We recently connected with Danielle McGinnis and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. Please tell us about starting your own firm and if you’d do anything different knowing what you know now.

I decided to start my business for my overall mental health and wellbeing. I had a few mindset issues to overcome. The first was the feeling that I was incapable of starting my own business because I felt I lacked adequate skills. I had always been taught that to make it in life, you must be highly skilled in some way or have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree, and as the holder of an Associate’s Degree, I felt my job at the time was “as good as it was going to get.” Secondly, as a Federal employee at the time, making more than a decent salary, I feared that starting my own business would not allow me to make enough money to match my current income at the time to help support myself and my family. Lastly, I felt trapped because I was currently working full time plus as a wife and mom I didn’t know how to balance becoming an entrepreneur with life’s responsibilities.

Once I began to do some research, I decided to start with the skills I had to test the waters. It was the best decision I have ever made. Although I am not currently working in the field that I was when I first started my business, I was able to get a taste of the possibilities of what entrepreneurship truly was and it became a reality to me for the first time. The experience also helped me to quickly prove to myself that I was selling myself short with the services I offered and the rate I was charging and to recognize the value of what I had to offer. Knowing what I know now, if I had to had to go through this experience all over again, I’d still have the same drive and determination to succeed, but I’d have a different mindset. I’d be more confident and have more faith in my own abilities.

For the one looking to start your own firm, I have a few pieces of advice. The first is to just start. You will not have all of the answers. As a matter of fact, some things may not make sense at all, but the more you forge ahead, the clearer things become, and your ability to adapt to the changes will be your best asset in growing your business. My next piece of advice is to not sell yourself short. YOUR skills are valuable to SOMEONE. There is someone out there who needs what you offer, and so you have to put yourself out there to find them. Another tip I would like to offer is to think outside the box. When I first started my business, I didn’t think beyond the surface. I limited the services I offered to previous jobs I had held in the corporate industry, however, I quickly came to realize that those services were not truly what lit me up. When I leaned into my passion (which is systems and technology) and coupled that with my love of teaching, my business truly began to evolve.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Danielle McGinnis, the CEO and Founder of Cutting Edge Operations, Co. As a dedicated Business Systems Consultant, my primary focus is on empowering online service providers through effective business systems implementation. I am deeply committed to aiding businesses in harnessing the full potential of their operations by seamlessly integrating robust and tailored systems. My approach is rooted in a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges faced by online service providers, and I strive to develop strategic solutions that align with their specific needs and objectives. By leveraging my expertise, businesses can optimize their processes, enhance efficiency, and ultimately achieve sustainable growth in the dynamic digital landscape. My commitment extends beyond just implementation – I am invested in ensuring that the chosen systems not only meet immediate needs but also evolve in tandem with the business, fostering long-term success.”

So, how did I become a Business Systems Strategist? As a true “techy” at heart, I’ve always loved to implement shortcuts in my personal life to help me accomplish more with less. Also, it’s my natural tendency to think through the most efficient way to complete any task. This tendency proved to be helpful throughout my career as I was often known for developing process “cheat sheets” in my department. I never knew how valuable those qualities would become to my starting my own business.

When I started my own business, I quickly came to realize all of the hats required of me as a business owner. I was the Executive Assistant, Sale Director, Marketing Director, and CEO. Since I was still working full time for the first year of starting my business and running my business after work, I could feel burnout on the horizon if I didn’t make changes quickly. Given this, I quickly realized that I needed to become more efficient in the way I ran my business to be able to accomplish all of the tasks needed in less time and without hiring a team member.

At that time, I began to develop systems to increase efficiency and client satisfaction. I constantly perfected my processes by making improvements each time I onboarded a new client. Eventually, my clients began asking me to implement the processes they’ve experienced in my business in theirs. From there, I pushed myself to stay at the forefront of industry trends and advancements to drive business growth for my clients.

My goal is to help online service providers scale and accomplish more with less by helping them to develop consistent business processes and automate manual tasks to provide a stable business foundation that promotes growth.

I am most proud of the success of one client in particular who exceeded my own goals and expectations. I witnessed firsthand the impact my contribututions to automating her business operations had as it resulted in her business revenue scaling beyond $1 million in revenue,

Streamlined operations is at the core of every successful business. I believe every online business owner can and should live in a world where running a business does not have to take precedence over living a fulfilled, stress-free life and with the proper business systems in place, this can become a reality.

My clients don’t have all the answers of what systems they need to implement. Instead, they just need to know enough to know that they need help implementing changes in their business operations, they need to be prepared to do more with less, and open to the endless possibilities that lie ahead with the implementation of systems. I’ll handle the rest! Rather than create “cookie-cutter solutions,” I create custom operational experiences unique to each business according to what will best contribue to the overall success and well-being of the the owner. I have been referred to as a powerful thought partner as I strategize with online service provides and guide them to make the decisions that will benefit their business while also incorporating their current processes. I meet you where you are! For that reason, I will do the work with you via a Done-With-You service, or I will do the work completely for you via a Done-For-You service.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

In time, I had to unlearn the belief that time is equal to value. This belief was derived from working in hourly positions and only being paid for the amount of time I spent on the job. For example, I believed that if a task didn’t take much time to complete, it’s not really worth charging for, or a minimal charge should be applied.

After deep reflection and mindset work, I begin to realize that I’m only able to quickly complete these tasks for my clients due to years of experience, research, and troubleshooting which in turn saves my clients hours, days, months, or even years of the frustration from trying to DIY their business systems on their own. I eventually began looking at my services as they relate to the value they bring to the client. Once I considered these factors, I gradually incorporated this new outlook into my prices, and began to charge accordingly.

Have you ever had to pivot?

To be completely honest, I never wanted to be a business owner. I had worked my way up the corporate ladder, and at the time, I felt that the career I held was a really good one, however, it began to effect who I was as a person. My family walked on eggshells around me after work during the week, and I was so stressed that even taking a day off added to the stress as I never knew what I’d walk into upon my return. It felt as if I had lost control of my own life as even time for my family was often limited due to work. For the first time in my life, I came to learn what the phrase, “it’s not all about the money” truly meant. Although I was earning a good salary, my life had taken a turn I didn’t like, and I knew it was time for a change.

I began to think long and hard about whether I wanted to apply to another position, which I felt put me at risk of running into the same stressors in a new agency/department, or step out on my own, which involved risks I hadn’t even idenfitied yet.

After careful consideration, I decided to step out on my own. As scary as it was, I knew it was the only sure way to be fully in control of my life which is what I really desired.

What helped me to pivot were my faith, my support system, and hard work. I’m also a “glass half full” kind of person so I constantly looked at the positives in my situation and celebrated all the small wins I achieved along the way. I also knew that the trials I faced throughout the journey of starting my business were temporary, and I wouldn’t face them forever, so I kept focused on the end point versus where I was in that current moment in time. My confidence coupled with pereverance resulted in the business I’m so proud and grateful to have built today.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cuttingedgeops.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/cuttingedgeops
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cuttingedgeops
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cuttingedgeops/

Image Credits
Amanda Brisco Photography