In this episode of the Take Your Shot Podcast, I’m joined by operations architect Tricia Harrison to talk about something so many growing business owners are dealing with without even having a name for it: operational debt.

Operational debt is the structure your business owes itself because you were so focused on growing, serving clients, and generating revenue that you didn't have time to build the systems, processes, documentation, and infrastructure to support that growth. And just like financial debt, it compounds the longer you leave it untouched.

Tricia and I talk about what operational debt actually looks like, how to recognize it in your own business, and where to start cleaning it up without creating another massive project that leaves you burned out.

• What operational debt is and why it tends to grow alongside your business
• The common places operational debt shows up, from client delivery to team management
• Using decision trees to reduce unnecessary questions and decision-making
• The difference between hiring an operations expert and hiring a virtual assistant
• How to audit your business for the root cause of a problem instead of simply treating the symptom

You can find Tricia Harrison at The Remote Catalyst.

Website: theremotecatalyst.com

Instagram: @TheRemoteCatalyst

LinkedIn: Tricia Harrison

Tricia also has a free Operational Audit that helps you look at how much time your current operations are costing you and where you may need to focus your attention first:

theremotecatalyst.com/audit

Tricia Harrison is an operations architect who helps businesses improve the infrastructure behind their growth. Her work focuses on systems, processes, teams, efficiency, strategic growth, technology, automation, and AI governance.

She uses her STEPS framework — Systems, Teams, Efficiency, Processes, and Strategic Growth — to audit and strengthen the different areas of a business.