Engineering Calmer Agencies & Consulting Firms: Calm is the New KPI

In this special podcast episode, the shoe is on the other foot - Susan herself is on the receiving end of the interview. And she’s talking to Tara McMullin (who you might remember from the first ever Break the Ceiling episode.)

Bottlenecks in a business workflow process and complicated workflows can combine to create huge business growth headaches, not to mention potentially impacting your quality of work, resulting in poor customer satisfaction, or worse, letting things slip through the gaps.

So Susan wanted to share this episode (first aired on Tara’s podcast, What Works) because she wants to discuss her experience of default decisions in software and technology.

“When you're starting out, you don't know what you don't know.”

In this episode, Susan and Tara talk about why and when you should review your software tools, and how you can really use software to help automate your operations and address some operational capacity issues. They also talk about the challenging work of implementing new software and how to make the change a little bit easier and more effective.

So tune in to hear all that and more.

On today’s podcast:

• What Susan typically finds is standing between her clients and tripling their revenue
• The basis for business default decisions
• Why hiring more people won’t fix an operational capacity problem
• Mistakes small business owners make when they try to use software to expand their capacity
• Why software can be another bottleneck to workflow process rather than an aid
• The audit process Susan carries out for each individual business to figure out what software could help them
• How Susan makes software recommendations for each business
• How to implement a new software system painlessly
• Common mindset problems business owners face when switching software

Links:

• Walk through of how to do a software audit
• What Works podcast
• Zapier - automation platform that connects SAAS tools
• Xero - accounting tool
• Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Are you looking to break the mold with your business model? Are you one of those business people that make very deliberate decisions and knows that default decisions just can’t apply to your business? Then you need to meet Pia Silva.

If you haven’t heard of the powerhouse that is Pia Silva, then you’re in for a treat. Pia is the founder of Badass Your Brand and Worst of All Design, and she made a very deliberate decision to step away from the default agency model. She knew she had to structure her business in a way that suited her preferred working style, while ensuring it remained wholly efficient to meet her needs and the needs of her clients.

“This model came about because a year prior, a business coach of mine had said to me, ‘you're selling $30,000 projects, you're looking for clients who have $30,000, but you're networking with people who think you're great, yet they don't have $30,000, they have $3,000. So maybe you don't want to keep saying, oh, sorry, you don't have $30,000, so forget you, and instead think of something to sell them. Just come up with something you would sell someone if they had $3,000.”

And in the space of just a couple of days Pia had pivoted her whole business from chasing big projects via a traditional agency model, to making more money with a smaller project model.

On today’s podcast:

• Break the ceiling by breaking the default agency model
• Why project management tools don’t work for every business
• Using a lead product and a bullseye product
• The freedom of transparent pricing
• How to figure out your pricing strategy
• Increase your price as you increase your value
• Figure out a model that works for you and what you want out of life
• Create a marketing structure that means you constantly have leads coming up
• Why the big agency model can’t work for smaller businesses

Links:

• Badass Your Brand - the impatient entrepreneur’s guide to turning expertise into profit
• Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

We all want our work to resonate—but how do we know if it actually does? In this episode, I sit down with storytelling and speaking expert Jay Acunzo to explore the concept of resonance over reach and how we can track something that feels inherently unmeasurable. Jay shares his Unsolicited Response Rate (URR) framework, a KPI designed to measure whether your ideas truly connect with your audience. If you're tired of vanity metrics and want to focus on making an impact, this conversation is for you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• What a KPI actually is—and why anything (even calm or resonance) can be one
• How to measure audience engagement beyond likes and follows
• Jay’s URR (Unsolicited Response Rate) framework for tracking meaningful interactions
• The importance of putting in the reps before expecting results

Connect with Jay:

• jayacunzo.com
• How Stories Happen
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky

Connect with Susan:

• Beyond Margins
• LinkedIn
• Bluesky
• (00:00) - Introduction to KPIs and Calm as a KPI
• (01:07) - Understanding Resonance with Jay Acunzo
• (04:18) - Measuring Resonance: The URR System
• (08:18) - Applying the URR System in Practice
• (26:45) - Becoming Your Own Data Repository
• (29:53) - Developing Resonance in Business
• (34:13) - Embracing the Creative Process

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Software is the lifeblood of any modern business.

Software keeps projects on track and helps clients pay you.

Software is how we communicate with each other.

Software allows you to operate leaner and smaller than ever before.

And every piece of software involved in your business has a role to play—an integral part of your business’ ecosystem. It has a job description and it's a core member of your team, just like any human. That’s why it’s even more important that you have the right tool, doing the right job, at the right price.

Choosing the right software tool, particularly when it comes to your choice of project or task management, can impact how well your team communicates, how well-informed your clients are, and how they feel about your service as a whole. Your financial software choices can also affect how quickly you can send an invoice, how quickly clients pay you, and ultimately, how healthy your cash flow is.

And that's what we're talking about today with Melanie Richards, owner of Modern Traction, a boutique web design agency. Mel is an award-winning web designer and brand strategist with over two decades of experience. Her turnkey approach is designed to save you time, ensures your brand and messaging is on point, and that your website is built to drive growth. Mel’s on a mission to create efficient marketing solutions that support busy entrepreneurs to gain faster traction and multiply their impact.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How the right choice of software has helped Mel scale her company, increase profits, and deliver better results for her clients
• How the right software tools make your team more effective and how ClickUp helps Mel’s team know what to do next
• All the tools that have been essential for Mel’s business
• Lower costs, less complication, more opportunities for automation

Learn more about Melanie Richards:

• moderntraction.com

Learn more about Susan:

• Scalespark Dollars + Decisions Roundtable
• Twitter @ScaleSpark
• LinkedIn @thesusanboles

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here

Managing client relationships is one of the biggest challenges of running a service-based business. Expectations, boundaries, and communication all play a role in whether an engagement runs smoothly or goes off the rails. So, how do you actually know if you're doing a good job?

Karen Sergeant has a solution: a Client Report Card. This system helps her measure and manage client relationships proactively, identifying potential issues before they become problems. As a fractional COO, Karen has spent years refining this process to keep her work feeling calm—even when working inside chaotic businesses. In this episode, we break down her weekly client evaluation system—what metrics she tracks, how she uses the data, and how you can implement a similar approach in your own business.

If you’ve ever struggled with scope creep, unclear expectations, or misaligned client relationships, this conversation is packed with insights that will help you create a calmer, more intentional business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why Karen created her Client Report Card—and how it helps her business
• The 10 criteria she evaluates weekly to measure client relationships
• How tracking qualitative vibe-based data helps prevent burnout
• How you can build your own Client Report Card to keep your business running smoothly

Learn more about Karen Sergeant:

• Karen's Website
• Connect on Linkedin
• Connect on BlueSky

Learn more about Susan Boles:

• Beyond Margins
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Connect on BlueSky

We value your thoughts and feedback. Feel free to share them with Susan here. Your input is not just valuable, it's crucial in shaping future episodes.

• (00:00) -
• (00:36) - Managing Client Relationships
• (02:06) - The Importance of Boundaries and Scope
• (08:31) - Karen's Report Card Criteria
• (14:35) - Applying the Report Card in Business

Grab the Calm Service Design + Delivery Swipe File here