Around the Ladder with Erin Alli

On this episode of Around the Ladder, host Erika Steinberg welcomes Erin Alli, founder of Essential Assistance, to discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, the importance of operational support, and how to build a business that allows for true freedom. Erin shares her journey from sales and management to becoming a fractional COO and operations expert, and offers actionable advice for business owners at every stage.

Key Topics & Highlights

• Erin’s Career Journey

  • From sales and management to entrepreneurship, to be available more for her family.

  • Launching Essential Assistance to help CEOs and founders reclaim their time.

  • Nearly 30 years in operations and leadership, with 20 years as a business owner.

• About Essential Assistance

  • Virtual support for CEOs and business leaders: operations, leadership, and more.

  • Focus on small and midsize businesses, providing tailored strategies and systems. 

• When to Seek Help

  • Common signals: overwhelming inboxes, constant overwork, lack of effective delegation.

  • The value of a trusted operations partner to break down projects, set realistic timelines, and ensure continuity.

• Coaching and Personal Support

  • Erin’s approach blends operations expertise with her coaching expertise to offer a unique benefit to those that work with her.

  • Addressing mindset blocks, perfectionism, and self-care for entrepreneurs.

  • Building personal relationships with clients to support both business and personal well-being.

• Building Effective Teams

  • The power of regular team meetings-even virtually-to foster connection and collaboration.

  • Creating a safe environment for team members to share struggles and needs.

  • Encouraging mutual support and cross-collaboration among team members.

• Essential Systems for Growing Businesses

  • Early implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for business continuity and smooth onboarding.

  • Leveraging automation for tasks like email, scheduling, and social media to save time and reduce bottlenecks.

• Advice for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs

  • Start where you are and break tasks into manageable steps.

  • Use brain dumps and project lists to organize thoughts and priorities.

  • Reach out to your network for support, even if you’re not ready to hire help.

  • Embrace time-blocking and minimize multitasking for greater focus and productivity.

• Personal Reflections

  • Both Erika and Erin discuss the freedom and challenges of entrepreneurship, including the importance of authenticity and letting go of fear of others’ opinions.

  • Advice to their younger selves: stop overthinking, don’t hold back, and don’t worry about what others think.

Notable Quo