We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hadassah Eley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hadassah below.
Hadassah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Growth is exciting, but from what we’ve seen across thousands of conversations with entrepreneurs it’s also dangerous if costs aren’t watched closely – sometimes costs can grow out of control outpacing revenue growth and putting the viability of the entire business at risk. How have you managed to keep costs under control?
It’s absolutely exciting and yet daunting when business is booming and growth is imperative. However, it is in that same phase that attention to details can be lost easily. Rather than reaffirming that the people, processes, and business culture is nurtured and secure for growth, directly, this is when CEOs tend to “just throw money at it” without much thought. While this is an advantage to consider working “smarter and not harder”, I have seen that equate to spending more money and still only producing the same amount of product/sales. For myself, I have considered Intern and temporary help as resources that help get my company from one level to the next. This has been a big cost-saving and business culture-preserving tactic before making a long-term decision and commitment with a new full-time employee.
I have forced myself, as CEO, to ask these questions: 1.) Do I truly understand my company’s need? 2.) Does my company only need help with a temporary heavy lift? 3.) Can I afford to fail quickly with this company expense? 4.) Will I be able to have money left over for new unknown expenses? 5.) What systems can I set up proactively for the next level of growth?
I’ll let you in on my personal dialogue with my recent answers.
1.) “No, I just think I need to do a lot more marketing/prospecting and I don’t know how to do it effectively”. 2.) “Yes, I am close my capacity of clients and I do not need the same effort of marketing 365 days of the year.” 3.) “Yes, because I have chosen options that only commit me to monthly or 3 month terms. I will not have to stay connected to a financial commitment for a year of longer after if the effort is not working or is no longer needed.” I have already pivoted my marketing dollars twice in the last 6 months! 4.) “Yes. I am keeping my expenses to a minimal by also employing an intern to get the most resources “thrown” at a new need for my growing company. So I am compounding time with money and not just “throwing” money at the problem.” (Hint: you can also accomplish this with a consultant like CME Strategies. This keeps the CEO from paying a FTE resource that once needed to complete 40 hours of work and now only has 2o hours of value to add. ) 5.) “That’s easy, Hadassah! Just use your own resources that you provide for your clients: procedures, prioritization charts, meeting templates and norms, an employee handbook for our next phase of growth, and decision-making analysis tools.”
Hopefully, my internal dialogue was helpful to share. Hilariously, I really do have to remind myself to use my own process improvement tools, though!
Hadassah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Hadassah Eley, PMP. I am Founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant for Capital M. E. Strategies (better known as CME Strategies). I am driven by a deep desire to empower businesses and help them achieve success. I believe that all companies, big or small, deserve access to the tools and strategies that can drive productivity and growth. With over a decade focused on problem-solving expertise in the biopharmaceutical industry, I have honed my skills in facilitation of intense leadership sessions, project and program management, and identifying the root cause of a wide array of challenges to productivity. If I could do anything in the world and not worry about money, I would inspire. I can’t help but be a change agent, and that is shown in how I am bravely took the leap from Corporate America to provide top-level expertise to smaller businesses.
I came to be CEO through a meandering journey. My educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in pharmaceutical science from North Carolina Central University. Since college, I earned several certifications, including professional project manager (PMP), Conger-Elsea Root Cause Analysis, Lean Six Sigma, and Kepner-Tregoe Problem-Solving Decision Making. These certifications have equipped me with various techniques for effective management, continuous improvement, process streamlining, and team facilitation. My outstanding implementation of these certifications have earned me numerous accolades, including being named Kepner-Tregoe’s 2022 Facilitator of the Year; beating out over 100 global nominees. After only using 20% of my expertise in my day job, and after a spiritual journey, I started CME Strategies.
At CME Strategies, I get to provide businesses with simple and reproducible methods for solving problems and increasing productivity. My goal is to help you, as a client, break free from the state of repetitive muddling and accelerate your business towards success. By offering an expert set of eyes to analyze my clients’ challenges, I identify areas for improvement and implement effective solutions. I help your business compete more effectively in their respective industries by helping you, as my clients, free up capacity for creativity and innovation.
As the owner of CME Strategies, I am overjoyed when I see that processes and systems that I helped a company to develop are still in use and have been built upon years later. I am like a proud momma. One such client praised my ability to “zero in on our most pressing issue and create effective solutions that helped us streamline our operations and increase our productivity.” They also noted that my initial consultation was “worth the money on its own,” and that my follow-up was exceptional.
Ok, that’s enough about me. I really look forward to solving more problems for the manufacturing companies and the recently scaling-up companies. I would be glad to take your call and listen to understand. My brand thrives when your business thrives! It’s that simple.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
Yes. I had to pivot CME Strategies’ focus. I have a great board and I was challenged with the question, “Is CME Strategies about making money only or about serving businesses who need the capacity to innovate?” When I answered that question with the latter, I realized that one “arm of my business” was completely irrelevant to my original business plan. Although, the earning potential was great for income for CME Strategies, it was not showing my proper story for profit and loss statements. It was diluting the money and progress that was actually belonging to CME Strategies. I also pulled away time and resources from properly developing my true business objective. So, I sold it off! Today’s CME Strategies is focused once again! It was absolutely the right thing to do.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Yes. “Be BIG: Step up, Step Out, Be Bold” by Judith A. Katz and Frederick A. Miller. Ironically, this is not a big book. However, I read that book back in 2020. That was a transformative year, and was in the middle of my personal transformation story. I point back mentally to this book, when I want to default back to being small enough for people not to “hate me” or “see me”. However, good business involves being visible! I did not open CME Strategies until 2022, but that book has lingered in my brain the most as a motif. I don’t back down or cower down, I am completely who I was created to be! Watch me and be inspired!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cme-strategies.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cme_biz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082646990838
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hadassah-eley-cme-strategies-a275aa236/
- Other: You directly ask for an appoint on my Calendly: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__calendly.com_cmestrategies_1-2Don-2D1-2Dwith-2Dhadassah-3Fmonth-3D2023-2D08&d=DwMFaQ&c=eyK8KBY19DualCOSet0JGw&r=w3GvYOpVzxRho-EYdYx-aaPoij1ahEnsmzabwrVj3L0&m=Ev1QU-9kqqtaqN3vKSFiE0pTeFhfte8IFPuWd-S2sxB0F_-RQFxJT7T3laDvtAnL&s=vuSgTFu53nEqREAMKZqhcItALI7xmiiw8YG1AdidySs&e=
Image Credits
Cammel Photography