Latest / The Delegation Download Podcast / Strategic Planning in Action: Insights from a Business Owner's Journey with Rachel Cosgrove

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Strategic Planning in Action: Insights from a Business Owner's Journey with Rachel Cosgrove · The Delegation Download Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to the Delegation Download Podcast.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: We are wrapping up the strategic mapping series today, and in my opinion, we saved the best for last.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: And instead of teaching today, we are zooming out.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: We wanted to bring in a real life business owner who has done the hard work of learning how to plan strategically and not just react, and who can speak to what it's actually like from the inside.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: Today we are joined by Rachel Cosgrove, co-owner of Results Fitness, one of the top gyms in the country, and co-founder of Results Fitness University.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: Rachel has truly walked the walk when it comes to shifting from operator to C.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: And we are excited to have Rachel on, specifically because she's gone through strategic mapping with Ashley, not once, but twice now.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: So she has a really unique vantage point.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: She's lived the work, she's seen the difference that it makes in your business, and she can also speak to both the big picture philosophy of strategic planning and what it looks like when you actually sit down and do it.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, Rachel, welcome to the podcast.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'd love for you to introduce yourself to our listeners and tell us a little bit more about you and your business.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to be here.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for the opportunity to share.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, we've worked with Ashley.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: So we opened our gym 26 years ago, brick and mortar.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_02: And then our second company is a coaching and consulting company, which we opened, gosh, 15, 16 years ago.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_02: So we've been doing this business thing a while.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_02: Uh and Ashley came into the picture to help us out with some strategic planning.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_02: I can't even say the word, strategic planning as we were coming out of the pandemic and trying to get our clarity on where to go next.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yeah, definitely been, you know, applying a lot of what we've learned from Ashley, and I'm excited to share more about that.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I know that you also talk a lot about strategic planning with you in the university side of things and the importance of it.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I really think that you bring such a great perspective from all angles as well.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: So we're really excited to talk with you today about the planning, the leading, the growing a business, and just a real life look at uh what it means to truly commit to the strategic side of being a CEO.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of people struggle with that.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: So for us, for the listeners who have been listening to this entire series, everything that we've been talking about so far, and thinking, okay, what does this actually look like?
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we're gonna dive in today.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm really excited about that.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, Rachel, the first question I want to ask you is if you were to go back to the beginning, you have built something remarkable.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: You just said 26 years in business.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's really incredible.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: What if you were to look back and walk through what your role looked like in the beginning, in the early days, and how it's evolved over time as a CEO, you know, what we all, what we all thought it looked like in the beginning to where you are now.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, what does that evolution look like to you?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: In the beginning, I think we all start business because we're passionate about what it is we're doing, whether that's helping people, changing lives, for us, obviously introducing people to fitness and you know, giving them a different experience than maybe they've had at other gyms.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so, as personal trainers, when we first opened, not CEOs, we knew very little about running a business.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, we had to kind of figure it all out on our own and uh pretty quickly figured out we did not know how to run a business.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_02: But we, you know, we were really good at training people and really good at getting results and really good at, you know, helping people to change their lives.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think, you know, for many small business owners, I think that's a common story.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we get into business because we're passionate about what it is we're doing, but we don't think about learning the things to, you know, to get the business running so that it runs, not dependent on us, and is going to lead us to a bigger picture, you know, a bigger uh lifestyle, you know.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so one of the first things we do with the business owners we coach is what we call lifestyle design and really just like what's an ideal day like for you?
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think a lot of people don't think about that.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like when you're opening your business, like, what is the end goal?
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_02: You know, what do you want your schedule to be like?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, how busy do you want to be?
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, where's your sweet spot in the business?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_02: And so figuring out like what is an ideal day for you and your business and really taking some time to figure that out so that you can build a business that'll support that life instead of your life supporting your business, which is what most of us do in the beginning.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, our life kind of revolves around our business and we, you know, kind of do whatever it takes.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but there is a point where you have to start to figure out what is the life I want to build instead of the business I want to build.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_01: And I think you you said it at the beginning, but you start the business because you're passionate about something.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: People who start a business and and keep it going were not lacking passion because that is in the forefront of everything.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: And so I think that I would love to know from you what point in the 26 years that you guys have been operating a business has anything felt reactive and unclear?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then you knew that something had to change in the way that you were leading the business, your employees, and everything that goes along with it.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, we've had a lot of moments, but I think, you know, we all continue to have moments, which uh, you know, now and then we fall into that reactive state.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: But um, there's some very clear moments for us.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: Definitely back in the day.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we were, my husband and I were both coaching, you know, we were personal trainers working with clients one-on-one, and we had full schedules, 5 a.m.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: till 9 p.m., you know, wherever whenever you want to train, I'll take you.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, we'll do it.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and we were both working long days and we got to the point where our schedules were full, so we hired our first trainer and we were excited to bring our first employee on board and started to get her schedule full.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_02: And we were not realizing, you know, we thought, oh, great, you know, we'll pay her, you know, a really large percentage of each training session.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: And we got to make this extra money, you know, this little bit of money on top of, you know, that we weren't even working to uh, you know, but here we are, you know, working all these hours.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: And she came in and started working, you know, a part-time job, coaching some clients that were coming in because they, you know, we had built demand.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: And uh time went by and she came up and she was like, We were in the meeting in during this, we had been driving a Dodge Shadow that my parents had purchased at an auction as our anime as our wedding gift, and part of our, you know, congratulations on getting engaged gift.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, they were like, Here's your, you know, our you know, we got you guys a car because we didn't have a car.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: So we're sharing this Dodge Shadow that they bought for like a thousand dollars at an auction.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, we're like thinking, you know, we're living the life, we own a gym, you know, and it was a convertible Dodge Shadow, so it was pretty cool.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_02: You know, we got our convertible and we're driving to the business, and um, then she drives up in her brand new Ford Explorer, and she's like, Hey you guys, I just bought a new car.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: Come check out the sound system.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_02: And we like, we go out and we look like I remember my husband and I just looking at each other like, hang on, like this is like an like a really, really nice car that I know she bought with the money that we've been paying her, you know, to like something's not working.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: Something's not working, because here we are working these 12-hour days, struggling, you know, just trying to make ends meet.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and you know, when so that was one of those mo like you have those moments, you know, where you're like, wait a minute, something's not working right.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how come you're driving the brand new, really nice car and I'm working twice as much and I can barely pay our rent right now?
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_02: So that was one of those moments.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so that was really a change, you know, turning point for us.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: We're like, okay, we need to figure something out.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_02: We need to start to learn how to set this business up so that it's gonna be able to grow, you know, and scale beyond the two of us.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, how do we, you know, bring team members on and start to really, you know, build this as a scalable business?
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_02: And so that started our path on learning how to run a business.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: You wanted to know how you got that car with the sound system too, and how you could how you could get two of them, not just one.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and she can have one.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_02: I just we gotta all, you know, like we gotta be in on this.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of those moments that hits you and you realize that like that aha moment, like you said, that it started out as a passion project and something you're really excited about.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And you realize that the the back end, the strategy, the the the figuring the financials out and all that just didn't have your attention until then is what it sounds like.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: That that like you said, you want her to have that car, but you also want to have that car.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: And something in like in that side of the business needed attention.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So there's a lot of lessons along the way, but uh that's that's a good story.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so we started reading, you know, our bookshelf quickly went from all fitness and training books to let's start reading some business books.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: And we started to read, you know, all the business books we could.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_02: We started to attend, you know, conferences and study from you know, business consultants and business coaches, hired our first business coach and started to invest in learning how to run a business.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, I remember I went to our first business coach.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: I like he had a two-day seminar and I went to learn and I went by myself because we couldn't both take time off.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: Of course not, because you know, the business won't little collapse if we both leave.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: So um, so he stayed and worked, and I went to the conference and I came home like like with all these ideas, like, oh my gosh, you know, stayed up all night like creating our employee manuals, and like, you know, he's like, What happened to you?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: I remember he was just looking at me like, okay, you are like, we're gonna put systems in place, and we got we're gonna systemize this, we're gonna systemize that.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna write our whole employee manual.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm I like literally like was, you know, like, oh my gosh, I have the answer, you know.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so like I think when you start to figure out, okay, you know, this isn't working, I need to start figuring out who knows how to do this, and let me start to learn from them so that I can get the things in place to make this work.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: No, when you hear you've done a lot of strategic like planning within your business throughout the years.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, you're talking about going to different seminars and reading different books and everything like that.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: But when you hear the words strategic mapping, strategic planning, what does that actually mean to you now as a business owner?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: And how has that definition changed over the years?
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: I think uh now, so what does that mean to me now is helping to sort through all of my ideas to figure out which ideas we need to move forward with now.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so it is good to have outside.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_02: It was great to work with Ashley because she could help with, you know, an outside perspective.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_02: Because us as entrepreneurs, we have all of the ideas.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, there's no shortage of ideas, and you know, so it's like, and you know, my husband's an idea guy as well.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like he's a big idea guy, so like he's constantly throwing ideas at me and they're all good ideas, so it's like, oh my god, we need to do that, we need to do that.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm an implementer, so then I'm like, oh, I'm overwhelmed.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: I got all these ideas, and like I don't, you know, like I can't do all of this, you know.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_02: So uh it's like because I have to do all of them.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I think strategic planning for me now is really a way to sort through those ideas and go, okay, we're gonna put these over here on the parking lot, we're gonna, you know, move forward with these because these are actually gonna help get us to where we want to get to faster, and really making sure you have clarity on what are the things we're focusing on now and not trying to do all the things all the time.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think that's you know the main thing that it, you know, it helps with now.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: And I've actually realized over time the parking lot stuff never is gonna get done because you basically find other ideas that come up and so it's okay, but at least it's there in the parking lot.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: It makes me feel better that like they went onto a parking lot and they're sitting there, but they're never we're probably never touching them because there's just more ideas that always keep coming.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: So it's funny because we visit, we I I relate to that.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: We visit our parking lot lists every quarter and just verify is this are there is there anything here that we want to pull into it?
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it's actually kind of fun to see the ideas that we leave there and you know how it evolves over time.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we keep it there for nostalgic reasons sometimes, but it is interesting to see how things progress.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I I think it's it is still a necessity to have that parking lot list because, like you said, when you have no shortage of ideas, it just needs to live somewhere, otherwise it'll keep occupying your brain space.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so you do need to put it somewhere, but it is fun to visit those those ideas that we've come up with over time.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: And it makes you feel better that like it's there if I ever decide I want to do it.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_02: You know, exactly.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, you end up with more ideas that just they just keep coming.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's it's true.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: Well, so there is something that we see time and time again with business owners where I think we convince ourselves that we're being strategic when really we're just reacting to the next thing and we actually aren't following the plan.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And you kind of just spoke to that a little bit.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: But what is your experience when you think of, you know, just reacting to things versus truly acting strategically?
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think it's usually what I see is when like people are struggling financially or, you know, like they start to get into a panic mode.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: So they start to get into a fight or flight, like, you know, oh my gosh, like let's do something now, you know, and so then it starts to spiral of throwing, you know, stuff at the wall that, you know, maybe you haven't really sat down and thought about or you haven't really, you know, uh communicated to your team about, uh, but you're just trying to get ahead, you know, and and there's it's it's a hard balance because I think sometimes, you know, if you know you do need to make up a you know a financial gap and you are trying to figure out what is going to be that next step to do that, and you do want to take action fast, I think as entrepreneurs it is a hard balance to go, well, I know we didn't plan on this, but you know, like this, I you know, this might be what we need to do right now to, you know, so and I think that's when you can get into that reactive mode.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes you know, sometimes you have to do it.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like I, you know, I mean, I know when the pandemic happened and all of our businesses shut down, like that was reactive as can be.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_02: And a lot, none of that was planned.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_02: And it was literally just like, okay, let's like throw this at the wall and see if this works and let's try this and you know, let's pivot and do pivot, pivot, pivot was like the word of the century that, you know, during that.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: And uh a lot of that I had no, you know, I was like, I'm leading business owners while I'm trying to run my brick and mortar and trying to lead my team at the brick and mortar with a plan that nobody had, you know, like I don't have no plan.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, it was literally just reacting.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think there are times as the leader when you do have to, you know, lean on your intuition, lean on, you know, what you know, what your what your gut is telling you.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and if you do have a game plan in place and thing, you know, but something happened, life changed, you know, circumstances changed, something's different, then there are times when I do think it's okay to shift into that reactive mode while, you know, starting to get things in place to figure out how do we get back into a proactive mode.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, I definitely hate being in that reactive mode, but I feel like that does happen, you know, now and I think it's you know, like I think as entrepreneurs, like we we have those growth, like when you're in a growth mode, things can get reactive because you're growing.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: And like you don't always know the problems that are gonna come up when you get to a certain level, you know.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_02: So like if you're gonna tackle those problems, sometimes you do have to to handle, you know, whatever it is that's coming at you.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: And then I feel like after you go through a growth mode, every single one of us has to like take a minute to stabilize and go, okay, like let's just hang here for a little bit and let me let me get, you know, make sure everything's in order.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: Let me get my strategic plan in place, which was when we brought you into the pictures, like, okay, we need to like stabilize for a second and figure out what the game plan is, and then and then we go back into growth mode.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, that's part of business.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that recalibration after a season of needing to be reactive or needing to tackle things by like fly by the seat of your pants type of thing.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I think you said something really important is that I think when you have to be reactive, because you're right, there are times where you just have to be, you have to react to whatever the situation is, as long as you are following your intuition and your gut.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: And something that I will say about that, and I'm sure you can feel it too, Rachel, is I'm so grateful to have a team who knows our vision, our mission, our core values, because being able to to when you are do need to be reactive, being able to lean on each other and help each other follow, still like yes, react, but and handle however it needs to shift and pivot, like you said, but still within what you built this business to be, right?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: It does help not react emotionally, I guess is what I'm trying to say.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that it's so important to not react emotionally, but still to react and be quick to act completely outside of the plan, but still within alignment of the business.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that it goes to this is pretty off topic, but I'm just it makes me think of how important it comes to hiring and bringing on people of your team who truly live and breathe the reason why the business exists.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: I think that really helps during those times.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: Cause that's, I mean, your core values and your culture and you know your vision are your backbone.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, if you haven't taken the time to do that and really think through like, what do I stand for?
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_02: Who are we?
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: Why do we exist?
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: Then yeah, then you then those reactive decisions can really, you know, start to take you in a direction that's not who you necessarily want to be, you know.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's a good point is making sure that you do have your backbone in place, you know, that you do have that, you know, strong, you know, base of your core values and your culture.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: That that way, if you know, your your plan isn't going perfectly and you do need to, you know, shift, um, you still have that solid base.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because nobody's run, you can read a book on how to run a business, how to grow a business, but nobody has ever run your business before.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody has ever grown your business before.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody has ever experienced what you're experiencing within your business.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: I tell my girls that I have three girls and I tell them that all the time.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: I've never parented a 12-year-old before.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: I've never done this before.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_01: There's nobody that's telling me how to do this.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: And then when your sister's 12, I've never parented her as a 12-year-old before because you guys are all different.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: So sometimes there are those things that happen within a business, within life, that there is no, there's a guideline, but there is no rule book because nobody has ever experienced it before.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you have to pivot and you have to react in that very moment.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you as the leader, as a CEO, or that's part of your job, right?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_02: Like to know what's best for your business and know what decisions you need to make quickly.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_02: And then everyone's looking to you to to know what, you know, what direction do we go.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: And so that is up to you.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_02: And so you do have to, you know, be confident and clear on okay, this is what we have to do.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I realize this wasn't part of our plan, but this is still in line with our core values, it's still in line with who we are, and this is still in line with our mission of where we're going.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: We just need to pivot and go a little different direction than we had planned.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think for business owners, like you were saying, you have a plan and sometimes you have to pivot, but another part of that is being strategic on a regular basis.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd love to know how you have built that into your rhythm with your business.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: Are you guys meeting monthly to talk about things, quarterly?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: How often are you revisiting what your plan is for the year?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: So we, I mean, I meet daily with my manager and we, you know, do a daily debrief.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: So, like, you know, you get you have your bigger plan.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_02: So over the year, here's what we want to want to accomplish, or even your life plan, right?
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_02: This is the life I want to create.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then you break that down.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_02: And that's like we actually with our training programs, we do the same thing.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_02: So, what is the goal you want to accomplish?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_02: You know, oh, a year from now, I want to be here.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, then you know, let's break that year-long goal down.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: Let's say you want to do your first chin-up in a year.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: Great.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_02: Then let's break that down.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_02: Where do we need to be at six months?
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: Where do we need to be at one month?
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_02: Where do we need to be at one week?
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: You know, what do we need to do today in your workout to make sure that in a year from now you're gonna get your first chin up?
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, it's the same exact process that we use when we design a training program for somebody with your business, with your life.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Where do I want to be in a year?
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_02: You know, okay, then where do I need to be at six months?
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: Where do I need to be at one month?
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: Where do I need to be at a week?
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_02: And then down to the day, you know, okay, like every day.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: I spend time every morning looking over where are we at?
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_02: Are we where we need to be?
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_02: You know, yes or no, what's working, what's not.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: Am I focusing on what I need to focus on?
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_02: Because that's so easy if you don't take that time in the morning to like get yourself focused to get pulled in every which direction.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_02: And then the end of the day, you're like, huh, that was a busy day, but I actually made no progress, you know?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: And so instead, like I love my early morning time because I can actually get a chunk of work done, like moving forward on whatever it is I need to move forward on.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then if the day takes me in every direction, cool, you know, because I know I got done what I needed to get done.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_02: So like every day I check in, and then we have like a quarterly all-team meeting where our entire team meets, and then we have weekly our coaches team, our coaching team meets.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: I try to nail my husband down for a meeting, but our meetings usually end up happening more like, you know, sporadic.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, that doesn't happen as sit down and we're having a meeting every once in a while, like, all right, we're gonna sit down and talk about our, you know, our funnel right now.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: He's like, No, I don't want to talk about our funnel today.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: I think, you know, if you don't think about what you need to get done today, then the days add up, the weeks add up, the months add up, and then the year shows up and you're like, huh, never actually did anything.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: So it's really making sure you're doing what you need to do each day.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Something that we do is exactly like I like the way that you broke it down because you can have a vision and a goal that you want to get to eventually.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: But if you don't break down what needs to happen to get there, it will always feel like this far attainable goal or unattainable goal, this this vision, this dream really.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think when you break it down into what that looks like and micro attainable milestones to get there, it does feel one, more attainable, and two, it also feels a lot more motivating.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, also, we meet to review how we're doing.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like you mentioned, like looking at your metrics and things like that.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think metrics are a huge thing.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: So breaking down all these goals into measurable things that you can actually see progress or lack thereof, so you can pivot.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, so I think it's it's making the plan, but also breaking it down and looking at it constantly and pivoting and taking a lesson learned where you need to, or a celebration where you need to as well.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I think breaking it down into things that you can look at weekly, monthly, quarterly, and like you said, with your team as well, and making sure that everyone is buying into it and understands what.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: What worked, what didn't, and all of that, I think, is critical to achieving this strategic plan.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to create the plan and then just let it sit there because then it just is it's just a pretty piece of paper at that point, right?
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: So I agree.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to know Rachel as someone who, you know, started the business out of a passion project, as a person who was excited about fitness and all of that, and then having to pivot and step into the CEO role.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: And now you clearly, like you said, you're the implementer, you're on your boots on the ground, getting things done, a lot of back-end work, a lot of decision making, a lot of implementing.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: What was that like for you, that shift and the like what felt hard about it before you started doing this more strategic planning piece?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think it's always easy for any of us to get pulled back into our business.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's the I can do it better, let me just, you know, get out of my way and jump in and do it.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I think, you know, I even have tendencies of that, you know, you like like so you have to always remind yourself like me jumping back in doesn't necessarily fix anything or get us any closer to where we want to go.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, if something's not working, making sure you do, you know, look at okay, does my team have the system that they need to follow?
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_02: Do they have the resources they need?
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_02: You know, do they have the skill set to be able to do the job, you know, and and really looking at, you know, how can I make sure that my team and empower them to be able to, you know, do the job even better than you could do it.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: And so I think learning how to hire the right people, like the people piece is huge as you're moving into a CEO role.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like we have so I so we have a program called Coach to CEO.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: So it's personal trainers who are becoming a CEO.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_02: And the first person that they need to hire is somebody like an administrative assistant.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: I know I send a lot of them to you guys to get their executive assistant in place because that's like they think they don't realize all the stuff they're doing, you know, and they're like, well, I'll just do it.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: It doesn't take that long.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'll just send the emails, I'll just, you know, follow up with the clients, I'll just do all the stuff.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: And meanwhile, like they're just running and you know, they're not getting anywhere.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: And so really making sure that you start to, you know, prepare yourself that you do need to add people to your team.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: And you can't get anywhere if you don't start to find the right people.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_02: And so getting those right people on board, I mean, I always talk about being a people collector, like I'm always looking for good people, like even if I'm not hiring, like if I meet somebody who's like, you know, great personality who seems to fit our core values, I'm like, hmm, do I have a spot for them?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like, where can they fit on our team?
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's like because you always want to just be looking for good people.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because then you never, like, you're never gonna, you know, oh my God, we need to hire right now, and you know, you end up making a bad hire.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: So I think if you can master people, if you can master connecting with people, you can master finding good people, onboarding them, you know, bringing on the people that you need that can really become the team that's gonna help to support and you know grow your business and then getting the right systems in place and really having that strategic plan in place.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's the hardest piece is the people.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, I think a lot of people they go, they just start to become the CEO, they start to hire, and then they go, I don't want people working for me.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: This is too hard.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: And like they don't want to do the work to create the systems, they don't want to do the work to really, you know, create the bigger plan.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's easier to just stay in the business and do the thing than it is to, you know, grow the business and start to get people on board that are gonna be the answer to get you to where you want to.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we talked about that last episode about figuring out what you need to stop doing as the business owner in order to continue to grow.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: And everything I'm hearing you say is you need to hire the right person that can do all the things that you need to stop doing at that very moment as a business owner.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I it is, it's hiring is one of the trickiest, the hardest, and the most needed things in a business because it is a people.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: It there's people and people will people.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's the hardest part of it.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: It is, yeah.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: And so it's like if you can get super clear on who you're looking for, like with core values, and you know, that helps.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_02: And then it does, I would say it gets easier as you build your business because you then you once you have a team of people that are like, you know, they're all like, they fit the core values, they fit the culture.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_02: Like it's pretty obvious when you get like a somebody that's a misfit, you're like, yeah, you don't fit.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: Like, nope, not gonna work.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, it's much easier than when you're hiring your very first person and you're just like, you seem cool.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know, I think this will work, you know, and then you're like, wait, this isn't working.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_02: So I it's hard, it's not an easy thing.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think without hiring people in general, you're gonna plateau, like you said.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: So you have people who will hesitate or take it back, you know, and decide not to hire, which is fine, but just you're never gonna grow then, right?
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like because there's only so many hours that you personally have in a day.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so it is scary to hire, but I think people are critical for you to achieve that strategic plan.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: We talk a lot about delegation here, talk a lot about it in the strategic mapping process.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that delegating to your people, to your team, finding finding the skills and the strengths that your team has to help you accomplish all those goals is critical.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's scary.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it there are some lessons learned along the way, but it can be done really well with the right tools and with the right people.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: And really, I think what we've been saying, what I hear us saying is a lot of the foundations need to be set in order for that to be successful.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I think not thinking that you're gonna hire somebody and just like let let them go and you know, like, okay, go, you know, you do have to put time into them.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like you do have to train them, you do have to give them the systems, you do have to like it, it takes work, right?
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: To like bring somebody into your company.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I think a lot of you know, owners think, well, I'm super busy and I'll just get this person hired and I'll just plug them in and then you know, I'll keep doing whatever I'm doing, and like they should be able to figure it out, you know, and like that's where you know time's gonna go by and you're gonna be like, this isn't working because you never actually spent the time to get them onboarded, trained, you know, gave them the resources, gave them this the systems, gave them what they need to succeed in their position.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: So you do have to take that time and make sure that you know you're ready to make that commitment to the person when you bring them on board.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's an investment.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's a business investment hiring somebody.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's an investment of your time as well, because you do have to create all of those systems and train them.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's not it's not a one-way street here.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: Here's your job, this is your task.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: No, you have to make sure that you're giving them all of the tools that they need to be successful within that.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: And ongoing development.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: Like it doesn't stop, you know.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Rachel, I know that you've gone through strategic mapping with us, not once, but twice, which I mean, that honestly says so much about your investment in your business and how seriously you take the work and strategic planning in general.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: But I'd love for you to share with our listeners what drew you to strategic mapping with Ashley the first time, and then what made you come back and do it again?
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, it was really like I said, at the time I felt like I really we really needed clarity.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_02: And it is hard to force entrepreneurs to sit down and actually plan.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'm like she said, I actually teach strategic planning to our business owners, and it's easy to teach.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like, you know, it's easy to go, all right, you guys, you're gonna do this, and here's what we know, I'll walk you through this, and we're gonna figure out your year-long plan and then break it down, and here's what we're gonna do, and then walk away and then not do it for yourself.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: And so that's you know, something that as when I met Ashley and found out what she does, and you know, and then she mentioned the strategic planning, and I was like, I need somebody to sit down and just force myself and my husband, you know, because we're business partners, and like because otherwise our conversations are just yeah, ideas throwing out as we're, you know, eating dinner or whatever, you know, like it just you know, it's who we are, right?
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_02: Like we love what we do and we just end up talking about stuff all the time, but we don't actually sit down and go, okay, what are we actually gonna move forward on?
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: Like, what is the actual thing that we need to, you know?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: So it was really like powerful to be able to have an outside perspective to sit down with us, have a meeting time that we had to sit down and we had to think through what are we doing?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like, where are we going?
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_02: You know, where where do we want to do next in our business?
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: And really have her, you know, help to sort through ideas, give us new ideas, help us with different resources that you know we didn't know and really help us to get clarity on.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, this is the list of things that we want to move forward on.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_02: So, and then we did it again because you know, the first time we did it, it you know, went so great that we wanted to, you know, do it again to make sure that we had a game plan in place, you know, year after year.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a lot to be said about, like you said, bringing in an outside perspective because I truly like like you said, I I do it for other people, but it is very different to do it for yourself.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's something to be said about having having someone else lead it allows you to literally just be present and throw all the thoughts out.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you're throwing the thoughts out and processing it and trying to organize it all at once, it becomes a bit daunting.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you end up feeling stuck.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: And and sometimes, like you said, I asked questions that you hadn't thought of, or you gave an idea that made me think of another idea, but you probably wouldn't have thought of it because you're so close to it.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: So there's just something to be said about collaborating with someone who, even though you know strategic planning very well, it's just having someone else, I guess, lead the framework so you can just be the business owner, not the strategic planner, just the business owner sharing the ideas and all the thoughts.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then I'll I manage the framework and I truthfully need it for me.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_00: So I think there's just something to be said about having someone else lead you through that process and hold you accountable too along the way throughout the year.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I it's I think like a lot of business owners don't realize that investing in something like that is like it's always gonna pay off.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like I I've never been afraid of investing in somebody who does something that that's their expertise.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: They can teach me something, like they can help me, you know, work through a process.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's like you're like you're investing in speed, you know, you're investing in like like anytime you invest in your continuing education, like you're gonna fast track your business and you're gonna fast track, you know.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_02: Otherwise, you're gonna just be flailing and like not, you know, a year later, like, oh, I'm still not where I needed to be.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'm, you know, I'm like, okay, Ashley, tell me what to do.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_02: Tell us, you know, let's go let's sit down, make us do this.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I think that's so worth it to make that investment in yourself and your business to make sure that a year from now you're gonna be where you want to be.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: And it sounds like you need that for for Alan to be to sit down with you.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember it was funny because like you said, I heard so many ideas that you guys had recently talked about, all these ideas, but it's it's the sitting down and the formality of it that is necessary.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: So ideation for a lot of business owners is not the problem.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's just putting it into a plan and then creating an action plan.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: It's those parts, the the unsexy parts, I think, that that uh people need help with.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_00: So well, Rachel, from a from the perspective of just as your business has grown over the years, what would you say are some of the biggest lessons that you've learned about strategic planning in general that you wish you learned earlier in business?
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: Lessons.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um I mean, it's sometimes it's the it's not always the thing that you really are excited or passionate about that has to be your first priority.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_02: You know, like right now I'm working on funnel optimization.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like, not really exciting, but like that's what I know is going to be the thing that if that I make that my priority in the morning and I look at our funnels and I see where we're, you know, what are we doing and where do I need to tweak and what do I need to work on?
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, do I need to tweak my landing page?
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_02: Like, but that's not the thing that if if I just was like running my business not stopping and thinking about like what is gonna be the action that I need to take to get us to where, you know, we do have, you know, X number of people that are signed up with us, you know, that's exciting, right?
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: But this is the action step.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_02: So I think going through the process, it helps you to narrow down that action that you may never think of, that you would never make a priority because you don't, you know, it's just not something that you even would put on your list.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_02: But then you realize, wow, this is actually the thing that I need to make my focus right now in order to get us to where I want to be.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: So I think it's like that's the biggest thing.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: Like I think, you know, we're all good at dreaming, we're all good at, you know, ideas, we're all good at f thinking of, you know, the bigger picture.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe, maybe not, but you know, taking the time to do that, doing the strategic planning is like early in our business, we didn't do that.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: And it's you know, it's funny though, because it's like when you start a business, you have no idea where you're going.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like you're just like surviving, right?
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_02: You're like, okay, get through today.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_02: See you tomorrow.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_02: Get through today, see you tomorrow.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and then every day it's like a new day, and you just you aren't even like you're like, uh, next year, like I don't even know.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I hope we're still here, you know.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like, and so you know, I get like early in your business, it doesn't seem like you feel like I don't need to sit down and figure out next year, because like right now I just need to figure out today and you know, get through today.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so, but I think if you sit down and think about next year, you can get to where you want to be a lot faster, even though it doesn't feel like you know, that's important right now, but that is important.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's always like we talk about the soft stuff in business, like the core values, the culture, the you know, strategic planning, like the stuff that's so easy to procrastinate and like I'll do that later, I'll do that tomorrow, I'll do that next month, I'll do that next quarter.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like right now, I need to be in it, you know.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_02: And by taking the time to do the soft stuff and stop and and hire somebody like Ashley to make you do it, that's where you're gonna really make the changes that are gonna catapult your business.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_02: So if I had done it earlier, yeah, you know, maybe we would be even further than we are now.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: That pandemic sure uh made everyone take a turn.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that what I'm hearing you say is like is the it's it really resonates because we get so excited about various things in our business because again, we built these businesses from something we're excited about.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_00: So it's so easy to spend your entire day doing only the things that excite you and bring you joy, but at some point you do need to focus on the things that will move the needle forward, but you won't have the clarity of what that is unless you make the plan.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you said you started your day or you have been starting your day with this funnel work, and it reminds me of the eat the frog method.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if you've heard of it, where you just have to do the thing that you keep procrastinating needs to be the first thing that you do in the day.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: And how good would it feel to just get that thing done, the thing that you know is gonna move the needle, but it's not really that exciting to you.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: But you just get it done, and then you get to spend the whole rest of your day on the stuff that excites you in your business.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: What a great like bit like business day for us business owners to be able to have the clarity of I got the thing done that I don't really want to do, but it's gonna go towards the plan, and then the rest is gonna just light me up and bring me joy.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: That's the balance that I think we all should seek every day.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, absolutely.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_02: And it's fun when you get, you know, when the funnel is working, and then you know, you start to see the potential clients come in and get it converted and get, you know, come through your funnel, and then you're like, oh, now this is fun.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_02: Never would have happened if you didn't take the time to really sit down and look at, you know, the the nitty-gritty of what needed to change.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I mentioned it earlier, but we talked we talk a lot about like narrowing down your focus as a business owner and choosing what not to do, whether that's you delegate it, you put it in the parking lot, or you just completely toss it out.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_01: Has that been hard for you as a business owner?
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: And how would how do you decide what you're what makes the cut and what doesn't?
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_02: Good question.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_02: I think doing a brain dump of all the things you're doing is a good idea.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think Ashley had me do that when we first started together.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, thinking about like what are all the things that I currently do, what are all the roles I'm wearing, you know, and I think then looking at that list and realizing, okay, what of these things can I hand off?
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like what do I not need to be the person doing?
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, and I think so many of us do things that because maybe they don't take a lot of time and maybe we think, you know, like, oh, well, it's just easier for me to do it.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_02: But the problem is it's taking some time and it's taking some mind space.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_02: Like your mind is the biggest thing, I think, as a CEO, that if you don't start to guard, you know, your brain space and really, you know, use your time and use the the thinking time to work on bigger picture things, then you know, it is going to keep you from like you you're just gonna end up with a long list of things and you end up doing the things that you know are easiest for you or that are, you know, that you enjoy and never really getting to the stuff that's gonna really move the needle.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_02: So I think I think no more than like three, you know, big like I like to only have three big things that I am in responsible for.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_02: Like if I'm responsible for more than three things, then there's no way they're all gonna be done or they're all gonna be done well, you know.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_02: So really like narrowing that down and forcing yourself to narrow down like what are the three things that I'm responsible for in my business?
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_02: And then anything else, I have to figure out who's gonna do it.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: Am I gonna automate it?
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_02: Am I gonna eliminate it, or am I gonna delegate it to somebody else?
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_02: And I mean, there is a lot now with AI that we can automate, you know.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_02: So looking at that as a tool too, to start to go, okay, you know, maybe I can get, you know, this automated so that I don't have to be the one that's doing the thing.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, really, really taking a crucial look at your list and figuring out what are those top three things I think is important.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: We have spent a lot of time going through our commitments as a leadership team and realized quickly that we weren't, like to your point, we weren't moving the needle very far on anything because we all overcommitted.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it was a pattern I think that we got into because we were excited about so much.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think also in our project management tool, the way that we were viewing things, we couldn't actually see the volume.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so when we rearranged it with a whole new view and we could see the volume that we were committing to at once, I I sent a message to everyone, I said, so here's the problem.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_00: But it was like until you can actually see it all in front of you, you really don't realize how spread thin you are.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that that exercise is really critical.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like you said, if you pick pick a couple things that you're really good at or really excited about or that's gonna make a huge difference, keep those only and then figure out what to do with the rest because they shouldn't all be on you right now.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that that is a very good piece of advice that I would say we also learned the hard.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and I know I even learned that while I was working with you at, you know, at the beginning, like every time we'd meet, I'm like, Ashley, we got nothing done.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_02: This is very frustrating because it's like this long list of stuff, you know.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, So by the end, when we, you know, like the last time we worked together, I was like, nope, we're not doing that, we're not doing that, we're not doing that.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like, put that on the parking lot, like, not right now, not right now.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, whittle this thing down to like three things because otherwise, like, what am I supposed to focus on?
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I have this long list of stuff, and you know, I don't like it's not not all of it's not gonna get done.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: So then what am I actually going to do?
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm probably gonna either do none of it or maybe I'll get one of one of the things done.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_02: But most likely if I don't have one thing that I'm like, that's your priority.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_02: Like that's what you're working on.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_02: So the more you can really hone it down, then you can guarantee that you're like wake up in the morning and that is the thing you work on.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_02: There's no questions, you know, this is it.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, there's a lot of brain space that's taken up by looking at a very long to-do list and figuring out where to start.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_00: So to your point, knowing exactly you have no question, no clicking around all over your inbox and your project management tool and your sticky notes, like no figuring out, no time is spent figuring out what you need to do.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: You just know it.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's huge.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that it is easier to, what do they say?
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: Acknowledgement of the problem is the first step, right?
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like real admitting that we have a problem is the first step.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, so realizing that that's happening, and then it becomes easier over time to see it happening and to catch yourself, like you said, to be like, nope, I'm not doing it.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: I know what it was like before then, and I've seen how it is when I'm more focused.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so once you actually do it, I think it does become easier in practice.
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_02: And I think giving yourself, like remembering that you're not gonna, you can like you can do this for three months or you can do this for a month, like make this your priority for a period of time.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you can change it in a month.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_02: Like, don't worry, like you can get to the parking lot.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_02: Not you're never going to, but you can get to the parking lot, you know, eventually.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like, so that you feel like, okay, I can hone in and just do this one thing for a period of time and actually make some good progress on it, knowing that I'm not saying no to the other stuff.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_02: I'm just saying not now, you know.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that makes it easier as entrepreneurs than trying.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_02: I think we just we always will try to cram too much stuff onto our list and be like, I'll just squeeze one more thing in there.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like it'll be fine.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I am so guilty of thinking I have double the amount of hours in a day sometimes.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes current Ashley looks back at past Ashley and is like, how many hours did I think I was gonna have today?
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, but again, awareness is key.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: Awareness is key.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: Rachel, I know that there are a lot of people listening right now who are in the thick of it, just feeling probably a lot of the things that we have talked about, the overwhelm, feeling stuck, pulled in a thousand directions.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say to them about strategic planning?
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I think what are you waiting for?
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_02: Like if you've never done it, you definitely, you know, do it.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_02: Like I think going through the process is something that you don't realize the power of it until you've been through it.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_02: So as much as I could, you know, tell you how powerful it is, like you do have to just go ahead and make the commitment and make the appointment, meet with Ashley, sit down, you know, do the strategic planning because that's where you're gonna really start to go through the process.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_02: And then you're gonna realize, wow, I should have done this a long time.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_01: Rachel, this has been such a powerful conversation.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: I love that you have brought in real life examples of owning a business for so many years that you have been through the thick and the thin and the good times and the bad times.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not what stands out most to me is that strategic planning isn't just about the plan.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's about who you became as a leader as you committed yourself to the business and to your employees and to even your clients that are coming into the gym.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I just I love that you've shown the spades and like I said, in both how it works well and how it does not work well.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for being here.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you've been following along with the series, this episode brings everything full circle because it is what strategic thinking and strategic mapping look like in real life.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, Rachel, for the listeners who want to connect with you and get to know you, where can they find you?
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_02: I'm most active on Instagram.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_02: So jump on my Instagram, rachelcosgrove.co.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_02: That's probably the best place to connect and shoot me a DM and would love to learn more about everybody's businesses.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you again, Rachel.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_00: If this conversation has you thinking I want this kind of clarity in my own business, please reach out to learn more about our strategic mapping process and our get it done services.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_00: And make sure you grab the series three workbook to start applying these ideas right now.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we're not done yet.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: In series four, we're pulling back the curtain in a whole new way.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_01: In series four, we are taking you inside Elevate's own leadership retreat from October of 2025, where we did our own live intensive strategic mapping as a team in person in Nashville.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: You'll hear what it was actually like behind the scenes, the conversations that we have, some of the decisions that were made, and what it takes to lead at that level from all of the team members who attended the retreat.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: So if you've ever wondered how we actually live out what we've been teaching, you won't want to miss it.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for being here with us on the Delegation Download.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see you on the next one.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: And remember, you've got this.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the Delegation Download podcast.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and follow us at Elevate VV Solutions for more tips to help you lead smarter and live better.