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AMY PORTERFIELD: Hey there, welcome back to another episode of the Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast. I’m your host, Amy Porterfield. Today I am bringing it behind the scenes to introduce you to my integrator on my team, Chloe Euse.
I’m so excited for you to hear from her directly because the goal of this episode is to help you step into the visionary role as the founding entrepreneur of your business so that you can do more of the things you were meant to do in this world.
My goal is to help you understand how you, as the visionary, can work with an integrator in your business. The integrator is also known as a project manager. We’ve since changed the title for Chloe from project manager to integrator.
We’ll tell you why and where that came from in a moment. But I want you to free up more time to live in your zone of genius, to be creative, to cast the vision, to really make sure you are going exactly where you need to go.
I want you to look into the future versus staying in the weeds every single day in your business. If you’re stressed out, if you’re overwhelmed, if you never have time to get to the things in your business that you know you could do to make a difference for your community then it is time to dive into this episode.
Hiring an integrator can change all that. I’m telling you it’s like magic but it’s not.
I’m going to bring in Chloe so you can hear from her directly. You’re going to hear about how Chloe and I work together. You’re going to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I’m sure she’s going to share some examples and stories I’m not so proud of but I think are important for you to hear as you go on your journey to build your team. I also want you to really focus on the visionary role for yourself.
I’ve already done an episode all about stepping into that visionary role as the founding entrepreneur in your business. I’m going to link to it in the show notes. Just so you know, there is a freebie with this episode where I’m going to give you the job description for an integrator.
When you’re ready you can download that freebie and you can use it to expand your team. Even if you’re not anywhere near ready to hire for a big role like an integrator that’s okay.
This episode will still be valuable because I’m going to talk a lot about what you should be doing as the visionary and what you shouldn’t be doing as the visionary in your business.
Before we jump in, this episode is sponsored by my free master class, How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days. If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course or if you have a course idea and you’re just not sure how to get started this free master class is exactly what you need.
Go to https://amyporterdev.wpenginepowered.com/courses to sign up for free.
Let’s do it.
AMY: Chloe, this is such a treat. Welcome to the show.
CHLOE: Hi! I’m so excited to be here with you today, Ames, and all of your listeners.
AMY: It’s going to be a great show. We’re going to get into all things integrator. But, before we get there, tell my listeners a little bit about yourself. Where did you come from? What did you do before you were part of Team Porterfield?
CHLOE: I’m a born and raised San Diegan. Before I came here I worked for the Chopra Center and Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey’s 21-Day Meditation Experience. Before here I didn’t exactly work on an online marketing business.
It was two completely different worlds but I did come to the table with online marketing experience. Your world looked a lot different but I had a skill set I was able to apply to my position I have here.
AMY: I think that’s important. We’re going to talk a lot about hiring an integrator and what all of you business owners should be looking for in an integrator. Chloe came to the table with some online marketing experience which helped in terms of not having to speak a whole different language to her.
There was still a lot to learn. We’ll get into more of that as we get going. But before we get started, Chloe, I thought it would be important to break down the visionary role and the integrator role because today we’re talking about how they work together.
I’ll start with the visionary role first. Cool?
CHLOE: Sounds great.
AMY: Okay. The visionary of the business is the founding entrepreneur, which is many of you who listen to my podcast, the person who created the business. A visionary is a person who has lots of ideas, is a strategic thinker, always sees the big picture, has a pulse on the industry, connects the dots, and researches and develops new products and services.
Again, the visionary is typically the founding entrepreneur and he/she operates more on emotion. This person is great with big relationships, the culture of the organization, and is really good at solving big scary problems, not the little ones but the big, ugly problems that come up in everybody’s businesses.
The visionary also sees things others can’t. He or she creates and holds the company vision and is great at closing big deals. Visionaries are the creators of everything.
I look at my role in this business as the visionary. Do I do all of these things really well? No. I’ve actually made it my mission to step into the visionary role more so this year and I want to embody all of this. I don’t just yet but I’m getting there.
If you feel you don’t know if it’s you but it should be you this is something you can work toward. You don’t have to be born a visionary. I just want to make that really clear.
So that is my role in the business. There is a whole lot of stuff that needs to get done and if it was just the visionary the things wouldn’t get done. That’s where the integrator role fits in.
Chloe, break down the integrator role.
CHLOE: First of all, if you’re not familiar with these terms as they relate to an online business I highly recommend the book, Rocket Fuel, because it breaks down the two roles and how they work together.
An integrator integrates all major operating functions of the business and ensures everyone is rowing together in the same direction. Simply put, the visionary is deciding the “what” and the integrator is figuring out the “how”.
AMY: I love that. I get to say, “Okay Chloe, this is what we’re going to do.” I map out or cast the vision and then I don’t need to worry about how the heck we’re going to get it done. Chloe will figure out the “how”.
We work very closely together and we’re going to talk about that: the good, the bad, and the ugly of working closely together, but it’s really refreshing to know that I get to focus more on the “what” and Chloe will figure out the “how”.
Here’s a question for you. What skills are vitally important for an integrator?
CHLOE: Good question. There are 16 different personality types and so me are better suited for fulfilling an integrator role. If you guys haven’t heard about Myers-Briggs or the 16 different personalities I definitely recommend you look it up.
I’m going to dive into that just a little bit. I’m going to take you through the different types really quickly to show you what, in my opinion, is important for someone in this type of role.
AMY: Cool.
CHLOE: First, there’s the extravert versus the introvert. This is measuring where you get your energy. Second it’s the sensing versus intuitive and that’s really measuring how you process information. Third is thinking versus feeling. This is measuring how you like to make decisions; and, lastly, it’s judging versus perceiving which is really measuring how you live your outer life, you behaviors.
Everyone can take this quiz and find out where they are on each of these four skills. Personally, I’m an ESTJ so shout out to all of my ESTJ peeps.
AMY: You are such a nerd.
CHLOE: I mean, what can I say? I’m very proud of it. You guys can definitely Google and learn more about each of these. I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty but I wanted to point out the few that can make a big difference as it pertains to what we’re talking about, which is what you want to look for in an integrator.
First, extraverts are better at managing people. When you look at the integrator and the fact that they are essentially managing an entire team I would say that would be more of the preferred type. It is not the only type. I would just say that’s probably a great perk when it comes to an integrator role in the business.
The second preference measure is how we process information. Between a sensor or intuitive it could look really different. The easiest way to put it is that a sensor would be focused more on the details whereas an intuitive processes things on a larger scale.
This is one of the preferences I think can swing one way or the other. I personally am an S. I see a lot of value in that given the nature of an integrator’s role is to take something big and break it down into a bunch of actionable steps to make it happen. However, I have several successful integrator peers that are intuitive or N.
That gives them an ability to grasp the big picture of the visionary so to me it’s all about the preference of what you’re looking for and what works for you and your team.
AMY: I’m going to throw you off just a bit and mention something here. That is that I, too, am an S. It is sensing, right? That’s the word? Chloe always says that it’s so valuable that we are both S because we get each other. We speak the same language.
James Wedmore and his integrator, Jillie, are both N.
CHLOE: Correct.
AMY: I was talking to Chloe and I said that they are N so would it be better if we were N? I was comparing because James is a dear friend. She said, “What I think is most important is that the visionary and integrator actually share that similarity,” it’s not a must.
CHLOE: Yeah. It’s that second letter. I think it definitely helps because if you think about it, because the visionary and integrator sit down together and are really figuring out how they are going to move the business forward the visionary is casting the vision of the “what” and the integrator is figuring out the “how” it can be really complicated if you guys are looking at things differently.
It kind of helps a little bit when you guys both look at and process information in the similar way.
AMY: So it’s not a must but if you do have an integrator and you’re constantly butting heads it might be this issue right here, this preference. You should have a look into it. This is just one thing we look at. We’re going to talk about a whole bunch of other things but I wanted to break that down.
Give us the third measurement.
CHLOE: Great. The third measurement looks at how we make decisions. You are rated on a scale as either more of a thinker or a feeler. I feel like the names can kind of be misleading to this one so definitely spend just a little bit of time looking into this further if you’re interested.
In terms of how that applies to an integrator in the online entrepreneurial industry I would say that people who score higher as a thinker tend to be less fearful of tech. Let me tell you that can be a huge part of the job. I think that’s definitely something to consider and I just wanted to point that out, for sure.
Lastly, and certainly not least, this is what (to me) is probably the most important out of all four of the skills, is the final preference in Myers-Briggs which looks at our behaviors. Between the two options on the skill I believe it is vital for any integrator to be more of a judger than a perceiver.
The reason for this, simply put, is that judgers get shiz done. They are task oriented. They like to make lists of things to do. Work comes before play. At the end of the day I truly believe a successful integrator must be personally accountable and able to self manage. They need to be decisive.
I know that is a lot but if you take the time to look into the power of this type of assessment tool I feel like you can really learn a lot about a person which can better help your search for that perfect integrator for your business.
AMY: Awesome. We never say that the personality test determines who you hire but it is a really great tool just to look into the person’s personality just a little bit more.
CHLOE: Definitely.
AMY: Okay, cool. Moving on, I thought it would be pretty valuable if we took people behind the scenes, I’m promising to do that more and more on this podcast, to share a little bit about how you and I work together.
CHLOE: Definitely. We work very closely. I’m pretty sure Amy is #1 on my speed dial.
AMY: I’d better be but I don’t think speed dial is a thing but I’d better be.
CHLOE: You know what I mean. In all seriousness, we really do work together a lot. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you face to face every single day this week.
AMY: I’m pretty sure that’s true. That is not always the case but it has been kind of hectic. And I was gone in Hawaii for a week and I think she just missed me so she wanted to come over every day.
CHLOE: I did. I’ve been over to her house every single day. I even slept over last night.
AMY: Let’s not tell people.
CHLOE: It’s not always like that but for the most part. Amy and I are in constant contact with each other and have a regularly scheduled meeting every week. I think that’s really important to point out. You’d better like the person that is your integrator because you guys are going to be working together a lot.
It may not always be as much as what I just described right now but I am probably the person that she is in contact with the most out of everyone on the team.
AMY: I totally agree. And I want to jump in here and say that you do not need to hire an integrator that is local. That was actually just a huge coincidence. I wasn’t looking for that. I am an introvert to the core so I don’t really want people in my space a lot when I’m working.
However, because I like Chloe’s energy and I like how she manages projects and how she gets organized it’s a really good thing to be in my space. I enjoy her. With that it’s just worked out really well but you can hire a virtual integrator, for sure.
I don’t want that to stop you but I do see a lot of perks because you’re going to meet with the person regularly. Conversations happen organically in person.
CHLOE: So true.
AMY: That’s where I found the value in what we do and the fact that you’re over at the house a lot. There is a huge plus to that. If you were to ask me, “Amy, should I hire locally or virtually?” I would say that if you can hire locally for your integrator it’s a huge perk but not a must.
CHLOE: I definitely agree with that. I wanted to just do one quick little activity just to kind of show you a quick outline of what I would call an accountability chart. It kind of goes back to the Rocket Fuel book.
Let me paint you a really quick picture. If you put your name at the top of a piece of paper and circle it that is the spot of the visionary, a.k.a. you, the business owner. Directly below your name is another circle with a line connecting the two. That is where your integrator goes.
Below that is the rest of your team or contractors. The way that works functionally is that Amy’s vision or the business owner’s vision is passed down to your integrator. They take it and run with it to manage the rest of the team to execute it.
Let me give you an example of what that looks like for us. One strategy Amy and I have been using a lot as of late is something we’ve been referring to as a “vision doc”. It is essentially one place where Amy compiled her vision of all of the things she wants to achieve within the next three months.
She outlined the “what”. After our initial meeting where we reviewed it and ensured we were both really clear on it, it was up to me to execute it to pull in the key players and contractors of our team to complete it.
This helps tremendously for both of us because for Amy it allows her to dictate where the business goes and where our resources are being spent. For me it allows me to tackle the things that are most important to Amy and I get to focus on those specific things until they are completely completed.
Then I get to move on to the next thing so it’s really helpful when you cast the vision as a visionary and the integrator gets to take it and run with it.
AMY: That’s so good. Let’s be honest. It’s not always unicorns and rainbows working with me. So I want you to be really honest (you’re not going to hurt my feelings) I want you to talk about the struggles between the two of us.
What comes up for you as an integrator? Be nice.
CHLOE: I feel like we lucked out. We are so similar. We are both sensors which is a huge help in how we process things. Our thought process is pretty much on the same page. However, there is usually a slight tension between an integrator and a visionary.
People say if you don’t have it you’re doing something wrong. So it’s actually a good thing and it’s something that indicates you are both filling your roles correctly.
AMY: That’s good. I like that. Wait…I just had an ah-ha moment. For so long we literally had no tension and it’s because I was playing in the integrator role more than the visionary. I talked earlier about how I really needed to step into the visionary role.
When I was playing in your world it was easy that we were agreeing on everything. But if I step back and cast the big vision that might cause a little overwhelm for the team and how to figure out that’s where a little bit of that tension comes in, as it should.
CHLOE: Totally.
AMY: Oh cool.
CHLOE: Let me explain that just a little bit. Simply put, the visionary’s job is to build the next big vision, the one in the future. She’s already looking ahead. The integrator’s job is executing the previous one.
You can kind of understand if you put yourself in that position you could kind of see why there would be tension there. An integrator would be like, “Wait, wait, wait, wait.” A visionary is like, “Alright, next thing!”
That’s where that natural tension can come from. An example of that just in recent, I’m going to totally call you out Amy. Are you ready?
AMY: I know what you’re going to say.
CHLOE: An example of that would be…You guys all know that new release that Instagram just did with Instagram TV? It was something that was so exciting. Everyone was jumping in on it to do a new episode. Amy and I had just sat down for that vision doc meeting where we got super clear on what the marching orders were.
I was executing and I was in the middle of something and I got a text. Amy was like, “Oh my gosh! That Instagram TV thing is so cool. Let’s do it!”
I knew right there she was ready to jump on it like that. Hey, I’m all things innovation. I love that and I never want to stifle Amy. But, I was like, hang on. Let me put on my integrator hat and say, “Okay, we can do that, for sure. But I’m going to focus on this right now and then we’ll circle back and go back to it.”
I just knew that because Amy and I have this relationship where we trust and respect each other I was able to speak up and say, “Hang on Ames. We’ve got to focus on this one thing that you really wanted done when we sat down.”
That’s kind of a little example inside of what a visionary/integrator conversation and interaction would be in something like that.
AMY: Coming from my perspective, because I want all of you visionaries to really hear how it feels for me when that happens, I send the text and I’m all about IGTV. Bring it on. Chloe came back and I actually think she wrote, “Whoa Nellie.”
Then she said something like, “Once I get XYZ done (XYZ actually had something to do with our evergreen funnel so it’s pure revenue and it was very important for me to fix something in there) then we can circle back.”
What was important about that is she reminded me, by the XYZ, that I really wanted this other thing. An integrator could say, “Okay Amy, we could do that but are you willing to let go of this?”
That was feels a little aggressive. She did it in a way that kind of just was really respectful so I didn’t feel like she was telling me “no” or taking something away or telling me I was wrong for having these ideas. I think a lot of times you are very careful with your communication style to keep me excited about what we’re moving forward with. Would you agree?
CHLOE: Absolutely. I think it’s super important to have that because if you don’t (especially when you’re working virtually) things can come across so not the way you intended.
AMY: True.
CHLOE: It’s very important and I really try to just put myself in the visionary’s shoes. I don’t want to be stifled. Also, I am intrinsically a people pleaser. It’s who I am. In addition to having an integrator that can say, “Hey, if you want to let go of this project,” I don’t like that.
But, at the same time if I were to say “yes” to everything imagine how slowly we would move forward.
AMY: It would be horrible. That would be horrible so I’m so excited and glad that you do actually push back in the way you do. One more thing I want to say and then we’re going to move on to the next question which is: Is an integrator an implementer? Marinate on that because I’m coming back to it.
The one thing I want to add here is that one thing I’ve learned along the way that has been incredibly important is that when you bring an integrator into your business you must communicate with your existing team and anybody who gets added to the team after and all of your contractors, you need to communicate that your integrator is your #2.
They are going to be the ones to communicate with everybody else. What happened with me is that when Chloe came on I did a terrible job of explaining to my outside contractors and everybody else that I was looking to Chloe to call the shots with everybody on the team.
I was going to step back and stop managing and instead let Chloe figure it out and give everybody their marching orders and make sure everything is on task. There is a little shift that happens that sometimes contractors or team members can get a little bit jolted by and say, “Wait a second, why are you stepping out and who is this person stepping in?’
You have to do a great job of setting them up and communicating to everybody that you’re looking to this person to take the ball and run with it.
CHLOE: That’s so important. I really do agree with that.
AMY: I just wanted to put that out there because sometimes it creates some waves in the beginning.
CHLOE: I think that ultimately you are setting the integrator up for success. At the end of the day that also sets you up for success because then you have less to manage.
AMY: That is so important. Remember what I said in the intro of this podcast, my goal is that all of you visionaries out there, or those stepping into the visionary role, see how much freedom an integrator can bring to your business and into your life.
Moving on, like I already hinted, does the integrator implement? Are you a doer?
CHLOE: No. An integrator is not an implementer. It sounds the same but it’s not the same. An integrator is the ones who are going to take the ideas from the visionary and make them real. We drive that execution using the team and contractors.
There definitely needs to be another role that works with the integrator that is the implementer. For example, an integrator would be responsible for outlining an operating system but they wouldn’t necessarily be the one doing it.
AMY: What’s an operating system to you when you use that word?
CHLOE: An operating system would be something like how we build a lead page that is going to get us signups for a webinar.
AMY: You would outline how you would do that and you would give it to the team to actually make it happen.
CHLOE: Exactly. I’m the one that is really making sure everyone is doing it in the way that I need it to be done given that I’m looking for brand consistencies and I have my Amy hat on knowing that “Amy doesn’t like this, she does like this, she doesn’t like this, she does like that.”
I’m really making sure it’s very clear. Then I’m not the one making those. It would really be the team or an implementer or contractor that would be able to help me with doing that so that I can stay above it a little bit to oversee and manage all the moving pieces.
AMY: You do major QCing.
CHLOE: Oh my gosh, it’s half of my life.
AMY: Right, so just looking at what everyone’s done and making sure it’s on track.
CHLOE: The two work together, for sure. But they are definitely different. If you think about it, it wouldn’t be sustainable or scalable if someone is trying to do both. Wouldn’t you agree?
AMY: I would agree. I also know this is something you’ve worked really hard on over the years. As a natural go getter if you hire an integrator that’s a go getter and they treat your business as their own and are really excited to move things forward it’s so tempting to get in there and do it yourself.
CHLOE: Oh my gosh, it’s so tempting. Absolutely. It is something I still, to this day, struggle with. Sometimes I think I could just do it really quick. But then a) I’m not using my time that can benefit Amy in a better way, and b) I’m not setting the team up for success because I’m not letting them in to try and learn.
I constantly have to go back to that and tell myself to take a step back. It’s not about going fast all the time. It’s about making sure we can go far. I’m totally pulling from that one quote I read to you the other day.
AMY: She butchers this so be careful guys. Try it.
CHLOE: Let me see if I can remember it. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
AMY: Good job!
CHLOE: Mike drop.
AMY: You guys should have heard her trying to tell me that the other day. She butchered it.
CHLOE: I had to Google it.
AMY: Tell us what a day in the life looks like for an integrator. I’m assuming every day is the same.
CHLOE: Yeah, absolutely! I’m sitting in a cubicle. No, it is never the same. Let me tell you, I frickin’ love it. Every day I wake up and I’m like, “So, what’s my job today?” I love that.
Definitely, keep in mind that when you are hiring an integrator or if you’re hiring someone or escalating someone’s position within a team you already work with to be an integrator make sure that is something that doesn’t scare them. Change shouldn’t scare them.
You have to be onboard with constant change. I could just give you a quick little insider’s view of what my days would look like. Some days I’m helping the team out with moving on from issues or problems or a roadblock in their way of getting something done.
I help them out or I’m working on project plans in Asana and typically I’m doing those late in the night because that’s when I really, for some reason, get creative and can think of things.
Sometimes I’m meeting with Amy on big vision plans for the future and I’m just trying to absorb all of the things she is putting out for what she wants us to focus on next. Sometimes I’m doing competitive research and looking at different strategies we can do so that I can figure out the “how” when Amy gives me the “what.”
I’m like, how can I figure out how to do that? A big portion of the integrator role is looking at how I can do something in the best possible way that would produce the best results. That takes time. It takes strategy. It takes looking at what other people are doing and realizing what works and what doesn’t.
That is also why it’s so important that an integrator is not an implementer. You need space and time to do that.
AMY: So true. The one thing you said about helping the team is so important. Chloe manages almost everybody on the team and she manages all contractors. With that she meets with team members every single week. You have a pulse on what everybody’s doing on the actual team.
CHLOE: Yes.
AMY: That parts really important and I know it takes a lot of her time. That’s one thing that’s really constant with her role as well.
Chloe, I think we’re getting to your favorite part of the interview.
CHLOE: Ohhh!
AMY: I know that you love a few specific tools that are vital to an integrator role. I was thinking if you could break down just three of them for us.
CHLOE: Yeah, absolutely. I’m just going to start with the fact that I might marry Asana.
AMY: Asana, I think you need to come sponsor the podcast.
CHLOE: I think I’m going to get a tattoo.
AMY: Stop it.
CHLOE: Tattoo on my wrist with Asana.
AMY: Anyone new with this, it’s A-S-A-N-A, a project management tool. There are a lot of them out there but we love Asana.
CHLOE: Some people use Monday. I don’t even know some of the other ones.
AMY: Bootcamp.
CHLOE: Basecamp.
AMY: Basecamp, just joking.
CHLOE: Asana is my jam. I love it. There are so many things I could go into and I am going to try with all of my heart to not go into the weeds on this one because I really could. But just Google Asana. You can actually Google this phrase, “Asana help guide.”
Watch your mind be blown. They literally have videos, tutorials, webinars. The break down everything and how you how to use the tool, how to maximize it. It is so amazing. That is definitely one thing I’m obsessed with.
AMY: Tell them the rule about what you’re saying about Asana on the team.
CHLOE: Oh my gosh, the team is going to roll their eyes as they listen to this. If it’s not in Asana it’s not happening. That is seriously my rule. We talk to each other in so many different outlets. We have an Instagram group chat, Slack, Skype sometimes, we have so many different ways that we communicate with each other because I think communication is super important.
At the end of the day no action item should ever be put through Slack or something else because that’s when things slip. You’re not scrolling back to look at a thread in Slack. You’re going into Asana and looking at your “My Tasks” for the day.
I think it’s super important for everyone to have that as their home base. I have another tip that I’m going to give you as #3 on the list so I’m going to hold on that. But my next thing is SnagIt.
Have you guys ever seen, Amy will sometimes post in the Facebook group a little screencast link with a walk-through of her screen and her voice is coming through? That is amazing as an integrator.
When you’re working as an integrator and you’re QCing something or giving instruction to a team member, when you are setting your rules or an operating system for someone, communication is so important.
Like I said before, the way you deliver something can make or break how someone takes it and how someone is going to feel inspired to take action on their instruction. I think SnagIt is an amazing tool because I can literally walk through a process.
I can give that personal feel rather than being that robot behind a screen that people can say, “Wow, that’s a direct order,” it softens things up and also makes things super clear and it just makes it amazing.
Am I getting that point across how amazing it is? It is amazing guys.
Moving on, this one is a little bit different from what you guys would probably expect. I love Siri on the iPhone.
AMY: She told me this when I told her to think of some tools and I thought this was a weird one but then I realized why she uses it.
CHLOE: I love Siri because I am one of those people that literally, right when I’m driving or when I get into bed to go to sleep, that’s when the idea comes to me or that’s when I start going, “Oh my god, is that email scheduled?” Or I will think, “Oh my god, did I tell that one contractor they needed to edit this thing?”
I genuinely feel like because I have my hand in so many different pots I will drop something if I don’t do it in that moment. That’s a really bad place to be in because you guys have all heard the term, “context switching”. That’s going to really stunt your productivity.
For me, I use Siri as a way to be an extension of my brain. I just got into bed and I’ll say, “Hey Siri, remind me tomorrow (my phones going to beep) to make sure that the FOMO fix email for next month is written.”
I will literally not remember. The next morning what happens is it will pop up on my phone and I’ll be able to put that into Asana. It’s just super helpful. If I’m working on a project and I want to call Amy about something I’ll just say, “Hey Siri, call Amy in ten minutes and remind me to talk to her about” this.
It will just give you that little extra note. It’s just like a personal assistant.
AMY: I think it’s great because it won’t take Chloe out of what she’s working on if she is working on a specific project. We will be having a meeting and she’ll be like, “Oh shoot, I need to make sure I did XYZ.” She’ll tell Siri and then she’ll come back to us. I think the whole context switching part of this is brilliant. I love that.
Here we go. Final words of wisdom for the visionary who is going to take the leap and hire their integrator. What could you share with that visionary to help them on their journey?
CHLOE: I would say that wearing too many hats distracts you from strategizing and focusing on what vision you want for your business. If you hire an integrator they can help you excel your business forward by allowing you to focus on the things that only you can do.
I can tell you a few things that Amy did that truly helped set me up for success so that you can take that and really decide if that’s something you want to do to help bring your integrator to the best of their abilities to help support you.
AMY: I’d like to hear those things. Hit it!
CHLOE: She’s amazing….Alright, the first thing is she gave me her time. Scout…
AMY: Scout is coming in and he’s doing a big lion stretch.
CHLOE: He must have known we were about to talk about his mama bear. The first thing is she has this really cute dog.
AMY: The reason Chloe really works for me, I’m pretty sure she’s obsessed with Scout.
CHLOE: She has this dog, Scout, that I come over for “meetings”…Seriously, Amy gave me her time. When I first started I remember a few instances where you literally sat me down and stopped what you were doing.
It goes back to that, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Amy sat me down and it was before a launch. You were like, “I’m just going to walk through an entire project plan of what we did for our last launch before you joined the team. I’m going to explain everything and then you can take that and make it your own.”
AMY: Oh, did she make it her own. Today it looks very different than what I showed her three years ago.
CHLOE: But it was so helpful for me. In doing that I was able to understand a little bit more about her business, a little bit more about her communication style, a little bit more about how she likes things done, and then the little details.
As we were going through she said I would work with “this” contractor and then we would literally stop and she would make an email introduction. It was so big. You stopped and gave me your time rather than just telling me to take it and run with it from the get go.
That’s pretty big. Then in addition to that you gave me room to learn and try things. You gave me your trust. Oh my gosh, I could cry. It was such a big thing for me because that is why Amy has always said, “Thank you for treating my business like your own.”
That is why. Amy trusts me and that makes me feel like part of her business is my own. I genuinely take it and I run with it. She gives me room for that. That is really big. A lot of people say, “I need a Chloe.”
I think a big thing is genuinely that it is not okay, I do not end my day if there is a problem. Her business is my own. I treat it with so much ownership because you allowed me space to do that. You didn’t control me. You let me find my way and you let me take ownership of things and it was so important.
AMY: That’s really nice.
CHLOE: I love you.
AMY: I love you tons. Chloe, thank you so much for joining me here today. This has been fantastic. I really wanted to take people behind the scenes and just let all of you see what it’s like to work with an integrator and really share my journey in terms of not really nailing the visionary role just yet but I’m making every effort to become a master in that role so that I can really focus on the things I love to focus on and also let Chloe shine in her role as the integrator.
Again Chloe, thanks so much. I love you dearly.
CHLOE: Thank you so much. And thank you to all of you for letting me come on and share my little tips on the integrator. I hope you guys find what it is you’re looking for so that you guys can be the best visionary you can be.
AMY: Speaking of, if you are looking for an integrator we have a fantastic freebie. It’s the exact integrator job description that I used and that I encourage my students to use as well.
I’m going to give you the job description for an integrator and a test run assignment that you can use during the hiring process. When we get down to two or three top candidates we give them an assignment.
I’m going to give you that test-run assignment and you can make it your own. If you go to https://amyporterdev.wpenginepowered.com/224 you can sign up to get a special link that will take you to a Google document template. You can copy the template and make it your own for both the integrator job description and the test run.
Do that now before you forget even if you’re not ready to hire an integrator. I think the job description will help you understand what you’re looking for in the future and then, of course, you want to keep that test run for the future as well.
Also, don’t miss next week’s episode, #225, with Sunny Lenarduzzi.
We are talking all about YouTube marketing and how IGTGB fits in with YouTube marketing and also how to grow your email list with your videos. It’s a fantastic episode. It’s step by step. We’re going to give you a formula.
I can’t wait to introduce you to Sunny if you’re new to her. If you already know Sunny you know how fantastic she is around all things video so it’s a fantastic episode. That’s #225 next week. I’ll see you here same time, same place.
Before I forget, have you subscribed to the podcast just yet? I don’t want you to miss anything and if you subscribe to the podcast you will be notified of all new episodes. I’ve also been putting out bonus episodes that I don’t talk about anywhere else.
You’ve got to get that notification so make sure, if you haven’t done so yet, subscribe to the podcast. I will be talking to you very soon. Bye for now!
CHLOE: Bye for now!
AMY: Chloe! She liked to get in there at the end. See you later guys, bye!
