EOS, or the Entrepreneurial Operating System, is a complete system or framework that helps businesses achieve their goals by getting everyone in the company on the same page.
By implementing EOS, every team member is encouraged to have an “entrepreneur” mindset, with everyone aligned on the big-picture plans of the company. The hope is that this will drive the company forward when everyone has the bigger picture or the end goal in sight.
But how exactly does EOS achieve this? What’s the method behind it? What does it involve, and how can you introduce it to your company?
Its core purpose is total team alignment so everyone in your business shares the same vision while fostering discipline, accountability, and collaboration.
The system caters to the leadership teams in all business departments, including accounting, marketing, IT, HR, and especially what it calls the “Integrator” (COO) and the “Visionary” (CEO).
Many companies will enjoy the benefits of EOS because it cultivates a transparent and open environment that leads to business success.
The EOS approach also empowers businesses in various industries to thrive, regardless of size, as they work in sync and together towards common goals.
When steps 1 and 2 are established, and both parties agree, the EOS 90-day journey begins, which will be marked by distinct milestones.
Rebecca shared the story of an entrepreneur who had to deal with the fallout from his own limited capacity. Yes, his business was growing, but his small team stagnated, which blocked further expansion.
By implementing EOS, he discovered the power of “delegation and elevation”. He identified tasks he loved and was really good at, and the rest, he farmed out strategically to his team. He then reclaimed his “visionary” role, allowing the company to continue its growth trajectory.
With EOS, roles were redefined, and his team discovered newfound potential within themselves. His business soared, growing from a solo venture to a team of four, doubling in size within two years.
This real-world success story illustrates how the focused strategies built into EOS can restart growth and innovation in any company.
The EOS Accountability Framework will track numbers that show good work, like being on time for 12 days straight or wearing uniforms daily.
EOS also has a “Scorecard” tool that will help you track your progress over the next 13 weeks. You’ll immediately see if something’s off, and your integrator can help you fix it. These numbers will then live in a live document that will change as the company grows.
Measuring accountability focuses on what counts and ensures everyone works towards the same goal.
Kathy (host):
Well, hello there, and welcome back to another episode of “Help! My Business is Growing” – a podcast where we explore how to grow and build a business that is healthy and sustainable. I’m your host, Kathy Svetina, a fractional CFO and founder of New Castle Finance, a company where we believe that everything that you do in your business will eventually end up in your finances. And to get to healthy finances is, of course, to have a healthy business. But how do you even get there?
Kathy (host):
Well, this is where this podcast comes in to help. Because not every company can grow a strong team that is cohesive, collaborative, and most importantly, accountable. And for those who are lucky enough to have this in your business, I can guarantee you this with 100% – they are way more profitable and financially healthy than those who don’t.
Kathy (host):
So how can companies actually make this happen? And how do you build an operational structure or framework that can help your business grow and achieve all of these goals? Well, one way is to implement an EOS or Entrepreneurial Operating System.
Kathy (host):
EOS is not a typical business playbook, but it’s a complete operating system that gets everyone in the company on the same page. It’s about having every team member from top to bottom, think like an entrepreneur – the goal is for them to roll up their sleeves and tackle problems head-on instead of being mired by standards. Because EOS is all about pushing the company forward with the big picture in mind.
Kathy (host):
And of course, you know, if your question is like mine was – how does this really look like in practicality? Like how does it look like on an everyday basis? Well, you’re in luck, because we’re going to break that down in today’s episode, and we’re going to be looking at the details – how does this truly truly look like?
Kathy (host):
As a quick reminder, all the episodes on this podcast, of course, including this one come with timestamps for topics that we discuss, and each one has its own blog post too. So if you want to read this instead of listening to it, go ahead and click the links in your show notes. And it’s going to take you directly in to the blog for this episode with the transcript as well.
Kathy (host):
My guest today is Rebecca Finken. She is a professional EOS implementer with EOS Worldwide, boasting nearly 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur. She resides in both Las Vegas and Prescott, Arizona.
Kathy (host):
In 1994, Rebecca and her husband embarked on their entrepreneurial journey by establishing a commercial janitorial business in Las Vegas. Like many other entrepreneurs, they encountered both successes and challenges. And in 2008, they faced the possibility of losing their business.
Kathy (host):
However, their fortunes changed when they started implementing Entrepreneurial Operating System or EOS. And the couple wasted no time in adopting the tools, which resulted in their most successful year, with a notable increase of a million in their bottom line.
Kathy (host):
Rebecca now takes great pride in her role as the implementer and has been instrumental in sustaining their momentum for over three years now. Her client base spans across Arizona, Nevada and Colorado, and she is willing to travel to serve them.
Kathy (host):
Join us!
Kathy (host):
Welcome to the show, Rebecca.
Rebecca (guest):
Thank you. Thank you, I’m really glad to be here.
Kathy (host):
Yeah, I’m really glad to hear because we’re going to be talking about something really, really important. You know, I work with a lot of growing businesses, and they’re generally between three to 10 million in revenue. And they all seem to have this common challenge in their operations – they have to find the right team, the right team structure and create that accountability.
Kathy (host):
And of course, when those two are right, it shows on their profitability, because that’s higher, too. And as I always say, on this podcast, everything that you do in business, it’s going to eventually end up in your numbers. And that is so true for these businesses.
Kathy (host):
So you know, it’s like they’re caught in that tricky middle ground, because they’re too big for ignoring it and hoping that they will go away. It never does. Spoiler alert! But they’re too small to copy that infrastructure of a big corporation.
Kathy (host):
And EOS is one of those tools that can give them that structure to help them. So Rebecca, you help implement EOS with your clients. And you also use it in your own business successfully.
Kathy (host):
So let’s start at the beginning here. For those who are not familiar with EOS, can you give a brief explanation of what it is and who it is for?
Rebecca (guest):
Sure. So EOS stands for the Entrepreneurial Operating System. And so we work with our clients to help them get better at three things we call vision, traction and healthy – so vision meaning everyone in the organization rowing in the same direction, knowing where they’re going, most importantly, how they’re going to get there.
Rebecca (guest):
Traction is instilling discipline and accountability throughout the organization. So everyone knows what the vision is, what the target is. And they’re all working together as a cohesive, fun loving leadership team to get there.
Rebecca (guest):
And, you know, healthy just looks like liking the people that you work that you’re around every day on a daily basis and having fun and being able to collaborate successfully and with a positive outcome.
Rebecca (guest):
So that’s kind of that’s how we work with our clients, what we want them to get out of it. And then the teams, they work with the leadership teams of the organization. So the five major roles, which would be accounting, maybe marketing and sales, it HR, those types of functions, and then the integrator, which is like the CEO, so that’s the glue that holds the organization together. And then likely, there’s a visionary or a founder of the company, and that’s the CEO. And that’s the person with the big ideas that created this whole thing that loves the big relationships, but does not like like to be in the trenches, that’s for the the integrator.
Rebecca (guest):
So those are the structures for the organizations and the types of companies, you know, we just say we like to work with people that are open and honest with themselves and those around them. And we’re pretty industry agnostic. So it works for any type of business between five and about 250 employees. Now, it can work for smaller companies as well as larger ones.
Kathy (host):
And how does that work look like? So I assume that there are some type of quarterly check ins that there’s some kind of an implementation. So can you walk us through? Like, how does this if someone has to implement the EOS in their company? How would that really look like?
Rebecca (guest):
Yeah, so we have what we call a proven process. So that starts with what we call a 90 minute meeting, which is where we show you how we work with our clients. To implement Eos, we get to know a little bit about them, we talk about us and where we’re at what we’ve been up to. And then we show them the tools. And that’s kind of getting into the, you know, the process and the how, and so what that looks like is 90 minutes of my time I give to help them make a decision on whether EOS is right for them, if I’m the right, EOS implementer for them, and vice versa, because it does work both ways.
Rebecca (guest):
And then if they agree to work with me, then we set out on a journey for the next 90 days, which looks like a focus day, which we cover the five foundational tools, which includes hitting the ceiling, helping them to take a look at that and see if that’s where they’re at, teach them a couple of other tools to get them started on their journey.
Rebecca (guest):
And then about 30 days later, we meet for a vision building day one. And that’s where we get through about half of what we call the vision traction organizer. So that’s we start to build out their vision, with their core values, their core focus, their marketing strategy, their 10 year target, or five year target depending on how far out they want to go. And then their three year picture. So that’s painting the picture of what they want their organization to look like in three short years.
Rebecca (guest):
And then about 30 days later, we meet again for vision building day two. And that’s when we finish all the questions. So that is the vision traction organizer. So that’s how we get to our vision. So that would be we uncover all of our issues, figure out what we need to solve. We set 90 Day goals for the next 90 days. So they get back to work after that session.
Rebecca (guest):
We also teach them how to have healthy meetings, we call them level 10 meetings so that they can rate them between an eight and a 10 versus a four, which is an average rating for leadership team meeting. And so that completes the first 90 days and from then on, I just worked with them on a quarterly basis in an annual basis. So an average of five times a year after the first 90 days. And so that’s what that looks like.
Kathy (host):
It seems like there’s a lot of tools that you are employing when you’re when businesses are implementing the that in their business. And you talked about a couple of things like for example, hitting the ceiling level 10 meetings, can we dive a little deeper? What does that actually mean? Because these are it seems like these are terms that are very familiar to people in EOS. But for us, we’re outside of Eos can be a little confusing. So let’s first talk with hitting the ceiling. Well, what does that mean?
Rebecca (guest):
So that looks like you’re sailing along you’re making profit, you’re having fun and all of a sudden things stop working, maybe profit goes down, maybe you don’t have the right people anymore, maybe your focus has changed or your long term thinking has changed or the market has changed. And so you hit literally hit a ceiling and you may or may not know that you’ve hit the ceiling. So we teach you how to break through that ceiling. So the term glass ceiling that’s that’s what we’re talking about. And it’s common to hit the ceiling multiple times in you know, a five year period of time you’re gonna hit it you want to hit it because that means you’re Changing, you’re doing things differently, maybe adding services to your business. And so the learning curve means you’re going to hit the ceiling, we just want you to, to learn how to break through it and get past it. Because if you’re just growing flatline, and we’re maybe going down and up and flat, that doesn’t mean that there’s progress within the company. So if you’re going straight up, you’re hitting that ceiling, you break through, you make some more strides to reach for that glass ceiling. That’s what we’re talking about. So we just helped to clarify that show you what it looks like and how to get through it.
Kathy (host):
Do you have any examples of the clients that hit that glass ceiling? And then they were able to break through? I’m interested in what they were really struggling with. And did they first not know about that they were really struggling with it? Or did they figure that out through the work that they did with you? And then how did you guys fix that?
Rebecca (guest):
Yeah, so oh gosh, I have so many examples. I think one is, I onboarded a client with a one-person organization, which is rare, but it can still work. And he knew that if he was going to grow, he had to take off some of the hats he was wearing. And so he had pretty much hit the ceiling because he was, he was where he was going to be forever because there was nobody else to help them, you know, take some of those hats off his plate and do the daily day-to-day tasks. So it was, the company was growing, and yet his team wasn’t growing. So in the first 90 days that we met, he doubled the size of his team. So we went from one to two to four. So he’s been implementing the tools for almost two years now. And so the team of four is there wearing the accounting hats, the operations hats, and the things that he had to do but didn’t love to do. Now he can focus on being the visionary, and, you know, creating that vision for the organization, which is what he’s really good at. And so I just took them through the steps of delegating and elevating, which is one of the tools we teach. So it’s literally four boxes: when you grade out what do you love to do, what do you get out and love to do – those are the top two boxes, the bottom two are the things that you’re not good at but you can do, or the things that you hate to do and don’t want to. So when you dive into that, and kind of assess what you’re doing that you shouldn’t be doing, then you hire to those positions. And it helps to get, you know, the company off the ground in growth mode versus stagnation, which is often what happens. And so he hadn’t realized it at the time. But then once we got through, you know, figuring out what that was going to look like and building out his team, he now can play that visionary role really successfully. And, and they’ve doubled their business in the last almost two years. So that’s really exciting to see. Because I know this really works based on my own experience as well as my clients.
Kathy (host):
Yeah, it’s amazing what actual focus can do and just focusing on the stuff that you’re good at. And some people might say, well, that might be all great, that’s just for one person, but how about when the business then gets a little bit more complex when you have more employees in there, and especially for people that have probably been with you for a longer time, and they may be reluctant with that change. Do you have any stories there?
Rebecca (guest):
Yeah, absolutely. In fact, my own company, because I’ve been an entrepreneur for almost 30 years, we struggled with having the right people in the right seats for a really long time. And that related to no profit. And so ultimately, no one was having very much fun, right? It was horrible, it was grueling. And so once we really started using the tools, like there are assessments out there that are very valuable. But one of the tools that EOS teaches is called the people analyzer. So when you match your people to your core values, you will start to attract the right people in the organization. And then you repel the ones that aren’t a good fit, which is a good thing. And so that tool was pretty instrumental in helping my company get the right accounting person in the right seat, because we hadn’t had that ever. And we were able to hire a salesperson for the first time. So the sales and marketing seat is filled with the right person, and they’re in the right seat. So that’s key to a healthy team, and healthy growth within that team. So that’s how we overcame hitting the ceiling. And at the time, we did not know that we had, we were clueless until we started using EOS and really digging in. That was the outcome. And you know, we still were hitting it. I’m actually just their implementer now because I’ve stepped out of my leadership role, but they’re hitting it with respect to growth, currently. And so it’s great to help them to dive in and figure out what it needs to look like and have people jump in at different tasks to help to create what their visions are because they’ve got the one year plan or three year picture and a five year target. And they’re big numbers and so they know they’ve definitely got to have the right people in the right seats in order to hit those numbers. And they’re committed to creating that great team right now so that they can. So it’s pretty cool tool to use. And honestly, anyone can use these tools there, they’re actually on the EOS worldwide.com website. So you can download them and use them in your business, in your personal life, and kind of drink the EOS Kool Aid.
Kathy (host):
You know, what I like about these, as you’re talking about it is that they are not bandaids, they really get to the root of the problem and fix the problem at the root. Because I’ve seen so many businesses try to just put bandaids on it, it never works, it actually makes it even worse. It makes it a lot more chaotic, because now not only have you wasted time, you’re also wasting money, because now you’re hiring people who are not the right fit. And sometimes businesses even hire people because they think that they need something, and turns out they didn’t need that person at all, it just becomes a really bad situation for everyone – for the business, for the employee, it’s just terrible.
Kathy (host):
So you’ve talked about the people analyzer tool. Is there any other particular tools that you know, you work a lot with these clients? Is there any one of the tools that really stands out for you in terms of how useful it is to the businesses that you work with?
Rebecca (guest):
So it’s more on the subject of people, because that seems to be a big topic in this day and age, it’s a challenge, it’s just everyone’s affected by it. So the tool that we use is called, it’s an org chart on steroids. And we call it an accountability chart because accountability, because it instills that accountability and discipline throughout the whole organization. So kind of touched on it. So it starts with the four to five major roles in the company. Those would be your leaders on your leadership team. And so that structure, as we put people in seats, we define the five major roles and responsibilities of each of those seats. So everyone’s crystal clear. The five major things in EOS, we say less is more a lot, because it’s not about perfection or 100%. It’s about getting you to 80% or better in the six key components, which I haven’t touched on yet. But the accountability chart is just that it’s literally an org chart on steroids, it gets everybody crystal clear. And then they can go out and do their best work and be their best selves in each of the things that they do. And it all leads to the success of the company in the long and short term planning and projecting and predicting that happens in a healthy organization.
Rebecca (guest):
So how does this accountability chart look? So it starts with the four or five major spots on the bottom of the chart. So it would be accounting, HR, maybe sales and marketing, and a couple of operations functions. And then the integrator, which would be the CFO and in layman’s terms and other businesses, we call it the integrator because they’re the glue that holds the whole thing together there, they keep the train running on time. And then in a lot of cases, not all, there’s a visionary. And that’s the person, likely the founder of the company, they have all these big ideas, but they’re not that great at executing them. So that’s why the pyramid goes with them at the top. However, they put those ideas out there and get them on paper, and then everybody else executes on them. So it’s all based on what the vision is for the organization. So that would be the structure. And then they’re all responsible for leading, managing and holding accountable their people that are under them. And that’s kind of a given. And then the different roles and responsibilities can vary depending on the type of company, the size, etc. But that’s how we instill the discipline and accountability piece to keep everybody clear and in their lane so that this whole thing can work, move forward, grow, become more profitable, etc.
Kathy (host):
It sounds very structured. And I absolutely love structure in the business because it keeps everything contained. People know what they’re doing. Like I said at the beginning, it affects the profitability favorably. But there’s a challenge in these smaller businesses that are growing, that they need the structure and when people are not used to this type of structure. So now you’re introducing it, there could be a culture shock. I’ve seen that because before it was a free for all type of thing. And now you’re introducing the structure where everyone is in these boxes. And some of them might see this as a little bit too rigid and they start rebelling against it. Have you had a case like that? And if you did, how did you guys manage it?
Rebecca (guest):
So typically, when you start instilling accountability, it becomes really clear when someone’s not going to be a right fit or right person in the right seat because if they resist accountability, or they just can’t, they like that free for all feeling which doesn’t necessarily work in an entrepreneurial organization. They tend to weed themselves out. So that’s what I’ve experienced is people on the leadership team that don’t love accountability tend to just say, this is not for me, which opens the doors to attracting those that are because that’s how we promote ourselves and then talk about what kind of organization we are. And if you go back to the very beginning, when I talked about the 90 minute meeting, ideally, I do the 90 minute meeting for the whole leadership team, because then there’s buy in versus this, just the integrator or the visionary comes in, hey guys, we’re going to do this this week. And they’re yeah, the flavor of the week, like we’re out. And that’s typically how it’s perceived. And so that’s why I like to start the whole team, this is what this is all about. This is what you’re buying into, or not because it can become clearer in the 90 minute meeting, if somebody’s not all in. So that’s where I like to start, it doesn’t always happen that way. But getting buy in is key to creating that healthy organization, like I talked about – first the healthy piece, which is, you know, everyone wanting to be there, first of all, second of all, liking discipline and accountability, because they know it’s satisfying. It’s just, it’s not for everyone. So that is what typically happens. And so you know, I just walk them through, you know, you can’t get too worked over this, it’s a good thing. You just keep moving right, one foot in front of the other.
Kathy (host):
That’s a good one for you got it. So you said that you have let’s say you do have buy in from all the leadership team, how does it get cascaded down to the other employees? Especially if the company is a little bit bigger? Does the implementer have like an all hands meeting? Or how does that work?
Rebecca (guest):
So typically, in an organization with maybe seven to 10 leaders, I teach them how to drill it down to their direct reports. Now, in one case, they’ve hired me to do that. And so I will do that – we typically meet in the next layer of leaders, we meet for a half a day versus a full day, there’s not as much to dig into, because they’re not necessarily going to look at the scorecard and the numbers, they’re going to look at their people and what number they need to assign to their people to have them be accountable for their position. So we gradually drill it down into the whole organization. And it’s a typical two to three year process, it can be a lot, because you’re already doing you know, the leadership team level, is already got their hands full, they’ve got their fingers in a lot of pots, and they’re attempting to get used to this 90 day cadence, and the meeting pulse and all of that. And so, in about two, two years, we can successfully have drilled it down. And so ultimately, what this looks like is everybody in the whole organization has a number that they’re accountable for, for helping you the leader reach your vision. So that’s what it looks like. And that’s when it’s the most successful – when everyone’s got a number. It doesn’t happen 100% of the time. But the companies that do do it find they have more success, there’s just everyone’s speaking the same language, you know, it’s just easier, your expectations are pretty clear. So I highly recommend it. I’d say 50% of my clients have drilled it all the way down, I have some newer clients that haven’t yet, we talk about it often because they see the value once they get going. And their leaders are grasping onto the concepts and using the tools.
Kathy (host):
So you know, and you talk about that every single person has a number that they own. Is it just one number or multiple numbers? That’s one question. And the other question I have is, what type of numbers are they? Because there could be for example, if you have an accounting team, what is the number that you would give them because it’s harder to assign a number to an employee or a team that it’s more of a back office type of support, versus one that is more customer-facing?
Rebecca (guest):
Right? So the first question, so as an example, a janitorial company, there are janitors, maybe there’s 250 of them. And their number might look like coming in on time for 12 days straight, wearing their uniform every single day, they’ve got the the right number of rags to turn in to be able to get back out so that they can actually do their job with the right chemicals and tools and supplies they need. And in that industry, they also they solve issues, but it may just take them 10 minutes, they don’t have an hour and-a half leadership team meeting, per se because they’re there on the job, they gotta get the job done in a certain amount of time. So that’s how it would look in as an example for that type of company. And the second question, you know, typically, like less is more so at the ground floor level, it’s one to two numbers being at the most because you definitely want them to focus on their position, especially in the cleaning industry. You know, they’ve got a process, they’ve got to follow it, make sure they do it all the way each time. And so it’s not about giving them more to think about or more to do it’s just let’s incorporate something that makes sense in their day-to-day tasks, so that’s why it’s a couple of numbers. Maybe it’s one ideally. And as you go up into the leadership level, then there’s between three to five numbers, maybe in a quarter, sometimes five to seven, on average, it really depends on the trajectory, how the company is doing, are they in a fast-paced environment, things are going pretty quick, or is it a slower build, to get where they want to be? So there’s where it varies a bit.
Kathy (host):
That makes sense. And it sounds like that there, you know, there’s a difference between a leading indicator and a lagging indicator. So a lagging indicator, for example, would be revenue, because you need to do certain things to get to a revenue. And a leading indicator will be something like let’s say a salesperson has to make so many calls in a day to obviously get to that lagging indicator, which is revenue. So it sounds like that the numbers are you talking about? They’re more of a leading indicator type of flavor versus a lagging? Right?
Rebecca (guest):
I think that’s typical. Yeah, I think you’re right. In most cases, that’s accurate.
Kathy (host):
Yeah. And then the the question that I did ask is, for the people who are, let’s say more in the back office type of support, let’s say like an accounting team? How would those numbers look like for them? Or let’s say, an HR team, or someone like that, that it’s not directly related to the revenue or the customer service?
Rebecca (guest):
Yeah, well, so in an accounting operation, especially during tax season, it might be the number of returns that are filed or the number of completed returns, or maybe it’s onboarding new clients, a number of that needs to be assigned a number so that the company is growing. So you can kind of track on a scorecard how growth is going for, like an HR team. There are things like, well, number of recruitment events, perhaps how many responses you got to an ad, but how many positions do you need to fill? So how many applicants do you need to be able to fill that position, so things like that to kind of follow and measure would be numbers for an HR team or an HR department. And then of course, long, you know, keeping people you know, we have in my own company, we have a plan for their first 90 days, because that’s a key piece of time, and to make sure that we’re on track with them, and vice versa. And so how many people stay past 90 days? How many do we lose? And before the 90 days is up? And why? So those kinds of things are really valuable when you measure them and just continually get better.
Kathy (host):
And when you putting these numbers together? Is that do you have a list of things that you have seen what other companies are doing? Or are you looking really at the business? And trying to figure out what are the numbers that will make sense for them?
Rebecca (guest):
And do you work with a leadership team that works on these numbers? They essentially pick whichever ones are the most relevant to them. And they selected them themselves? Yeah, no, absolutely. The leadership team is kind of the who sets the barometer. And what I like to do with my clients, because it can be in this can be a three or four hour process. And it happens in day two of the first 90 days. And so they’ve got to start thinking now what do we need to measure because what gets measured gets done. And so I given them an analogy that the visionary or the leader of this whole team is on an island, and every week they get a piece of paper, and on that piece of paper are between seven and 10, things that are getting measured. And so those are the most important things to make sure that the company is successful and staying afloat. So if something’s off track, or those numbers aren’t where they need to be, then the leader has to come home from the island. So I get them thinking that way. Because it’s the what do we need to measure? And you become really good short and long term predictors in this process? Because I have them kind of back down. So I start with what is it gonna look like in five years? So now let’s just take a five year picture? And what is it gonna look like in three years? And then what do we have to make happen in 12 months to reach our three year picture and our five year target, so I tend to have them work backwards to attain, you know, that that trajectory, and it helps them to really sit down and think, what do we need to measure? What does it mean to look like and these numbers can change, it’s kind of a living document. And then we have a tool called a scorecard. And that gives you 13 weeks at a glance, so you know, if something’s on or off track, and so if it’s off track, that becomes an issue and you got to solve it so that it goes away forever. So you’re not continually dealing with the same issues every single week, you know, week in week out. So that’s how we go about you know, measuring and managing all those numbers in organizations to help them achieve their their vision.
Kathy (host):
As you’re implementing this with your clients, have you noticed that there are repeatedly patterns where people can get off track or they get derailed? I know that when every time you’re implementing something new, there’s pitfalls, you know, there’s, there’s places that you can fall into this hole, and you have to crawl yourself out of it. Are there any particular ones that you have noticed that other people have issues with.
Rebecca (guest):
So I’ve recently a client lost their salesperson, and they got really derailed. In fact, they wanted to cancel their quarterly because they were just overwhelmed. They had so much more on their plates, because the salesperson not only brought a new business, but did trade shows, and all the marketing and things associated with getting new business. And it’s not a huge team, there’s six people not all in the same city. And so they did get a bit derailed, but we just reeled them back in we, we taught them a tool called the eight cash flow drivers. So this helps them to actually have a bigger picture of what they need to measure as far as cash flow, because that was becoming an issue. And so it got them back on track, having their quarterly meeting totally helped them get back on track, because missing that tends to it just perpetuates the derailment, and they don’t get back in and you know, you got to look at what’s working, what’s not working often. So this wasn’t working, we didn’t have a salesperson, what are we going to do about it, it helps to come to some solutions and some issue solving discussion, so that they can get back on track and, you know, fill those holes, they did hire somebody, and that person only lasted two weeks, it kind of took the wind out of their sails. But that’s kind of how it rolls. And so you just got to keep doing things different I coach my clients a lot on you got to do it different doing the same thing over and over is not gonna work. So it can be a process and it can be frustrating for sure, you just have to kind of dig into what the issues are so that you can come up with a solution so that they can move forward and, and stay on pace. Because that 90 day world is really key. Especially like the weekly meetings, that meeting pulse, it brings the team together creates a lot of trust within the organization and the leaders. And you know, that’s where it becomes fun. And you can really make big things happen.
Kathy (host):
And let’s talk about it. I think right now I have heard about a couple of meetings that you have. So you have a 90-day meeting, there’s a Pulse, and there is a Level 10 meeting. So can we talk about the meetings that are in the EOS system? And what these meetings are and how do they differ from each other?
Rebecca (guest):
Yeah, so all the 90-minute meetings would be the introduction, the free meeting that I give you an hour or so of my time to show you how you know us works with clients, make sure there’s a fit here, make sure us is for you. And then the next 90 days or three full days of sessions. So those are what we call sessions. Now within those sessions, we teach them how to have a Level 10 Meeting. So means they rated an eight to a 10 versus a four, which is an average rating that entrepreneurs give themselves when they’re having their meetings. And that’s typically because they’ll identify an issue, they’ll discuss the heck out of it never coming to conclusion never having a plan to solve the issue. And so people leave unsatisfied and frustrated sometimes, and therefore they don’t like meetings. So we create a Level 10 Meeting which is held on the same day, the same time, same leadership team, same place. And the only reason you wouldn’t be there is if you’re on vacation, or your feet can’t hit the ground. So that’s key to get that in place right away so that they can start solving their issues.
Rebecca (guest):
We spend most of the meeting solving issues, we do some reporting to figure out where we are, we do some headlines – things that everyone needs to know that are great or things that were challenges just so that everybody’s communicating – we do a check-in. And that’s how people get closer to their teammates. We also do a personal and a professional best from the previous week. So they get to learn about family and vacations they’ve taken and congratulate them on their wins – big things they made happen in the last seven days. From the check-in to the reporting, then we spend 60 minutes of that 90-minute meeting solving issues. And that’s where the real work gets done because they come out of there feeling like “Alright, everyone’s got a plan.” I know what I need to do to make this issue go away or to create this new scenario.
Kathy (host):
So what I hear is that there’s there’s a quarterly meeting, and then there’s a weekly meeting, but there’s nothing that you would have every month as a recap of what happened in the previous month. How far along are you in the quarterly goal?
Rebecca (guest):
Not typically, the reason being is we don’t want to load them up on more, you know, things. So the weekly meetings give them a real pulse on what this quarter is going to look like. Because if an issue or if one of their 90-day goals is off track, that’s going to derail the results at the end of the quarter when we meet. And so that becomes an issue. And so they dig into that issue and figure out why it’s off track. Is it because it’s too big of a goal? Does it need to be broken down into smaller bite-sized pieces? Do more people need to get involved and take different aspects of this to make it a success at the end of this 90 days? So those meetings are really key to really dig into what’s working, what’s not working so that they can uncover their issues and solve them forever. Because it’s like beating a dead horse. Right? You can’t get much done when you’re talking about the same issue week after week.
Kathy (host):
After I mean, it takes so much energy and so much brainpower to talk about the same thing. And then before you know it, it feels like a Groundhog Day.
Rebecca (guest):
Yep, exactly.
Kathy (host):
So Rebecca, this has been an absolutely fantastic session about EOS. And I really liked all the tools that you talked about. We talked about, you know, accountability, we talked about a lot of things. But if someone, let’s say is listening to this, and they’re like, well, this seems like a thing that I want to implement. But there’s a lot of stuff here, I have no idea where to start, what would you say it’s a next actionable step that they can take in the next week or two.
Rebecca (guest):
So if anyone wants to work with an implementer, depending on their region, you would love to work with anyone who’s open, willing, and wants to take on this process. But if you go to EOSworldwide.com, there’s a myriad of tools. So you can request an implementer, then you would tell them what region you’re in, whether you would be willing to bring somebody in and pay some travel fees, because that’s an option if they’re not in your backyard, or find somebody that’s in their backyard, so to speak.
Rebecca (guest):
They can also if they want to get more familiar with the process, there’s the book Traction, which Gino Wickman, who founded EOS, wrote, and in that it’s kind of the EOS Bible. So it goes from start to finish what a journey looks like. And all the tools are there as well. That’s a great way to start and kind of dig in. Next, you know, it’d be just scheduling a 90-minute meeting, figure out if an implementer is the way you want to go. And then there is a Traction Library as well. There are about seven books in the library, and they address all different types of groups.
Rebecca (guest):
So one is for the employees of a company. So it’s what the heck is EOS, it gives them a real kind of a hands-on approach. And it’s a fable written with a company that ran on EOS and the struggles and the challenges and the process of it all. And so that’s a great book for employees to read.
Rebecca (guest):
And then the other thing we deal with is the visionaries and the integrators. And so there’s a book called Rocket Fuel. And that deals with the relationship between the visionary and the integrator. And there’s an assessment you can take to make sure that you are the visionary or the integrator in the organization and you get a score. And it also dives into what those tasks roles and responsibilities really look like. You know, the visionary should not be in the trenches. The integrator should be making sure the trains are leaving the station on time. And they shouldn’t be in a sales seat or creating big relationships. That’s the visionaries’ job. So it gives them clarity on each of those roles.
Rebecca (guest):
There’s another book that’s fairly new called Process. It really delves into the process component. And before I go any further, I failed to say that the EOS model, this is what this whole thing is based on. So the model consists of six key components. So it starts with vision, then people, and then data. And when those three are strong, it tends to flush out your issues. So then we have the fourth key component is the issues component. And we have the process component. That’s what everybody’s doing. They’re doing their tasks the same way, invest in the right way every time. And then there’s traction. So the traction component is how we realize the vision.
Rebecca (guest):
So most entrepreneurs don’t realize their vision because of weakness in the traction component. And so we help them to get to about 80% strong in each of the six key components because then they’re well on their way to realizing their vision and getting what they want short and long term. And so each of those, we teach a different tool each time we meet. And so the tool will likely be related to things that they’re struggling with. So if it’s a people issue they’re struggling with, we do maybe the people analyzer or some other tools, delegate and elevate. So that’s kind of how that works. And I wanted to get the EOS model in there because that is how this whole thing runs. And so strengthening the six key components is the key to getting what you want.
Kathy Svetina:
Great, thank you so much, Rebecca, and where can people find you?
Rebecca Finken:
So I am at EOSworldwide.com/rebecca-Finken, and it’s F-I-N-K-E-N is my last name. If you put in either Las Vegas or Arizona or Nevada or Arizona, I should say my name would pop up. There are a lot of implementers in Arizona. However, there are four women strong in Las Vegas. So either of those places they can find me and my email is rebecca.finken@EOSworldwide.com. And that’s also a great place to find me because I’m constantly checking emails, making sure I’m communicating.
Kathy (host):
And we’re gonna put all of the all of the books, all the resources, all the URLs at Rebecca’s contact in the show notes, and thanks so much, Rebecca.
Rebecca (guest):
Thank you so much. I enjoyed it.
Rebecca Finken is a Professional EOS Implementer with EOS Worldwide, boasting nearly 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur. She resides in both Las Vegas and Prescott Arizona.
In 1994, Rebecca and her husband embarked on their entrepreneurial journey by establishing a Commercial Janitorial business in Las Vegas. Like many entrepreneurs, they encountered both successes and challenges, and in 2008, they faced the possibility of losing their business.
However, their fortunes changed in 2019 when Rebecca’s husband attended a Vistage group where he heard an EOS Implementer speak about the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and the book “Traction” authored by Gino Wickman. Upon his return, he expressed newfound enthusiasm, something he hadn’t felt in a decade.
The couple wasted no time in adopting the EOS tools, which resulted in their most successful year to date in 2020, with a notable increase of $1 million in their bottom line. Rebecca takes great pride in her role as their Implementer and has been instrumental in sustaining their momentum for over three years. Her client base spans across Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado, and she is willing to travel to serve them.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Rebecca finds joy in various activities. She has a profound love for hiking, paddleboarding, traveling, and cooking. Additionally, she actively participates in the Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, where she previously served as the board chair and currently volunteers as a Big Sister to two girls, a commitment she has maintained for the past 14 years.
One of her Little Sisters, Abi, who is 11 years old, shares Rebecca’s passion for travel, making them an ideal match. Together, they engage in paddleboarding, hiking, and indoor rock climbing, creating lasting memories while fostering Abi’s personal growth.
