In this vibrant episode, Jamie Seeker, Owner and Principal Consultant of Seeker Solution, LLC, shares how she and her team of consultants have used their talents to improve
the operations of different business organizations covering multiple industries.

You will discover:

– You don’t have to (read can’t) do it all yourself
– Why undelegating can’t be an option
– How to bring out the best in your team

Episode Transcript

Scott Ritzheimer

Hello, hello and welcome. Welcome once again to the secrets of the high demand coach and I am here with yet another high demand salted. And that is Jamie Seeker. She’s the owner of Seeker Solution, LLC. And it’s a business consulting firm that delivers strategic planning, financial management, training and development, human resources, marketing strategy and operations management solutions all under one roof. She and her team of consultants have used their talents to improve business operations at Nonprofits and Charities, at large franchises, and in retail, industrial, civic and locally owned and private businesses covering multiple industries. She loves her community and has a passion for outreach. And she has the ability to work with many diverse groups in order to accomplish a common goal. Well, Jamie, I’m excited to have you on the program had a chance to kind of check out what you and the firm are doing. And it’s pretty much everything, but it looks like it’s all done remarkably well. So you have to share how you help us do that. But before we get into all of that, I’d love to just kind of hear your story. What is it that you were doing before consulting? And how did that ultimately lead you to make the leap?

Jamie Seeker

Yeah, sure. Thanks Scott for having me. So before consulting, I was always in operations, I had my business administration degree. And my one requirement for like, getting my first job out of college was, I just want to use my degree, I went to like a private school. So I’m like, I was very set on that. And so it was really kind of easy, because, you know, I knew going into business was a way to use the business degree. So that kind of led me into operational type roles. And if you had think of like, anything a CEO would do see, oh, mainly, you know, we’re managing budgets, we’re leading teams, we’re, you know, putting processes in place that are that are efficient and effective. Things like that, you know, we’re planning for future, we’re the ones that kind of have that vision and help us implement that into our teams and departments and things like that. So that’s really where I started off my career. And yeah, that’s what I was doing before consulting. It’s just boots on the ground. Operations Director. You know, I obviously didn’t start out that way. But I kind of worked my way through customer service, and you know, different teams like that. And, and yeah, that’s, that’s kind of what brought me here.

Scott Ritzheimer

Fantastic. Fantastic. What would you say then kind of fast forwarding to now what would you say is the most important work you and your team do for your clients?

Jamie Seeker

Well, I feel like what we do is actually more relational based and and it’s the connection with our people and the clients that we actually have. And I think the most important thing that we do is we get them back to their dream and vision that they had before they started the business. Because most of the time, by the time we enter in, they’re not doing what they thought they would be doing. They’re not feeling the way they thought they would be feeling. They’re not really like living in that world that they had envisioned for themselves. And like, you know, their business might be providing that service or product that they, you know, went into doing. But I would say that, that is the most important thing that we do is we connect them back to that, and we really put plans in place to kind of get them back on track on that road, the way in which we do that is through our solutions. But I think all of our solutions really kind of encompass that to meet that vision goal.

Scott Ritzheimer

Yeah, it’s a really distinct pain. Because with with most entrepreneurs, they’re kind of a visionary type person, right, they have a really clear idea of what they want to create and what they want it to be, and even what it’ll look like. And so you know, clearer than a lot of other people actually. And so when that’s not met, right, when they get down there, they do the work. They have what would from the outside look like a successful business, but it doesn’t feel on the inside, like what they imagined the gap between the vision and the reality is it’s exquisitely painful for lack of a better term. And so I love that you do that. And and, you know, my experience, and I would assume this is similar to yours is folks don’t necessarily come asking for that, right? They don’t say like, I’ve got this pain, where they’re different. They come in with some type of tactical problem. But but below the surface, there’s this underlying thing. So what would you say are some of the chief problems that that the leaders that are coming to you, the founders that are coming to you are experiencing before they start working with you?

Jamie Seeker

Well, it sounds like you can relate. First of all, that was a good assessment of I think, what we feel as business owners, and I think you’re right, they actually do come to us with more of a tactical problem. And that’s where our solutions come in, right? Like, hey, I need somebody to handle social media. I need somebody to handle HR I need, you know, something like that. So that’s really where they come to us with. But I would say more of the traits and the things that we see and feel when we come on board is just a feeling of overwhelm. overworked, spinning wheels. Always running, running, running, putting putting out fires in emergency mode all the time. You know, just those are the similar traits, not not necessarily traits, feelings and emotions. But although entrepreneurs do have, I think, very specific traits, and you kind of like, name that a little bit and, but but we are, you know, people that forge ahead, and we are like really tenacious, and we have very strong, you know, we don’t like to fail, we don’t usually. And that’s typically I think, why we get into this thing where we feel like we have to do it all ourselves. And so sometimes they’re not really looking for us, we just happen to find them, or it’s some sort of like, some sort of intervention, somebody says something or they’re at their wit’s end, and they’re just like, I can’t, I know, something has to change, because I can’t go on anymore. And so yeah, I think you’re right, they’re not typically looking for us necessarily. They are looking for a solution to a problem that they’ve identified. And so that the the connection is very, like you said, tactical is a really good word for that. But it’s more of like surface level. But you know, I think what we end up doing is transforming through those solutions and getting to the core of well, what’s what’s causing this gap? Is it because you don’t have enough resources? Or are you really causing it? Because you’re trying to carry all, you know, wear all the hats, and you’re the bottleneck in your company, and it’s causing this? You know, you can’t move forward because of it? So, yeah, I think I think you, you can relate, you’ve definitely seen it firsthand, I can tell

Scott Ritzheimer

I’ve been on both sides of that equation. I’ve been the one doing it and helping others. So that leads me to my next question. And that is, why is it then as business owners that we constantly feel like we don’t have enough time?

Jamie Seeker

Um, well, I think that’s one of the things when you ask, you know, what we do is, we kind of bring it back to reality is we all have the same amount of time and every day, right? You know, what do we choose to do with it. And I can tell you what your priorities are, by where you spend your time. And they don’t always realize how much time they’re spending, it’s like scrolling on your phone or doing something that you you lose track of the time that’s actually spent, and it’s really putting value to your time. I don’t think they think of it that way. Many times, it’s like, we’re managing budgets, and cash flow is a big thing. When you’re in small business, and any little thing, there’s always that you’re waiting for that ball to drop, like, When am I going to be in that next, you know, emergency? And, and so I think that that’s a lot of it is you think, Alright, well, I’m not going to spend the money to do it. I’m just going to save the money by doing it myself. Well, what you’re actually I think one of the things that we do is we assign value to your time in dollars. What is that? If I were to, you know, if I were to be paying you to do something, what is the best value for my payment to you? And I’m going to tell you, it’s not the things that they’re doing, it’s going to be some other very specific area that they have strengths in. And so I think that that’s to answer your question is, we really get wrapped up in the day to day and the weeds and the needs of our own company. And we tend to give our time, to things that don’t merit our time. And maybe it’s for the sake of control. Maybe we think somebody else can’t do it. Maybe it’s a financial decision, you think you’re being smart with your finances, and you’re, you know, being a good steward of the money that you have. So I don’t think that it’s intentional all the time. I think that it’s, you know, it’s not a proactive way of thinking. But once we do that, and we have those conversations, and we kind of shift the perspective a bit, I think they really do want to make those changes. And I think that that’s where we’re able to find more time in their day and then their schedule. And yeah, I think I think that’s that’s really just it is it’s not being intentional about how they’re spending their time.

Scott Ritzheimer

Yeah. Another thing that I’ve found is, you know, you’ll have folks who say, like, I tried that, I can’t get rid of it. I tried that before it didn’t work, right. I handed the ball to someone else, and they dropped it. And so what, what’s different about it this time, or how can they go about doing that differently to prevent the ball proverbial ball from dropping even if they’re not doing it themselves?

Jamie Seeker

Sure. I think it’s just accepting the fact that the ball is going to drop, the ball drops when you’re holding it. Let’s be honest, you just have control you know, you can pick it back up again. But when the ball drops in somebody else’s hands you are not in control of it, and you don’t know if they’re gonna pick it up or not. So I think the first thing is acceptance that the ball is going to drop period. But I think sometimes our fears Um, like, we have built in emotions that kind of stop us from doing things, you know, protecting, protecting ourselves. And I think one of those things is is fear and control and whatever. And I think we don’t go all the way through the cycle we see like the red flag, or like, oh, and so sometimes we’ll stop right there, instead of think it all the way through, and follow the process all the way through. And so what happens is, we start the cycle of delegating, we start the cycle of trusting building that trust, but we’re still in that building phase. And when anything happens, it’s like, Well, see, I knew this wasn’t gonna work, I’m going to take it back. But it’s almost like we’re looking for it, we have a hard time trusting this is, this is not just a company that we’re working for, right? This is this is very specific and different for business owners, because a lot of times our business is our own identity. And so when we’re giving away our identity, and we’re giving away tasks that make our business, our business, we’re also identifying, I’m giving a part of me, I’m giving, and that’s a really tough pill to swallow, that’s a, that’s a really tough thing to let go of, but I would just encourage owners to follow it all the way through is know that it is going to the ball is going to drop, what am I going to do when it does, and taking it back is not an option. And so that’s actually an active part of our process as well. So like I said, the way in which we engage as these solutions, but we have very specific, you know, standard operating procedures internally on our own. And these are a lot of the things that we address, because we’re not just coming in with a solution. I mean, like, here, you guys go snap our fingers, it’s their implementation takes time. And and we kind of come in with the accountability and what needs to be implemented and how we’re going to do it. And when we face obstacles in that implementation phase, we also have a plan for how we’re going to see it through. And so that’s why it’s different, when you go into any kind of change like that, with accountability, versus trying to do it alone. So I think that’s the second thing is, business owners try to do that alone. They don’t have an accountability piece or partner, to really help them and hold them accountable to delegating, that is a very, very hard thing to do. And it sounds like a very simple concept, oh, you’re just gonna give somebody else a task. But it’s not a secret. And I think many business owners can relate like, you’re not the only one that has a problem with this. Many people that have this type of personality, I also struggle with that too. And that’s okay. You know, it is this way for a reason, because you have very protective instincts and measures that you have on your business, and you don’t want it to fail. So it’s just, I think the last piece to that is identifying the people that you want to surround yourself with, and be a part of this business with you. And so you focus less on the task at hand and more on who that person is, what values they have, are you on the same page with your like, company culture, your values, your philosophy, your vision, where you’re going, and if those things are in alignment, and the skill set might not be there. That’s trainable. And so it is a different approach to knowing like, Okay, this is the person. So you’re already like committed to to working with your team, then it’s finding the right strength for the right task at that point. So I think that those are all things that again, it comes with intentionality. And not just like, reacting to your back’s up against the wall. I can’t do it any more Here, take this. And I think that that’s also like something that happens too is you don’t really delegate until you’re about to drown. And then it’s like, Did you were you really intentional about that? Is it the right person that you delegated it to? Is it you know, do you have accountability measures in place? Did you properly train them to do it? And are they doing it to get the result? Or are you just upset because they didn’t do it the way that you wanted to? It was different. So there’s there’s a lot, there’s so many pieces that I like we I think we could talk the rest of the podcast, or out that process. But you know, I know, it was just one question. But there’s a lot there to do.

Scott Ritzheimer

Yeah. And I think you just said the right word to kind of sum that all up is the delegation is not an act. It’s a process, right? I think if we’re to kind of bottle all that up, I think it really fits in that container. I do want to shift gears a little bit and kind of go up a level if you will. And and because you’re working with lots of founders and their teams, and I’d like to know what would you say are some of the biggest challenges that you see them facing right now?

Jamie Seeker

That’s a very loaded question. And there’s so many ways we could go with this right. I think at the end of the day, we may have already talked about it is let’s get everybody on the same page. Let’s bring people into our team. gyms that share our values that are bought in. And then the rest of it really falls into place. Because sometimes, I know it feels like we’re like, I’m doing all these things as an owner, and I’m running, running, running, and everyone around me is undoing everything that I’m doing. I think that’s another very common feeling. Whether or not it’s true is different. But that that is the perspective a lot of times. And so I think if you can build that trust, and know that, hey, this person is going to give their all. And if we’re falling short, then let’s work through what are the reasons why this isn’t working? Do I get have I been providing enough resources for them to be successful? Have I set clear expectations? Have they been given the proper training? Do they have accountability measures in place for them to make sure that they stay on task? And if all those things are being met? Well, then let’s evaluate the team then, do we have the right task with the right strengths? Or did we give something to somebody that is not in their wheelhouse, that’s really like, it’s not a good match, it’s not a good fit. So then it’s finding the right place for them. It’s not necessarily looking to blame somebody or looking for fault anywhere. It’s, you know, kind of checking these boxes. And that again, that’s a process in and of itself, as well, that we kind of bring to the table, we go through these ticker marks of like, hey, well did. Did we set clear expectations? You know, did we go through these things? Okay, great. Yes, we did. So now it becomes a performance issue. Why is the performance failing? Well, we know it’s not because we know this is the right person on our team. Right? So maybe it’s not the right seat on the bus. And, and so I think that those are things that, you know, that we don’t always look at, we’re looking to point the finger we’re looking and we don’t have time, right? It just needs to be done. So I don’t have time to figure this out. I just need a new person, like, get get somebody else to do this? Because, you know, or I’ll just do it myself. Yeah. You know, so then you start the cycle all over?

Scott Ritzheimer

Oh, yeah, the hamster wheel is real. So there’s a question I like to ask all my guests. And it’s this, what would you say is the biggest secret that you wish wasn’t a secret at all? What’s that one thing that you wish everybody listening or watching today knew?

Jamie Seeker

Well, I think, you know, most of the people that we’re working with are business owners. And so I just want to remind them that like, you own the company, you get to decide how this works. You are the one that leads everything, you set the tone for everything, everything else is going off of you. So if you’re not liking your culture, guess what? Look in the mirror, if you’re not liking, you know, whatever it is that’s going on in your company, you get to influence that. And I think sometimes we get caught up in maybe our own experiences, or our own ideas of what we think a leader is or needs to be. And we try to, like be that person or, you know, I don’t know, I don’t know, whatever the issue is, I know that some of the things that I’ve faced is like, I really had this idea of like what it was supposed to look like. And when I was in these leadership roles, I was kind of emulating, you know, my leaders and trying to be like that. But when I kind of went off on my own, I was like, I don’t think we need to do it this way. Like, I’m fact I think we can do it, we can do it however we want. And that’s really kind of what I brought to my culture. So that’s, and I feel like when we did that, I brought on people that were like, Yeah, I want to do this, or I want to do they had their goals. And I was like, you can do that we can have that kind of culture. And I want you to be able to do that. And so I think that’s just the secret is that we are holding all the cards, we get to decide at the end of the day, how we want our day to go. I mean, it’s as micro as your day to day activities. And as big as you know, your future. Like, where’s this company? What are we all about? What is our mission? We get to decide all of that as business owners. So it’s I don’t know why it’s a secret, because it’s right. It’s not like some earth shattering idea, right. But I feel like we don’t live that out day to day in our work. And that’s why we tend to find ourselves in that state of overwhelm.

Scott Ritzheimer

Yeah, and it’s so true. And one of the reasons why that’s so important. I mean, if you look at study after study why entrepreneurs start businesses, your top two, three, or every single time is freedom, autonomy, or some version of that, right. And so when we go in, and we give up our freedom to do it, the way that we see best, we’ve actually not only given up our best asset, but we’ve given up the one thing that made all of this craziness worth it. So it’s such great advice. I really, really appreciate that. One other question I’d like to ask I’m gonna shift gears a little bit I’m gonna have you take off the consultant hat for a moment put on the CEO hat. Gotta jump down into the ring with the rest of us as as business owners and talk about what the next stage of growth looks like for you and your business and what challenges you’ll have to overcome to get there?

Jamie Seeker

Yeah, I think at this point, we are I actually reached a really really big milestone in my you know, I don’t know almost decade of of having this business and that is that I have officially really not. Like, I don’t have any of my own regular clients, like I’m checking on accounts here and there. But that is a huge shift for me. So I think that really determines our next step in terms of like, where we go with this business, I now have time, more time to pour into my team, and really develop and support them, resource them with their needs. And then also really focus on business development, and like what is, you know, spending all of my time on that looking like, I’m not doing, you know, client work and kind of at the mercy of, you know, that was my time. And so, yeah, it’s a really new opportunity. And so right now, I’m just looking at different ways to market and to, to focus on business development. And that’s really exciting. I think, my days already looked different. And so I mean, that I have time, you know, to do things like this on podcasts and have these kinds of conversations and, and just to refocus. So my goal really is to scale. And if I’m going to be focusing my time, right, like my value, my time, and my value is really important. So I want to return on that. And I want to, you know, reach business owners and people that need us, I want to be searchable and found by people who may or may not be looking for us, and to be able to provide these kinds of services and make these transformations for small, small, medium sized businesses around. And so that’s really, we’re looking to really kind of exponentially scale that because I feel like my time and attention can handle building those accounts and things like that. So yeah, that’s what’s in store for us.

Scott Ritzheimer

Very exciting. Very exciting. Very exciting. So someone’s out there listening. And like, I’ve just got to have Jamie and her team come in, how can I find more out about the work you do and get in touch with you?

Jamie Seeker

Yeah, they can check us out on our website, seekersolution.com. I’ve also got one of our consultants is her specialty social media strategy. And so she does all of our social media. So you can follow us there that you get a little bit more of our personality, she does some really funny reels that are very relatable, I think in the business place. So you can kind of follow along. And if you’re not quite ready to like engage yet, it’s a pretty good place to get an idea and be like, oh, yeah, this I do identify with that feeling. And you know, that’s speaking more and more to me, so I would recommend following us on Instagram there. But yeah, we’re on all the social media platforms and our phone numbers listed there. We have a contact form on the website as well. So yeah, reach out. We’re here and ready for whenever you’re ready to have a conversation.

Scott Ritzheimer

Amazing. Amazing. Well, Jamie, thank you so much for being on the show. It’s just an honor and pleasure having you here for those of you listening, you know your time and attention to mean the world to us. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I know I did, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Take care

Contact Jamie Seeker

Jamie Seeker is the owner of Seeker Solution, LLC; a business consulting firm that delivers strategic planning, financial management, training and development, human resources, marketing strategy and operations management solutions. She and her team of consultants have used their talents to improve business operations at non-profits and charities, large franchises, retail, industrial, civic and locally owned private businesses covering multiple industries. She loves her community and has passion for outreach. She has the ability to work with many different diverse groups in order to accomplish a common goal.

Want to learn more about Jamie Seeker’s work at Seeker Solution, LLC? Check out her website at https://seekersolution.com

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