Have you wondered about the ways Director of Operations (DOO) students are integrating what they learn in the program into their lives and their businesses?
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We have a special guest today, someone who has become a fast friend of our community, and a very successful student. I’m excited for you to hear about her experience and how she is navigating life as a DOO. Moira Cleary was a super star within our program because she completed both of our tracks (employee track and business builder track).
Meet Moira Cleary
After 20 years as an entrepreneur in the online world, our guest today, Moira Cleary, pivoted to a space she has longed to be – focusing solely on operations. Today Moira (more-a) works at a job she loves, creating strategic efficiencies, running the day to day operations and treating customers as family. But after living in the online space for so long, she found it hard to just walk away. Which is where her company comes in. Systemize Ops helps purpose-driven, small business owners, who view technology as a necessary evil, to become more operationally-minded. Through her VIP weekends she evaluates current systems + develops strategic plans that can be implemented come Monday morning. Best of all, it is in a way that makes sense to the owner! When not working Moira is frequently found taking long mornings, visiting her daughters many states away and killing every plant she used to enjoy watching grow!
Tell us about your “hybrid business”
- She is both a DOO employee and an entrepreneur
- She was excited to do both tracks once she figured out she could
- She didn’t want to build a huge business, so the mentors helped her figure out what it would look like to build a business that worked for her
- She decided to focus strictly on Strategic Mapping™
- She does a few weekend projects each month in a VIP format
- She is open and flexible about where this is going to take her
“Being flexible, being open, and knowing that you’re going to continue to navigate as you move forward is truly a reality.” – Natalie Gingrich
What is your role as an employee?
- She started a year ago at a non profit which sells products to earn money
- She manages the customer service, sales, and manages the digital mechanics of product sales
- They have a 3-5 year plan to add two employees under her and she is creating SOPs
- She noticed the DOO program and realized it would be a great fit
“I wanted to come in and learn what I didn’t know that I should know.” – Moira Cleary
Why were you interested in the certification?
- She knew that her company needed to track finances and KPI’s
- Those were the toughest modules for her
- She really enjoyed the organizational design and HR modules
- She had a lot of questions that were answered by the team, and joined once the time was right
“What I loved as I was going through each area was the instructors because when we did the case studies, they would answer me in the same way that my brain works.” – Moira Cleary
“Our expert coaches are really helping you to integrate this knowledge so that you can put this back into your business or the businesses you are supporting.” – Natalie Gingrich
How or what from the certification have you been able to apply to your employer’s business?
- She has applied everything!
- She started applying Strategic Mapping immediately
- It is now integrated into their project management tool
What has your leader noticed in your performance?
- She makes those WOW statements quite frequently 😉
How are you planning to get the word out about your own business?
- She has decided to join some online networking groups
- She has a goal to test out 2-3 and join one or two
- She’s making sure that she is meeting people that she enjoys being with
- A combination of both online and local
“It’s not just about networking it’s about the connection first, and then if something comes of it we can start a conversation.” – Moira Cleary
If a potential student was hesitant, how would you guide them?
- Timing is everything
- Find your rhythm, apply it and test it, then come back with questions
- It was so much fun to learn and bounce ideas off of others
Connect with Moira
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