9: Mandi Ellefson | How To Become A “hands off” CEO And Have More Free Time

Everybody dreams of a business that can operate without you, but… VERY, VERY, VERY few ever reach that goal. In fact, there’s an entire cottage industry built on the promise that you can run your business from the beach. Today, I’m not going to promise you that, we’re going to deal with something more realistic, that will make your life a whole lot better (and fast). I recently sat down and interviewed Mandi Ellefson, Founder of The Hands-Off CEO. Mandi built a business that allowed her to operate it without being a slave to the business and in the process, she’s figured out how to translate her process to others. In this interview, you’ll hear Mandi share… How to liberate 40-60 hours a month from your schedule (that you can use for the free time, or growth activity) with one simple exercise, in less than 20-minutes… What you need to focus on at each of the critical stages of growth…Zero to $250k, $250k-a million, beyond a million in revenue… Why you should welcome “breakdowns” in your systems, and how to respond to them… How to get growth going again if you’ve plateaued… What’s missing from The E-Myth, and how to find it… The four steps to liberating your time… How to “off-load” decision-making to your team, and feel confident about doing it... Timeline 00:13 Steve introduces Mandi Ellefson 01:21 Mandi tells us how she realized she should be in business for herself. She tells us how when she needed to learn how to code, she did it the old-fashioned way, she went to the library. 07:08 Mandi tells us how her business changed, how she models to other people’s success and her use of mentorship. 9:54 Mandi explains what a Hands Off CEO is and what she can do for you. 11:36 Mandi talks about the common changes that occur when a business first hits the 250K per year mark and afterward the 1m mark. 15:04 Mandi outlines the 4 steps to finding more time in business: Eliminate, Consolidate, Automate and Delegate. 18:42 Mandi “if you're not making mistakes you're not moving fast enough”. 20:18 Steve’s view is that an employee’s mistakes are the price you pay for freedom from work. 21:28 Mandi says why you have to create an environment where your employees can make mistakes. 24:56 Mandi shows us how to break down our business in order to improve it to free up more time. 27:06 Mandi gives us an example of a 3m per year company she helped refine their marketing strategy and how she uses ScreenCasts. 30:53 Mandi give us a great 5 point checklist to find the deficiencies in your company. Mentioned in the show The Hands Off CEO Google Docs www.Handsoffceo.com/roadmap