If your business feels harder right now, even though nothing is technically “wrong”, this episode is for you.

In this week’s episode of The Opt-In Podcast, Melissa breaks down why instability is often a sign of growth, not failure. As businesses mature, the systems, decisions, and leadership style that once worked stop being sufficient and that transition can feel uncomfortable, confusing, and even alarming.

This episode reframes instability as a signal, not a setback, and explains what mature businesses do differently when things start to feel less predictable.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why founders mistake instability for failure
• What actually causes businesses to feel chaotic as they grow
• How the founder’s role must evolve at each stage
• Why stability is built, not felt
• The difference between effort and real progress

If your revenue is solid, your team is capable, but clarity feels harder to come by, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re likely standing at a transition point—and how you respond now matters.

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Get clarity on what’s actually happening in your business—and what to do next.

👉 https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

If January already feels heavier than you expected, it’s not because you didn’t plan well, it’s because most plans break once execution begins.

Every year, founders enter January with clear goals, only to find themselves back in the weeds, making rapid-fire decisions while their teams wait for direction. This episode breaks down why that happens and what January is really revealing about your business.

In this conversation, I cover:

• Why high-level plans fail without operational structure
• How founders unintentionally become the bottleneck
• The role alignment, ownership, and feedback play in execution
• What to fix now so Q1 doesn’t quietly slip away

This isn’t about working harder or scaling faster, it’s about building a business that can execute with clarity, consistency, and less dependence on any one person. If your business has traction but execution feels heavy, this episode will help you see what needs to change next.

If you want to talk through the challenges, schedule a free consultation today: https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

If your business hit a plateau in 2025, you’re not failing, your business just outgrew its systems. In this New Year episode, Melissa breaks down why plateaus happen, how to diagnose them, and the exact steps to reset your business for growth in 2026.

You’ll learn:

• Why businesses plateau

It’s not laziness, it’s a system mismatch. Your offers, team structure, or delivery model may have hit their limits.

The 4-part diagnostic

Melissa walks you through how to evaluate:

1. Revenue trends — Identify peaks, valleys, and flatlines.
2. Operational friction — Look at deadlines, priorities, bottlenecks, and team load.
3. Offer maturity — What got you to $1M may not get you to $5M.
4. Leadership maturity — Decision speed, clarity, delegation, and CEO focus.

How to fix the plateau

Tighten your operational spine, refresh your offers, build a team that can run without you, and make decisions based on data instead of emotion.

Your 30-day reset plan

Audit what’s working and what’s not, reset your systems, pick one growth lever, choose three actions, and start executing.

You’re not stuck, your business is ready for its next version. And with the right reset, you can unlock growth fast.

If you need help with your reset plan, we can help. Book a free consultation with On Call COO at https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this special anniversary episode, host Melissa Franks celebrates three years of The Opt In Podcast, a journey that began as a mission to mentor women navigating corporate life and has since evolved into a platform for small business owners seeking clarity, strategy, and real talk about entrepreneurship.

Melissa takes us on a heartfelt walk down memory lane; from hiding her pregnancy to avoid career setbacks, to breaking free from corporate politics, to the birth of this podcast and the business it helped shape. She shares what she’s learned from three years behind the mic, how the show has grown with her, and why she’s more committed than ever to helping others “opt in” to what matters most.

In This Episode:

• The origin story of The Opt In Podcast, from corporate walls to creative freedom.
• What it was like to launch a podcast while leaving the C-suite behind.
• How life’s detours . . . from layoffs to reinvention . . . shaped the evolution of the show.
• The pivot from corporate career coaching to small business strategy and growth.
• Why consistency (one episode every week!) has been the secret to staying in the game long term.
• Melissa’s reflections on growth, communication, and staying authentic through change.
• A recommitment to transparency, honesty, and evolution as The Opt In Podcast moves into its fourth year.

Connect with Melissa:

🌐 www.melissafranks.com

🎧 Subscribe to The Opt In Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

AI has exploded in the business world, and most founders are still confused about how to actually use it. In this episode, Melissa breaks down what AI is good at, where it completely falls apart, and how small business owners can integrate it without chaos, overwhelm, or bad decisions.

Drawing from decades of experience in machine learning and automation (long before “AI” was a buzzword), Melissa shares the four categories of work AI excels at, the strategic functions it will never replace, and why your operational foundations matter more than any tool.

You’ll learn:

• The real emotional and operational challenges founders face with AI
• What AI can actually do well: admin, content support, customer ops, light analytics
• The human functions AI will never replace: strategy, prioritization, leadership, accountability
• Melissa’s Founder–COO–AI Triangle for using AI the right way in 2026
• A simple readiness checklist before integrating any AI into your business
• The biggest integration mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them

Melissa closes with a reminder:

AI isn’t a system—it’s a tool. If you’re overwhelmed, you don’t have a tech problem. You have an operations problem.

Ready to build stronger systems and integrate AI the smart way? Book a consultation at https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

As 2025 wraps, many business owners are feeling the wobble, slower demand, rising costs, and uncertainty about what 2026 will look like. In this episode, Melissa explains why the economy feels off, why small businesses feel the impact more intensely, and how to regain control with her Wobbly Economy Planning Framework.

Four planning mistakes to avoid

1. Trying to cut your way to growth
2. Creating one rigid plan
3. Freezing hiring and burning out your team
4. Making pricing decisions too late

The Wobbly Economy Planning Framework

Melissa walks you through creating three scenario-based plans, Best Case, Likely Case, and Worst Case, plus how to review your offers, build an expense strategy, set cash and margin guardrails, and choose the right KPIs.

Your role as the leader

Your energy sets the tone. Your team and clients don’t need certainty, they need clarity, confidence, and a steady path forward.

Need help building your 2026 plan?

Book a free consultation at www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices planning in a wobbly economy is too important to do alone.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

In this episode, Melissa breaks down one of the most misunderstood concepts in small business growth: organizational design. If you’ve ever wondered why your team feels stretched thin, why certain roles aren’t “working out,” or why it’s so hard to hire strategically this conversation is your roadmap.

Small businesses often grow faster than their internal structures, and that leads to confusion, overwhelm, and poor decision-making. Using examples from corporate America, real client scenarios, and her extensive hiring and organizational design experience, Melissa explains how to build a team intentionally instead of reactively.

What You’ll Learn

• Why every business, no matter the industry, has the same core functions
• The difference between generalists and specialists
• The real reason your operations manager is “struggling”
• How organizational hierarchy actually works
• Why your business may need leaders more than doers as you grow
• The myth of promoting from within
• Why you, the owner, cannot be your team’s only teacher

If you aren't certain what roles your business needs:

👉 Book a free consultation with On Call COO: melissafranks.com

👉 Follow Melissa on Instagram: @melissa_franks

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

It’s the end of the year, do you know how your employees are really performing? In this episode, host Melissa Franks walks you through exactly what business owners should be doing in the final stretch of the year to evaluate their team, strengthen retention, and prepare for a smooth start to the new year.

Drawing from her experience as a Fractional COO, Melissa breaks down a simple, actionable framework that replaces corporate-style performance reviews with a more human, results-driven approach designed for small business owners.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• ✅ How to calculate total employee compensation (and why it’s more than just salary).
• 📋 Why you need updated job descriptions—and how to use them as a management tool.
• 💰 How to perform a salary and compensation analysis that’s fair, competitive, and sustainable.
• 📈 When (and how) to offer cost-of-living adjustments, bonuses, and pay-for-performance increases.
• 💡 How to identify and fix gaps in your benefits, commission structures, and pay equity.
• 🧾 The importance of documenting policies to protect your business and maintain transparency.

To learn more about On Call COO go to https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com