SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Welcome to the Cut the Tie podcast. Hi, I'm your host, Thomas Helfrick, and I'm on a mission to help you cut the tie to whatever it is holding you back from success. And you got to own your own success. You have to define it yourself because otherwise you're chasing someone else's dream. Today we are uh joined by Adi Clement. I did okay.

SPEAKER_00: 0:18

Thomas you did fantastic.

SPEAKER_01: 0:20

I had pressure there. I have uh performance issues. Uh Adi, uh do it, take a moment. Uh to introduce yourself, where you're from, and what it is you do.

SPEAKER_00: 0:31

Absolutely. So my name is Adi, and I am a process consultant. Yes, we love processes and procedures. I'm the founder of Business Success Consulting Group, where we create, document, optimize, and implement processes and procedures. And I live in Portland, Oregon.

SPEAKER_01: 0:46

Part of the country I haven't been to are the corners. So Maine, Portland, and uh what's the one below it? Washington. Um, so there's been there. Americans, geography, it's terrible. Uh you know, there's there's uh a lot of companies in this space for process uh consulting, and you don't see a lot of smaller comp, you know, solopreneurs, smaller businesses. It's usually like the extensions of the world, the big companies who really focus on this. Just talk about your niche a little bit, uh, and you know, maybe why, you know, we'll get to your journey, but why you're unique specifically.

SPEAKER_00: 1:21

Well, I mean, it's also unique because we are not so, I mean, I'm not a solopreneur. I used to be, but I have um consultants and technical writers very experienced in different industries that we are experts at the document process documentation, and we understand workflows, we understand best practices, and we can create those workflow workflows, best practices and processes and procedures for companies. So that's what we do industry agnostic, working with uh size companies, um, small, medium-sized businesses, and help them document.

SPEAKER_01: 1:57

The uh the you know, in my former life, uh, you know, my consulting background was an intelligent automation AI, you know, KP of G, you know, big consulting, right? Big, you know, big work. One of the most annoying things to get a process automated was documenting it because there's so much tribal knowledge and uh you know, the if-thens, if you will, are always in somebody who's been there for 25 years who's also like, hey, are you taking my job? Um you and so maybe dive a layer deeper into what you guys do, because in this day where a lot of processes are getting document with the intent to automate. How do you guys get around that? Uh the sandpaper that's created with the human? Do you use technology? Do you how do you how do you get around the the you know the that?

SPEAKER_00: 2:42

Yeah, no, it's a great question. And we actually don't get around, we we actually dive right in because in order to dock, in order to automate anything, and I've you are a guest on my podcast. I have a wonderful podcast. You are a guest. I now have many guests that are in the AI zone or area, touch it, do it. The common denominator of what they say, you have to, first of all, if you can't put it on paper, we can't automate it. Because in order for automation to happen, you have to understand the process. So I feel it's not really getting around it, but it's diving right through and figuring out the process. Then, because of our knowledge and our expertise, we can also recommend what needs to be automated and then collaborate with AI engineers or companies that specialize in AI in order to create the AI agents or the automation or what have you that makes the more sense, the low-hanging fruit first, the thing that will get you the biggest return on investment, and then modifying the process accordingly. So, you know, it's not like your entire business is now going to become just robots and AI agents. I mean, you you are going to have the human knowledge, you are going to have the processes that have to be followed. And what you mentioned is very true is the knowledge, is the knowledge transfer. It's what we call in knowledge transfer tacit knowledge. It's that knowledge that exists in people's heads, but they don't quite know how to transfer it or how. Well, I'm doing it. I've been doing it for 20 years. I don't know how to explain that. Those are our favorites because that is where we dig in and we actually take that knowledge and create it into duplicatable processes and procedures.

SPEAKER_01: 4:19

I love that. So I I love to give the AVHD or out there a place to, you know, because they can't just listen. You gotta go touch and talk and look at something. So give them some place to go stalk you while you're talking today.

SPEAKER_00: 4:28

Uh oh, absolutely. So go to LinkedIn, Adiklevitt, very active on LinkedIn, and also our website, so bizsuccesscg.com, B I Z SuccessCG consulting group for consulting group. So bizsuccesscc.com. And you can also go to successreplicated.com and download our ebook there. So there's a lot of places where you can find me with, and I have a lot of free resources, a lot of articles, a lot of um I mean videos also on YouTube. Search for my name, Adik Levit. I have a YouTube channel where I post educational videos about process, process improvement, process optimization. And lately, because that subject is so hot and people have a lot of questions, process and AI.

SPEAKER_01: 5:20

Yes. How to go together. It's uh if you can uh one of the biggest productivity things you can do, right, for a company is to get your processes nailed to the repeatable, measurable, and improvable. Uh until you get there, you're just wasted and burning, you're leaking money everywhere if you don't have it well done, from sales to just operations to anything.

SPEAKER_00: 5:38

And look, AI is not like an AI agent, it's not a cure all, right? I mean, it is basically what it does, it allows you to replace the repetitive task that you had to hire humans before to do it. Now, it doesn't mean it's going to be replacing all of all the people and your stuff. Absolutely not. It will just elevate them. So two things. Just like you were, if you were to hire somebody to do a repetitive task, you'll have to teach them what to do, you will have to document your process. The same thing, you document your process and then you can create an AI agent to execute it. But then the people that you have, you know, you don't want to lose your staff. Now you can elevate them to do other tasks, but they need to know their processes as well. And they need to be efficient. And that is where process documentation, optimization, and implementation is very important.

SPEAKER_01: 6:30

So before we get in your journey, how do you define success for yourself?

SPEAKER_00: 6:36

My success is the success of my clients. I know it might be sound like a cliche, but it is. I mean, you know, if my clients don't have wins or they did not achieve the goals of the targets that they set, then it's not success. So my success is to achieve the measurement, the measurements of success that we set with the client. So when we start a project, we we define the measurements of success. You know, I ask all my clients before they start, okay, what will need to happen for you to know that this project was a success? And I don't just let them say something vague or some kind of an idea. It has to be like specifics. Okay, so let's say right now there are errors. All right, so how do we decrease the amount of errors? Or what do you decrease it to? Okay, so right now 10% callbacks to 0%. Good. That's our measurements. When we achieve it, that's our success as well.

SPEAKER_01: 7:28

Yeah. Uh well, talk about your journey a little bit. And to accomplish that success metric for yourself, along that journey, maybe identify a major, you know, metaphoric tie you've had to cut to realize it, get there, make it happen.

SPEAKER_00: 7:43

Well, the first met the first tie to cut is like many of your guests also mentioned, in terms of like, you know, not working for someone else, not working for a big company, but starting your own, you know, and believing in yourself and being an entrepreneur and actually be successful. That's the main tie. And then also, but you know, I was thinking in terms of another tie is the thinking of, okay, I'm trained in a certain way, I'm an industrial engineer, a management consultant. When you see, I saw the niche, I saw the need for what we do, which was different than what I was doing before. You know, it was, I was more, I'm a very good strategist, so I did management consulting and strategic planning and the overall health of the business. But then I saw that need, and I I can go into that story, but I saw the need for process documentation. And instead of going through the thinking, oh, well, you know, this is not my area of, I mean, I it became my area of specialty, but at the time it's something that I should just let somebody else do it. I cut that tie and I start looking at what is really needed and what my clients want and develop this entire company around that.

SPEAKER_01: 9:03

And it it you don't realize that when you first start that that's how it needs to be. Like you you have a you just gotta doing it. And so I always, you know, entrepreneurs get out there and they're starting it's a shit show, right? There's you just you're figuring stuff out. And and it did it, how long did it take you to figure that out? That that's what's was most important?

SPEAKER_00: 9:20

Um, probably five years. You know, we were doing it off and on, but I I saw it, you know, I realized, I mean, I can tell you the story. It's, you know, I would I would tell my clients, you have to document, because that's part of it. You know, we know for any management system to work, you have to have well-documented processes and procedures as part of it. You have to achieve in order for the business to achieve consistency for risk mitigation, for making sure that you can train your employees, you can onboard, you can train correctly. You gotta have that. So I would recommend to my clients, well, you need to document your processes. And it would be a week, yes, we know that, we know that, but it's still not being done. So then I asked one of my clients, well, how about if I do it for you? Oh, really? You can do it for me? Said, absolutely, let's do that. And we start doing that. We actually documenting the processes, and it it created such a huge difference because it was done. And I could see the difference between not doing it and doing it. And once we did it, then I thought, okay, this is a service that entrepreneurs entrepreneurs need. They will thrive if they have well-documented processes and procedures. But there is no company out there that is doing that. At least I quote, I wasn't, I didn't find it, so that's why I couldn't refer to them. So I decided to create it and um then specialize in it. So then I, you know, from one client, it became another one, another one, another one. You know, the referrals keep coming, and I realized, you know, I cannot do it myself. So then I some, I mean, I have consultants that joined the group and technical writers, and now we have a very great proven process that we develop. And of course, we're always bettering it and making it better. And now with the uh arrival of AI and the need to automate, that's also keep being improved. So I think the tie to cut is the conventional thinking, and nowadays it has to be done more than ever because if you are not jumping on a train of the changes and the changes are constantly happening, and you have the tie to the way it used to be, or the way you were taught, or the way it was comfortable, you can't move ahead.

SPEAKER_01: 11:36

Yeah. Well, it and you know, I see what you guys do. You know, maybe you didn't realize this when you're starting the company that those who are really good at process are typically not the ADHD founder.

SPEAKER_00: 11:48

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 11:49

The founder is an idea person and they're and I say ADHD, now all you founders are, but a lot of business owners start off because they have ideas and they get stuff, but they cannot, like their closet looks terrible. Right. And so the the point is there's a place for that. Um, and I know when I first founded my company, I found that person very quickly like you're organized, you can document stuff because I know it won't get done ever. And even today, you know, he's fully loaded, but I'm like, man, I need someone to kind of help me think through what the processes should be that I and one of the ones I'm completely missing that I don't even know I need. And I and I believe that's like a niche you guys would fill for a company of like, hey, do you even know that you need this?

SPEAKER_00: 12:27

Absolutely. That's that's you know, we're not, as I always like to say, we're not just order takers. It's not like, okay, what do you do and let me let me um write it? It's more asking the questions, asking the right questions, being able to ask those questions, figuring out, working with hand in hand with the either visionary or the subject matter experts in order to actually create those processes that are also missing. That's why we create, document, optimize, and implement.

SPEAKER_01: 12:55

Well, and I totally get it because like uh it's a lot of work when you don't know how to do this stuff and you're just guessing. And you know, so you're like, you know, so I I I see the value. If you out there don't see the value, you will one day when you want to try to scale. Uh and by the way, don't ever automate a process that's not documented.

SPEAKER_00: 13:12

Right? Exactly. You can't see what absolutely are.

SPEAKER_01: 13:15

But you're gonna be making up your process on the spot to do it. It's probably gonna be a complete point is and a small company you can recover, a big company that can cost a lot of money if you do it wrong.

SPEAKER_00: 13:25

Right. And even a small company, you know, you can recover, but it's also cost you money, and is this as small as you are, is smaller you are. I mean, every penny counts, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 13:33

Yeah, absolutely. Uh, you know, uh along the way, you're uh, you know, you you've had impact uh either for your own personal life or or customer. I mean, I'll let you choose, but what's been the biggest impact since you know really focusing on the tie of of uh customer success is the metric?

SPEAKER_00: 13:50

You know, I think here's a story that I love to tell because it's it shows the impact that it can have on an individual in the company when you have well-documented processes and procedures. So we were documenting a real estate, a real estate company, and we created the processes, the um the procedures for that company, and we were rolling it out, and there was a young man that just started in the company, and he came to me afterwards and he said, you know what? That gave me such a sense of security because I know that this company really cares about their employees because they invested the time in actually creating those resources for us. So that is that kind of reaction, we get it day in and day out. I mean, you know, we have the YouTube videos on our website of testimonials of clients, and they talk about how it changed their lives from the owners themselves saying, no, no, people are not gonna not ask me for questions anymore. You know, I can't, I can re there is a place where I can refer them. There is consistency. I'm able to train my employees in 75% less time than I did before. You know, a client that was able to sell his company for twice the price. Um, you know, a client that is able to now spend time with her kids because that's what was important for her, and she doesn't have to work 80 hours a week. So all of those things are definitely a huge success.

SPEAKER_01: 15:21

Oh, well, no, no question, because it has real life impact when you, you know, and and if you if you're a services company, your multiple is not as gonna be high as a SaaS company, a software company, but it can be still pretty good if you have everything pro if someone can basically just, you know, you can get hit by the bus and they can take it over, right? Um and and to do that, you need processes and execution so people can see it and say, I could put anyone in there, and that's their play, or they can automate it or whatever they want to do with it. Um, I love that because that's a that's a that's a big boy business problem.

SPEAKER_00: 15:52

Um I I think could you and I don't know if we go too.

SPEAKER_01: 15:57

I got my big boy pants on today. So it's gonna be a big, big person. Give me a give me a big girl. No, sorry. So uh give me the the the the where does the small business owner start with that? And I'm talking like let's say the the the companies and it's making a million a year or less, that they're like, you know, I I'm just trying to keep my salary, I I've they've made their own job, let's say it that way. The company, like the the person just starting out that's finding success, but starting to feel the pressures of of doing it all or doing too much or don't have the right people in place. How do they take what you do for the bigger companies and apply it in their world?

SPEAKER_00: 16:30

Yeah, so the first thing is, you know, you have to write down all the hats that you're wearing. Because if you are just starting or, you know, even a few years into the business, I'm sure you're wearing many hats. So you write down all the hats that you're wearing. Then look at all of that, all of the list and decide which ones, if you had somebody else do those hats, will get you the biggest return on investment. You know, where would it actually let you have more hours? Will it let you expand, let you scale, whatever it is. And then start documenting those hats. So you actually have well-documented processes and procedures for that, those hats that you're wearing that you want to delegate to somebody else. That would be my advice on how to start.

SPEAKER_01: 17:18

Yeah. And when you say ROI, that could be your time, or if you actually pay it, there's there's more to it. Like it could your time, because it's one thing to do it, but if you don't replace that time with a more valuable activity, and that valuable activity could literally be I sleep or I read a book, and that'd be enough, right?

SPEAKER_00: 17:32

But you have the cut skills now in order to, yeah, absolutely. You know, it's yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01: 17:38

And like, you know, one thing I do every quarter is I look at what I do to say, hey, how can I organize my calendar to be more batched? This to that. And it's not really a process as much as my process is to look at it. And I think that's another place to start is like, what am I doing that's no value add? And why am I doing that? And I continually cut, and and you'll you'll always you always know in your own processes, right? Did it hurt? You know, it's the you know, I remember getting a job once, and I'm like, oh yeah, you take this report and you put it in the folder, and I just looked at it and saw last viewed, and like and they were never viewed, so I just never did it, and no one ever said a word. And it was processing the weeds. Um I'm terrible at process, so I have a lot to learn from you. I wish I wish I could afford your services. All right. What is the most like the most important book that a business owner should read?

SPEAKER_00: 18:35

Yeah, there's so many. I know you asked that question. I, you know, one book that really influenced the way my business when I started my business is The 10X by Grant Cardone. Because there is a point there where he talks about obscurity. And if you are, I remember reading it and I go like, yeah, he's so right. You know, if you are, let's say, stay at home and eat your lunch at home, nobody will know you. Go go out to a restaurant where a lot of business people that you want to meet are hanging out and just be there or do things, get out of your own comfort zone. And you know, you're in when you're in obscurity, that when you start your business, nobody will know about you. So I think that's you know, it's kind of like pushing the envelope in terms of also looking at success as your duty responsibility. So I like that. I mean, that's definitely a book that was great to read. There I didn't, there are um, you know, Ivan Meisner, the founder of BNI, has great books about networking where I learned a lot about the networking and the process of networking. That's also talking about cutting a tie. You know, it's really cutting the tie of what networking, what ideas I had about networking when I didn't need to network because I was working for a company that was basically fitting. I mean, I was not in charge of getting the leads, right? I was more on the delivery part. So when you have to go out there and you have to figure out how to make connections and what connections are all About. Bob Berg is another book. I mean, and he's another writer that writes great business books, and I know him personally. He's a great guy. There's so many good books out there. It's hard to choose one. But for me, I wanted to give those examples of those books because as a business owner, you need to know how to make connections because your that is your net worth, is your network. As my dear friend Alice Tang, which I did a podcast with her as well, um, always likes to say. So, yes.

SPEAKER_01: 20:32

It is your net worth. I mean, it and it's how you use it and leverage it and nurture it. Because you know, if you never water it, you only take fruit from it, at some point it doesn't produce anything for you. So you gotta get back a little bit to it. Absolutely. Um yeah, well, and who kind of gives you inspiration?

SPEAKER_00: 20:48

You know, my staff really give me inspiration. They inspire me every day because I am I admire them in terms of like the things that come up with, the the things that they are willing to get themselves better and push the envelope and learn and improve. And especially now with the you know, integrating AI in our own company. You know, I see how hard they work and they're an amazing group of people. So I definitely am very inspired by them.

SPEAKER_01: 21:16

I I like that. Your group to be inspired by. Uh and I and I'm sure that reflects back in the culture that they see that and then it facilitates the behavior of I want to be admired, I want to be, you know, respected in that way. So that's uh that's a that's a thoughtful thing to do, um regardless if you don't mean it or not. I mean, I hope you do. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_00: 21:35

Of course I mean it, yes.

SPEAKER_01: 21:38

Uh if you could go back anywhere in your timeline though, when would you go back and what would you do differently?

SPEAKER_00: 21:45

You know, I always like to look at the future. So I don't know if I want to look, go back, but I can't tell you the exact point, but I would go back a few years ago and start hiring sooner than when I start hiring other than myself. And um, like the first time I left the first my first hire years ago was an executive assistant for myself. I would have gone some years before that and hired that executive assistant at that point in time when I thought, how can I ever use an executive assistant for 40 hours? I mean, what am I gonna have that person do? How am I gonna train them what to do? And now it's kind of like it's a no-brainer. So I would have gone to that point and really talked to myself about yes, you can do it. And this is how you do it, and and then do it sooner.

SPEAKER_01: 22:30

I like that very uh you know it's mature. Um do you uh do you think you have any uh regrets for your business?

SPEAKER_00: 22:43

I don't because I I mean honestly, I don't because any anything I learn from it. You know, what what's the point in regret and living backwards and trying to fix something in the past? So I I look at regrets as not regrets, but I guess things that were not. I mean, I'm not perfect far away from it. I make mistakes, I learn from my mistakes. Sometimes I don't and repeat the same mistake and then I learn. Um, so I don't I don't really see any regrets.

SPEAKER_01: 23:12

I love that. It's great. I I say this a lot that what ifs are reserved for the future only.

SPEAKER_00: 23:19

That's right. That's true.

SPEAKER_01: 23:22

If there was a question I should have asked you today and I didn't, what would that question have been?

SPEAKER_00: 23:26

Um what is the future like?

SPEAKER_01: 23:32

If you can answer that, that would be great. I think it's Bitcoin and some other part, some other answer with it.

SPEAKER_00: 23:37

Yeah, I'm talking about the future for us, for ourselves, you know, in terms of yesterday I interviewed somebody from my podcast. I mean, so the future, it's really, it's really what we we make out of the future. So yesterday, as an example, there was a person that I know that she wrote and there was a post on LinkedIn about, you know, that AI is gonna take over all the jobs, and we in two years it's all gonna be so different, and it was really more on the negative side. And then I interviewed somebody from my podcast yesterday, and he goes, you know, the future is beautiful. You know, I'm excited about the future because we have so many possibilities. And those of us that those of us that are is going to embrace AI are going to really thrive. And I think that human connection is going to be more important than ever in this era because it's, you know, it's kind of like when we had a pandemic and we couldn't get out and we couldn't travel and you know, networking stuff, and it was all Zoom or whatever, you know, like video conferences. And now it's like when you go to a conference. I remember the first one I went and I actually saw people. I was just like so happy just to see people, no matter what the conference, it doesn't matter what the conference was about, it's just seeing the people was amazing. And I think that is something that we're gonna crave more and more as humans to actually have that connection. So I think in terms of the future for us, we are going to even do more of that workflow, like creating workflows so it can they can be automated, but also developing those relationships because that that is very important.

SPEAKER_01: 25:11

I completely agree with you. Uh yeah, just sidebar like, right? We you always think, like, what other things can you do for money or business like side? And I was like, I really want to go get some land in the middle of some mountains here in Georgia and put in like a tiny home with one of the ones by on Amazon. And the whole mantra of it would be like, here's a safe, put your phone in it for three days and completely disconnect.

SPEAKER_00: 25:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 25:32

And I believe that it will become much more of a thing. And you know, bring friends and here's some board games and card games, and here's how you play them. I know you don't know. I don't want you to use your phone, make up your own game as you used to as a kid, and and go there and like sit in a spa or something. Because the truth is that human connection is much stronger when there's not people around. Um, and and sometimes it's fun because you can look up jokes or do things, but but you're you are right. I think more and more people are moving towards in-person meetings. I know personally I've I've focused a lot of my efforts to Atlanta and getting coffees and you know, and I try to talk to people at the gym, which I'm normally don't, but I'm like meeting awesome people that I'm like, oh, this must be an entrepreneur too, because he at least seems like he showers and he's here at the same time I am. So he must own any it's true, no. Sand My point is that Cuba connection that people are seeing.

SPEAKER_00: 26:17

It is smell, really clear.

SPEAKER_01: 26:20

They do smell. I don't know what they're doing, but man, yeah. Thank you for that. That's a better therapy session here at the end of our show. Who should get a hold of you and how do they do that?

SPEAKER_00: 26:31

Anyone that wants to talk to me, and they should the best thing is again, as I said, LinkedIn. And also uh you can text or call at 503-662-2911. Yeah, pick up the phone and call us. You can also text us and you can reach us through their website, reach me through my website. So it's uh bizuccesscg.com, BIZ success spelled out CG for consulting groups. So BsuccessCG.com. And also you can find me on the Systems Simplified podcast. You can see the wonderful episode we I did with Thomas. It was amazing, it was so good. I mean, yeah, you were talking all about the leads, and it was great. It was a great episode. I just watched it again yesterday in preparation for the show. And um we and yeah, you can there's a plenty of ways to get a hold of us.

SPEAKER_01: 27:26

Well it just I always like to try to nail people's ideal customer. I mean, uh founders that are they're doing maybe north of a million or two million a year are good.

SPEAKER_00: 27:35

Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, all our best, uh, you know, we work with companies between 10 and 200 million. I mean, it can be also on the we have companies that we help on the upper side of it, so up to a billion. And we have or so companies, if they are fast growing and are headed in that direction, they want to head to a 10 or more million, so we can help them also before they arrive there. But that that's really our sweet spot using the tens of millions.

SPEAKER_01: 28:02

Yeah, I mean, and I reason I I I I lowered kind of the two because they do have revenue, and this is when they make mistakes in hiring people to do stuff they could possibly automate at this point if they documented it correctly. That is valuable. And then so, like you could get a head start and not hire four million dollars of salary coming up the next six years when you could probably automate with consultancy or or uh outsource pieces to execute it because the technology is good enough to do it now, if you could do because you're small enough to do it still, say it that way. So I don't want something still on your idea, but I mean, man, if you could catch them on the upslope, holy moly, the value you drive for a company that's breaking from two to 10 would get they will get an exit opportunity because of it.

SPEAKER_00: 28:41

I agree 100%. Yes. So definitely contact us, we can help you. Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 28:46

Yeah, we're gonna help you on your marketing pitch there. That's where you should you should be nailing that one. I'd be like, she helped me get 14X. People like, I'm calling her. You know, that's nice. Thank you so much. It's it's I love, I love uh the time we get to spend. Thank you for coming on today.

SPEAKER_00: 29:02

Yeah, you're very welcome. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01: 29:04

Appreciate it. Listen, anyone who made it at this point in the show, you rock. This is your first time here. I do hope it's the first of many. And you know, get out there, cut a tie to whatever's holding you back. But before you start doing all that, make sure you know what the definition of success is for you. So you're cutting the right tie is to accomplish what you want. Thanks, L.