Why should a business hire you as a Director of Operations (DOO)? How specifically do businesses benefit by hiring a DOO?
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Today on The Ops Authority Podcast, we are talking about why every scaling company desires a Director of Operations. In this episode we are chatting specifically about the benefits of having a DOO inside of a business. This is a role that has exponential value, and it’s a role that is getting a lot of attention today.
“Support is key for growth, and with effective use of digital marketing we are seeing that businesses are scaling more rapidly than ever before.”
The Benefits of a DOO
Entrepreneurship is at an all time high. As businesses grow faster and faster, they will find that they can only go so far without having really good support. Operators will be needed more than ever.
There are four stages of evolution that businesses will go through:
- Establish
- Grow
- Scale
- Optimize
Each stage requires different structures and support levels, but they are the two things throughout the life cycle of the business. Today’s episode will focus on the role of the DOO and the five reasons that any business that is scaling needs a high level operator.
CEO Sanity
One of the greatest gifts a DOO brings is sanity for the CEO. In the years prior to scaling, it is common for the business owner to work all functions of the business. They do everything from marketing, tech, sales, delivery, customer service, and all operations. As profit allows and growth begins, they will slowly offboard tasks to implementers to allow them to have space again.
As their team grows, they now have several people to manage. With management comes leadership, and they have shifted one pain for another.
“Most small business CEOs are much more suited to market and sell the product/service that they are providing than having the expertise of establishing operations.”
By bringing in a high level operator they can finally release half of the business responsibilities. This is where they really start to see specific amounts of time come back to them.
Productivity
This is a powerful piece of a functional business and is the ripple effect of bringing on a DOO. Some of the skills that DOOs bring to the table are project management and team leadership. These are often the greatest initial impact that a DOO brings to a business. Systems are set up, a team has a new purpose with support, accountability is set up, and communication amongst the team improves. This translates to massive productivity inside the business.
“Productivity brings ease, and ease brings growth and fulfillment.”
Team Leadership
I have mentored and counseled hundreds of CEOs and leaders, and very few of them enjoy leading people. One of the things that excites them about DOOs is the ability to transfer some or all of the leadership. DOOs ensure their team structure is correct, makes sure the teammates are in the right spot, that they are happy in their roles, and that they are aligned to the mission. DOOs develop and mentor them so that they can grow inside of the company, and provide open communication and feedback functions.
Scale
I define scaling as one that reaches an ease with productivity alongside optimizing team, product, and positioning. A DOO partnership allows for scale. Without a DOO, scale is hard to maintain. You may be able to get your business into a space of scale but holding it there is difficult. We want to continue to optimize, but without a DOO it’s going to be hard.
“Scaling is the beginning, and there really is no end to scaling.”
The Bottom Line
There is no business that wants to make less money. A DOO increases your bottom line in many ways. You are in a high level partnership and a DOO will be looking into your financials to ensure that there are no issues, looking for red flags, and making sure that expenses are contained.
“A DOO can have true financial returns in your business, just by allowing them to see your financials.”
Optimizing is a key skill of a DOO and as teams, projects, budgets, processes are critically reviewed and improved a cost savings will occur. This could play out in several ways: saving hard dollars, automating, improving customer experience and delivery, or increasing customer value. Having someone focused on this work truly does have a financial return.
Soft contributions such as mental energy and stress are benefits of having a DOO as well. The business stays focused and the profits continue to grow.
This is the kind of information you need to communicate in your marketing! Help your potential client see the value of a DOO.
Our 14th round of DOO kicks off in a few weeks. Make sure to join the FB group if you are interested and get more information on our upcoming masterclass.
Weekly Ops Activity
Head over to the FB group and leave a comment letting us know what benefit you as an operator have brought to the businesses that you serve.
Previous Episodes Mentioned
Episode 63: The TIES Method: How an operations expert shows their value
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