Modern Operators

LinkedIn Live Announcement: How to Build a Company That Runs Without You (Using AI + Systems) 🎙️ Hosted by: - Damon Flowers: Co-Founder, Modern Operators - Mark Malian: Co-Founder, Modern Operators 🗣️ Discussion Topics: - How to capture your company's context so AI can actually help you (not just spit out generic garbage) - The 3 biggest mistakes founders make when trying to automate too early - A clear next step to start making yourself optional in your business 📆 Register today! 📲 Tuesday, November 18th at 3PM CST

RTO is bullshit and doesn't work.. Do this instead.

You already know the hard thing you’re avoiding. The bill for waiting... it compounds. Why we delay (and how it bites later): • Present bias... relief now feels huge, the future cost feels distant. • Loss aversion... short-term discomfort looms larger than long-term gain. • Experiential avoidance... we avoid the feeling, not the task. • The subconscious protector... reroutes you to “safe” busywork while problems grow. Do this instead... this week: 1. Make it binary. “Yes by [DATE]” or “No and I’m closing the loop.” 2. If no... delete it, delegate it, or buy the outcome. 3. If yes... take one irreversible step in 48 hours (book the call, ship the Loom, sign the doc). 4. Put a dollar value on delay... what is one more week costing? 5. Expect discomfort... do it anyway. The discomfort of action is smaller than the cost of inaction. Operator lens: • Delay is debt... and interest compounds. • Small drips become floods if ignored. • Momentum returns the moment you move. What’s the hard thing you’ll tackle before Friday?

Most founders think their teams are aligned. But here’s the punchline: only 23% actually are. That gap is costing U.S. businesses over $1 trillion a year (damn, that’s a large number) 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. • Siloed teams duplicate work • Conflicting priorities pull you in circles • Feedback loops break down, mistakes repeat • Top talent leaves, momentum stalls 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸. It’s a system…built into the way you operate every week. Here’s the fix… 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗢𝗦 It gives you: • One source of truth (no more “where’s that doc?” Slack messages) • Clear roles & ownership • Real-time dashboards • Automations that help, not produce more fires • Freedom to scale (finally stop being the bottleneck) I’ve seen companies grow 997% in two years by installing this foundation. Suddenly, business feels lighter, faster, and dare I say boring (that’s a good thing). 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: Alignment isn’t a one-and-done event. It’s a weekly habit. The sooner you build it, the sooner you start compounding forward, not sideways. 👉 Ready to see what alignment actually looks like? Explore the Company OS

Ever feel like your business is held together by sheer will…yours? If you step away, things grind to a halt. Every decision, every sale, every fire… it’s all on you. That hustle works…until it doesn’t. Just saw a stat that 70% of founder-led companies hit a “growth ceiling” because the founder becomes the bottleneck (HBR, 2023). Over time…burnout spikes permanently and valuation declines. Bad news when buyers want businesses that run without the owner glued to the controls. Here’s what the “founder bottleneck” looks like: • Everything runs through you (approvals, sales, problem-solving) • Processes live in your head, not in systems • Teams wait, growth slows, chaos rises The more you try to grow your business, the more trapped you feel. The good news? You can break free (starting this week). Having coached many business owners through this process, here’s what we recommend if you want to do it on your own: ✅ 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: List every decision/process that depends on you. Highlight the top 3 that drain your energy. ✅ 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲: Pick one, define “done,” and hand it off…even if it’s not perfect. ✅ 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼: Turn tribal knowledge into simple checklists or videos. ✅ 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁: Block 4-8 hours where you’re unreachable. What breaks? That’s your next system to fix. ✅ 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝘂𝘁: Reflect on where the business depends on you vs. where it runs without you. If you’re wearing all the hats, you’re not building a business…you’re building a stronger prison. The shift from doer to enabler can be tough, but it’s the only way to scale with freedom and clarity. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘐𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 22 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳-𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴.

The Secret Weapon for Scaling in 2025 If your company feels like it’s sprinting in circles…lots of energy with little progress, you’re not alone. The difference between a business that scales and one that stalls isn’t just talent or hustle. Why Clarity Is the New Advantage In today’s market, everything moves fast. Competitors appear overnight. AI rewrites industries. Customers expect more. According to Harvard Business Review, companies with high alignment grow revenue 58% faster and are 72% more profitable. Yet 67% of leaders say lack of clarity is the #1 reason strategy fails (Gartner). When your team doesn’t know what matters, who owns what, or where you’re going, chaos wins. And chaos is expensive. The Power of Signal vs. Noise Signal is clarity…knowing what matters most, who’s responsible, and how you’re tracking progress. Noise is too many priorities, too much data, and not enough meaning. When you strengthen your signal you get: - Lower CAC: Prospects convert faster, for less. - Reduced Risk: Alignment surfaces problems before they become expensive. - Faster Decisions: Strong signal shortens learning cycles. - Predictable Growth: Progress compounds quarter to quarter. - Resilience: Downturns don’t knock you off course. Signal compounds like capital. The sharper it gets, the more leverage you unlock…from your people, your systems, your brand, and your AI. Visualizing signal in action... - Think Radio Tower: Weak towers barely reach the next town. Strong ones cut through static and reach millions. The tighter your signal, the faster you convert prospects. - Think GPS: Weak signal? You drive in circles. Strong signal? Turn-by-turn clarity, and customers reach their destination faster. - Think Football Playbook: If half the team doesn’t know the play, you get chaos. With a clear signal, execution is sharper…even under pressure. So how do we get better signal? - Audit Clarity: Can every team member say in one sentence what they own and why it matters? - Identify Your Signals: What 3–5 metrics actually matter? Kill the rest. - Build Shared Intelligence: Document what’s working and what’s not where everyone (and your AI) can see it. - Check Alignment: Do your staff, systems, and customer messaging all point in the same direction? - Tighten Decisions: With clarity and signal in place, speed up decision cycles. Don’t let issues drag. Where is your company’s biggest source of confusion right now? If you want to see how this applies to your business, reach out to Modern Operators. Signal isn’t a buzzword. It’s the edge that lets you scale, adapt, and thrive…no matter how fast the world moves.

The Secret to Scaling? Strong Signal, Low Noise. Ever feel like your team is hustling nonstop, but real progress is… fuzzy? You’re not alone. Most founder-led companies are drowning in noise…endless priorities, scattered tools, and data overload. The real winners? They cut through the chaos with a crystal-clear signal. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: • Hustle alone doesn’t scale. Clarity does. • When everyone knows what matters (and what doesn’t), execution sharpens, decisions get faster, and growth compounds. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹? 🔹 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — Where are you going? Who do you serve? What do you value? 🔹 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 & 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 — Every team member should know their lane and what success looks like. 🔹 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀 — Listen deeply: what’s working, what’s not, and what your customers are really saying. 🔹 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗜 (𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆) — AI multiplies clarity, not chaos. Feed it strong signals, not static. 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 — Signal isn’t a one-time project. It sharpens with every cycle of feedback and alignment. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘄? Markets move at warp speed. The businesses that thrive aren’t the busiest…they’re the most aligned. Strong signal = lower costs, faster pivots, and a team that actually enjoys the ride. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲? Drop a comment with your #1 source of business chaos—or DM for our playbook on building a Modern Identity that compounds results (and sanity).

The Real Secret to Adaptive Teams (It’s Not More Tools) Hybrid work and AI are here to stay. But if you’re a founder, the real challenge isn’t picking the right software…it’s building a team rhythm that keeps everyone in sync, no matter how fast things change. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 🔹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 “𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲” • One central hub for vision, priorities, and knowledge. (We use Notion.) • Everyone sees the big picture—no silos, no guessing. 🔹 𝗔𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 • Async Monday kickoffs: align on goals without another meeting. • Midweek pulse checks: spot blockers before they become fires. • Friday reflections: celebrate wins, capture learnings, keep momentum. 🔹 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗮 𝗖𝗼-𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 • Automate the boring stuff, not people. • Run “Co-Pilot Challenges” so every team member finds one workflow to improve with AI. 🔹 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 • When the market shifts, your team pivots together—not in chaos. • Use fast feedback loops and clear ownership to stay on track. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: Building an adaptive team isn’t about more meetings or tools. It’s about a shared rhythm—one that blends clarity, trust, and a little automation. That’s how you scale 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 burning out. 👉 Ready to build your own adaptive rhythm? Run a 30-day experiment with these rituals—or DM us for a playbook. #ModernOperators #AdaptiveTeams #HybridWork #AI

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 $𝟭𝟬𝗠 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 Is your business scaling you…or are you scaling it? Here’s a hard truth: The systems you use today will either unlock your next level—or quietly cap your growth. Most founder-led companies are held together by a patchwork of spreadsheets, Slack threads, and memory. It works…until it doesn’t. Last week, we hit a milestone: our new Company OS automated content engine pushed our newsletter out to every channel—LinkedIn, X, Threads, IG, website—in minutes. For a moment, it felt like magic. Then, 30 minutes later… the automation broke. Posts misfired, formats were off, and timing was wrong. Systems amplify everything—including mistakes. “Messy progress beats perfect planning. Every week, we get closer to a system founders can truly rely on.” 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿? • 87% of execs say their business isn’t ready for an AI-driven future (McKinsey). • Most are stuck in “pilot purgatory”—testing tools, never committing. • The real risk? Your current operations might be the ceiling, not the foundation, for your next phase. 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: • Systems are leverage—but only if you build, break, and rebuild. • AI can 10x your team, but only if you fix the foundation first. • The companies that win aren’t perfect—they’re willing to iterate in public. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘅𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿? Drop it in the comments—every response gets a personal answer. Follow Modern Operators for frameworks on scaling founder-led companies. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for deep dives: https://lnkd.in/gqQdmHQf DM us if your team is hitting a wall with operations. #BusinessGrowth #AIforBusiness #ModernOperators #ScalingSystems #FounderFrameworks