The Impact of a DOO in a Scaling Business with Erin Weaver & Julie Ciardi

What does it look like for a DOO to show up inside of a thriving business? What kind of impact can a DOO make in a scaling business?

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Today I have Julie Ciardi with me, an old friend who has been on a complimentary path, as well as Erin Weaver, a graduate of our DOO certification program. We are diving into what it looks like to have a high level operator in your business from the perspective of both the visionary and the DOO.

Meet Julie…

I’m Julie Ciardi! I’m a former fortune 500 marketing vice president, and I made the quantum leap to freedom after two decades in corporate. I am on a mission to help thousands of women BEcome her best self filled with purpose and passion. To do this, we must IGNITE her mind, YOUR mind.

…And Erin

I’m Erin Weaver! I’m originally from Upstate NY, I am married and a mom to 2 beautiful kiddos!! I am a Certified Director of Operations, have a background in business, and previously worked in Sales and Merchandising. I took some time away from the workforce and enjoyed 8 years of being a stay at home mom. After that wonderful time with my children, I decided I was ready to jump back in!! I joined Team IGNITE in 2020 and I’m so excited to be a part of this mission to help women create a life of passion, profit, & purpose!!

Erin’s Backstory

Has a background in business and previously worked in sales and merchandising
Was a SAHM for 8 years and started to get the itch to go back to work, but didn’t want a strict 9-5
A friend introduced her to Julie who needed a VA
A little over 2 years later she is Julie’s DOO

What Julie was looking for

Julie wanted someone who was local and who would love her mission and her clients
She knew that she wanted the type of person who was willing to learn
She takes the mission very seriously, and she wanted someone to help her clients know where to go and to make sure they don’t fall, and have the help that they need

“I wanted someone who was going to be my wing-woman, because growing a business has so many facets… and I knew there were some gaps in myself that I wanted to fill.” – Julie Ciardi

What did the progression from VA to DOO look like in your business?

Julie knew she wanted a big brand with lots of impact, and she was open to hiring quickly because she knew that there was no way to do that alone
She wanted to hire someone who would grow with the business
They started at 5 hours a week doing back-end type of work, and it grew quickly
The role expanded quickly and she was DOO within 6 months
They keep the hours at about 30/week
Erin jumped in and could see the gaps and where Julie was struggling
- She would just continue to take on the next thing and they would see how it would go
- Erin does all back office work, and is the client success manager

“Don’t just look at where you are, look at where you are trying to go because you can’t get from here to there without help.” – Julie Ciardi

What Parts of the DOO program were you able to bring into the business?

Erin started with Strategic Mapping, and sat down with Julie to mapped out the year ahead
There is a wealth of training in the DOO certification program: KPI’s, financials, human resources
Julie tries to protect her mind and focus on her areas of genius and leave the DOO details to Erin

“I’ve been able to take pieces of [the training], and bring them into the company to make it run more smoothly… so that we are able to grow this business and support more women.” – Erin Weaver

“When I saw the opportunity with [the DOO certification] it was a no brainer to me, because I can’t teach her this stuff!”- Julie Ciardi

What does your team look like?

They have a DOO, and a Director of Marketing, 2 coaches, and a few contractors for Facebook ads and email marketing
Erin sees them adding a customer support role, and perhaps a community manager as more women join the program
Julie doesn’t want a huge team, but wants to be very intentional about how they are serving their people

What has Erins transformation been like?

The biggest transformation Julie has seen was the shift in her confidence
She was able to see how others were doing things online, and get input from the DOO community
- It allowed Erin to be even more resourceful
- It gave her the tools and frameworks to help the business to be successful
Erin feels like she has grown so much and stepped into a new version of herself
She is excited to keep growing in this role within this company and becoming more of a strategic partner

“Every successful business needs an operator, and you don’t have to go buy one off of a shelf… finding someone who fits your value set and allow them to grow… the return to you is bigtime!” – Natalie Gingrich