Welcome back to The COO Solution Podcast! In this special episode, host Derek Fredrickson sits down with Amy Anderson, CEO of ACG Practice Partners and a current client of The COO Solution. Amy is an expert in the aesthetics industry who has helped hundreds of surgeons and practice leaders launch and scale successful, high-performing practices.
In this candid conversation, Amy shares what it was like to amicably split from her previous partnership, launch a new company, and face the overwhelm of starting fresh—even with clients and team members by her side. She opens up about the fears she navigated, the clarity she gained from partnering with a fractional COO, and how quickly momentum began to shift in her business.
Together, Derek and Amy unpack the tangible benefits of second-in-command support, the importance of core values in building team culture, and why letting go of “doing it all” creates the space for visionary leadership.
In This Episode:
[01:22] Amy’s Journey – From co-founding a consulting firm to launching ACG Practice Partners.
[02:46] The Overwhelm of Starting Over – The fears, doubts, and heavy responsibility of re-launching.
[07:18] Why Amy Chose a Fractional COO – The turning point that made support non-negotiable.
[14:43] Quick Wins & Relief – How structure, strategy, and accountability shifted everything.
[19:31] Partnership with Jessica – The “boots on the ground” COO experience.
[22:32] CEO Mindset – How Amy is learning to protect her time and think bigger.
[29:05] Core Values in Action – Integrity, empathy, expertise, and excellence as guiding principles.
[35:49] Final Insights – Why accountability and support are game-changers for entrepreneurs.
📌 Why This Matters
Even the most talented, experienced entrepreneurs can hit a wall when they try to do it all themselves. Having the right second-in-command unlocks both business momentum and personal peace of mind. Amy’s story is a powerful reminder that scaling requires both strategy and support.
✅ Action Steps for Listeners:
- Audit your role—where are you holding on to tasks that no longer serve you as CEO?
- Define (or revisit) your company’s core values and use them to guide hiring and decision-making.
- Consider the impact of adding second-in-command support, whether through a fractional COO or another leadership partner.
Resources & Links:
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Transcript:
I’m really excited to welcome today’s guest, Amy Anderson to the show. Amy is a current client of the COO Solution and someone we’ve had the privilege of supporting as she leads and grows her business. Amy is the Founder and CEO of ACG Practice Partners and a true expert in the aesthetics industry. She’s worked with hundreds of surgeons and practice leaders helping them launch, scale and run successful, high performing practices with a focus on operational excellence and strong team culture. What makes this episode so special is that Amy has only been working with us for a short period of time, really just a few months, and the momentum we’ve seen already is incredible.
Derek Fredrickson:
00:54
From realigned systems to stronger leadership clarity, this conversation is all about the tangible impact of having the right second in command support and what that’s unlocked not just for her business in a short amount of time, but for Amy as a CEO and visionary. Let’s dive in.
Main Episode
00:00
Hey there, everybody. Welcome back to the COO Solution podcast. I’m your host, Derek Fredrickson, and welcome today’s episode. We have a very special guest and a client of the COO Solution, Amy Anderson, who is with us today. Thank you, Amy, for being part of the show.
00:24
Amy Anderson
Thanks, Derek. I’m thrilled to be here.
00:26
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah. Yeah. So we’re going to dive into a couple of different things today. As I mentioned, you’re a client with the COO Solution and you’ve only been working with us for just a couple of months. I think it’s not even at the end of month two yet. Right. It’s only been a short period of time, and we’re going to talk a little bit about what the work has been like working with us and working with you in this collaborative partnership with the COO Solution and your business in such a short period of time. I think it’s really helpful and beneficial for our listeners and our viewers to understand the type of work that we do, but also the impact that it can make for a business in a short amount of time.
01:01
Derek Fredrickson
So we’re going to talk into that and a few other things as well. I know you’ve got some great ideas and thoughts around the topic of core values, and we’re going to get into that, so we’re going to have a pretty open and interesting conversation. So, again, thank you for being here, and we’ll go ahead and dive in. So..
First of all, just tell us a little bit about you, Amy. I mean, just introduce yourself properly to the audience, tell us about your business, and then we can kind of dive in.
01:22
Amy Anderson
Absolutely. Well, I own a health care consulting firm, and so what that means is I work with physicians who are in private practice. I help them with all stages of starting their practices, growing it, and eventually at some point, that transition plan as. As they look to. To the future. And so I kind of stumbled into healthcare by accident and have. Have stayed here since I was an undergrad in college and realized how much I really love the business side of. Of practices and practice management. And so worked in several practices throughout my early career and then moved into Consulting in 2016 and then started my own. My own firm back in 2020. So that’s where I am today.
02:10
Amy Anderson
I like to say I have the best job ever because I get to work with doctors really Amazing, talented doctors all across the country and help them bring their dreams to life in running their own businesses.
02:23
Derek Fredrickson
Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you for that. So let’s talk a little bit. Going back, in a way. So before we started working together, if you could just kind of paint the picture a little bit, what was going on in your business before, what was either like, you know, what were coming, some of the challenges that maybe you had, what felt stuck, you know, frustrating. Just describe or paint the picture a little bit about what was the state of your business before we started to do some work together.
02:46
Amy Anderson
Sure. And maybe I’m a unique situation for you. Although we all think we’re unique. Right. So I had a consulting firm that I was a co-owner of. I had a business partner. We started our firm in 2020. And it was really a wonderful, beautiful thing. She’s a very dear friend of mine. And we had very different focuses. I focused on plastic surgeons and aesthetic providers, and her focus was a little bit more orthopedic surgeons and ENT, which was fine. We structured it in a way. We had our own clients, we had our own staff. It was kind of a partnership of convenience and just share some resources. And I think we both agreed, we’d grown to a point that the partnership didn’t really serve its purpose anymore.
03:34
Amy Anderson
And we were both starting to have those feelings of maybe being held back because different initiatives we each wanted to do, didn’t really serve the other person. And so as we’re kind of deciding how to utilize resources, we’re feeling held back. So we made the decision to friendly, amicably split and part ways. So I started a new company at that time. And I think I was honestly, Derek, I think I talked to you a week before I even officially launched.
04:05
Derek Fredrickson
I think it was the week before you were about to launch. Yeah.
04:07
Amy Anderson
Yes. And so as I’m running around and trying to put everything into place, initially thinking, oh, no big deal, this is what I’ve been doing for the last almost five years. I just have to set up a new EIN and a couple new systems. A little bit more than that. I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed. I mean, to the point of tears, if I’m being totally honest. And even though I knew my clients were coming with me, my team members were coming with me, the fear had set in of, what if this doesn’t work and what if this is a huge mistake and what if it all falls apart? And I mean, when you’re the business owner and launching a new company that has.
04:50
Amy Anderson
And basically, I was committing to about half a million dollars in wages for the employees that were coming over before I pay myself even. And it was like, wow, what if I lose three clients? And all of a sudden I can’t do that? And so I was really feeling overwhelmed, scared, and like I was doing it on my own. I have amazing team members who are there to help in any way they can, but some of these things just aren’t appropriate for, you know, your frontline staff. I didn’t want to burden them with that. I didn’t want them to feel that stress. I was keeping the smile on my face outwardly and inwardly going, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh.
05:29
Amy Anderson
So, yeah, feeling stuck as to how do I actually get this new business off the ground seamlessly and then not just do what I’ve been doing. I want it to be bigger, I want it to better. I want it. I had so many ideas of things to improve and really didn’t know where to start, how to prioritize those ideas.
05:48
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah, and it’s interesting. I mean, you were launching the new business, but it wasn’t like it was brand new. I mean, like you said, you were bringing over your clients, you were bringing over your team, your. Your marketing assets and everything else from your partnership. But in. It sounds like in your mind, it was the creation of a whole new business in a way. So it was like the Amy that was co owner or co partner with the business before had a different version of the Amy about to embark on it in a. In a new kind of solo way. And it seems like that oftentimes, understandably for many of us, in fact, all of us who are being honest, brings up the stuff, right? It brings up the fear, it brings up the mindset, can I really do this? What if it works?
06:27
Derek Fredrickson
What if it doesn’t work? And so I can appreciate and share and thank you for being vulnerable about, you know, the feelings that come up when we’re embarking on, whether it’s something new or something big or going in a different direction and touching into those feelings and acknowledging them as opposed to just kind of ignoring it and going into it with business as usual. So you were at that point saying, okay, there’s a bit of overwhelm, there’s a bit of fear setting in. And then what was the catalyst?
06:54
Derek Fredrickson
What was the thing that made you decide to say, yes, I feel like I need to bring on a. I need to bring on support and maybe not another team member that could help with some of the execution or somebody just Focused on maybe marketing or operations, but that air traffic controller, as I often say, that fractional coo, what was the thing that said, okay, now I need to think about bringing somebody on board. What was some of the factors that led to that decision?
07:18
Amy Anderson
Yeah, I like to think that I’m pretty self aware and I try to be very honest with myself about where my strengths are, where my limitations are, and not even putting the strength or weakness kind of value to it, but just who I am and how I’m wired. And I know I’m designed to be around other people and I like to talk it out. I’m very much a verbal processor. There are definitely times I need to think about it and like give me some quiet. But I like to talk things out.
07:47
Amy Anderson
And so as I’m looking at my team and I was finding myself starting to have some conversations that I would have previously had with my business partner, starting to want to have them with employees but knowing like this isn’t right, I shouldn’t, like it’s, this is above their pay grade, this is above what they should be doing. I need somebody though, who can be kind of at that, equal and really help me thinking strategically and allow me to talk it out in a productive way. And of course, you know, friends and family and everybody wants to talk it out, give their advice, but that’s not what I was looking for. So, so I knew kind I had a picture in my head of kind of what was needed, but I didn’t know what to call it.
08:25
Amy Anderson
And the irony of all of this, Derek, is we’ve, you and I have talked about this. The consulting I do with my clients is very similar to the COO solution in a way, in the sense that like I’m their person that they talk things out with and I help them prioritize and strategize and create plans and hold them accountable to it. And so it was kind of just like a hot, like I need a me that’s not me. I need somebody from outside of my space with that fresh perspective who’s maybe not as emotionally attached to it either, who can be very objective and lead me through it. And then, you know, as the meta gods would have, I’m scrolling on either Instagram or Facebook one night and I see an ad for this COO solution. I’m like, what is this?
09:11
Amy Anderson
And it piqued my interest. And I think I booked a call with you the next day thinking like, a few months from now I’ll get this going, I’ll get settled in and it just seemed so obvious in the first call that we were very like minded. And like everything you described about how the COO solution helps businesses, I’m like, that’s what I need. When can we start? I need this now. I can’t wait until things get better. They’re not going to just get better on their own. I need the help now.
09:39
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah. Thank you for sharing that. I really appreciate that, Amy, because you’re right, we are alike in many respects and I appreciate the like, the kind of talk it out and talk it through. I had this podcast interview very recently where I spoke to somebody who described people in two different ways. And there are those that like to talk, then think, and those that like to think, then talk. And I think in some respect, my understanding is that you like to think and then talk. But when you talk, you need that collaboration, you need that partnership, you need somebody to share it with that can reflect back the advantages or the disadvantages or the pros and the cons. And then you’re also, I think, because we do assessments when we work with clients, you take action.
10:20
Derek Fredrickson
Like when you know what you need to do, you’ll go ahead and do it. But you like having that kind of trusted support and that second in command to kind of guide you along the way. So. So thank you for sharing that.
I have a question for you about what was the… So the decision was I, I’m gonna. It showed up and I get that, which is great. Thank you, algorithm of Meta for making that happen. But what was the thing that shifted that said, I want to have this conversation now, like you mentioned, I’ll revisit this maybe in a few months time after, maybe I get some momentum or kind of do this more independently. What was the thing that said? I’d like to have this conversation now.
10:54
Derek Fredrickson
And then through that conversation, can you share specifically what was one thing or a few of the things that said? Okay, what Derek is offering and what the COO Solution provides made you feel that this is the right path to get you to where you want to go?
11:12
Amy Anderson
Gosh, it’s kind of hard to articulate that sometimes. Where the booking the initial call, I thought I just need more information, right? I want to know what it is, how much it costs, what all is involved, like, what is this really? So when I engage in this six months down the road, thinking I have the full picture and all the details, I think like you said, like with my assessments, you’ve noticed I do take action quickly. So I might think about it for a little while. I don’t think I’m very impulsive, but once I make up my mind.
11:46
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah.
11:46
Amy Anderson
And I had made, I had this moment of like, I need help. Here’s an option. Let’s, let’s do it. Let’s find out more. So that was the initial booking, the call, just that instinct of book the call. What does it hurt? You know, so, and then when you and I were speaking, I think on just the feeling level, I just felt like you got me. Like you understood where I was in my business, what I was going through. You were articulating the feelings that I couldn’t put into words and honestly gave me a path that just helped, like, gave me some hope of like, okay, this is totally doable and I don’t have to do this alone. And there are others out there with this expertise that can get me unstuck and move me through the process.
12:35
Amy Anderson
So I think it was really walking away from that conversation feeling a sense of hope and like, there’s a path forward and it doesn’t all have to be me. And maybe that’s, that was part of the, I was feeling this immense pressure of course, I’m the new business owner. It’s all on me. And that was kind of, that was what was overwhelming. And so talking with you got it. I got a sense of, no, there’s somebody else here that can help me, you know, shoulder this burden, in a sense. And it’s not just me. Walk blindly through the dark, you’re going to guide me on this way. And so that’s when I said, okay, let’s do it.
13:11
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah, I love that I remember that conversation. And thank you again for sharing. It’s gratifying to hear that because, you know, with the clients that we choose to work with, and I say choose because we want to work with clients that we respect and admire and love in the sense of what they’re doing and what they’re about and they’re kind of their passion and the mission. I know it sometimes can sound, you know, cheesy because people like, oh, you have the passion for your business and a mission and you do, but also you had an eye to scale. Like, you could see the growth. Like we like to work with growth or scale minded entrepreneurs that are not content with the status quo. They know they’ve got something big.
13:47
Derek Fredrickson
They know they want to get there, but they also know that they need the support in order to make that happen. And so I think there was this element of understanding and trust because that’s as I shared a big value in the work that we do. It’s a collaborative, it’s a partnership, it’s something that we’re invested in you as much as you’re investing in us in terms of time, energy and effort. And we want it to be a win win. We want it to be a win for you and obviously a win for us as well. So. So like I said at the beginning, it’s been barely two months. It’s been, I think it’s six weeks or eight weeks or so. Can you describe initially when we started?
14:21
Derek Fredrickson
Just even in the first couple of the weeks, first couple of weeks, what were some of the immediate shifts that you noticed or what were some of the impacts that you started to see, but also the impact to you and what it meant to you, like how you felt about your business and what started to shift, whether it’s about team, systems or the way you were showing up as a CEO in your company. What started to feel and change for you?
14:43
Amy Anderson
Yeah, I mean without being like just too touchy feely, it definitely was a feeling of just like a sense of relief that like, okay, I have support, I’m not in this alone. That was probably the most noticeable. Like I actually felt like my, I could feel my shoulders drop a little bit and like the sigh come out of my chest because I wasn’t just trying to do this on my own anymore. So, so immediately just a little bit more at peace, a little bit more relaxed and that’s, I can’t even like quantify the importance of that. And then beyond that, just so anybody who’s listening knows it’s not just like the touchy feely woo woo. We all feel good about things. Very specific, real actionable items. From day one, you had me fill out a very extensive questionnaire about my business.
15:33
Amy Anderson
And it wasn’t just an activity for me, it was helpful for me. But like you and your team members did a deep dive into it and like came to the first meeting very prepared already with some concrete ideas of where we need to start. And then, but of course then I had a voice in that and to say, like, what does this match what you think, Amy? And is this your priority? And so there was that collaboration which was great because I think a lot of times as business owners, like you said, we have like 18,000 ideas at any given time and knowing which direction to go can be challenging or we have that paralysis of which you know, and so we don’t start on any of them. And so I think instead of like that blank slate, you coming with like five things.
16:18
Amy Anderson
And I said, okay, let’s start with these three. That was an easy thing for me to distill down rather than looking at all 18,000 at once. So you guys kind of did that initial legwork for me, which was hugely valuable. And I think it just kind of takes away or you help take away the. How do I say the. This. My words are escaping me. You provided a clear roadmap. Instead of me sitting here coming up with these arbitrary ideas or timelines, you broke it down in a very simple way. And it was like, here’s what we’re going to do. Not even over the next 90 days. There was a 90 day plan, but it was first like, but what’s the first two weeks? Okay, and then what are the two weeks after that? And that was very actionable and practical for me.
17:11
Amy Anderson
I can think about the next two weeks, 90 days from now. I don’t know what I’m doing. I mean, I talk about 5 years, forget about it. But being able to distill it down into the next few weeks and then gave me some specific action items. But it wasn’t all on me. I’m used to all of it coming back on my shoulders. There were things that you and your team were doing and that was refreshing too. I thought, oh, I don’t have to do this by myself. Somebody else is going to take on that task.
17:37
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah, that’s part of. I appreciate that. I always say so much. Again, thank you for sharing that. I think, you know, when we work with clients, we never want to show up. And you know, the way we work is that we never show up. We’re like, so what would you like us to do? Right? Like how can we help? We show up and say, this is what we’re going to do and this is how we can help. Not as a directive, but as a partnership. It’s collaboration to make sure we’re on the same page. Because to establish that trust and credibility of the work that we’re going to do.
18:06
Derek Fredrickson
It’s really important that we’re aligned and on the same page and say, yes, this is our goal, say for the first 90 days and we’re aligned and what those objectives are and the impact it’s going to have. But also practically, what can we get done in the first. I call it the 21 day sprint, the low hanging fruit. Within the first three weeks that we could start to knock off and implement and finish to get some traction, to get some momentum because that gets the snowball effect in the business and then we can kind of build and expand on that. And the other thing I was going to share, especially for entrepreneurs, business owners that are doing it alone in some respect, as you shared, and we all have this, there are so many things that we could do. So many.
18:45
Derek Fredrickson
We could do this, we could do that. But oftentimes there’s only a handful of things that we actually should do in the amount of time that we allow for. Because otherwise, you know, this expression nature abhors a vacuum where it’s like, I can do this project, but it’s going to be six months when if we really crystallize it and establish it in terms of a start and finish point and somebody’s owning that to completion, it’s a lot more tangible, that’s going to get finished and to get a result.
So. So thank you for that. What’s it been like? So we’re working together, but also you have a fractional coo. I always say you get a boots on the ground fractional coo. So let’s talk about Jessica. What’s it like working with Jessica? Tell me about your partnership, your collaboration.
19:27
Derek Fredrickson
Again, it’s been a short period of time, but what’s that been like for you?
19:31
Amy Anderson
Jess is amazing. I every like my meetings with her are the highlight of my week. My whole team immediately embraced her. They love her. She just, she fits right in because she’s got the personality and the execution and implementation right. It’s all sides of it. So, you know, one of the early, maybe my first meeting with Jessica, one on one, as were talking about some of the areas that were really taking up a lot of my time and I admitted I’m kind of a self proclaimed QuickBooks nerd. Like, I love QuickBooks. I don’t know why. I love going in and categorizing transactions and then running the P & L and seeing how things are. And she kind of gently asked the question, is this the best use of your time as the CEO? And I’m like, well, no, but I like doing it.
20:20
Amy Anderson
And so within a five minute conversation though, as I talked about paying the bills, stresses me out or just keeping track of when things are due or invoicing. And I said, I just need to hire a bookkeeper, don’t I? And she goes, yeah, she goes, I was hoping you would come. I’m like okay. And I, again, it was just a short conversation, but it was the number one best decision that I made. And I think without Jessica bringing that to the surface and saying, just asking the question, is this the best use of your time? I was forced to admit it’s not. And so I was avoiding maybe some other things because this is fun and easy, but engaged a bookkeeper the next day, and I’m so much happier. I’m so much happier.
21:01
Amy Anderson
So, I mean, that’s just one example of the quick win early on. But I needed that then to free up my time to then focus on the next thing that we could improve upon.
21:12
Derek Fredrickson
And I remember that conversation because I think we highlighted like hiring a bookkeeping bookkeeper. Yes. But the lesson of the learning of hiring a bookkeeper is what we want to cascade because there’ll be other opportunities where we continue to free up your time to focus as that CEO, as that visionary. And being able to leverage that type of approach of saying, like, yes, I know intellectually, I know it’s not the best use of my time, and I’m going to be challenged with other decisions of where do I step back and trust and rely on others, whether it’s Jessica and other team members to make the decision to hire or to delegate something that you’ve been doing that you’ve been maybe holding on to, that you’re somewhat relinquishly.
21:55
Derek Fredrickson
Relinquishly or hesitantly, you know, letting go and being able to kind of use that as a muscle in order to leverage and use your team more. I don’t say use, but to position them to move things forward. So it’s not all on you. So there was a great little mindset shift or lesson in that, I think, especially as well.
And so just talk a little bit about, like, what’s different now, what has kind of shifted for you in your business, in your role, how you’re showing up, you know, how you see yourself as the CEO and the visionary, and then you know where you see your business going now with this type of support going forward from here.
22:32
Amy Anderson
Yeah, I, I definitely am taking on more of a CEO mindset, which is new for me. Even being a co-owner before, I don’t think I full. I feel like I was kind of playing the right hand and not like the main person. And so realizing that my responsibility is also to protect my time and to only spend my time on the most important things that I can contribute to the business. And that by allowing other people to do things, that’s actually, that’s a gift for them. That’s a training opportunity. We all will do better if I can let go of something. So I’m the typical entrepreneur that’s a control freak, and I want to do it all, and I want it exactly a certain way, and that’s just not real life.
23:20
Amy Anderson
And I’m not going to scale beyond what I’m doing if I can’t let that go. So it’s hard. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to say, sure, take the reins and go set. Like, I approve the idea and concept, now go execute it. I’m usually that implementer. I’m usually the one doing those things. And so. But on the other hand, it’s refreshing. I’ve found, I think I shared with you and Jessica in our last meeting that I actually have more freedom to be creative. And I’ve had some more time to think about what is our next service opportunity or how are we going to improve this other process that we’re delivering for clients right now. And I’ve just had the mental space and energy to put towards those things. And I love doing that.
24:06
Amy Anderson
I love thinking about my clients and what I can do better for them. And I needed some space to get there because when you’re just putting out fires and playing whack a mole every day, you can’t really get to that level. And so I think that’s the biggest piece of it. And I’m. Like you said, we just started, so I’m so excited to see where this is going to go.
24:27
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah, it’s the less doing, more thinking concept that we’ve talked about. Right. Especially for those, as many entrepreneurs. We’re wired like, we can do it, we’ll take it on. That’s. That’s what got us successful. When we started, we were the jack of all trades. And at a point we have to kind of step back and say, I shouldn’t be doing this, I shouldn’t be doing that. And not only does it free up that time, but with that time back, you can then use that. As you said, you love thinking about new ways to serve your clients or new offerings or new programs or other ways to vision in the business. And then with the peace of mind and the trust and the confidence, knowing that with the Jessica, with the fractional coo, you’ve got somebody there that then can go and make those things happen.
25:10
Derek Fredrickson
We talked about this, I think, in our initial Call your role as an entrepreneur, Amy’s role, and those of you that are listening or watching your role is to make it up. Our role as fractional COOs, we make it happen, we make it real. And then with the people and the process, we make it recur. And then with that time back, to be able to think about the bigger vision, the bigger future. And that excites you and it gets you motivated and it just is going to continue on from here.
So, last question about this, and we’re going to shift into some. I want to ask you a few questions about core values because that’s very exciting and interesting for me, for somebody who’s watching this or listening to this, who’s maybe asking themselves.
25:44
Derek Fredrickson
The question that you asked yourself, is maybe now the right time to think about bringing on a fractional coo? What would you say to them? What advice would you give to them as they’re going through that contemplation period?
25:56
Amy Anderson
If you’re even thinking about it, then the answer is yes, I think if you have the thought that I could use some help here, I could use this person to get help, get ideas out of my head better, articulate it, prioritize, and then implement, which, I mean, virtually every entrepreneur needs that. But if you’re even having the thought, if you’re listening to the podcast, then yes, it’s time. It’s time to take that first step. And I think one of the things that the way the COO Solution is structured, much like my own business, is there. We don’t hold people into these, like, long term, giant commitments, because if it’s not serving both, then it’s not serving you. And so there’s kind of a, you know, what’s the risk? Like, there’s only an upside to doing this, right? Like you will.
26:43
Amy Anderson
There’s no question you’re going to receive an unimaginable value out of it. And if you think you’re going to get to a point, oh, I just need it for a few months and then I’ll be fine, okay, I don’t think that’s the case. I think you’re going to realize how valuable it is. But just don’t be afraid to take that first step. It’s, it’s such a low risk thing. Do it, see it for yourself, how it can make a difference. You have to be open to change, right? Like your job is to change some of what I’m doing and my thought process. So just be open to it and.
27:15
Derek Fredrickson
Then Say, yeah, so true. It’s very good point. You have to be open to change. There are some businesses, business owners that are not open to change. That’s fine, right? We are not here to keep the status quo. We are here to initiate change. And we want people to be not just okay with that, but we want them to embrace that. We want them to be excited about that. Otherwise it’s going to feel like there’s resistance and there’s pushback. And so I think there’s this openness and this willingness. And I, I’ll just say as well, and thank you for raising. The point is that as one business owner to the other, and I’ve shared this with so many, you know, current clients and those that are thinking about working with us.
27:53
Derek Fredrickson
I, as a fellow business owner, never really liked the commitment idea of a long term engagement for the exact same reasons that you said. And I’m putting this out there. I know it might be contrary to what people would expect to hear, but at the same time, I wouldn’t. Unless I like, I need to see the value. I need to see the results. And if there is value and if there is results, great. Like, let’s keep doing that. Why would you not continue with something that’s working? But if, for whatever reason that’s not the case, I would never want to be held to a contract or a commitment for a long period of time if I’m not getting the value. Which is why we do the same with our clients.
28:28
Derek Fredrickson
So I appreciate you kind of sharing that and kind of opening it up. So for our audience to know that’s how we work, because it’s based on the work that we’re doing, but it’s also based on the trust.
Okay, so thank you for that. I want to shift gears. I want to ask you about core values because you have an interest in core values, you use them in your company, whether it’s with hiring or just in your kind of thought process of who you want to be as a CEO in your organization. So just tell me and the audience, why are core values important to you? And where did that start to materialize into something that’s really an important element of an important element of how you run your company?
29:05
Amy Anderson
Well, when I was starting to plan my new business and I started this exercise called morning pages where I just sit down with a notebook every morning for 10 minutes. It’s just 10 minutes. I literally set a timer on my phone and I just write what comes to mind and it’s not, it’s meant to be completely unstructured and just getting things out of your head sometimes. I was just a to do list someday. It was, you know, it’s not quite journaling. It’s just kind of whatever’s on your mind. And I just felt myself, all right. I kept coming back to this topic of core values and like, why am I starting this new business? And what is it that I’m going to stand for? What is it that I’m doing or that is different from any other consultant in this space?
29:51
Amy Anderson
And what is it that I want to make sure every one of my team members stands for and that they understand when we’re faced with a decision in our work or with clients. Like, the core values are what we come back to of this is how we make decisions. This is. This is who we are. This is what we stand for. And then these are the type of people I want to have on my team with me that. Not just say, okay, sure, I’ll follow along with integrity, you know, no, this is. I need these. I need this to be who they are at their core. And so it took me several days of my morning pages writing of. Just putting down words of.
30:31
Amy Anderson
Of what I want to be known for and what I want my clients to think of when they think about me. And then. So I boiled it down to four, and I’ll. It’s integrity.
30:40
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah. If you could share, I’d love to. I’d love to hear if that’s okay.
30:44
Amy Anderson
Okay. Integrity, empathy, expertise, and excellence. And I could go into more detail. And. And it’s in my employee handbook, and I talk about it with my team. But, like, if we’re not honest, if we don’t have integrity, we’re not. Like, there’s. We shouldn’t be. We shouldn’t exist as a business. Our clients need to trust us implicitly. And so we have to do everything with the highest degree of integrity in our work. And so that’s number one for a reason. Empathy. You know, we approach everybody openly with understanding and compassion. Like, if we don’t care about what we’re doing, if we don’t have that degree of empathy, then again, doesn’t matter how honest we are or how great we are at things, like, we need to build that connection and know that we truly care about our clients.
31:31
Amy Anderson
The expertise and excellence kind of go hand in hand. But expertise meaning that we are at the top of our game, that we’re committed to always learning, we’re committed to growth, and that what we do today is not going to be the same tomorrow. Like, we’re constantly learning because our world is evolving and we have to stay on top of it. So I also want anybody coming into my organization to know this is who we are. You will be going to conferences. You will be asked to watch these webinars, because we’ve got to stay on top of it so that we can deliver that to our clients who expect that of us.
32:07
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah.
32:07
Amy Anderson
And then excellence, just being the highest standards of everything halfway done is not okay. It needs to be. It needs to be done. I do sometimes say done beats perfect, because there are times we get stuck on the perfectionism, but we don’t deliver half results like it is. If we’re going to do it to the highest level. And so just kind of working through this. This is, again, who I want on my team. This is what I want my clients to know. When you work with us, this is what you can expect.
32:36
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah.
32:37
Amy Anderson
And because this is who we are.
32:39
Derek Fredrickson
And thank you for that. So I love that you shared those. Do you feel like when you went through that exercise, did you feel that the core values materialized as a reflection more of you and who you are and then also for the organization, or more for your organization and company, or do you feel like they’re blended together, like, I asked that because I hope it’s a clear question. Because sometimes in my experience, there are some companies that build core values purely from the perspective of the company, where maybe the founder or the CEO has different values that reflect onto them, and others really are crystal clear on what their core values are. And, of course, they cascade naturally into those values for the organization. How did that come about for you and how you developed those?
33:25
Amy Anderson
I mean, I don’t know how I can’t separate myself from the company. So I am the founder. I am an entrepreneur. So it’s both. These are my core values and everything I want my company to stand for. And so I think if I was a much larger corporation and I did this after the fact, I can see how you would design it for the company. But for anybody who’s an entrepreneur or solopreneur, like, your company is you, and it should reflect your values, and you don’t need to apologize for what your values are. They don’t. They. They’re not going to be my values. They’re not going to be your values. They’re going to have some differences, and that’s okay.
34:06
Amy Anderson
You have to first know, though, who you are, why you’re doing this, and what you want to stand for and then you build the company around that. And I think the more connected they are, the more passionate you are about that, the more protective you are that you don’t allow somebody on your team who doesn’t reflect these values because that’s going to be a mismatch. Your clients are going to get confusing messages if you say one thing and then what they see from your team members, you know, is a mismatch.
34:34
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah. And it seems like this is my impression of what you’ve shared and how I reflect on this as well is that these core values, they already exist, but we sometimes don’t do the work to birth them, to kind of give them light. We just, through the work that you’ve done, which I know is not something that takes, you know, this is a big project. This is something you need to invest the time, energy and effort, but you’re kind of peeling away the layers and unfolding what’s getting in the way of what’s really already there as a core value. And then when you align with that, be like, yes, now let’s put that out on a pedestal or put that out and give it the spotlight.
35:09
Derek Fredrickson
Whether it’s with your clients, whether it’s with your team, whether it’s with your future team and recruitment and say, these are what we stand for. This is what I represent and what I believe. And we want to make sure that we bring like minded people that resonate with those and there will be some that do. It’s like marketing, right? Really good marketing attracts those that are interested and reflects those that aren’t. And so the core value is just another way to amplify who you really are and what you stand for. So thank you for that. I appreciate your sharing that. Super interesting conversation. Amy, anything else you’d like to share either on the topic of core values or our work together? Any final thoughts before we wrap up here?
35:49
Amy Anderson
Yeah, I think oftentimes I think of this type of work. I like to give the analogy of working with a personal trainer and how a lot of times, and I would tell myself these same things like, well, I know what to do. I don’t need to hire somebody else to tell me what to do. It’s just like going to the gym. There’s every possible workout plan available for free on the Internet. Right. There’s meal plans, there’s recipes, all the information is at our fingertips. And we’re in an era now that there’s really not a lot of secrets as to what needs to be done. The difference is the how and the accountability to do it. So why do I pay a personal trainer at the gym? It’s so I actually show up at the gym and do it. Right.
36:37
Amy Anderson
It’s also though, the person who, outside of those sessions, they’re thinking about it, they’re coming up with the exercise plan, they’re developing the meal plan. When I’m there, they’re correcting my, my form. Right. They’re telling, they’re pushing me a little bit in a different direction maybe than I would do on my own. There’s so much value to it. And so don’t get stuck on the. I already know how to do this. Why do I need somebody else? Don’t underestimate the value of that accountability and then just that higher level expertise to take those ideas that you kind of know and really drill into it and get into those fine details that you’re not going to find just from a ChatGPT search.
37:18
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah, there you go. I love that. Excellent. Thank you for that. Wonderful. Thank you again, Amy. If anyone who’s listening, watching wants to find out more about Amy Anderson and your company, what you do, where can people find you online?
37:31
Amy Anderson
Yeah. So Instagram is probably the best. My personal Instagram is @amyandersonMBA. My business is ACG Practice Partners. And then I’m also on LinkedIn.
37:42
Derek Fredrickson
Yeah. And I’ve watched some of your Instagram reels. They’re quite great. You’ve got that creative side that comes through. I love that. So, yeah, definitely check out Amy and I hope you enjoyed our show today. So thank you everybody for being a part of our episode and thank you, Amy, for being here. It’s lovely to connect with you and have you share your story and thank you everybody for being on the COO Solution podcast and we’ll see you on the next episode. Thanks. Take care. Great. Thank you. Yeah.