RUN LIKE CLOCKWORK: SMALL BUSINESS OPERATIONS

In this episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle reflect on a recent coaching session with Leslie Liondas, breaking down how to identify and fix the four core business bottlenecks — Attract, Convert, Delivery, and Cash Flow. If you’ve been struggling to figure out why your business isn’t growing the way you want, this episode will help you diagnose the problem and create a plan to solve it. Here’s what we cover: ✅ How to identify which bottleneck is holding your business back ✅ The four core business bottlenecks and how they work together ✅ Why cash flow issues can block other fixes — and how to work around it ✅ When to focus on attraction, conversion, or delivery ✅ How to balance short-term cash flow with long-term business growth Plus, Adrienne and Emily share real-world examples and actionable strategies to help you streamline your business operations and drive sustainable growth. If you’re ready to unlock the next level of growth in your business, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways you can start using today. Hit play and let’s get into it! 🔥 Listen to Leslie’s episode here. Connect with us here: Adrienne’s IGRLC IG Top 5 Takeaways: Identify the Right Bottleneck – Fixing the wrong problem wastes time and resources. Pinpointing whether you have an Attract, Convert, Delivery, or Cash Flow bottleneck is key to business growth. Solve One Bottleneck at a Time – Trying to fix multiple bottlenecks at once leads to inefficiency and stalled progress. Focus on one area until you see improvement. Cash Flow Challenges Are Common – Running out of cash to fix other problems is a frequent issue. Get creative and resourceful to improve cash flow without overextending. Conversion vs. Attraction Confusion – A high conversion rate with low leads means you need more traffic. A low conversion rate means you need better sales systems. Don't Waste Resources on the Wrong Fix – Focus on the bottleneck that's holding back growth — improving sales scripts when your problem is lead flow won’t fix the real issue. Chapters: 01:05 – Introduction to Leslie’s Coaching Session – Overview of Leslie’s business and why diagnosing bottlenecks matters 02:28 – The Four Bottlenecks – Overview of Attract, Convert, Delivery, and Cash Flow 04:35 – Why Cash Flow is a Common Problem – How cash flow limits the ability to solve other issues 06:10 – Diagnosing a Bottleneck – How to identify which bottleneck is blocking growth 09:28 – High Conversion, Low Leads – Why more traffic is sometimes the solution 12:06 – Increasing Capacity for Delivery – Why you need to solve delivery issues before growing your customer base 14:59 – Improving Efficiency with Current Resources – How automation and better systems can solve cash flow issues 16:46 – Focusing on the Right Fix – How to avoid distractions and focus on solving the correct bottleneck 18:52 – Testing and Iterating – Why quick wins and MVP approaches are key in early-stage businesses 20:30 – Balancing Growth and Stability – How to maintain stability while increasing business capacity

In this coaching session, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle dive deep with Leslie Liondas to tackle a major challenge in her coaching business — the attract bottleneck. If you’ve ever struggled to bring in the right leads, this one’s for you! Here’s what we cover: ✅ How to generate consistent, high-quality leads ✅ Refining your messaging so it actually converts ✅ The power of effective opt-ins (and why your freebie might not be working) We also get into the nitty-gritty of webinars — how to make them engaging, convert more attendees, and even use AI to streamline your content creation. Plus, Adrienne and Emily break down: 👉 The balance between organic and paid traffic (and why you need both) 👉 Why building trust is non-negotiable in the coaching world 👉 How to maximize your social media presence without burning out 👉 The key to understanding what your clients really need If you’re ready to unlock the next level of growth in your coaching business, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways you can start using today. Hit play, and let’s get into it! 🔥 Connect with Leslie here: https://nexpathcoaching.com/home https://liondascpa.com/ Connect with us here: Adrienne’s IGRLC IGLearn more about Fractional COO here Submit to be a guest here Top 5 Takeaways: Identify the Right Bottleneck – Fixing the wrong problem wastes time and resources. Pinpointing the actual bottleneck is key to business growth. Focus on One Platform – Going all-in on one platform (like Facebook) can drive better results than spreading yourself too thin. Proven Organic Success First – Don’t invest in Facebook ads until you’ve seen consistent success with organic traffic. Create Effective Opt-Ins – A strong opt-in can grow your email list and nurture leads more effectively. Understanding Client Needs – Listening to client pain points helps you create targeted solutions and increase conversions. Chapters 01:52 – Identifying the Attract Bottleneck – Pinpointing the true bottleneck is essential for fixing the right problem and driving growth. 03:11 – Strategies for Attracting Leads – Proven methods for generating consistent, high-quality leads. 05:25 – Evaluating Current Messaging and Results – How to refine your messaging to improve lead generation and conversion. 13:28 – Creating Effective Opt-Ins – Building opt-ins that grow your email list and nurture leads. 18:34 – Utilizing AI for Content Creation – How AI can simplify content creation and repurposing. 24:44 – Webinar Planning and Engagement Strategies – Designing webinars to increase attendance and drive action. 29:44 – Organic vs Paid Traffic – Finding the right balance between organic reach and paid ads. 34:38 – Maximizing Social Media Presence – Strategies to increase engagement and visibility without burnout. 36:11 – Building Trust in the Coaching Industry – Why trust is essential for client relationships and business growth. 39:30 – Understanding Client Needs – Listening to client pain points to create targeted, effective solutions.  

In the very first episode of CEO Help Desk, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle introduce the fresh new format designed to serve overwhelmed small business owners—just like you. Here’s the deal: Each week, you'll hear a real business owner walk through a specific operational or leadership challenge on air with Adrienne and Emily. Then in the following episode, your co-hosts debrief and go even deeper with ideas, context, and strategies to help you apply the same lessons to your own business. Whether you're looking to delegate more, streamline operations, or step out of the day-to-day, CEO Help Desk is your go-to coaching corner. What to Expect: ✅ Coaching episodes with business owners in the $500K–$5M revenue range ✅ Honest, strategic conversations (with a healthy dose of humor) ✅ Tangible takeaways from every challenge we tackle ✅ Behind-the-scenes insight in our debrief episodes ✅ Opportunities to submit your own business challenge for a future episode Think of it as part Run Like Clockwork, part Dear Work Wives — with a side of “passion for yapping,” as Emily says. If you're ready to grow a more sustainable, scalable business without being glued to your Slack channel 24/7, hit subscribe and let’s dive in! And if you want to be a guest, fill in this form!

Play is transformative.  And it's essential for our personal and professional growth that we take regular breaks to play. I know from personal experience that when I incorporated more play and whitespace into my life, my business increased exponentially.  I had more “million dollar” ideas, bigger business growth, came up with better strategies, strengthened my relationships, and found a deeper connection with myself. On today's episode of the Run Like Clockwork podcast, I'm joined by Shannon Claire, an international branding photographer who has worked with entrepreneurs all over the globe, creating unforgettable brands and marketing campaigns that *actually* get attention. We discuss: how playfulness fosters creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills. the misconception that constant work will lead to success why breaks are essential for sustainable growth why capturing transformational experiences makes for the best photos PLUS, we announce that Shannon will be offering a limited number of mini-branding shoots while at camp! It is normally thousands of dollars to work with her, but for Camp Clockwork, you have the opportunity to get in front of her lens for a whopping 3 figure investment! (lol) You'll receive 10-15 fully edited photos that are ready for all of your marketing needs. If you’re ready to get out of your rut, out of your comfort zone, and into a new level for your business (and yourself), you’ve GOT to get yourself to Camp Clockwork! www.campclockwork.com

Are you struggling to free up time, increase efficiency, and reduce key person dependency in your business? In this episode, Adrienne Dorison interviews Alexis Kingsbury, the founder of AirManual, about his journey to creating his solution to those issues.  Alexis discusses the challenges he faced with traditional process documentation methods and how Air Manual was born out of the need for a tool that makes it easy for teams to create and follow processes.  This conversation explores: The challenges of organizing digital workspaces and the benefits of using AirManual. Setting realistic expectations for finding information and improving client onboarding. Delegating hard tasks and making better decisions. How to support team members and create an incredible workplace. Clockwork and AirManual are partnering to provide a one-of-a-kind online masterclass that will guide you from feeling stuck in your operations to achieving life-changing freedom.  So… join us Wednesday, May 8th @ 10 am Eastern for our free webinar "Clunky to Clockwork: How to Make it Easy For Your Team To Do Things The Way You Want Them Done", and get our blueprint for scalable success. In this training you’ll learn how to: Unlock Efficiency: Discover how the "weakest link in the chain" method can resolve your most pressing inefficiencies. Empower Your Team: Learn empowering techniques and tools that foster autonomy and reduce micromanagement. Blueprint to Freedom: Step-by-step guidance on making your business self-sustaining for growth without constant oversight. Achieve Life-Changing Results: Hear real success stories from businesses that have been transformation. Get Immediate Impact: Leave with actionable knowledge and resources for quick, valuable changes. To find out more and secure your space, head to airmanual.link/clockwork

This is our final episode in the Clockwork Book Club, and today we are talking to the Author of  “Clockwork, Revised and Expanded: Design Your Business to Run Itself”… Mike Michalowicz! In this episode, we discuss: What Mike wishes everyone knew about Clockwork The biggest updates to the system since the first edition of the book Why people resist the Four-Week vacation, and how to combat that! Every time we talk to Mike we always glean some new insights, and this episode is no different! You can share your reflections with us over on Instagram --> ⁠@rlclockwork⁠ If you don't have your copy of the book yet, you can grab a ⁠physical, kindle, or audible version here.⁠

Welcome to our breakdown of Chapter 13 of Clockwork, Revised and Expanded: Design Your Business to Run Itself. In this episode, we discuss: Why we encounter pushback How Design can be just as taxing as Doing work Why you need to show up more when building trust  We suggest that you read the chapter and then come listen to this episode covering pages 237-250. If you would like access to our FREE Study and Discussion Guides, and the ability to binge the podcast instead of waiting for weekly episode drops, you can opt into a private feed here → http://www.runlikeclockwork.com/bookclub You can share your reflections with us over on Instagram --> ⁠@rlclockwork⁠ If you don't have your copy of the book yet, you can grab a physical, kindle, or audible version here.⁠

Welcome to our breakdown of Chapter 12 of Clockwork, Revised and Expanded: Design Your Business to Run Itself. In this episode, we discuss our takes on Roberto’s story! We suggest that you read the chapter and then come listen to this episode covering pages 227-236. If you would like access to our FREE Study and Discussion Guides, and the ability to binge the podcast instead of waiting for weekly episode drops, you can opt into a private feed here → http://www.runlikeclockwork.com/bookclub You can share your reflections with us over on Instagram --> ⁠@rlclockwork⁠ If you don't have your copy of the book yet, you can grab a physical, kindle, or audible version here.⁠  

Welcome to our breakdown of Chapter 11 of Clockwork, Revised and Expanded: Design Your Business to Run Itself. In this episode, we discuss: How key metrics help you determine the health of your business What to feature on a high-level dashboard The ACDC bottleneck framework We suggest that you read the chapter and then come listen to this episode covering pages 200-226. If you would like access to our FREE Study and Discussion Guides, and the ability to binge the podcast instead of waiting for weekly episode drops, you can opt into a private feed here → http://www.runlikeclockwork.com/bookclub You can share your reflections with us over on Instagram --> ⁠@rlclockwork⁠ If you don't have your copy of the book yet, you can grab a ⁠physical, kindle, or audible version here.⁠

Welcome to our breakdown of Chapter 10 of Clockwork, Revised and Expanded: Design Your Business to Run Itself. In this episode, we discuss: How key metrics help you determine the health of your business What to feature on a high-level dashboard The ACDC bottleneck framework We suggest that you read the chapter and then come listen to this episode covering pages 172-199. If you would like access to our FREE Study and Discussion Guides, and the ability to binge the podcast instead of waiting for weekly episode drops, you can opt into a private feed here → http://www.runlikeclockwork.com/bookclub You can share your reflections with us over on Instagram --> ⁠@rlclockwork⁠ If you don't have your copy of the book yet, you can grab a ⁠physical, kindle, or audible version here.⁠