Ep 135: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Business with Melissa Franks
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What if the thing holding your business back is not your team, your market, or your strategy - but the fact that too much still depends on you?
In this episode of The Real Women Real Business Podcast, Shauna Lynn Simon sits down with Melissa Franks, founder of On Call COO and a seasoned fractional COO who has worked inside more than 50 businesses. After leading billion-dollar transformations, M&A initiatives, and operational turnarounds in the Fortune 500 world, Melissa now helps small business owners build companies that can grow without relying on their constant personal effort.
Melissa explains why founders often become the bottleneck, how control can quietly limit growth, and why the strongest leaders are willing to stop being the smartest person in every room. She also breaks down what a fractional COO actually does, why saying yes to everything creates operational chaos, and which metrics business owners should start tracking now.
Listeners will walk away with practical insight on structure, profitability, leads, hiring, and building a business that can finally support the life they are working toward.
Timestamps:
(01:50) - (08:29) - Melissa’s path from Fortune 500 transformations to fractional COO work
(08:30) - (15:26) - Why founders become bottlenecks and how to stop doing every job yourself
(15:27) - (23:34) - What a fractional COO does and why trust is required to step back
(23:35) - (29:24) - What breaks first as a company grows and why saying no creates scale
(29:25) - (34:00) - How to choose the right operational support before hiring a fractional COO
(34:01) - (43:10) - The metrics to track, the vision to clarify, and how data drives better decisions
Resources:
Book Your FREE Coaching Assessment Call with Shauna Lynn: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/coachme
Learn more about the show: AboutShaunaLynn.com/podcast
The 5 Metrics Every Business Should Track: https://oncallcoo.myflodesk.com/5metrics
Ep 100: Why People Pleasing Is Burning You Out and How to Set Boundaries Without Guilt: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/rwrb-podcast-episodes/people-pleasing
FREE Boundaries Bundle: https://www.aboutshaunalynn.com/yes
Connect with Melissa Franks:
Learn more about Melissa: https://www.melissafranks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086491652065
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa_franks/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oncallcoo
Email: melissa@melissafranks.com
Melissa Franks is the founder of On Call COO, a fractional COO firm that helps business owners strengthen operations, increase profitability, and build companies that can scale without depending on the founder’s constant effort. A former Fortune 500 executive, Melissa has led billion-dollar IT transformations, M&A initiatives, revenue growth strategies, and complex operational turnarounds. She has been named an OnCon Icon Top 100 COO for three consecutive years and brings a people-first approach to every business she supports. Through On Call COO, Melissa helps founders identify what is getting in the way, create scalable structure, make data-driven decisions, and move through growth plateaus with more clarity and confidence. She is also passionate about women in leadership, domestic violence awareness, family court reform, running, traveling, and cheering on her three sons.
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