Scaling Smarter: The Power of EOS

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for High Velocity Radio.

Lee Kantor: Lee Kantor here, another episode of High Velocity Radio, and this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Adam Kaplan, who is an EOS implementer and a Business Coach. Welcome.

Adam Kaplan: Thanks. Great to be here.

Lee Kantor: I am so excited to be talking to you, because I’m a big fan of EOS, and I would love for you to explain to the folks listening, just kind of EOS and the macro view, you know, talk about the process and how you help people through it.

Adam Kaplan: Okay, sure. Yeah. So EOS is a business operating system basically designed to help the entrepreneur reduce stress, control chaos, and put out fires. Business run a better business. Build a better life. Live a better life. Go on vacation. Have fun again.

Lee Kantor: So what’s your backstory? How’d you get involved with them?

Adam Kaplan: Well, um, I’ve been an entrepreneur since, uh, the early 2000. I’ve seen the highs and lows, uh, being an entrepreneur. The low happened, um, 2001 internet bubble burst. I’m building a company. Poof. It’s gone overnight. And then, uh, ten years later, I hit the high. I sold the business to Morgan Stanley. Private equity. And really, nothing much had changed because I was running my business on grit and hustle, making things up. And then in 2014, I was running my recruiting firm, and the client introduced me to EOS. Finally had a system to run my business better. Doubled it in three years did that in another business. So I knew that iOS wasn’t a one trick pony. And, uh, for the last four years, I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs on the system so that they don’t have to suffer through what I suffered through.

Lee Kantor: So was that a difficult decision? Uh, I know you got two CEOs in action as a customer of iOS, but was it hard for you to say, okay, I’m going to kind of go all in now and basically pay for iOS, uh, to be part of that team and then to kind of get into iOS business.

Adam Kaplan: You want to know how that happened?

Lee Kantor: Yeah, I mean, I from what you’re telling me, I’m hearing that you were, uh, you know, you were kind of being coached by us and was learning how to utilize it, but then to get into iOS business and then, you know, do that for other people, that’s a different thing.

Adam Kaplan: That’s true. Yeah. I had a I have a friend in the community named Eric Perkins. And basically, I was talking to him on the phone and, uh, early November 2021, and he’s like, dude, you should become an EOS implementer. And, uh, kind of, uh, you know, the light bulb went off and, uh, three weeks later, I was getting training.

Lee Kantor: So so it was one of those things where, since you were using it and having such success, you were like, look, I’m going to be able to sell this to other people. I’m already. I’m living it.

Adam Kaplan: That’s true. I mean, honestly, EOS sells itself. If you’re the person who needs it. I’m no master salesperson. It’s the system that does the heavy lifting.

Lee Kantor: So kind of. What’s the pain for someone that’s out there, uh, where, uh, hiring you would be the the right move.

Adam Kaplan: Um. Well.

Adam Kaplan: You know, they’re struggling with people problems. They don’t feel like they’re in control of their business. They’re working more hours for less pay. Um, I mentioned the vacation thing earlier. That’s a telltale sign. Um, it’s typically not a startup. Anything kind of second stage and beyond. Um, sometimes it’s, uh, uh, divisions within larger companies that are stuck, um, whenever the business is really stuck and it’s hit a ceiling and needs to break through that ceiling, uh, we can often help. Eos can help.

Lee Kantor: So what’s it like? Okay, I raise my hand. My business is kind of plateauing. I’m frustrated. I’m not taking vacations, I contact Adam. What happens next?

Adam Kaplan: Well, um, we need to talk. Right. Because, um, even though you’re struggling in the business, doesn’t mean that you’re a good fit for iOS. Um, you would be someone who, um, has kind of tried all the tools and the tricks and have been running the Lee Kantor business system, and that’s just not working anymore. So you have to be open to implementing something new. Um, also, you have to be coachable. One health want to do it with a team and not by yourself. And be willing to delegate and elevate to your unique ability, and let other people do what they’re good at.

Lee Kantor: And then how do you kind of vet me and discern if I’m a good fit?

Adam Kaplan: Um.

Adam Kaplan: Well, you know, I’m kind of picking you, and you’re kind of picking me, right? So you’re picking me to see if. Hey, is Adam going to be the right coach for me? To help me get what I want for my business? And I’m kind of vetting you? Are you going to do the work? Are you going to be committed to the system and follow through with it? Commit to the two plus year journey on implementing it. So it’s it’s it’s, um, you know, and it’ll be based on a conversation that we’ll have. And then I’ll, I’ll meet with, um, you and your leadership team as well to see if it’s a fit.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned a two year journey. Is there how long does it take before I see some kind of clues that this is going to work, or I’m on the right track?

Adam Kaplan: It’s a good question. I mean, it kind of depends. Each company is different. Um, there are three foundational days that we do in the first 90 days. Um, I would expect that every that pretty much every company is going to see some change for the better within 90 days. Some see a more dramatic change depending on, uh, some of the people decisions maybe they’ve made in the first 90 days. Um, for some it might be more dramatic, some might be less dramatic. On average, about after 90 days, you’re going to see some improvement. And then, um, depending on where your business is, how strong it was going in, um, the more dramatic improvement after that.

Lee Kantor: Now what is is there a story you can share maybe that illustrates a challenge the the company came to you with and how you were able to help them get to a new level? Obviously don’t name the name of the company, but the challenge that they were going through and how you were able to help them.

Adam Kaplan: Um, I am going to name the company.

Lee Kantor: All right. Your call.

Adam Kaplan: So, um, there’s a company here in Michigan called Endo Corp, and, um, CEOs Najib Haddad taking, uh, family business to a whole other level. He’s very happy to share some of the ways that iOS has benefited him. He posted about it and his team. He posted about it on LinkedIn. Um, basically he was running the Jeep system, and, uh, iOS has allowed the business to scale in a much more purposeful and much more profitable way. So feel free to look up, um, Najib and a hadad h a d a d at Endo Corp, um, on LinkedIn. And you’ll, uh, you’ll see what he says.

Lee Kantor: But what was so what was his initial struggle, though, like when he came to you? What was he? He was just. It wasn’t working.

Adam Kaplan: He was?

Adam Kaplan: Yeah. He was running.

Adam Kaplan: The Jeep system. Um, he didn’t have all the right people in the right seats. Um, meetings were really chaotic. Didn’t have a clear plan for where to take the business. Um, didn’t really prioritize. Uh, had good people in some areas. Um, wasn’t really clear on who should be doing what. A lot of chaos, a lot of stress. Um, and now there’s, um, great clarity, systemized processes, gaining traction, solving issues. Great scorecard, clear vision.

Lee Kantor: Now, you mentioned kind of right people, right seats. And I know that, um, uh, your one of your kind of superpowers is recruiting. Can you talk about is there any advice you can share about kind of identifying who the right person is and making sure that, you know, that everybody’s aligned?

Adam Kaplan: Sure. So I ran and sold a recruiting company from 2011 to 2019. I’ve just gotten back into it, and the reason I’ve gotten back into it is because my clients are asking me for help. So it’s crazy out there, um, for many entrepreneurs to recruit top talent. Um, it’s very easy for people to apply for jobs. So companies are getting flooded with applications. Um, it’s hard for companies to assess the talent and the representation and what’s true and what’s not true. Um, so I would really suggest, if you’re an entrepreneur out there listening to this and you’re stuck with, you know, finding a leadership team member, or maybe you’ve made some bad hires, you know, really try and simplify the process and, uh, dig into what, what you need to do. So I believe there’s really only two things you need to put in the job description. It’s really simple your company’s core values and who you are basically like a one paragraph summary and the five major roles of the position. What do you truly need this person to do in this job and to perform to get 80% of the work done? That’s it. Don’t put other stuff in there. Don’t complicate it. People are just too busy. And also, um, try and, um, implement a system that helps you weed out, um, poor fit. So, um, the system values use AI, and they, they help you, they help tell you if the person, based on what you put in for the job description is a proper, um, talent, fit or not a talent fit. So that should help you weed out half or maybe more of the applicants, and then just get really clear with the entire leadership team about what you’re looking for. And then you need to have a good applicant tracking system. I have one that I think is great, and if anyone’s interested, you can reach out to me and I can kind of share what I use and how I use it.

Lee Kantor: And is, is recruiting something that entrepreneurs should be doing kind of all the time. So you, you have kind of a bench ready or is it something that you only need to break out when you need somebody?

Adam Kaplan: I mean, that’s a good question. You know, ideally you’re recruiting all the time, but because entrepreneurs are sitting in so many seats and they often don’t have a dedicated HR person, I don’t think it’s very realistic for fast growing, scaling entrepreneurial businesses, if you can. Yeah. You should always have your tentacles out for good people 100%, but you’re not going to hire someone unless you have a seat open for them in your company. So, um, yeah, keep your eyes out, but I don’t know how realistic it is in today’s world.

Lee Kantor: Now, if somebody, um, you mentioned AI a second ago, how how is AI impacting businesses today? Is it more of a distraction or are people using it more strategically?

Adam Kaplan: Um, I see a lot of people using it.

Adam Kaplan: Well, I’m not an AI expert, by the way. I mean, I can share some for recruiting. Let’s just finish that thought. Um, AI is just really good at matching data up, right? So if you put data in the job description and the candidate is put data in their application, AI is very good at kind of matching those and saying, is it a fit or not? Um, AI is also really good at summarizing a transcript. So zoom for example, you know, has AI built in that you can use the AI companion, and it could sum up your, uh, your call so you can get a good summary of that. If you enable it again, these things are really inexpensive. Um, the um, other some other benefits are really for brainstorming. Um, if you need to send important email, uh, I use ChatGPT Pro a lot. Like if I have an important email I need to send out, I will say, hey, ChatGPT, I you know, you know me, I’m Adam Kaplan. I’m trying to send an email to a client or a prospect. Uh, here’s what I want to communicate. Um, here are some points I want to get across. Here’s the tone I want to read or I want to achieve for this individual. Um, grab me a couple of emails I can look at and they’re going to come in draft 2 or 3 that are going to be pretty good, and then I’ll take it. I never send it as is. I always tweak it. I always put my voice on it, but it saves me time.

Lee Kantor: Are there any other tools that you use that can help business people?

Adam Kaplan: It depends. For for. What? Do you have a particular area in mind?

Lee Kantor: Well, I mean we’re talking about businesses that are struggling here. So. In what area do you find that most business people are struggling.

Adam Kaplan: So I mentioned kind of what I do with recruiting. That’s a big area with people. Um. You know, if you’re if you’re struggling in a business and, um, managing cash, like I had an entrepreneur in my office earlier this week. Um, didn’t really know what was coming in, didn’t really know what’s coming out. Um, there are definitely good cash flow forecasting tools, but you’ve got to have some of that expertise. You cannot be running blind. Um, in your business, you need to have a budget. Um, doesn’t have to be too complicated, honestly. Um, revenue, gross margin, you know, revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, um, expenses. Net profit. Like those five things that you need to know that every month, um, doesn’t have to be. Much more complicated than that. There’s a ton of, uh, books out there for that. Um. Systems out there for that. The profit first system, the one that’s good. And I like, um, also. You want to know yourself and know your team and hire. I like the.

Adam Kaplan: Colby.

Adam Kaplan: System. Colby. I use that a lot. My clients use that a lot. Um. Strength finders. Another one for, um, knowing people’s work style and, uh, also their strengths.

Lee Kantor: Now, is there, uh, you mentioned that, you know, you came from recruiting a little bit. Is that your niche? Um. Or do you work are you kind of industry agnostic in the people that you coach?

Adam Kaplan: I’m industry agnostic. It’s more about the people and what do they want? I really like ambitious visionaries that have a heart. They care about their people and want to grow. And usually there’s a mission behind it that’s more than just about, you know, making money. It might be to improve a community or serving God or, um. Doing something important in the world. Um, I’m more of a natural integrator. So I can even though as an entrepreneur. Um, so I connect really well with the visionaries that need someone like that to, um, hold them accountable and keep them on track.

Lee Kantor: And that’s an important distinction within EOS, the, um, the integrator and the visionary.

Adam Kaplan: Oh, yeah.

Adam Kaplan: Super important. Yeah. So the visionaries, often the founding entrepreneurs, a lot of great ideas. Um, they’re, uh, creative problem solver, very passionate, very focused on the culture, selling the integrators much more bottom line oriented PNL, typically much better at holding people accountable, managing the team, leading in the team based on, um. Uh, logic versus on emotion, which is what drives the visionary typically.

Lee Kantor: And then, uh, the distinction between what you’re doing, you’re not coming in to actually, you know, roll up your sleeves and do the work. You’re the coach that’s helping the entrepreneur and their team do the work, right. And that’s an important distinction between coaching and consulting.

Adam Kaplan: Very important distinction. Right. So if you want someone to come in there and tell you what to do, uh, that’s a consultant. That’s not me. If you want someone to make you and your team better empower you to lead your business than, um, I might be the guy for that.

Lee Kantor: And if somebody wants to learn more and connect with you and somebody on your team, what’s the best way to do that?

Adam Kaplan: Sure you can go on, go on the internet and look up Adam Caplan, EOS implementer. Um, and also, uh, reach out, email me, uh, Adam Caplan, it’s Adam k a n e s worldwide.

Lee Kantor: And then they can go to the EOS worldwide comm website and search for you there as well. And your name will pop up.

Adam Kaplan: Sure.

Lee Kantor: Well, Adam, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Adam Kaplan: I appreciate the opportunity. Thanks.

Lee Kantor: All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on High Velocity Radio.