August 4, 2025 • 15 mins
Caroline Biesalski opens the episode by discussing the cost of leads across various industries, setting the stage for a conversation on business operations. She introduces guest Emma Rainville, known as the "Wizard of Ops," who shares insights into essential systems for entrepreneurs. The discussion highlights the role of Shockwave Solutions in providing business support and explores ways to connect with Emma online. Caroline and Emma delve into the importance of coaches and mentors in business, with Emma sharing her future goals and upcoming projects. The episode concludes with Caroline's closing remarks, wrapping up the insightful conversation.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Right.
Depending on the industry, it can be three to17 times higher cost.
Again, it depends all on your industry.
A real estate lead or an insurance lead is farcheaper than a lead for, say, a supplement or a
(00:20):
lead for a business like mine, Fractional COOServices.
My leads are over $400.
So if I can have that customer come back monthover month over month, that $400 is worth a lot
to me.
Right?
But if I have to replace them every month, itcan be quite costly.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:43):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my experiences to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,hello, and welcome, Inspired podcast community.
(01:19):
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isEmma Rainville.
And I'm so happy that she said yes to ourinterview.
How are you doing today?
I am absolutely wonderful.
How are you?
I'm fantastic because we get to talk, and I'mso excited.
I want to introduce you to the audience.
(01:42):
Of course, you are known as the Wizard of Ops,specialized in scaling businesses through
streamlined operations and efficient systems.
As the founder of companies like ShockwaveSolutions and Seismic Wave Support, you help
entrepreneurs optimize processes forsustainable growth and long-term success.
(02:04):
Welcome to the Inspired podcast, EmmaRainville.
Thank you.
So amazing.
And, of course, I have a first question foryou.
What inspired you to become the Wizard of Ops,and how do you approach transforming
operational processes?
I don't think I was inspired to become theWizard of Ops.
(02:27):
I think it just kinda happened.
I was really good at operations.
I've actually gone to school for everything butoperations and paid for school with, you know,
from doing ops.
So over time, it just kinda happened that way,and I'm a person that sees patterns and can
(02:48):
solve puzzles and problems, and it just kind offell into place accidentally, actually.
That sounds amazing.
So it's like it's like me and the podcast.
You know?
I ended up here.
I had an accounting company, and I love whatyou said.
So would you say it is like being aware ofopportunities and just saying yes?
(03:14):
I think it was being aware of other people'sissues and problems that they needed help with
and just being the type of person that neededto help them.
And everything just kinda fell into I can't seesomeone struggle and just stand by and watch.
I'm very much a problem solver.
(03:37):
And so as time has gone on, I've just gotteninto situations where I've met people that
needed help, and I've just been able to helpthem.
Okay.
I understand.
You were not too much overthinking it beforetaking action, and your purpose or your mission
was to help people.
(03:58):
I would say my mission was led by a need tohelp people.
I can't be in the room with someone and seethem struggle and not assist.
And so I think it morphed into something waybigger than I ever was.
I understand you were guided, and you it itnaturally happened.
(04:19):
Right.
Okay.
That sounds amazing.
So I understand.
And my next question for you is, what are thekey systems every entrepreneur should implement
to scale their business effectively?
So the key systems every entrepreneur shouldput into their business.
(04:43):
The first is a foundational framework, and thatis where are we going?
What is the vision of the business?
Who are we?
Really understanding that a lot of companiesdon't understand that, so they run in circles
chasing their tails.
The second thing is an operational framework,and that's the framework that we use to get to
(05:05):
the vision.
Actually, I wrote a book called Scope.
It's on Amazon, and it actually teaches you howto create both the foundational and operational
frameworks.
There are also many other books out there thatteach you how to make, create a foundational
framework and an operational framework.
So no matter whose strategy you use, you needthat.
(05:26):
That's number one.
The second thing that every business needs tohave implemented into their business is a
project management system.
I like to use ClickUp as a software, and thenyou just write a set of rules based upon what's
best for project management.
Because a lot of times, when you havebusinesses that can't move forward, that can't
(05:46):
launch, that can't scale, it's because theydon't have a foundational framework, they don't
have an operational framework, and they have noability to manage projects.
You get those three things down, you can almostsolve every other problem.
Wow.
That sounds amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing.
My takeaway is that clarity gives us power, soyou have to be clear about your, yeah, what you
(06:09):
want to accomplish.
Also talked about what is your business, whatis your why as well, and when you have this
foundation then to proceed with the operationsor the plan or the strategy.
Exactly.
Exactly.
You're responding, not reacting.
Oh, wow.
(06:29):
I love that you pointed that out.
It's so important because I had, yeah, I hadexperiences in businesses where, I don't know,
they were just reacting and everything waslike, there were fires in every corner.
Right?
I heard this analogy before.
Yes.
Okay.
Thank you so much for sharing.
(06:51):
My next question is, how do your companies likeShockwave Solutions help entrepreneurs achieve
sustainable success?
Sure.
And same thing I've just been talking about.
We help you understand your vision and whereyou're trying to go, and then we put in a
framework and then manage the people and theprojects and the vendors and help you actually
(07:17):
get there.
So that's what Shockwave does.
Seismic Wave Support.
One of the things that we realized early on inour Shockwave days, which is a fractional COO
service, is that people didn't put enoughemphasis, time, and care into customer support.
Customer support is the everything of yourbusiness.
It's the very heartbeat.
(07:39):
It's everything.
And if you can't give a customer a goodexperience, then you have no business selling
to your customers.
So we created Seismic Wave Support to helpbusinesses affordably provide customer service.
And then Seismic Wave Support is an animal allof its own where we've created customer support
(08:03):
and turned it into a revenue-producingdepartment by creating retention strategies and
ongoing sales within customer service.
So, I think that answers your question.
Yes.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much.
And I heard it before that it's so importantto, I think the word is retain also.
(08:26):
The clients, yes, we can also say, asustainable customer lifetime or something
because it costs more.
And I think I heard seven times more to attracta new client.
Right.
Depending on the industry, it can be three to17 times higher cost.
(08:49):
Again, it depends all on your industry.
A real estate lead or an insurance lead is farcheaper than a lead for, say, a supplement.
Or a lead for a business like mine, COOservices, my leads are over $400.
So if I can have that customer come back monthover month over month, that $400 is worth a lot
(09:13):
to me.
Right?
But if I have to replace them every month, itcan be quite costly.
Mhmm.
That's so true.
Thank you so much.
And you already talked about your book.
I love books as well.
Of course, I put the link in the show notes.
And tell me, please, or tell us where can wefind you when people want to reach out to you
(09:33):
after listening to this episode?
Sure.
So I have a website where I have a bunch ofbusinesses and a whole bunch of websites, but I
decided to put together specialopspodcast.com.
That's a website that you can go to, and I havesomething called the Visionary Vault.
It's a member's area.
It has every single course and every singleseminar and stage I've ever spoken on.
(09:59):
We've put all the videos in there.
Once I stop selling them, I put them in therefor free for people.
So if you wanted to reach out to me, if youwanted to find me, or you just wanted to simply
get a whole bunch of free content onoperations, that's the place to go.
Sign up for our free members area, and it'salways free.
We never try and sell you anything out of it.
Oh, I love it.
Thank you so much.
I'll check it out.
Of course, you have at least one follower more,and this is me.
(10:23):
Thank you so much.
Of course, I have another question.
It is about your coaches and mentors.
Do you have coaches and mentors for yourself,and who was the best coach you ever had?
Sure.
I've always had a coach or a mentor.
I believe that you need to invest in yourselfbefore you invest in anything else.
(10:45):
And no matter how grand you think you are, youcan always be better and you can always do
better, and there's always someone doingbetter.
So I think the best mentor coach I've ever had,Perry Belcher.
He's been a great friend.
He's a client of mine, but I also joined hisMastermind Driven Mastermind.
(11:10):
And so Perry Belcher has been a phenomenalresource to me over the years, and just he I if
I could learn a quarter of what that man hasforgotten over his lifetime, I will be in a
good place.
And then in a close second to Perry Belcher, Ihave never met her, but Brené Brown, she's been
(11:34):
a phenomenal resource to me when it comes toleadership.
And when it comes to data, understanding thedata before you try and mix things up, change
things, switch things around, really justunderstand who people are, what they are, and
what statistically will motivate and drivepeople and how to lead them and how to really
(11:56):
lead them, not manage them, how to really leadthem.
So those two have been a phenomenal resource tome.
Hundreds more, but those two stick out in mymind.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I'm inspired now, of course, also that you saidthis is so important to have coaches and
mentors and to invest in yourself first.
(12:18):
Mhmm.
Before investing in anything else.
I think this was your quote.
I will relisten to this episode, of course.
And my last question for you today is, do youset goals for yourself or intentions, and what
is one of your next projects?
Sure.
Yes.
(12:38):
I'm a huge goal-oriented person.
I have yearly goals.
I have so I have one-, three-, five-, andten-year goals for myself.
I break those down into quarterly goals formyself, and then I break the quarterly goals
down to weekly and monthly initiatives.
(12:59):
And so I think that has been a huge catalyst towhy I've been able to do so much in my life.
And one of my next projects, I'm going to writemy second book.
And so I am actually starting my second book.
I have a date with myself on the 15th ofFebruary to go away, lock myself away, and
(13:21):
write at least the outline, the big idea, andthe title.
Wow.
I love that date with yourself.
This is so important to block time in our owncalendar for ourselves, of course, to do the
work.
Thank you for sharing.
This was good advice for everyone who wants towrite a book.
Yes.
I can encourage the listeners.
(13:43):
Thank you so much for our interview, and nowit's time for your final thought to the
audience, please.
Wonderful.
My final thought is just it's really simple.
A foundational framework and operationalframework in your business can change
everything for you because reacting to firesevery day is a miserable way to live, but
(14:05):
responding to things as they come up because weplanned for them will set you free from the
chains that is the business world.
Thank you for having me, Caroline.
Thank you.
So important to respond, not to react, andplease reach out to Emma.
She's amazing, and she shares her knowledge andwisdom with us.
(14:26):
Thank you for being my guest today.
Thank you.
And see you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
(14:46):
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
Right.
Depending on the industry, it can be three to17 times higher cost.
Again, it depends all on your industry.
A real estate lead or an insurance lead is farcheaper than a lead for, say, a supplement or a
(00:20):
lead for a business like mine, Fractional COOServices.
My leads are over $400.
So if I can have that customer come back monthover month over month, that $400 is worth a lot
to me.
Right?
But if I have to replace them every month, itcan be quite costly.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:43):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my experiences to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,hello, and welcome, Inspired podcast community.
(01:19):
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isEmma Rainville.
And I'm so happy that she said yes to ourinterview.
How are you doing today?
I am absolutely wonderful.
How are you?
I'm fantastic because we get to talk, and I'mso excited.
I want to introduce you to the audience.
(01:42):
Of course, you are known as the Wizard of Ops,specialized in scaling businesses through
streamlined operations and efficient systems.
As the founder of companies like ShockwaveSolutions and Seismic Wave Support, you help
entrepreneurs optimize processes forsustainable growth and long-term success.
(02:04):
Welcome to the Inspired podcast, EmmaRainville.
Thank you.
So amazing.
And, of course, I have a first question foryou.
What inspired you to become the Wizard of Ops,and how do you approach transforming
operational processes?
I don't think I was inspired to become theWizard of Ops.
(02:27):
I think it just kinda happened.
I was really good at operations.
I've actually gone to school for everything butoperations and paid for school with, you know,
from doing ops.
So over time, it just kinda happened that way,and I'm a person that sees patterns and can
(02:48):
solve puzzles and problems, and it just kind offell into place accidentally, actually.
That sounds amazing.
So it's like it's like me and the podcast.
You know?
I ended up here.
I had an accounting company, and I love whatyou said.
So would you say it is like being aware ofopportunities and just saying yes?
(03:14):
I think it was being aware of other people'sissues and problems that they needed help with
and just being the type of person that neededto help them.
And everything just kinda fell into I can't seesomeone struggle and just stand by and watch.
I'm very much a problem solver.
(03:37):
And so as time has gone on, I've just gotteninto situations where I've met people that
needed help, and I've just been able to helpthem.
Okay.
I understand.
You were not too much overthinking it beforetaking action, and your purpose or your mission
was to help people.
(03:58):
I would say my mission was led by a need tohelp people.
I can't be in the room with someone and seethem struggle and not assist.
And so I think it morphed into something waybigger than I ever was.
I understand you were guided, and you it itnaturally happened.
(04:19):
Right.
Okay.
That sounds amazing.
So I understand.
And my next question for you is, what are thekey systems every entrepreneur should implement
to scale their business effectively?
So the key systems every entrepreneur shouldput into their business.
(04:43):
The first is a foundational framework, and thatis where are we going?
What is the vision of the business?
Who are we?
Really understanding that a lot of companiesdon't understand that, so they run in circles
chasing their tails.
The second thing is an operational framework,and that's the framework that we use to get to
(05:05):
the vision.
Actually, I wrote a book called Scope.
It's on Amazon, and it actually teaches you howto create both the foundational and operational
frameworks.
There are also many other books out there thatteach you how to make, create a foundational
framework and an operational framework.
So no matter whose strategy you use, you needthat.
(05:26):
That's number one.
The second thing that every business needs tohave implemented into their business is a
project management system.
I like to use ClickUp as a software, and thenyou just write a set of rules based upon what's
best for project management.
Because a lot of times, when you havebusinesses that can't move forward, that can't
(05:46):
launch, that can't scale, it's because theydon't have a foundational framework, they don't
have an operational framework, and they have noability to manage projects.
You get those three things down, you can almostsolve every other problem.
Wow.
That sounds amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing.
My takeaway is that clarity gives us power, soyou have to be clear about your, yeah, what you
(06:09):
want to accomplish.
Also talked about what is your business, whatis your why as well, and when you have this
foundation then to proceed with the operationsor the plan or the strategy.
Exactly.
Exactly.
You're responding, not reacting.
Oh, wow.
(06:29):
I love that you pointed that out.
It's so important because I had, yeah, I hadexperiences in businesses where, I don't know,
they were just reacting and everything waslike, there were fires in every corner.
Right?
I heard this analogy before.
Yes.
Okay.
Thank you so much for sharing.
(06:51):
My next question is, how do your companies likeShockwave Solutions help entrepreneurs achieve
sustainable success?
Sure.
And same thing I've just been talking about.
We help you understand your vision and whereyou're trying to go, and then we put in a
framework and then manage the people and theprojects and the vendors and help you actually
(07:17):
get there.
So that's what Shockwave does.
Seismic Wave Support.
One of the things that we realized early on inour Shockwave days, which is a fractional COO
service, is that people didn't put enoughemphasis, time, and care into customer support.
Customer support is the everything of yourbusiness.
It's the very heartbeat.
(07:39):
It's everything.
And if you can't give a customer a goodexperience, then you have no business selling
to your customers.
So we created Seismic Wave Support to helpbusinesses affordably provide customer service.
And then Seismic Wave Support is an animal allof its own where we've created customer support
(08:03):
and turned it into a revenue-producingdepartment by creating retention strategies and
ongoing sales within customer service.
So, I think that answers your question.
Yes.
Absolutely.
Thank you so much.
And I heard it before that it's so importantto, I think the word is retain also.
(08:26):
The clients, yes, we can also say, asustainable customer lifetime or something
because it costs more.
And I think I heard seven times more to attracta new client.
Right.
Depending on the industry, it can be three to17 times higher cost.
(08:49):
Again, it depends all on your industry.
A real estate lead or an insurance lead is farcheaper than a lead for, say, a supplement.
Or a lead for a business like mine, COOservices, my leads are over $400.
So if I can have that customer come back monthover month over month, that $400 is worth a lot
(09:13):
to me.
Right?
But if I have to replace them every month, itcan be quite costly.
Mhmm.
That's so true.
Thank you so much.
And you already talked about your book.
I love books as well.
Of course, I put the link in the show notes.
And tell me, please, or tell us where can wefind you when people want to reach out to you
(09:33):
after listening to this episode?
Sure.
So I have a website where I have a bunch ofbusinesses and a whole bunch of websites, but I
decided to put together specialopspodcast.com.
That's a website that you can go to, and I havesomething called the Visionary Vault.
It's a member's area.
It has every single course and every singleseminar and stage I've ever spoken on.
(09:59):
We've put all the videos in there.
Once I stop selling them, I put them in therefor free for people.
So if you wanted to reach out to me, if youwanted to find me, or you just wanted to simply
get a whole bunch of free content onoperations, that's the place to go.
Sign up for our free members area, and it'salways free.
We never try and sell you anything out of it.
Oh, I love it.
Thank you so much.
I'll check it out.
Of course, you have at least one follower more,and this is me.
(10:23):
Thank you so much.
Of course, I have another question.
It is about your coaches and mentors.
Do you have coaches and mentors for yourself,and who was the best coach you ever had?
Sure.
I've always had a coach or a mentor.
I believe that you need to invest in yourselfbefore you invest in anything else.
(10:45):
And no matter how grand you think you are, youcan always be better and you can always do
better, and there's always someone doingbetter.
So I think the best mentor coach I've ever had,Perry Belcher.
He's been a great friend.
He's a client of mine, but I also joined hisMastermind Driven Mastermind.
(11:10):
And so Perry Belcher has been a phenomenalresource to me over the years, and just he I if
I could learn a quarter of what that man hasforgotten over his lifetime, I will be in a
good place.
And then in a close second to Perry Belcher, Ihave never met her, but Brené Brown, she's been
(11:34):
a phenomenal resource to me when it comes toleadership.
And when it comes to data, understanding thedata before you try and mix things up, change
things, switch things around, really justunderstand who people are, what they are, and
what statistically will motivate and drivepeople and how to lead them and how to really
(11:56):
lead them, not manage them, how to really leadthem.
So those two have been a phenomenal resource tome.
Hundreds more, but those two stick out in mymind.
Thank you so much for sharing.
I'm inspired now, of course, also that you saidthis is so important to have coaches and
mentors and to invest in yourself first.
(12:18):
Mhmm.
Before investing in anything else.
I think this was your quote.
I will relisten to this episode, of course.
And my last question for you today is, do youset goals for yourself or intentions, and what
is one of your next projects?
Sure.
Yes.
(12:38):
I'm a huge goal-oriented person.
I have yearly goals.
I have so I have one-, three-, five-, andten-year goals for myself.
I break those down into quarterly goals formyself, and then I break the quarterly goals
down to weekly and monthly initiatives.
(12:59):
And so I think that has been a huge catalyst towhy I've been able to do so much in my life.
And one of my next projects, I'm going to writemy second book.
And so I am actually starting my second book.
I have a date with myself on the 15th ofFebruary to go away, lock myself away, and
(13:21):
write at least the outline, the big idea, andthe title.
Wow.
I love that date with yourself.
This is so important to block time in our owncalendar for ourselves, of course, to do the
work.
Thank you for sharing.
This was good advice for everyone who wants towrite a book.
Yes.
I can encourage the listeners.
(13:43):
Thank you so much for our interview, and nowit's time for your final thought to the
audience, please.
Wonderful.
My final thought is just it's really simple.
A foundational framework and operationalframework in your business can change
everything for you because reacting to firesevery day is a miserable way to live, but
(14:05):
responding to things as they come up because weplanned for them will set you free from the
chains that is the business world.
Thank you for having me, Caroline.
Thank you.
So important to respond, not to react, andplease reach out to Emma.
She's amazing, and she shares her knowledge andwisdom with us.
(14:26):
Thank you for being my guest today.
Thank you.
And see you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
(14:46):
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
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