What kind of business model is right for you as an operations professional?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  How dependent is your family on your income?

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  • A.
    It’s vital for our family; we need it to pay the bills
  • B.
    It's important, but I don't need to make a full-time income
  • C.
    We'd be okay for a little while without my income, but not long-term.
  • D.
    We don't need it; it's extra
• 2.
  How long do you prefer to work with clients?

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  • A.
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    I prefer short-term with clear start and stop dates
  • B.
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    I like ongoing work but I don't want to be involved forever
  • C.
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    I love to build deep, long-term relationships with my clients
  • D.
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    I'm ready to be done working with clients 1:1
• 3.
  How comfortable are you creating and sharing strategic business moves?

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  • A.
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    I enjoy being involved in short-term or specific strategic decisions, but not for the whole business
  • B.
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    I love to guide my clients on a 1:1 basis and become a strategic partner in their business
  • C.
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    I prefer to teach the strategies I've used with past clients (or myself) to a wider audience
  • D.
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    I enjoy creating proven strategies and sharing them with my clients
• 4.
  How important is a flexible schedule?

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  • A.
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    I don't want anyone else setting my schedule; I need ultimate flexibility
  • B.
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    I like working set times every day; flexibility isn't as important as structure
  • C.
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    I want flexibility but I can show up consistently when necessary
  • D.
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    A regular schedule is ideal, with the option to make adjustments as needed
• 5.
  How much do you enjoy marketing and being visible?

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  • A.
    I'd prefer to have my head down working but marketing isn't the worst thing in the world.
  • B.
    Ugh, marketing - I hate it! Don't make me go on video, please.
  • C.
    Woohoo! I'm all about marketing and enjoy thinking of new ways to show up for my audience
• 6.
  How does building, leading, and developing a team make you feel?

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  • A.
    I work better alone
  • B.
    Team building and leading others is my favorite thing!
  • C.
    I’m good at leading teams through a project or towards specific outcome
  • D.
    I enjoy leading my own team rather than my client's team
• 7.
  What is your tolerance for risk?

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  • A.
    I love taking risks - sign me up!
  • B.
    I take calculated risks from time to time
  • C.
    I prefer not to take any chances - security is my jam
• 8.
  Which statement best describes you?

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  • A.
    I thrive when I have stable, consistent income month after month.
  • B.
    I am comfortable with some ups and downs in come income, but I want some consistency.
  • C.
    I love having big lump sums coming in and I'm good at setting money aside for the low months.
• 9.
  How much time do you want to dedicate to work?

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  • A.
    I'm a workaholic, and I like it that way
  • B.
    I'd like to work as little as possible while still meeting my financial goals
  • C.
    I'm willing to put in the hours but I definitely need my free time, too
• 10.
  Would you rather be an operations generalist or a specialist in one of the ops disciplines (like HR, finance, etc)?

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  • A.
    I have a speciality that I want to focus on and only do that
  • B.
    I'm interested in a speciality but also like to mix things up sometimes
  • C.
    I like to stay general and hire people for specialization at times
• 11.
  How do you feel about creating systems, drawing workflows, and designing processes for clients?

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  • A.
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    I'd rather make improvements to existing systems and processes or just work within what a client has set up
  • B.
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    This is one of my greatest gifts and I love customizing systems for each individual client
  • C.
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    I'd prefer not to set up systems or processes for others
  • D.
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    I'm great at creating systems and processes that will work in various businesses
• 12.
  How free are you to invest financially in your business?

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  • A.
    I have some cash to invest short-term
  • B.
    I have cash to invest until my biz is profitable
  • C.
    I don't have any cash to invest at all
  • D.
    I'd rather not invest any cash but I can if absolutely necessary
• 13.
  Which statement best describes how you like to work:

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  • A.
    I love working on projects for the short-term and moving on to the next, exciting thing coming.
  • B.
    I love working with just a few clients ongoing where I can see long-term results and impact.
  • C.
    I love packaging what I've learned into tools, templates, or resources that others can benefit from.
  • D.
    I love overseeing a team, managing the big picture, and connecting with lots of clients rather than just a few.
• 14.
  How established are you in your operations business?

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  • A.
    I've been around quite a while and I've established my authority in my expertise, but I don't have much of an audience (yet)
  • B.
    My business is brand new and I'm just getting started
  • C.
    My business is mature and established, and I've developed an audience
  • D.
    I'm past the beginning stages and I'm consistently growing
• 15.
  Would you prefer to lead others using your expertise or teach others how to do what you do?

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  • A.
    Teaching others is my jam; I love passing on what I've learned and helping others do what I do
  • B.
    I enjoy leading my own team and teaching them the systems and processes that will work well with clients
  • C.
    I want to stay in my zone of genius and lead others using that
• 16.
  How important is it for you to be included in the CEO's decisions?

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  • A.
    I don't want to be involved at all; I want to provide resources for them but not be involved in their decision making.
  • B.
    I want to provide insights for a short-term project that will allow them to make better decisions, but I'm not tied to their results.
  • C.
    It's incredibly important; I want to be a strategic partner for them so that they can make use of my insights and make better decisions.
  • D.
    I want to provide feedback, support, and guidance for their decisions, but I'm okay if they don't take action on all of my input.

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Your best option is a RETAINER model business

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  This model is ideal when you are looking for consistent income, and would prefer not to incur a lot of risk. It’s also great when you don’t have a lot of money to spend on the marketing side of things.In this model you serve in 2-3 businesses in a fractional, part time or full time capacity. If it fits for you to go full time with someone, you will have the least amount of risk and the greatest amount of income with the least amount of complexity. Going full time in the right size business can be a big blessing.About 70% of people who come through my Director of Operations program start out here, and it allows them to get practical experience so they can determine later if they want to do something else. As a Director of Operations, a retainer model brings you consistent revenue, and you will be making anywhere from $2500-$8000/month as a retainer as you oversee the operations, lead the project management, lead the operational strategy, and oversee team members. This is the beginning of an executive strategic partnership in a business.Your next step: Learn about the Director of Operations Certification so that you can step into a retainer model business with confidence.
• 2.
  You're best suited for a PROJECT model business

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  This model is perfect for someone who likes variety and doesn’t want to stick around inside a business long-term. You love leading teams and you enjoy creating systems and processes. You also are highly skilled at making sure a project doesn’t just get started but also gets completed (with excellence).In this model, you have more time flexibility than some of the others, but you will need to spend a decent amount of time on marketing and building relationships. This will ensure a steady stream of referrals and leads coming your way. Your next step: Learn about the Director of Operations Certification so that you can step into a project model business with confidence.
• 3.
  You're cut out for an AGENCY model business

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  In this model, you will be building a team within your own business. There are a few ways this can look, but one way is that you are able to offer your clients DOO services plus implementation. Instead of managing their team for the implementation, you would be providing the team through your agency. Another way to do this is to build a team of DOOs, and as the owner, you would match DOOs to clients. You would likely have particular systems and processes in place so that all clients are being served in a consistent way by your team.In an agency model, you will need to feel comfortable with marketing, since your goal would be to continue to build up your client base and expand your agency. You will need to be a strong leader and strategist, and have the ability to manage up and down at the same time. Additionally, you will likely be having a higher demand on your time than perhaps a project or product model business. However, this model can be financially lucrative since you are leveraging a team to serve a higher number of clients. Your next step: Learn about the Director of Operations Certification so that you can step into an agency model business with confidence.
• 4.
  You're ready for a PRODUCT model business

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  In this model, you will use your operations expertise to create a product (typically digital) such as a course, toolkits/dashboards, or memberships. With your operations experience, you may have found a system or process that can be implemented or taught in a product-based way, and you’re ready to put this out into the world.Most people entering the product model will have started out in one of the other models first in order to hone their zone of genius before creating a product. In this model, you must be ready to spend time, energy, and money on marketing and visibility. You will need to grow an audience in order to sell this product to them, and it may take longer to reach the income goals you have than some of the other models.However, this model is the most flexible when it comes to your time, as you will typically not be working for clients or an employer. Instead, your time will be focused on marketing and delivering the product to your end customer.Your next step: Learn about the Director of Operations Certification so that you can step into a product model business with confidence. (Note: the DOO Certification does not teach you how to build a digital product business, but ti will help you establish your operations expertise so that you can then step into a product model if you wish).