14:11-14:18 | Lisa) 
• “I want people to feel at ease around everyone that works in our place. Your attitude and the way you present yourself is a big deal.” (24:17-24:29 | Lisa)
• “There might be some room to micromanage the processes, so you don't have to micromanage the people, right? If you can be really precise in all the protocols and safety measures and hygienic and aesthetic, and those processes are so meticulously crafted, people won't feel micromanaged as much as the processes are being micromanaged, again, out of necessity, because of the nature of what your industry is.” (36:58-37:26 | Dan)
 
Links
www.Practicallyperfectdayspa.com  https://linktr.ee/practicallyperfectdayspa?fbclid=PAAaaIv5bQdfzYnIrLObYFUoc-,
clearingobstacles.com
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 5 - Patrick DeBuff

“I'm great at installing closets, hanging blinds, that kind of stuff. But when you get into the weeds with books and employees and management, that's where I think guys like me struggle,” explains Patrick DeBuff, owner of The Closet Guy, a custom closet company. Today, Patrick joins co-hosts Dan and Matt to talk about the obstacles he is facing with growing his company and to set an action plan for applying the lessons he has learned in his coaching with Matt.
 
Patrick is quick to recognize that his competitive nature and passion for doing a job quickly and perfectly can be both good and bad for business. He finds that he does not always have time to work on employee management tasks because he is continually putting himself back into a technician role. Additionally, the lack of a written employee manual leaves room for misinterpretation and without clarity his employees are more likely to interrupt him with questions. In order for Patrick to not leave money on the table and open up more opportunities for his business, he will need to step back even more from a technician role and fully step into his role as a leader. 
 
Next Actions
When you interact with your employees, you are establishing an expectation for what is appropriate. Set boundaries early on so that you and your employees are being treated the way you want to be treated. Make time for managerial work and be firm with your employees about not interrupting that time. Chunk down employee management tasks into more feasible steps in order to stay on track. 
• Establish communication expectations for you and your team
• Set aside time specifically for coaching and business work
• Chunk down the strategic work that needs to be done into baby steps
 
Quotes
• “I'm great at installing closets, hanging blinds, that kind of stuff. But when you get into the weeds with books and employees and management and that kind of stuff, that's where I think guys like me struggle.” (4:34-4:45 | Patrick)
• “Nothing hurts my feelings more than a dissatisfied customer.” (5:06-5:08 | Patrick)
• “There's nothing really written down. I show them how to do it, and that's how they do it. And that does obviously leave room for interpretation, because I can't show them every situation.” (16:47-16:59 | Patrick)
• “It's a struggle trying to not want to go in there and do it yourself, and fix it, and make it perfect yourself.” (20:49-20:54 | Patrick) 
• “If I go do 4 or 5 sets of 12 reps of an exercise, all I'm going to see is my inability to walk without a limp tomorrow. That's the immediate result of that, and there's nothing fun about that. I have to understand what the long game is. But if I keep doing that I'm going to see the final results that I'm looking for." (45:11-45:35 | Dan)
 
Links
Clearing Obstacles - clearingobstacles.com 
Episode 5 RX - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ia_R2MRSXcMw4AMMEmwYqLDNTqxj8DxL?usp=share_link , BlindSide Window Coverings - https://blindsmissoula.com/
The Closet Guy - https://www.closetguy.com/
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 4 - Post-Game Riff (Andrew Kinkler)

“If you have a frustration or a problem that you're experiencing, that's more than likely not the problem itself, that actually is just a symptom of the problem,” explains host Dan Kent. Today, Dan and co-host Matt Pierce get together for a post game riff to talk about takeaways from their coaching session with Andrew Kinkler. For context, check out Episode 2 where Dan and Matt speak with Andrew about the obstacles getting in the way of his business goals. 
 
Much of what was actually holding Andrew back came down to time management and self-accountability. He often found himself “fighting fires” of moment-to-moment business challenges, instead of sticking to his actual plans for the day. This caused his actions to be misaligned with his values and also caused his business to suffer when time was being spent on the wrong things. Andrew was lacking financial clarity and accountability to a time budget. And without these things, it would be difficult to standardize processes and implement systems that could help his business run more smoothly. 
 
How someone structures their day typically comes down to motivation. And that motivation has to be grounded in the things that you value the most and are supremely aligned with your best self. If you are not motivated and not taking accountability for your actions, you will end up spending your time on the wrong things and getting in your own way. 
 
Quotes
• “It's just as much as checking in to see how your plan is going, and then also checking in with yourself about how well you stick to it.” (15:25-15:31 | Matt)
• “If you have a frustration or a problem that you're experiencing, that's more than likely not the problem itself. It is actually just a symptom of the problem.” (17:31-17:41 | Dan)
• “How you structure your day hinges very much upon how motivated you are or are not to do the things that you probably should be doing.” (20:44-20:55 | Dan) 
• “There are certain decisions that need to be made about creating those systems and standardizing things and maybe even getting somebody to do some of that work that really couldn't be addressed without the financial clarity that was required.” (28:04-28:18 | Dan)
 
Links
Website: Clearingobstacles.com
Best Self Coaching: Bestself.coach
Matt’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/the_owners_coach/
Basic Time Budget Calculation Template: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uugP0PCxpssDuEnR28e-n4s1EL8FPeoG?usp=share_link 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 3 - Your Financial Dashboard

“We need to be able to make informed decisions on a regular basis, so you need to have a high level familiarity with everything going on in your finances without doing a deep dive anytime you just need some simple information,” explains Dan Kent, host and owner of Best Self Coaching. Today, Dan shares best practices for creating your own financial dashboard, so that you can make better informed decisions about your business finances.
A financial dashboard is a customizable way to easily see all of your financial indicators at a glance. It works similarly to a dashboard on a car, you’ll be able to see just the data you actually need rather than getting overwhelmed by extraneous information. Dan provides a free downloadable template to get you started that requires nothing more than a basic knowledge of Excel. Once you populate the information for the spreadsheet, you will just need to review it monthly for accuracy.
 
Next Actions:
Being able to easily access your financial indicators will allow you to make better informed and more strategic decisions. The complexity of finances can be a difficult obstacle to navigate, but when you have a dashboard at your fingertips there is less potential for overwhelm. 
• Download the free template from the Google Drive link below.
• Fill in your revenue as the first data point.
• Next, add your cost of goods sold and your gross profit (revenue minus cost of goods sold).
• Add total expenses and then net profit
• Calculate the net profit margin (net profit divided by gross revenue)
• Consider including indicators like payroll to revenue ratio, accounts receivable, and accounts payable
 
To go deeper into this episode’s “Next Actions”, take a listen to the episode where we explore it even further.
 
Quotes
• “If you don't have a reliable mechanism and a consistent system to make informed and strategic decisions related to your finances, then you're going to find yourself stuck.” (2:59-3:10 | Dan)
• “Consider a financial dashboard not unlike the dashboard on your car.” (4:20-4:23 | Dan) 
• “The very first thing that almost every business owner is going to be looking at is their revenue.” (8:52-8:56 | Dan)
• “We need to be able to make informed decisions on a regular basis, so you need to have a kind of high level familiarity with everything going on in your financials without doing a deep dive anytime you just need some simple information.” (22:04-22:21 | Dan)
Connect with Dan Kent:
Website: clearingobstacles.com
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/117J2FIQ6AFIYQXw73lLqeL25HmTGJe7o?usp=share_link (Assets discussed in the episode) 
Best Self Coaching: bestself.coach
 
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 2 - Andrew Kinkler

“We're not clear on our future. We don't have that goal, and we're just doing the busy work. It just goes back to a very basic but powerful concept of, ‘you’ve got to keep your vision in mind’,” shares Andrew Kinkler, owner and CEO of Apex Property Care. Apex provides all the backend management for properties including cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, maintenance, subcontractor management, and private home management. Today, Andrew joins hosts Dan and Matt to talk about the importance of following a time budget and not getting so caught up putting out fires.
 
Putting out fires is not a strategy. Andrew realized he was frequently being pulled away from important tasks to put out fires. This caused him to expend resources on the wrong tasks and ultimately fall behind. As Matt explains in his skiing analogy, it is important to not just look down at your feet, but instead to look five to seven moguls ahead. In his coaching with Dan and Matt, Andrew recognized the importance of being clear on his goal for the future. By having a clear goal and staying focused on his values, he is able to create and stick to a time budget rather than just bouncing from fire to fire. 
 
Next Actions:
Establish your Vision and higher purpose for your life, and always keep it in front of you. The small but significant actions you can take in your business will lead to direct results that will help it serve your life - as it should.
• Vision clarifies the Goals. 
• Goals clarify the Plans. 
• Plans clarify the next Actions. 
• Get moving on those next actions, and you’ll see the difference in the short-term and the long-term.
• Create a time-budget if you find yourself in a consistent time deficit.
 
To go deeper into this episode’s “Next Actions”, take a listen to the episode where we do a break-down, and explore it even further.
Quotes
• “If I don't put out this fire, there's going to be short-term pain that could lead to long-term pain.” (50:01-50:06 | Andrew)
• “You're looking down at your skis. Look five to seven moguls ahead of you.” (58:56-59:00 | Matt)
• “Whether it's time and attention or money, if you don't have that visibility of what's coming up, you're going to blow through your budget.” (1:00:56-1:01:04 | Matt) 
• “If you're not precise with the problem, you're going to start solving the problem and it's going to be the wrong one. And now you're actually two steps behind, because you expended those resources solving the wrong sh*t and that’s not useful.” (1:03:43-1:03:51 | Dan)
• “We're not clear on our future. We don't have that goal, and we're just doing the busy work. It just goes back to a very basic but powerful concept of, ‘you’ve got to keep your vision in mind’.” (1:14:05-1:14:22 | Andrew)
 
Connect with Andrew Kinkler:
https://www.apexsteamboat.com/
 
Other resources from Episode 2:Podcast Resources - www.clearingobstacles.com
Coach Dan Kent - https://bestself.coach/
Coach Matt Pierce - IG: @the_owners_coach, matt@ownerscoach.biz
Book: Willpower Doesn’t Work by Ben Hardy
Link to the Expanded “Next Actions”: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ICbZP0tYWBHceoyDIQ1cQzUDspkmddwR?usp=share_link
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Episode 1 – Chelsea Overmeyer

“A lot of times I don’t feel that I am the right person for the job. Like I’m not qualified to do these things I’m trying to do sometimes,” shares Chelsea Overmeyer, COO of Going Electric, an electrical contracting company in Ontario, Canada. Going Electric is a small family business that is doing a great job in terms of providing quality service, but struggles when it comes to generating profit, establishing clear communications with customers, and scaling. Today, Chelsea joins host Dan Kent to discuss where her business is succeeding and struggling in order to identify ways to improve in real time.
 
Chelsea’s goal is to systemize the business and write an operations manual so that she can begin to scale, delegate tasks, and create enough value to be able to sell in 5 years if she should desire to. Currently, Chelsea wears all of the hats at once and knowledge gaps prevent her from feeling comfortable with delegating tasks like invoicing and collections. Going Electric frequently does not generate a profit and to really sort out why, it is important to look at all available financial indicators and to have some sort of system in place for tracking and targeting. While speaking with Dan, Chelsea realized that hiring out is actually an investment rather than just another expense, especially if she hires someone who can complete the tasks more efficiently than she can. 
 
In order to clear obstacles and help your business thrive, you must have some kind of system in place for tracking and easily viewing your finances. It also is helpful to have your systems and processes in writing so that you can delegate tasks to others without risk of knowledge gaps.
 
Quotes
• “My long-term vision, as I imagine most business owners' visions are, is systemizing the business and writing down the processes that we have that are just verbal at the moment, but also creating more processes to be more in tune with our customers and to provide them more value.” (9:24-9:50 | Chelsea)
• “If I'm not as efficient in doing that task, then it makes way more sense for me to hire someone who is more efficient.” (58:00-58:08 | Chelsea) 
• “A lot of times I don’t feel that I am the right person for the job. Like I’m not qualified to do these things I’m trying to do sometimes.” (58:34-58:42 | Chelsea)
 
Next Action Items - Abbreviated, with a more comprehensive “prescription” attached at clearingobstacles.com
• Create a dashboard for your finances 
• Interview 2-3 accountants ideally from referrals 
• Nail the written estimates with room for adjustments as needed
• Set up job costing
• Follow up on collections
• Begin delegating 
• Triage your task list
 
Links
Connect with Chelsea Overmeyer:
Going Electric Website: https://goingelectric.ca
Going Electric Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goingelectric.ca
Clearing Obstacles Website: clearingobstacles.com
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Welcome to Clearing Obstacles

Welcome to Clearing Obstacles – The podcast for Leaders, and those that want to be. It can be a lonely journey when you find yourself confronted by challenges in business.
Taking the lessons he's learned along the way in his combined 50-plus years of experience, your host Dan is ready to unpack common business challenges, from real-life situations in a way that’s both relatable and actionable for you.
Dan will introduce you to other professionals like yourself who share in your struggles along that path to a healthy business and a healthy team. But then he'll also share the way out of those struggles, by clearing the obstacles at their origins, and helping you Get There, From Here.