It's been a while since my last update, and I wanted to share what I've been up to...
I've made a big shift in how I work with businesses. Instead of purely consulting, I'm now serving as a Fractional Operator for three brands. That means I'm in the trenches, overseeing day-to-day operations and driving growth.
Why the switch?
As a consultant, I kept seeing the same pattern: business owners knew what needed to be done, but they lacked the operational expertise to execute effectively. There weren't enough hands on deck to implement the changes that would drive real growth.
So I decided to become that missing piece.
Here's what's fascinating: across completely different brands, they all need the same core systems:
- Systems to measure performance and maintain healthy cash flow
- Systems to consistently deliver great customer service
- Systems to create and test effective marketing
Speaking of marketing - that's been one of our biggest wins. We've built systems for everything from product messaging to page design to ad creation. Instead of reinventing the wheel each time, we now have frameworks that consistently produce results.
But here's what's really surprised me...
The power of good policies and decision-making rules. I know, I know - "policies" sounds stuffy and corporate. But here's the thing: when you make a decision once and create a clear policy around it, you never have to waste time deciding that same thing again.
It's like creating a "decision machine" that keeps working even when you're not there.
For example, we now have clear policies for:
- When to issue refunds
- How to handle customer service edge cases
- What marketing tests to run (and how to run them)
- When to reorder inventory
Each policy removes a decision from someone's plate and creates consistency in your business.
The result? Things move faster. The team is more confident. And you stop being the bottleneck for every decision.
It's amazing how much easier operations become when you have these foundational pieces in place.
I'll share more specific examples in future emails. But for now, take a look at your business - where are you making the same decisions over and over? That might be your first opportunity to create a policy and free up some mental space.
To your growth,
Deacon