Welcome back to Level Eight with Kelli—the podcast for 7- and 8-figure founders who look successful on the outside but secretly feel like they’re duct-taping their business together.

In this episode, I’m not sugarcoating it:
If you’re not tracking your real metrics, mapping your customer journey, and making decisions from data—you’re not scaling, you’re bleeding. And the higher your revenue climbs, the more dangerous this blind spot becomes.

Here’s what we dive into:

• The lie founders tell themselves about why they don’t track (and the cost of believing it)

• The hidden chaos tax you’re paying every day without even realizing it

• Why operating without data is like running a fire without smoke detectors

• The uncomfortable truth about why CEOs avoid metrics (hint: it’s not time—it’s ego)

• What shifts when you stop guessing with confidence and start leading with clarity

This one will sting—in the best way. Because once you see what’s really going on behind the curtain, you can finally stop building on vibes and start scaling with precision.

👉 Apply for The Executive Operations Partnership: https://forms.gle/jbvJJUK7JvqJdAuC8
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👉 Subscribe to The Scaling Edit on Substack: The Scaling Edit | Kelli | Ops & Scaling Partner | SubstackIf this episode made your stomach flip a little, good. That’s the point.
Clarity scales. Chaos costs. See you at Level Eight!

You’re hitting new revenue highs. Clients are coming in. The team is full.
And yet… everything feels like it’s one step away from collapse.

If stepping away for even a few days means missed deadlines, last-minute Slack messages, or stalled projects—your business isn’t scaling. It’s straining.

In today’s episode, Kelli Rowan unpacks the critical difference between growth and scalability. You’ll discover why more money doesn’t mean more maturity… and what’s really driving the fragility behind the scenes.

Inside this episode:
✔️ Why high revenue often hides operational cracks
✔️ The 4 warning signs you’re growing broken, not strong
✔️ What scalability actually looks like for 7- and 8-figure businesses
✔️ Why more hires, tools, or offers won’t fix operational brittleness
✔️ The 5 core elements to build instead: systems, team ownership, delivery clarity, operational visibility, and CEO elevation

This one’s a must-listen for any high-growth founder who’s tired of holding the business together with sheer effort.

Ready to build the infrastructure that actually supports your scale?
Join the Million Dollar Ops Sprint — a 6-week guided experience to help you identify what’s breaking, streamline what matters most, and install operational systems that can handle growth without your constant oversight.
🔗 kellirowan.com/sprint

Explore More Offers:
The Scalable CEO Toolkit – Done-for-you templates and playbooks to operationalize your business.
🔗 kellirowan.com/toolkit

Scale with Purpose: Fractional COO Support – Strategic partnership for founders scaling to $10M+
🔗 kellirowan.com/scale

Loved this episode?
Rate and review the show to help more visionary founders find it.
And if you know a high-growth CEO who feels like they’re holding it all together with duct tape—send this episode their way.

You’ve crossed seven figures.
You’ve built the team.
You’ve refined the offer.
And yet—everything still runs on you.

If you're the glue holding your business together, you're not scaling. You're stalling.

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on one of the most transformative (and misunderstood) roles in a scaling business: the Fractional COO. We’ll explore what a Fractional COO actually does, what they don’t do, how to know if you’re ready—and why most CEOs wait far too long to bring in this level of operational leadership.

If your backend is heavier than your front end, if decision fatigue is high, and if your role keeps expanding instead of narrowing—it’s time for a smarter kind of support.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a Fractional COO really is (and how they’re different from an OBM, VA, or PM)

• The behind-the-scenes transformation that happens when this level of leadership is in place

• The biggest red flags that tell you it’s time to bring one in

• Why operational maturity—not more hustle—is your next growth catalyst

• How to finally get out of the weeds and into your true role as CEO

This is not about hiring more. It’s about building differently. And it starts with strategic operational leadership.

💼 Ready to install the infrastructure that makes scale feel elegant—not exhausting?

Explore Scale with Purpose: Fractional COO Services:
👉 https://kellirowan.com/scale

You’ll find all the details about how I work with high-growth CEOs to design sustainable, scalable back-end operations—without the overhead of a full-time hire.

🔗 Other Offers You May Love:

🧰 Scalable CEO Toolkit – Your plug-and-play operational foundation
→ https://kellirowan.com/toolkit

🚀 Million Dollar Ops Sprint – Fast-track your backend optimization
→ https://kellirowan.com/sprint

✨ If this episode resonated with you...
Please take a moment to rate, follow, and share Level Eight with Kelli. This show is built for CEOs like you—who refuse to settle for burnout disguised as success.

Thank you for tuning in to Level Eight with Kelli — where operational precision meets strategic scale.

Lead elegantly. Optimize relentlessly. Scale intentionally.