How to Eliminate Bottlenecks in Business

I used Dickie Bush 🚢's framework for removing bottlenecks at Miva. We identified 4 key bottlenecks that we’re now working to remove. The framework is a game-changer. It's called the 3Is. Here's how it works: The 3 Is: 1. Identify the bottleneck   Write it down.    For Dickie — he wanted to lose weight but he didn’t want to be hungry all the time. So the REAL problem he needed to solve is taking in fewer calories than he burns, while still feeling full.   2. Inhale information   Take in as many resources as possible, covering different approaches to solve the problem.    Dickie researched and compiled TONS of different diets, from high carb to high protein.   3. Iterate Start testing different approaches, based on what you inhaled.   Eventually, he landed on a keto diet because he could eat things like steak and eggs and still feel full.   For MY team, we identified a bunch of bottlenecks and applied the 3Is framework. A few examples: 👉 Bottleneck: Product knowledge gaps - Inhale: AEs to consume Gong libraries on gaps - Iterate: Build Loom videos (learn via teaching) 👉 Bottleneck: Lackluster shared demo environments  - Inhale: Top Miva ecomm store examples - Iterate: Build unique custom demos that address top pain points 👉 Bottleneck: Channel partner messaging too broad - Inhale: Reviewed Gong calls on specific top customer pain points - Action: Refocus messaging on what matters most 👉 Bottleneck: Distracting cross-departmental requests - Inhale: Requests that can be outsourced - Action: Outsource basic tasks to 3rd parties Guess what?  Dickie lost the weight. And we sharpened our go-to-market motion. Feeling frustrated by bottlenecks in your team?  Try sketching out the 3 Is. And watch the (metaphorical) weight fall off. Thanks for the awesome framework, Dickie.

One of the worst things you can do in your business… Dum dum dum 🥁🥁🥁… Be a bottleneck. The alarm buzzed, it was 5pm. Time to pick up the kids. What? But I haven’t done anything on MY list today! NOTHING. How was that possible? I'd been behind my computer since 8am. I had the tired eyes, and empty La Croix cans to prove it. So where the heck did the time go? Looking back on my day I realized that all I did was answer questions and review things. While it was necessary, it certainly didn’t do anything to grow the business, which is my goal. Having a bottleneck in your business is like a big traffic jam. No one can get where they are trying to go. It makes people late, frustrated, and cranky. And I was freaking ALL of these things at the end of this day. I had built a company where my team couldn’t get their jobs done without me being at the center of every question or decision. When your business is set up this way it makes your growth PAINFULLY slow. It will hold you back, or even cause you to fail. Chances are you didn’t start your business so you could spend all your time directing traffic. Here are 3 easy steps to follow to get rid of the traffic jam in your business: 👉 Write everything down👈 Document your processes and procedures. AND the commonly asked questions. AND customer service responses. This can be in a SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), a FAQ list, or a video recording that walks your team through the process. The key here is that you create it once, and then as your team grows, they can refer to these documents or videos vs. taking up your precious time. 👉 Use organizational tools👈 Use a tool that logs all your to-do’s, manages your workflows, and designates who is responsible for each task. We use Asana and it has been a GAME CHANGER for our productivity and workflows! These don’t need to be fancy or expensive. Asana has a free version, and Google Sheets works here too. 👉 Communicate well👈 Don’t keep everything in your head. This doesn’t work for anyone. Whether it’s giving feedback on how you want the job done. Or being super clear on what your team's responsibilities are. If it’s only in your head. It’s not helping anyone. Especially YOU! What's something you can delegate to avoid being a bottleneck?

I thought we had a systems problem…. Turns out, we had a leadership problem. One of my clients, a founder of a growing healthcare business, was stuck.... Her team had doubled in a year. So had her stress. Every day, she felt pulled in 10 directions: approvals, questions, Slack messages, client fires. She told me, “We need better systems.” But after a few conversations, I realized something deeper was going on: Her team didn’t TRUST THEMSELVES to make decisions. Because she didn’t realize she’d trained them to always check with her first. It wasn’t ego It was habit. She was the fixer The quality check The one with all the answers And slowly, without knowing it, she became the bottleneck. So we made a shift: ↳ We documented how she makes decisions ↳ We built a “what good looks like” guide for her top processes ↳ And we helped her communicate: “Here’s where I want you to decide, without me” ✅ Within 3 weeks, the energy shifted. ✅ She had fewer approvals on her plate. ✅ The team moved faster. ✅ And her calendar finally had space to think. The real win? ✅ She started showing up like a CEO again, not just a glorified project manager. Where do you notice your team waiting for you to move first? This is exactly what I help small business owners do: step out of the bottleneck role by building systems that empower their teams to lead without them. #systems #leadership #business #strategy #ProcessImprovement