Align your team, develop your leadership, and build a winning culture. 

Leading a team — whether you’re the CEO or a middle manager — can be lonely, overwhelming work.

In small businesses especially, we’re often dropped into a leadership role by default with a cool title, but none of the training or experience to back it up.  It’s like we’re just supposed to magically know how to be a “CEO” or other management role — by osmosis I guess?

You’re no doubt amazing at delivering the product or service your business was born to deliver, but when it comes to leading that business or team, you might feel nervous about making the right decisions, isolated in that org chart, and desperately searching for a place you can safely ask the tough questions while still protecting your image. 

You might even feel a little like an imposter, unsure about how to handle team dynamics and staffing challenges — like when to encourage someone to grow and when to let them go.

Plus, it can be frustrating when you have to spend so much time dealing with team challenges and interpersonal conflicts — especially when you’re not sure how to improve things.

In fact, as a leader you:

  • Struggle to find the balance between being “the boss” and being a flexible and compassionate human…

  • Feel unqualified to train new leaders under you because you haven’t had any formal leadership training yourself…

  • Don’t have the time or skills to train your leaders…

  • Are unclear about how to organize your small team or show employees a growth trajectory when you’re such a small business…

  • Don’t know how to hire/retain people that really care about the business and stay motivated — or how to motivate the people you have…

But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

What if, instead, you had the support and training you needed to become the leader you aspire to be? 

What if it wasn’t about having the “right answer” every time a challenge arises, but knowing you have the right tools to address it, no matter what? 

You’d feel:

✓ Confident as a leader with the self-awareness to continue to grow. 

✓ Connected and less alone with a safe space to have hard conversations as a leader.

✓ Empowered to have clear and direct conversations when needed. 

✓ Clear on how to make data-driven decisions that are in the company and vision’s best interest.  

✓ Spacious and able to connect to the bigger vision of the company.

Seems out of reach? I promise, it’s not.

Conrad Meertins’ win

“My biggest win so far is the mental shift to begin operating my business as a CEO.

Today I had an appraisal on a tough assignment and I was tempted to meet my trainee there, but after considering the fact that I have prepared him very well to handle these types of assignments, I let him fly while I stayed in and ‘Clockworked’!”

Ready to grow as a leader? 

In the early days of my career, I thought I was advancing quickly solely due to my hard work and dedication. 

As time passed, I realized that my focus on growing people and driving their performance to grow the business was not only unique, but also deserved more of the credit for my success than my hard work. 

Leading a team is the most challenging thing I've ever done, and that's why I've poured so much time and energy into becoming better at it — because it's not something as easy as implementing a “system;” it takes work and effort and finessing, and stumbling. 

And while it's the hardest thing, it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done in the business.

As I began running my own company 10 years ago, I didn’t realize how lonely it could feel even when you’re surrounded by a team of people all day. I didn’t anticipate the weight the load of leadership would have. 

And I know I’m not alone. Up to 70% of organizational change efforts fail due to lack of coaching from leadership to stakeholders. (Ace Up) 

My guess is? Those leaders don’t know how to coach their teams — because they’ve never received the training they need, either. 

I had no clue the pressures I would face in the role of CEO. I kept wondering when the adult was going to enter the room and give me some direction on what to do next, how to handle this situation, and tell me exactly what to say in the moments of confusion.

But they never arrived. I had to figure it out.

I had to become the adult in the room. I had to figure out how to be the leader and CEO that my company needed me to be and figure things out, like:

What do you do when cash flow is tight and you’re not sure you’ll be able to make payroll? 

Do I need to let this person go because they’re not cutting it? Or is there something I can do to salvage this? 

How do I communicate with a team member who isn’t meeting my expectations? And how do I get them to meet them? 

How can I get my team members to care about the business as much as I do and take more ownership? 

Are we spending too much time on meetings each week? 

How do I get the team to be fired up about the vision I hold for the company? 

These are the questions no one is talking about in those other programs. You won’t see people sharing on social media how they’re struggling with a team member's attitude and don’t know what to do. 

Our entrepreneurial world is too full of ego for most of the people you look up to to admit what is actually going on behind the scenes of their business. 

They’re not telling you that things are hard for them too. But I assure you, they are. 

I’ve seen the back end of thousands of 7- & 8-figure businesses over the past 10 years, and one thing most of them have in common is that… they don’t have it all figured out, but they are too scared to tell you that. 

And what I came to realize is:

When your skills finally match your title, your growth becomes limitless, your culture improves, and your retention skyrockets because your company is the best place to work. 

When I was trying to step into my role, I had to search high and low for trainings, coaches, and mentors that would help me raise my skills to the level of my job title.  There was no one-stop-shop — and especially not one that understands the leadership needs of small businesses in particular — and so I’ve ended up spending 10 years and tens of thousands of dollars figuring it out.

{News flash: we’re not Fortune 500 companies — and for most of us, that isn’t a culture model we aspire to! So why would we want to learn how to be a CEO like they are??}

That’s why I finally decided to fill this gap in the marketplace. That’s why it’s time to learn How to CEO.

“A win I didn’t see coming - you really get to see your team shine! You give them the opportunity to step up that they’d never have if you didn’t leave the ship in their hands for a few weeks!”

Eden Houghtaling

“Watching the team from a distance manage the business and remove me out of it is very cool. The work I do see is really good! I’m proud of them!”

Jen Crandall

I’m ready to become the CEO!

How To CEO is a first-of-its kind leadership program for small business owners and team leaders.

It’s a 12-week leadership training program designed to help you understand and implement the 4S framework in your business:

  • Systems

  • Support

  • Strategy

  • Strengths

The program includes 6 live classes and 6 follow-up Q+A calls.

Each class will discuss the topic through the lens of the 4S Framework, addressing each “S” and how it applies to that piece of the leadership puzzle. 

After you complete How To CEO, you’ll have:

✓ Metrics and clarity in place for every role

✓ Agendas for every meeting

✓ Organizational structure that supports team members’ career growth

✓ A clear vision for the business and for each role

✓ Confidence to have the tough and challenging conversations when needed

✓ Clarity on when it’s time to let someone go

✓ An understanding of the strengths of your team 

✓ The right communication tools to improve engagement and efficiency

✓ A plan to hold people accountable

✓ And a culture people want to be a part of

Here’s what we’ll cover:

How To CEO is
designed to provide:

Peer support, so you never have to feel alone in your leadership role again

A framework you can come back to time and time again to solve just about any challenge that arises

And an immersive mentorship relationship — I’ll be there in the trenches with you when you need it!

I’m ready to learn
How To CEO!

Process + People lead to profits.

With a background in operations, I’ve always understood the integration of great processes and great people is where true operational excellence lives. 

You can hire the greatest people in the world, but if there are no processes or systems, they won’t thrive. 

Alternatively, you can have the best systems in the world, but if you don’t have great people in an environment where they can thrive, it won’t help. 

Our approach to leadership and operations is a simple equation:  PEOPLE + PROCESS leads to operational excellence. 

Over the years of helping thousands of clients Clockwork their businesses, we realized the process side of Clockworking was more straightforward, but the people-side of clockworking is where small business owners had A LOT of questions.

Clockwork focuses on the process side of that equation, and How To CEO is where we’re going to dig deeper on the people side of operations.  So whether you’ve read the book, worked with a Clockwork coach, and Clockworked your business or not, How To CEO is designed to be the flip side of the coin. 

So, while working with Clockwork clients, we naturally ended up supporting a lot of them with the people-leadership side of growing their business. Over the years this turned into an entire framework for how to lead more effectively, like clockwork. And How To CEO was born.

Because here’s what I know for sure:

  • We have to redesign how we work.

  • Culture and leadership are inextricably linked.

  • Work isn’t working for us. We have to make a change — and it starts with us as leaders. 

Even if your goal is to eventually just be the visionary of your business, ​​you still need to demonstrate and model the leadership you want your leaders to carry through the company though because YOU ARE NOT AMAZON. YOU DON'T HAVE A 100 PERSON C-SUITE!

How To CEO 12-week leadership training program for CEO’s and their team leaders:

Investment: $1497
or 2 payments of
$800

PLUS, if you’re looking for a higher level of support…

How To CEO + 1:1 Mentorship

It includes EVERYTHING from the How To CEO program

PLUS a private Slack channel with unlimited access to Adrienne (text & voice) for the 12 weeks.

If you’ve never experienced mentorship through something like Slack, you might be skeptical.

I was too.

But then I experienced it for myself with 6 months of slack coaching a few years ago, and it was incredible.

I then implemented it in my world and fell in love. Clients have CRUSHED, and they love the ease of connecting with me asynchronously whenever they need support or feedback.

Here’s why I think you’ll love Slack mentorship:

1. Your Time, Your Rules: no more syncing calendars or worrying about time zones. You can message me whenever, wherever. It's coaching & mentorship that works around your life, not the other way around.

2. Clearer Q’s, Better Answers: Ever had a moment where you think of the perfect thing to say... after the call? With Slack, you've got the time to think things over. This means deeper insights and more 'aha' moments. Same for me… I can take a few minutes to think before answering.

3. Tracking-Progress: Everything we chat about stays in Slack. It's like a journal of your progress. Anytime you need a boost or revisit a conversation, just scroll back. EASY.

4. Real Life Meets Coaching: This way, you can apply what we talk about right in the middle of your daily flow. Making real changes, in real time.

Investment: $5,400 PIF
or $500/week for 12 weeks

Frequently Asked Questions

OUR THREE GUARANTEES TO YOU:

  • Lifetime Insurance Policy

    We are obsessed with continuous improvement. We can guarantee that over time we will add new materials, PDFs, or examples to the program. We promise that you will get full access to every additional upgrade we make in the future.

  • No Student Left Behind

    We will start the program by asking you for a clearly defined goal. If by the mid-point of the program, you feel like you will not be able to accomplish that goal we promise to hop on a call and provide some 1:1 support to get you there.

  • Your Money Back If You Don't See Results

    If by the end of the program, and after having our “No Student Left Behind” call you still feel like you did not receive the support you need to achieve your goal, we will fully refund your investment. No questions asked.

I’m not the kind of mentor who believes you can teach something that you’ve only done for yourself one time.

So while I’ve personally spent years working on my own leadership and creating a team of empowered people who have grown leaps and bounds in our time together, I’ve also worked with hundreds of other leaders to help them do the same.

I’ve helped clients:

  • Improve team retention

  • Develop the courage to have challenge conversations

  • Improve the performance of their team members

  • Grow their revenue

  • Remove themselves from the day-to-day operations

  • Create and engage a lean operating system 

  • Double or triple their take home pay 

  • Create cost savings

  • Design an exit plan 

  • Build wealth 

  • Create your ideal day, and turn it into a reality. 

You can’t successfully Clockwork your business without improving your leadership… and How To CEO is the key to unlocking a new level of business growth and efficiency.

If you’re ready to truly embody the leadership role you have in your business (or aspire to have!) I hope you’ll join us.  These are introductory prices for our first cohort, so the investment will increase in the future.