The deets:
Name: Jake Hartson (he/him)
Business Name: owner of WHODO LLC
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Describe your business
Meet Jake Hartson (he/him), owner of WHODO LLC, helping businesses implement systems to scale without sacrificing innovation and agility by integrating business strategy and talent strategy.Jake’s a Growth and Business Development expert who believes personal and business growth comes from understanding your identity.
How did you land your first client?
I walked into a bar and started sharing what I do with people. The 7th person asked me for my website, and hired me shortly after.
What’s an actionable tip you’d give other self-employed people?
There are a lot of short-term solutions that work. I’ve used most of them. But they quickly lose traction or cause other areas to suffer.
Explosive growth that is sustainable comes from knowing who you are as a person and what you’re capable of. The deeper your knowledge of identity is, the more you are able to focus on what’s important and see massive growth in what you do. Or as we say, WHODO.
Name a time where you failed – and how you recovered from it?
I recently failed when I wasn’t using my own process on myself. I took on too many tasks. I was managing, but barely. Then my wife and I brought a baby boy into the world, it was awesome! But it also broke me.
I found that my systems were already breaking and that I was in need of major restoration. I help restore and grow businesses for a living, but I couldn’t do it for myself. So, I reached out to a coach who asked the right questions and gave me clarity on next steps.
I took two weeks off. The first was to just slow down and recover. The second, was to use my own process on myself and restructure my life. So, I was doing the right things that were right for me – deleting, or delegating, the rest.
That’s actually how I ended up here with Collective. I knew someone else in the world loved payroll, taxes, and accounting. I found them and gave them what they love!
As the old proverb says, “One’s trash is another’s treasure.”
Tell us a major win you’re proud of.
I worked with a non-profit leader who was burnt out even though they were doing all the right things. After a deep dive into their story, abilities, vision, and experience (S.A.V.E. me). We determined they were focusing on the wrong things for who they were.
The next steps were to hire an Operations Director, upgrade their back-office systems, and develop a recurring membership program.
I was able to network with people who had experience in these initiatives, refer them, and restore this leader back to health. We call this a WHODO Win!
What made you join the Collective community?
I was overwhelmed with tasks I’m not good at. And it was hurting my business. I decided I need to look for an accounting team that loves this stuff and bless them with a gift of more work they love. I came across Collective and it seemed like the right place.