235. Breaking Free from Doing It All with Beth Carter
The CEO Help Desk from Run Like Clockwork
Release Date: 05/21/2025
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 coaching episode, Adrienne Dorison and Emily Doyle sit down with Beth Carter, the "Badass Bookkeeper" and owner of BBA Bookkeeping, to tackle a challenge many business owners face — getting stuck in the doing.
Beth shares how, even with a team of 10 and a seven-figure business, she still finds herself pulled back into production work, limiting her ability to grow and scale.
Here’s what we cover:
✅ Why business owners struggle to stop doing the work themselves
✅ How to identify inefficiencies in your team and processes
✅ When to hire versus when to improve internal capacity
✅ Balancing profitability with growth — without losing control
✅ The power of process mapping to increase efficiency and autonomy
Plus, Adrienne and Emily share strategies to help Beth streamline her business, empower her team, and reclaim her time for high-value CEO-level work.
If you’re ready to stop doing it all yourself and unlock the next stage of business growth, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways you can start using today. Hit play, and let’s get into it! 🔥
Top 5 Takeaways:
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Stop Getting Pulled Into the Doing – If you keep getting pulled back into production work, it’s a sign of a capacity or efficiency problem — not a staffing problem.
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Process Mapping is Key – Mapping your client workflow step-by-step will help you identify inefficiencies and eliminate wasted time.
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Short-Term vs. Long-Term Thinking – Profitability might look better when you’re doing the work yourself, but long-term growth requires strategic delegation and scaling.
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Team Training Increases Capacity – Investing time in mentoring and training your team will pay off in efficiency and long-term profit growth.
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Redefine Your CEO Role – Your highest value work is in business development, not production. Protect your time for high-impact activities.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to Beth Carter – Meet Beth, owner of BBA Bookkeeping, and hear about her current business challenge.
02:07 – The Struggle of Getting Pulled Back Into Doing – Why business owners struggle to let go of production work.
04:46 – Identifying the Root Cause – When staffing issues are actually efficiency issues.
06:40 – Capacity Planning and Time Tracking – How to measure workload and spot gaps.
08:39 – Short-Term Profit vs. Long-Term Growth – How to balance profitability with scalability.
12:06 – The Power of Process Mapping – How to visually map out your processes to spot inefficiencies.
16:42 – Reducing Waiting Time and Handoff Delays – Why reducing wait times increases profitability.
18:52 – Increasing Team Autonomy – How to empower your team to handle more work independently.
21:53 – Mentorship vs. Correction – Why mentoring your team creates long-term value.
27:24 – Takeaways and Next Steps – Beth’s key insights and how she plans to implement them.
🔗 Camp Clockwork – Join Adrienne, Emily, and Beth at Camp Clockwork in 2025!
🔗 Clockwork Time Tracking Template – Start tracking your time to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies.
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