And today's episode, I have Theresa Loe as a guest and she is the owner of "Streamlined and Scaled" and she helps business owners be more successful leaders as CEOs, and she helps them build teams that are self managed, which allows the CEO more time in their visionary role, which is such an important role and she will be discussing more of in our episode.
Music plays...
Welcome to the Breakthrough Mastermind Show. I'm your host, Jen Argue and I facilitate masterminds for women entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses to help others and create financial independence.
I'm so excited that we have Theresa Loe with us today. We had met pre-pandemic at this retreat that we were both at this business retreat. And she just stood out to me as somebody that I wanted to get to know more and definitely somebody that I admired a lot, Theresa has her own business, it's called "Streamlined and Scaled," and she helps the CEO become the leader in their business and really help to develop their team and their systems so that they can scale better and faster.
So welcome Theresa I'm so glad to have you here. Oh, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Yeah. We connected at an event and like we sat next to each other and became instant friends. [laughs] So, yeah, it was perfect. It was, it was so great. So one of the things I remember is we were at this retreat and we were sitting next to each other and we had an exercise that we had to do, and we had to pair up with someone and instantly I grabbed onto her. [laughs]
And we had to share something like a challenge and then come back the next day having done it. And I knew I needed to hire somebody in my business. And Theresa gave me a challenge that night. Not that I had to hire somebody, but she challenged me to come up with a job description for it. And to try to visualize, you know, that person that I would want to be in that spot.
And so I went back to my place that night drew up the job description and it was thinking about it. And these two people instantly came to mind. And so I just texted them and said, would you be interested in having a conversation around this job description that I have in my business? And both people instantly texted me back and said, Yes, [laugh] let's do that.
And so I was so excited the next day to come back to you Theresa and tell you my results that, you know, with your excellent coaching, what had happened. [laughs] Yeah. Well, and the reason I tell people to do that as a lot of times. People know that they need help in their business. It's one of the pieces that I help people with, but they aren't exactly sure.
Who do I hire? What do I need? What do I really need? So I had you just visualize and kind of have that dream because I think people are afraid to do that, to dream what would be the most perfect person to bring in, to help me. And when you do that, it's surprising how many times there's someone, you know, that you could reach out to, or if it's someone that, you know, you could describe that person. And there is another person out there with some of those same characteristics. And that's how I help people find perfectly aligned team members because many times they just post randomly without really knowing what they're looking for. So you have to know what you're looking for in order to know if you found it. And that's such a good way to approach it because you're approaching it with your heart and your head.
Yes 100%...So... Right. Allowing yourself to dream, but then also coming up with a job description. Yep. So a lot of times women entrepreneurs have a curvy journey. [laughs] Yes, um, we start off in one place. So I'm curious about what your story is... tell us about where you started out and how to where you are now. Well, let me first explain where I am now, because what I do really is I help people get their time back.
Many times when people start their business, they end up sacrificing themselves for the sake of the business. And they don't really know how to get out from under the long list of to-do lists or they are sacrificing their time, their freedom with their family, their weekends, they're sacrificing themselves for the business.
And there's a couple of pieces. That are wrong that are causing that. So it's not just about having a team. It's also about cleaning up some of the chaos that can be behind the scenes, because if you have chaos behind the scenes, that chaos will grow as your business grows, it just expands and gets bigger.
So people come to me at different levels where they're just starting to create a team and they're a little nervous or where they already have a team and it's a bit messy or where it's a complete mess and they have to start from scratch or start over. And the reason I mentioned that is because the journey for how I got there and why I have that background, it'll make sense now [laugh] as we talk, as we talk through, but the bottom line is that if anyone's listening, I want them to keep in mind that sometimes they feel like they're not ready.
For a team or they're not ready to have things cleaned up. And what's really important to understand is that the sooner you have things streamlined, the sooner that you simplify, you have things clean. The sooner you can hand things off, the faster you grow and it makes it so much easier if you do it earlier, rather than later.
So the way that I actually got into this was... I was a... I was the co-executive TV producer for the top organic gardening show on PBS. So it was a television series that produced 26 episodes a season. I was the second in command of that show for nine years. So we had a very small, but mighty team. Everybody knew their job really, really well, but I had to launch 26 episodes and launch the season and keep everything coordinated and organized.
So in the digital marketing world, that would be considered like a chief operational officer or an integrator. Some people call that role an integrator. And so when we talk to people, meet who may be, have a digital business, that was what I did for nine years. But at a super high level was very complicated, very high stress, very short timelines, but what was the key for me...
Was that I had a self-managed team. Everybody knew their role and their place so well that I didn't have to micromanage. And we could, you know, say here's our lighthouse. Here's what we're going for. And everybody knew what to do. And everybody was the type of team member that there was no ego. Everybody would pick up the slack wherever it happened to be, which was important.
If we're out on gonna shoot out on location, everybody was willing to pitch in. So I did that for nine years and I started to appear on the show as the homesteading and canning expert, which [laughs] the funny aside, I'm a master food preserver. I'm a certified master food preserver. So when that came up in the show, I started appearing on the show.
I had a side business, a side blog. And I started teaching people on the side, how to do those things. So I left the show and started my own business called "Living Homegrown." And I taught people how to canned how to homestead, how to live farm fresh without a farm in their backyard. And I did that for a couple of years and started coaching other people.
On how to have a course business. And I immediately noticed something that had not occurred to me before. And that was that people didn't know how to have a team behind them. They didn't know how to hand things off. They didn't know how to delegate. They waited too long to even bring someone in to help them because they didn't think they could afford it.
And so my coaching shifted about, uh, five years ago and I started coaching people on how to simplify and organize everything on the backside and how to have a small, but mighty team that's self manage. So I've been doing that for a number of years. And I work with multi-six people who are just building that team and their business is just taking off and they, it is starting to get chaotic because they've just been their laptop and them in the room and doing all the things.
And they aren't sure what to hand off or how to hand off. And it gets a little scary, but also up to multi-eight figure people who have teams, but it's a little messy, there's something wrong in the back. So we streamlined everything. And get the team aligned so that they can work as a self-managed team.
It's interesting to hear how you started off producing that show, then all those skills and things that you were introduced to along the way just happened to morph into this now where you're helping other people to do it really well.
And one thing I do know about you [laugh] is that you are an organized person. Yeah. Your heart. [laughs] That's not like you can come up with it, but you actually are. Yes. Yes. That's one of the things that I think I'd thought everybody had. And as a coach, I realized they didn't. So that's when I say streamlined, that's really what I'm talking about.
You know, if, if someone themselves is not an organized person, we can have the teams set up in an organized way and they keep things organized for the CEO. Mm... umm... Yeah. I always thought that was an amazing quality of yours that you have this visionary aspect and yet you had this organizing aspect to that you can streamline. Yeah.
I tell people I'm bilingual. [laugh] Yes... Yeah, because I was the integrator. I know how to manage the team and all the projects, but as a business owner, I now had to learn how to let go. And so I can speak to the CEO who's having trouble letting go, having them understand the value of their time and understanding where they should be spending their time is so important as a business owner, you know, that is really your bread and butter is that you are spending your time in the right... in the right things, but the team, you have to have the right people in the right seats doing the right things.
And so that is also about being organized. And so I can talk to the team. That's why inside my programs, I not only train the CEO on how to lead, we never want to manage our team. We want to lead the team.
We want to self-manage team, but I also train the team. Because the team doesn't maybe have the skills to organize everything the way it should be so that it can run really smooth and efficiently. So yeah, I can speak to both sides. [laugh] Um, umm... Ah... You just brought up one of the things that I thought really stood out to me when you came, we had Theresa come speak to my mastermind and she was coaching on self-managed teams and how to... how to know who and what to hire for.
And... one of the things that stood out to me when you were coaching on that was... how important and valuable it is as the CEO to be casting that vision. And to have that time as one of the most important, valuable cost worthy time set, you know, as you start delegating that you're allowing more time for that yourself first.
Sometimes it can feel selfish or like you're not really doing anything. Yeah. Actually that's one of the most important things. Can you explain that a little bit more? Yeah, absolutely. We we're, we were talking in your group about one of the things that happens is after you get everything streamlined and clean, the CEO can start to feel guilt, because they feel like they're not, they've always been hustling, right? So now we've taken the hustle away and many times they going, what should I be doing? [laughs] They almost feel guilty about not working so, so hard. And this is not about you sitting around, lounging around doing nothing, and your team is killing themselves.
It's about everyone on the team being in their zone of genius and working on the things that they do best and do well. So that everything's easy. It doesn't have to be hard. And I think that because we've made it hard for ourselves, we have trouble wrapping our head around it being easy. But what I was explaining was that you have to look at what is best for your business, and if you are burnt out, You can't think clearly you can't make good decisions and you, if you can't be a creative problem solver, and as a business owner, our job is to be a problem solver.
We solve problems for our clients, or we solve problems in our services and we have to solve problems in our business. And if we're tired and run down or sacrificing ourselves, we never have free time. We don't have that white space. We cannot do that job well. So I tell people to think about this, about having that white space and that free time as an asset that you have to bring that is your job.
As the CEO to have that clarity so that you can better serve the business. Um, mm... Yeah. That's such wisdom right there. [laughs] So as you were building your business, you have these qualities. I think we kind of talked about the soft skills that you have you're bilingual in the sense. [laughs] Yes, yes... What would you say were some of the hard skills that brought you the most success.
So one of the skills that I had to learn that I think I didn't have when I started was the ability to articulate the value of what I offered. So... it came to me when I, because I was always talking to people when I had "Living Homegrown," I was always talking to them about living farm fresh and the... soft assets that they would get from living that type of lifestyle.
But when I switched to serving business owners, I realized how much easier it was for me to articulate what I was doing as far as the value. And I think that if anyone is looking at whatever their offer is... that was such a key pivotal moment for me. When I realized that I was giving people back their time, I was giving them back more money because they were saving money by getting back their time.
But it was also giving them their life back and relieving stress and being able to articulate that really, really helped me and started skyrocketing my business. So it was about shifting the conversation to the value that I was providing, and I was able to start charging for that value. And it doesn't matter what value you bring, but if you can articulate it in a way that is really tangible, I think that right there, you can sell what you are offering when you truly understand the value you are giving and you are being of service.
And so what shifted for me was that selling was not really selling. Selling was being of service. Like I truly am passionate about helping entrepreneurs who are struggling because they have these amazing ideas and these amazing businesses. And to watch them kill themselves for their business, they end up getting.
I never like reaching the mountain, right? Um... And so that became my passion. And I could articulate that like if we just do these simple little things, your time is going to come back to you. You're going to love your job. You're going to love the work you're doing. You're going to have more impact and being able to articulate that was super powerful for me.
So that's one thing that I think was a hard skill that I didn't even occur to me when I was first starting business, but there's an important one. That is such a great skill because how can we even sell our offers? You know, yep, if we don't know how to articulate it, that is something no one has said yet on this podcast. Really? [laugh] Think is like critical...
That is, yes, it is such a critical skill to learn. Yeah, definitely. Because everyone has objections to whatever it is you're offering. Right. So like, I have a couple of different products. I have this one product that is more of an entry-level product, which is for someone who's never hired before because I teach hiring a little bit differently than most people.
So I have this self study course well for that person, they're trying to get over fear of height, making their first hire. So for me to be able to articulate. That I hold their hand through the whole process, even though it's self study, it is step-by-step by step so that they know what's coming next and they don't have to be afraid.
But when I'm talking to someone who is coming to me already with a team or starting to build a team and they have that chaos, their objection is they don't know if it's them or if it's the team. And so in that case, I am explaining to them how we analyze the whole situation. And we decide, is it the team? Do you have the right team, you know, the right people in the right seats or is it, you need some leadership skills behind you?
Every CEO, every business owner needs leadership skills. So knowing the process that we go through so that they will know or get over that objection for themselves is part of the selling process. And it's part of the service. And so when you really know your audience and you really know what the pain points are, then you're able to take what you're doing and put it into words that they understand.
I think sometimes people willl... be looking at whatever it is that they're offering. And they're trying too hard to fit it into a formula that they may have been taught, but really it's about getting to know your audience. What do they really need from you? Can you deliver that and just articulating that, that value that you give to them? Um...
That's powerful. Yeah. That's amazing. So tell me a little bit more, you explained a little bit about the products and services you have, take me through a little bit more like what you've developed and what you offer. Sure! So... I have a lower end product, which is called team up. So I teach people how to attract their perfect person.
So remember how I made you, I made you, [laughs] I had you go off and really imagine who you wanted to hire. Well, that whole process that I was starting you through is about really being aligned in cavern, a lot of clarity about what you're looking for. Once you know that, then it's a process of attracting that person in to your business, either through your job description or through social media, or however you are going about looking for that person.
So that whole process is inside team up. And it's a self-study step-by-step hold your hand, give you the templates. Everything that you need in order to find your team member, whether it's a contractor, part-time contractor, full-time contractor or ** full-time employee or an overseas VA, that's all inside team up.
But for people who have already started to hire, that's where I do streamlined and scaled. And this is really for someone who already has a business started, they're starting to make money. They are starting to get a little traction in their business and things are moving quickly and they are still finding themselves like making a list of what the team needs to do, handing it over, and then they go check the box and hand it back.
If you are catching yourself monitoring, managing, overseeing everything that the team is doing. Then what you're really doing is handing out tasks instead of handing out accountability. There's a shift that has to happen when you bring people into your business, where you have to step more into leadership, you want to be leading the team, not managing the team. Mm...
So in order to do that, you have to make sure that you have the right people. You have to make sure that there's a lot of clarity around what they need to do. And then you are going to be handling of accountabilities to them. They're going to be the lifeguard of certain pieces in your business for you. And then as you get bigger, you're going to actually be shifting to full-time employees, having meetings, all of the things, but there's different stages.
And people think like you don't flip a switch and just jump in. And all of a sudden you have to have, you know, eight full-time employees. It doesn't have to be that way. It, in fact it shouldn't be that way. It should be a gradual step-by-step process so that you can ease into it without it being painful for you or being painful for the team.
And part of that is just cleaning up what you have going on. So that is my streamlined and scaled group coaching program, or when people are larger businesses, I go in and consult for people who have like 15, 20, 30 employees we go into behind the scenes and I'll consult so that they can fix it up themselves.
Um, do you specialize with a certain type of business or is it universal? I have worked with Brick and Mortar and with digital brands, I focus mostly on digital course creators, coaches, people in the digital space, but I have worked with Brick and Mortar. I have worked with large scale farmers and TV... TV brands, TV production companies as well.
So what are the basic streamlined and scaled framework works with any business, but most of the people who find me are through the digital connections that I have. So a lot in the digital world. Mm... mm... that's really great. I love how you're able to... to provide something for everybody at each stage.
Yeah, absolutely. Because it's the same framework. It's just, where are you in the steps, yeah, of building it out? Cause everyone has a vision like I eventually want my business to be X, Y, Z. Well, we look at where you are. We look at where you're going and we build a plan so that you can very slowly and methodically and strategically add to your team without the chaos. And that's really important. Mm... Just talking to you, you have this very calm and confident, demeanor, [laughs] and I know the powerhouse people that you've had as clients. Yes. If you're curious, just go to Theresa's website, streamlined and scaled is that what it is, yes, streamlined and scaled or Theresa Loe. Both... they both go to the same site, yeah, okay, you can go check out, you can go check it out on her streamlinedscaleds.com ... her clients that she's had, you'll see the testimonials, uh, [laughs] But yeah, you have so much to offer, and it's so amazing how you've built your business, how you've gone from, you know, all the different stages that you've been through to develop all the things you have right now. So one curiosity I have, because I know entrepreneurs can never sit still.
And even if they do streamline and scale their business, Probably want to start another business then, because they don't want to do something for them with all the extra time they want to just keep, well, it is for them, I suppose, that they [laugh] have that energy of wanting to always be creating. Yes. But... I am curious, what do you do with your time, ah... now that you've opened it up as streamlining and scaling.
Oh, that's a really good question. No one's ever asked me that before. Well, as you can imagine, because, um, I was the homesteading expert. I live in Los Angeles, but we grow our own food. I used to have backyard chickens. I had backyard chickens for about 10 or 15 years. Uh, we currently don't have any right now, but normally we are growing our own food.
I also live at the beach. And I love to bike ride, but as far as, um, as projects, uh, we've been doing a lot of home improvement projects, [laughs] which as you can imagine, end up always being bigger than you were originally planned. [laughs] So we have, we've been doing a lot of that lately. Oh! That's really fun. I love that. It's ** I mean, and you're creating, yeah, but by doing projects like that and, and doing the homesteading, that's amazing. Yes.
Yes. So, uh, my sister is really artistic and I told her why can only draw, stick people. She can draw and paint. And she goes, no, no, your artistry is in a different way. You are artists in the garden. And I'm like, oh yeah, I guess I am because you're creating you... you are visualizing what you want that garden to be when you're planting. So it's the same thing.
Yes. Yes. Okay. Your sister's very wise to... [laughs] my seriously. I can only draw stick people. I don't know where she got that talent, [laughs] but she's amazing. We all have our different strengths. Yes. Yes. So if people want to get ahold of you, they want to get in your universe, um... where can they go to find you. Uh, I would really recommend, so we, we set something up for your listeners and I would, if they are at all curious about how, what is a self-managed team, what exactly is that?
Is it possible to have a self-managed team? I would recommend that they go to streamlinedandscaled.com/jen And that will take them to a 12 minute video that explains everything about a self-managed team. But as far as where to get into my universe, they can go to the website streamlinedandscaled.com and I'm also on Instagram @theresaloe or @streamlinedandscaled that's my podcast. So my podcast is around a lot of mindset that has to happen. What I believe is that if you want to have a business different than you have right now, you need to be a different person. So that means building the habits that you need to have in place in order to have the business that you want. And I talk a lot about leadership skills, team and streamlining your business, and that's at streamlined and scaled. Mm... Wonderful. Thank you so much for joining us. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, this was really fun.
And if you're looking for more support, challenge and inspiration in running your online business, I would love to have you apply to my mastermind.
Check it out! @jenargue.com
