How to Build Your Dream Team and Scale Your Company with Allison Maslan: An EOFire Classic from 2021

0:01Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation! JLD here and welcome to Entrepreneurs on Fire! Brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals with great shows like Imperfect Action. Today we're pulling a classic episode from the archives and we'll be breaking down how to build your dream team and scale your company. To drop these value bombs, I brought to Alison Maslin and the EO Fire Studios. Alison is the CEO of Pinnacle Global Network, is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Scale or Fail, which was endorsed by Damon John and Barbara Corcoran, and has built 10 successful companies, her first at age 19.

0:35And today, Fire Nation, we'll talk about scaling is replicating your offering so it can grow beyond you, find your multiplier. We'll talk about how to remember that every huge success started in phase one, stay focused and don't let anyone tell you it can't be done and so much more. And the big thank you for sponsoring today's episode goes to Allison and our sponsors. Success Story, hosted by my friend, Scott D. Clary, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Success Story features Q &A sessions with successful business leaders, keynote presentations and conversation on sales, marketing, business, startups, and entrepreneurship.

1:07In a recent episode, Scott brings Kate Bradley on the show, founder and CEO of Lately.ai, to discuss the best ways to use AI to create content. Listen to Success Story wherever you get your podcasts. Want to meet me, JLD, in person? Attend Clay Clark's two-day interactive business workshop and meet me, Tim Tebow, and Clay Clark this June. Experience the highest-rated business workshop in America and hang out with me in person at thrivetimeshow.com slash EOfire. Again, that's thrivetimeshow.com slash EO Fire. Learn more and request your tickets at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO Fire. Allison, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with.

1:52Oh my goodness, John. I'm so excited to be here. And let's see. I would say that you don't need to work night and day to create great success. That success actually comes faster when you're applying creative strategy instead of the nonstop hustle that you hear about. So it's about working smarter, not harder. And in scaling, which is my thing, you want to be asking yourself, what's going to make your boat go faster. So getting where you want to go in the most direct route possible, rather than pedaling as fast as you can 24 seven and burning out like a lot of business owners do. Fire Nation, I love this, this creative strategy, because so many people like Alison just mentioned, they're just nose to the grindstone.

2:49They're never stopping. They're never even stopping to breathe or think like my best ideas come during my morning meditations, come during my morning journaling, come during my morning walks. And I'm just like, oh my God, like that is going to allow me to scale, to leverage, to grow. Like that is the thing. And so instead of doing things just like peddling faster and faster, no, now I'm like really understanding which levers to pull to really make things happen in my business. And as you heard in the introduction, Fire Nation, we're talking today all about how to build your dream team and scale your company.

3:24So Allison, And let's just start with the basics here. What exactly is scaling? Break down the actual meaning. Yes, because people often misuse the term scale, John. They think scaling means just fast growth. And the truth is, if you grow too fast without the foundation, knowing how to build a team and delegate and have systems and processes in place, you can actually implode your business. And if you're the one that is delivering the product and service yourself, you really cannot scale. So you have to shift your model. So scaling is finding your one to many. And what I mean by that is replicating your offering, your product or your service, so that it can grow beyond you.

4:12So then it's multiplied out to the market. So your impact is bigger. Your profits are much higher. and what I mean by finding your multiplier on the revenue side of the business you can have like memberships or franchises or software or certifications or upsells or on the team side of the business you can scale by building a team managed company so for instance in the early days of my coaching business that I run now pinnacle global network I was doing all the mentoring but there's only so many hours in the day, so I could only help so many people. But now I have 18 mentors who've all built very successful companies and they work with our clients.

4:57So it's just, it's so much more expansive when I replace myself. So it is about finding that multiplier and growing the business beyond you. And it doesn't matter whether you have a product or service, the same applies. I love that one phrase that I want to make sure that you're absorbing and really thinking about Fire Nation, find your multiplier. And everybody's going to have a different multiplier. Everybody's going to have that different lever that they can pull that's going to multiply the opportunities. And I love that example Allison gave. She's now groomed 18 mentors. So now when she's talking to me, I guarantee a bunch of those mentors right now are making her money by mentoring others.

5:42And so it's not always Allison having to be doing the time for dollars, only making money when she's doing the actual work. And so this is a great example and a great way to think about finding your multiplier. But let's be honest, timing is everything. It's so important to know when it's the time to scale. So how does one know, Allison, when it's time to scale? Can you share some of the key indicators is it will tip people off that yes, now is the time? Yes, and it's such a great question. Oftentimes a business owner gets good traction out of the gate. And then what happens is that they hit this wall of growth and they can't get over it.

6:26So they keep working harder, keep hitting that wall and they might grow incrementally or they might stay stuck, but they're not getting the big growth. And they just think, I'll just work harder And many people don't take a vacation for years and the business is running them instead of them running the business. And they get exhausted and they get burned out and even jaded. And so there's this idea of what got you here will not get you there. Now, you don't have to wait till you hit that wall. So that's great that you're listening to this interview so that you can plan for that scaling sooner.

7:04but for instance a client of mine his name is Marshall Doyle he has an engineering company called CalCert they do machine calibration and he had 30 employees but he was still had his hands in everything he was afraid to let go and he hadn't taken a vacation John in 20 years you can imagine his very patient wife so we helped him scale on the revenue side adding more revenue stream, getting him out of the way, replacing himself. Now he has only works 90 minutes a week. His business has grown by millions of dollars and he has many more employees, but basically the business runs without him. And a much happier wife, which at the end of the day, fire station, let's be honest, that's important.

7:58Your significant other needs to be happy for all the obvious reasons. So we just talked, Fire Nation, about how to know when it's time to scale, some of the key indicators that are going to be there. Do you want to share any other key indicators, Alison, before we move on? It's just really where you've run out of bandwidth, and you have hit the ceiling in your growth, like your profits have stalled. And there's a point where you just can't even take on any more business, then it's time to scale. Or if you are at a place you're just like, you know what, I really want to multiply my growth, then you've got to find your multiplier.

8:43And like you said earlier, you only need one multiplier. And that's what we help our clients do is to figure that out. But it's when they are ready to take the big leaps in their business, create a much bigger impact in the world, and then it's time to scale. Fire Nation, find the multiplier and then understand by identifying these key indicators when it's time to scale. But let's be honest, Alice. It's not just like, okay, I'm scaling. Okay, I've scaled. No, there's different stages in this scaling process. So I I would love for you to go through these different stages when it comes to scaling.

9:25Yes. So there are five phases and this is part of a method that I developed that all of our mentors work with our clients on called the scale it method. And so every business goes through these phases and you might even relate to have been there yourself, John. But phase one, I call the seeker. And that is when you start your business. You're out of the gate. You're super pumped up. You're so excited to get your product or service out in the world. But it's pretty much you doing everything. And every business starts at this place, but you absolutely cannot scale in phase one. Phase two, I call the seeker.

10:09And in the seeker, you are starting to get good traction. You might be in the five, even six, uh, in the six, uh, figures in your business. And you probably have a few employees, maybe an assistant, maybe an accountant or in a marketing person, but you're still approving every single thing that goes in and out of your business. You're, you're kind of, uh, you know, being a bit of the control freak, which we've all been because we're afraid to let go and afraid for people to make mistakes because it's our baby, but you're choking the growth of your business. And again, phase two really isn't scalable because you're the one delivering your product or service.

10:55Then when you move into phase three, if you move beyond this, I call this the ringleader. And this is where it gets fun. and I call it the ringleader because it's a bit of a circus in phase three because you start to build teams in your business. You might have an admin team or a marketing team or a sales team or customer service and teams can often be like families and sometimes families don't always get along and so yeah and you're also you're you're growing and you might not be super clear on the roles you need to fill. So instead of just quickly hiring somebody because you don't have any time left, you want to stop and think about what is this role?

11:44What are the expectations of this position? What is our culture? What is the type of attitude that I want this person to have and so forth? So the ringleader is when you start to really build these teams. But it's also a good phase two because you get more clear on your vision. You see the potential for the growth of your business. But the key to move from phase three to four is that you've got to shift from being a boss to being a leader. And so that means instead of telling people what to do, you want to inspire your team into action. And that's a whole different experience. and you've got to stop the micromanaging because it's not fun for you and it's not fun for your team.

12:35And you'll start to really attract leaders when you build a team around collaboration and communication. And that moves you into phase four, which I call the co-creator. And that is when your team steps up as leaders and they start asking the important questions like how do we increase profits? How do we create a better customer experience? And they really step up and own the vision and run with it. And that's where you start to step back and you're working more on the business than in the business. And then you move into phase five, which is why we get into business in the first place, which is where you are the visionary of your business.

13:19And it's basically able to run without you. And you're just working on creative strategy. You're out building great relationships with people or on their podcast. And then the business can run without you and you can go on to the next project, you can sell the business and you have a lot of options at this point. Fire Nation, I love how Allison breaks it down into these five steps. I mean, you start with the seeker and then number three is actually the ringleader where you get to stop micromanaging and build a team around collaboration. Then the last step, step five is the visionary where you actually, again, get to come on podcasts and be that visionary going forward.

14:00Like that's a lot of fun for all the obvious reasons. And let's be honest at the same time too. There are times you need to realize that, Hey, the person that brought a business from zero to a million dollars may not be the person to bring the business firsthand from a million to 10 or from 10 to a hundred million or so on and so forth, if that is the goal of your business. And so there may need to be different roles for you for obvious reasons as well. And Allison, we're going to take a break in a second here and then really end this episode strong with where most people actually get stuck when it comes to scaling and a few other things I want to talk about.

14:38But first, do you want to wrap up anything when it comes to these five steps? The most important thing and why I love to share these five phases is that oftentimes people will get stuck at, let's say, phase two or three, and their business just lives there for years, like seriously, 10, 20, 30 years, and often dies there. So if you just recognize that these are phases, not a place that you have to stay stuck at, and understand with some tweaks and getting the right support that you can quickly move on to the next phase. And, you know, life gets so much easier when you're able to do that. Fire Nation, it gets easier and it just gets a little funner and it gets a little freer.

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18:32Become the next success story and request tickets to join Tim Tebow, myself, and Clay Clark at the June Business Conference today at Thrivetimeshow.com slash EOFire. So, Allison, we're back. And as I kind of teased before the break, I want to talk about where most people get stuck when it comes to scaling in their journey. Yes. So, two things. One is that the biggest thing is that we have a hard time letting go. Like I said, it's our baby. We started the business. And if that is all of your income, you get a little fearful that your employees are going to make mistakes and you'll lose a client or the product will break down.

19:19And you're literally on top of your employees. you're having them CC you on all the emails and, or maybe you're just afraid to step back and have a team work with your customers. And you think that you're playing it safe. You think that you're being smart, but you're actually choking the growth of your business and you're playing small. And it's, it's really not fun operating that way, but I, it is seriously, I have heard this over and over year after year. And I had a hard time with this early on in my business as well, until I learned that when you do let go, you know, you actually empower your team.

20:05And sometimes they can even do better than you, you know, and then you can really start working on the things in the business that you love. So that's the first thing. The second thing is, like I said, in the phases, is making that shift from boss to leader. And that means you've got to work on your own leadership. And I know you're big on this, John. And your leadership is how you show up with your team, how you show up in the world, your own success mindset, your own money mindset, the way that you communicate to your team. And your job as the leader is to raise the vibe with your entire team.

20:47So if they're having a tough time, your job is to shift the energy and get everybody back and connected to the big picture vision and where you're headed in your business. So this really takes a commitment for us to work on ourselves because if you want to grow, for instance, 40 % in your business in this next year, then you as the leader need to grow 60 % to be able to carry that 40%. Fire Nation, so many value bombs here. So many great takeaways. You need to learn to let go. If you are going to be scaling your business, you need to be able to shift from boss to leader and ask yourself questions like, how are you showing up in the world?

21:37Now, Allison, you're one of the best in the world, talking about the world, and helping people make this transition, build this process. Obviously, your five-step process is incredible for obvious reasons. How do you specifically help people overcome this process? So in my company, Pinnacle Global Network, and this is my 10th company, but for the past 11 years, my team and I, these awesome mentors who've also built their own very successful companies, we help our clients grow and scale utilizing our proprietary method, the scale it method. And so year after year, we have our clients continue with us and we help them to structure their business, move to that next phase of growth, find their multiplier and build this team managed company so that they can replace their, their themselves, get their lives back, get their sleep back and just enjoy their life again.

22:40I mean, whether it's a digital business, brick and mortar, consumer goods, product, manufacturer consulting, we just really help them scale. Fire Nation, if you want to learn from the best, if you want to go through a process that's going to help you find your multiplier, go through those five stages, avoid, of course, getting stuck where most people get stuck. Allison is going to be a great guide for you. So Allison, what I want to do next is really end with a bang. Give us the one takeaway that you really want to make sure Fire Nation gets from all these awesome value bombs you share with us today.

23:20I know you have a special gift and call to action for Fire Nation. So share that and then we'll say goodbye. Yes. I just want to say for all of the business owners that are listening, oftentimes we look at other business owners and we say, you know, they can do it, but I don't know if I can. And I will tell you that every business owner has gone through those types of feelings. But I just want you to know that every big, big success started in that phase one. So stay focused on that goal, walk towards it every single day, and don't let anyone tell you that it can't be done. So I just want to make sure everyone feels inspired that they too can grow and scale the business of their dreams.

24:10And the gift that I would love to share is my scale it method quick start guide. It's kind of like the cliff notes to scaling. I don't know about you, but I like the cliff notes. I like to get right to the point of it and they can go get that for free. It's my gift at scaleorfail.com forward slash fire. Scaleorfail.com slash fire. And just one more time, Alison, kind of break down what they're going to get when they arrive at that URL. They are going to be able to quickly download our scale it method quick start guide. So all of the steps that you need to scale your business will take you through the scale it method, which covers strategic vision, cash flow, alliance of the team, leadership, and execution.

25:03Everything they need to get started in scaling. Wow, Fire Nation, it's all in one place. And you know this, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And hello, you've been hanging out with AM and JLD today. So let's keep up that heat. Head over to eofire.com, type Allison in the search bar and the show notes page will pop up with everything we talked about here today, links, timestamps, you name it, it's there. And of course, your direct call to action, Fire Nation, your one single action today needs to be to head over to scaleorfail.com slash fire. Get all these amazing goodies from Allison.

25:42Some of you I know are gonna take that next step and work directly with her and her team to make sure that you are scaling the right way. Allison, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we will catch you on the flip side. Thank you. It's been great. Hey, Fire Nation. Today's value bomb content was brought to you by Allison. And one thing that I learned over the years, successful entrepreneurs, they are productive, they are disciplined, and they are focused, which is why I created the Mastery Journal, which is a gorgeous full leather journal that will ensure, Fire Nation, that you master productivity, discipline, and focus in 100 days.

26:20Visit themasteryjournal.com. Use promo code podcast for a$15 discount as a thank you for listening to my podcast. And I will catch you there or I'll catch you on the flippity flip side. Success Story, hosted by my friend Scott D. Clary, is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network, the audio destination for business professionals. Success Story features Q &A sessions with successful business leaders, keynote presentations, and conversation on sales, marketing, business, startups, and entrepreneurship. In a recent episode, Scott brings Kate Bradley on the show, founder and CEO of Lately.ai, to discuss the best ways to use AI to create content.

26:56Listen to Success Story wherever you get your podcasts. Want to meet me, JLD, in person? Attend Clay Clark's two-day interactive business workshop and meet me, Tim Tebow, and Clay Clark this June. Experience the highest rated business workshop in America and hang out with me in person at thrivetimeshow.com slash eofire. Again, that's thrivetimeshow.com slash eofire. Learn more and request your tickets at thrivetimeshow.com slash EO fire.