From Corporate Accounting to Data-Driven DOO [with DOO expert coach Kelsy Schmidt] 

How do you feel about analyzing data? Do you zone out when someone starts talking about data driven decisions? Are you confused about where to begin?

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Today my guest is Kelsy Schmidt, one of the expert coaches in my Director of Operations (DOO) certification program. She is the expert coach in the area of KPIs (key performance indicators) and all things data. 

Whenever I have a new cohort in the program, I always ask them how comfortable they are when it comes to KPIs and data, and notoriously I find that people rate themselves a 3.8/5. I want to help my students feel more confident handling data because to be successful operators, they need to be able to understand how to measure results. That is the ultimate reason I brought on a coach for this specific area.

Kelsy is the founder of Innowik, whose mission is to optimize operations for CEOs and service providers of scaling lifestyle businesses. She does this so they can have more time location and financial freedom. She is a full time RV’er, and certified DOO specializing in overall operations strategy, optimizations with systems and automations and financial stability. She left corporate and ventured into online business in 2018, founded her company shortly after and has been in operation roles for over 15 years. She has also been in systems implementations, business process automation, accounting and reporting and has been a leader of several teams. She RV’s with her husband and young son, with her home base in Georgia. 

Meet Kelsy

Business is about numbers, metrics and key performance indicators. If that is the standard in a corporate setting, we should bring them into small businesses. It will also show your value as the operator in a business. 

By bringing Kelsy on as a coach, I hope to make data more simple and less intimidating.

I want to help people understand how to establish KPIs in their business or in one of their clients’ businesses.

Background 

• She comes from a corporate background: Project manager accounting position most recently, varying operational positions in accounting, managing people, digging into data
• Started RV’ing 3 years ago and learned what the possibilities were for online business
• First failure was trying to fit into an online employee role which wasn’t consistent with the lifestyle she attained to
• Started an online virtual accounting practice for 3 months before she found Natalies program and she started to dream about the possibilities

“Corporate gave me the ability to see where my gifts were and to get paid to understand what I never wanted to do again.” – Natalie Gingrich

How did you get into the accounting world?

• The college she attended was known for their business school, so she started analyzing what kind of jobs would provide a good salary, job security and job outlook; landed on accounting career path
• Accounting clicked, and she is the kind of person who has a spreadsheet for everything

Were you analytical as a child?

• Enjoyed math and organizing things
• Others saw the trait in her, she didn’t necessarily realize it
• Was analytical when it came to sports 

“A key ingredient for operators is being analytical, and there is a difference between being analytical and being an accountant.” – Natalie Gingrich

Tell us about your business today.

• Innowik’s mission is to help other business owners optimize their operations so they have more time, location, and financial freedom
• Do this with strategic input, data analysis and systems and automation
• Allowed her to spend time with her family and RV

Can you share some tips for our audience regarding  KPI’s?

How you can be successful with KPI’s:

1. Be aware that there is a difference between a KPI and a metric
   1. KPI: measurable values that track how well your company is achieving its key objectives. Also has influence on decision making on a company wide level (Performance) 
   2. Metrics act as a supporting role for your KPI’s, and track process (Process)
2. Not everything that can be measured should be measured: you have to understand the business
   1. KPIs take time and resources
3. Make sure your main KPIs come from your main goals, which should be tied to your vision
   1. 1. You can reverse engineer this
      2. Example: You want to double your downloadable products revenue in the next year and scale back on one-on-one sales. Your KPI would be to look at sales dollars per product, and trend that out throughout the year. 
         1. You should see one-on-one sales decrease, and the downloadable products going up
         2. Can add complimentary KPIs to that such as a visibility metric like conversion rate on the sales page for the downloadable product

“Tracking everything means you are focused on nothing… focus on the one thing first.” – Kelsy Schmidt

How do you share your expertise in your current DOO position?

• The certification helped her hone in on her offers
• She noticed a need in the market for the KPI skill set
• Also offers strategic mapping, which helps CEOs develop a master plan and from their priorities she can develop the KPIs to make sure they line up with the vision

What has the certification done for you?

• The mentorship and community of operators: she has found her people and feels super supported
• She broke even in her first month after applying her new offerings
• The confidence: she prices more confidently and is able to turn down clients who don’t align with her values

How have you found DOO clients?

• Word of mouth
• Leads that come through after certification and in the group
• Was able to take an existing accounting client and elevate her role in the business

Contact Kelsy

Website – Grab our free Top 10 Automations guide
LinkedIn

Kelsy Schmidt is the founder of Innowik, whose mission is to optimize operations for CEOs & service providers of scaling lifestyle businesses, so they have more time, location & financial freedom. She is also a Certified Director of Operations, specializing in overall operations strategy, optimization (systems and automations), and financial stability (financials & other KPIs). She left corporate and ventured into the online business space in 2018, and founded her company shortly thereafter. She has been in operations roles for over 15 years, gaining experiences in project management, system implementations, business process automation, accounting and reporting, and supervising teams.

From Kansas and now based out of Georgia, Kelsy is also a full-time RV’er who enjoys nature and exploring the US with her husband, three-year-old son, and pup. She sees her business as a vessel, and is passionate about helping people simplify their lives and businesses, and thus, living life more freely and purposefully. This simplification process (and lots of faith) is what led her and her family to implement their own big life changes over the last few years.

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