234. More On How To Fix Business Bottlenecks
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
Release Date: 05/14/2025
248. The Illusion of Letting Go
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
After , Adrienne and Emily are back to debrief the conversation — and dig into what it really takes to evolve from a hands-on founder to a strategic leader. If you’ve stepped out of the doing but still find yourself making all the decisions, this debrief will hit home. Here’s what we cover: ✅ The illusion of being “out of the weeds” — and why decision fatigue proves otherwise ✅ How to train your team to spot problems and solve them ✅ Letting go of control… without letting go of clarity ✅ Navigating leadership with a co-founder who sees the world differently ✅ Why...
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247. Leading Beyond the Day-to-Day with Ben and Cody from 5 Star Interpreting
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this coaching episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle sit down with Ben and Cody, co-founders of , to tackle a challenge many visionary founders face: What does your role become when the business runs without you? If you’ve ever felt unsure of how to stay involved at a strategic level without slipping back into the day-to-day, this one’s for you. Here’s what we cover: ✅ Why “letting go” doesn’t mean disappearing ✅ How to build metrics that matter (and get your team to own them) ✅ Navigating partnership dynamics when your working styles clash ✅ Identifying the...
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246. Fear-Based Decisions Cost Your Business Too Much
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
After coaching Lisa Whitehouse on her team and scaling challenges, Adrienne and Emily are back to debrief the conversation — and get honest about how fear, beliefs, and untested assumptions shape our most critical business decisions. If you’ve ever delayed a hire, undercharged for your work, or jumped back into client delivery because “it’s just easier,” this debrief is a must-listen. Here’s what we cover: ✅ Why journaling and mindset work alone won’t help you scale ✅ The numbers that make hiring decisions feel safer ✅ How to calculate your onboarding runway + caseload...
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245. Scaling a People-Powered Sales Team with Lisa Whitehouse
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this coaching session, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle sit down with Lisa Whitehouse, founder of Clever Vine — a UK-based outsourced business development agency — to unpack the mental and operational roadblocks keeping her from hiring and scaling with confidence. If you’ve ever second-guessed whether it’s safe to grow your team, this one’s for you. Here’s what we cover: ✅ What “team trauma” looks like — and how it lingers in your decision-making ✅ Why Lisa keeps jumping back into client work (and what it’s costing her) ✅ The challenge of hiring for soft skills and...
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244. Building Trust After Big Changes In Your Business
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this debrief session, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle break down the key takeaways from their about managing a fast-growing team and handling the challenges of an acquisition. If you’ve ever faced pushback from your team during a big change, this episode is for you! Here’s what we cover: ✅ Why resistance to change is normal — and how to work through it ✅ How to create user manuals to improve team communication ✅ Why you need to frame change around the benefits to your team ✅ How to present new systems in a way that creates buy-in ✅ When saving money isn’t worth the team...
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243. Managing Fast Growth and Change with Robert Gauvreau
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this coaching session, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle sit down with Robert Gauvreau, CEO of Gauvreau CPA, to tackle a major challenge — navigating a fast-growing team and a recent acquisition. If you’ve ever struggled with managing change, integrating new teams, or setting clear expectations, this one’s for you! Here’s what we cover: ✅ How to lead through acquisitions without creating friction ✅ The power of curiosity in change management ✅ Building trust with a newly acquired team ✅ Why user manuals are the key to working better together ✅ How to clarify roles and...
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242. Quality Over Quantity When It Comes to New Clients
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this follow-up episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle reflect on . Danielle shared how she solved one business challenge — needing more stylists — by purchasing a hair school. But with every solution comes a new bottleneck, and now Danielle is focused on recruiting high-quality students to keep her business thriving. Here’s what we cover: ✅ Why buying a school created a new business challenge ✅ How Danielle is rethinking her recruiting strategy for long-term success ✅ Why focusing on high-quality students is more important than filling seats ✅ The role of social media and...
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241. The Recruiting Challenge: How to Attract Top Talent with Danielle Cherewyk
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this coaching session, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle dive deep with Danielle Cherewyk, a former client and successful salon owner, to tackle a major challenge — recruiting high-quality students for her newly purchased hair school. If you’ve ever struggled to create a consistent talent pipeline, this one’s for you! Here’s what we cover: ✅ How purchasing a school created new opportunities (and new challenges) ✅ Strategies for recruiting top-tier students and building a long-term talent pipeline ✅ The power of partnerships with local businesses and high schools ✅ Creating...
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240. How to Deliver Value at Any Price Point
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this follow-up episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle reflect on their conversation with Ryan Koral, founder of Tell Studios, about the challenges of scaling creative businesses without losing quality. If you've ever felt torn between delivering high-end results and making your services more accessible, this one’s for you! → Missed Ryan Koral’s episode? Here’s what we cover: ✅ How to create tiered offers without lowering your brand standards ✅ Why your “6/10” might be your client’s “10/10” ✅ The importance of protecting your QBR (Queen Bee Role) at every price...
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239. Scaling with Simplicity with Ryan Koral
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
In this episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle sit down with Ryan Koral, founder of Tell Studios, to tackle a common challenge among creative entrepreneurs — scaling without losing quality. If you've ever felt like you need to burn it all down and start over, this one’s for you! Here’s what we cover: ✅ How to simplify your business offerings without sacrificing quality ✅ The difference between premium vs. ready-to-wear product models ✅ Overcoming the mindset blocks that stop you from scaling ✅ The power of meeting clients where they are — without compromising your...
info_outlineIn this episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle reflect on a recent coaching session with Leslie Liondas, breaking down how to identify and fix the four core business bottlenecks — Attract, Convert, Delivery, and Cash Flow.
If you’ve been struggling to figure out why your business isn’t growing the way you want, this episode will help you diagnose the problem and create a plan to solve it.
Here’s what we cover:
✅ How to identify which bottleneck is holding your business back
✅ The four core business bottlenecks and how they work together
✅ Why cash flow issues can block other fixes — and how to work around it
✅ When to focus on attraction, conversion, or delivery
✅ How to balance short-term cash flow with long-term business growth
Plus, Adrienne and Emily share real-world examples and actionable strategies to help you streamline your business operations and drive sustainable growth.
If you’re ready to unlock the next level of growth in your business, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways you can start using today. Hit play and let’s get into it! 🔥
Listen to Leslie’s episode here.
Connect with us here:
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Top 5 Takeaways:
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Identify the Right Bottleneck – Fixing the wrong problem wastes time and resources. Pinpointing whether you have an Attract, Convert, Delivery, or Cash Flow bottleneck is key to business growth.
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Solve One Bottleneck at a Time – Trying to fix multiple bottlenecks at once leads to inefficiency and stalled progress. Focus on one area until you see improvement.
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Cash Flow Challenges Are Common – Running out of cash to fix other problems is a frequent issue. Get creative and resourceful to improve cash flow without overextending.
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Conversion vs. Attraction Confusion – A high conversion rate with low leads means you need more traffic. A low conversion rate means you need better sales systems.
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Don't Waste Resources on the Wrong Fix – Focus on the bottleneck that's holding back growth — improving sales scripts when your problem is lead flow won’t fix the real issue.
Chapters:
01:05 – Introduction to Leslie’s Coaching Session – Overview of Leslie’s business and why diagnosing bottlenecks matters
02:28 – The Four Bottlenecks – Overview of Attract, Convert, Delivery, and Cash Flow
04:35 – Why Cash Flow is a Common Problem – How cash flow limits the ability to solve other issues
06:10 – Diagnosing a Bottleneck – How to identify which bottleneck is blocking growth
09:28 – High Conversion, Low Leads – Why more traffic is sometimes the solution
12:06 – Increasing Capacity for Delivery – Why you need to solve delivery issues before growing your customer base
14:59 – Improving Efficiency with Current Resources – How automation and better systems can solve cash flow issues
16:46 – Focusing on the Right Fix – How to avoid distractions and focus on solving the correct bottleneck
18:52 – Testing and Iterating – Why quick wins and MVP approaches are key in early-stage businesses
20:30 – Balancing Growth and Stability – How to maintain stability while increasing business capacity