Beyond the Chaos®
Take back control and move your business forward with Teamwork.com and Beyond the Chaos®. Whether you’re moving to Teamwork.com from another project management software, just getting started with building your systems and process, or anything in between, our planning to implementation services will help you stay on top of your clients’ priorities, team, and projects.
Description
About Beyond the Chaos
Susan Fennema is the Chaos Eradicating Officer (CEO) of Beyond the Chaos®. Susan and her team of fractional COOs, consultants, and project managers combined have 50+ years of virtual business and remote team experience and 125+ years of project management and operations knowledge.
This team knows how to help small business owners with 25 or fewer employees end the frustration, stop the chaos, and take back control of your businesses and lives. How?
We help you improve your operations by learning to use SaaS collaboration tools – like Teamwork.com – more effectively. We provide how-to and training plans for Teamwork.com for you and your team to implement. After planning, we can also do the implementation work for you on a project or ongoing basis - including project management.
Our fractional model allows you to work with us only as much as you need and to scale up as your business grows. See how we work together.
Media
Services
Operations Consulting
Consulting helps us learn about your business goals and what’s standing in the way. From our conversation, we’ll provide a clear list of priority activities to focus on. This is for small business owners wanting to know how to grow their companies and get out of the day-to-day holding them back. Consulting can be a part of a suite of services or on its own if you choose to implement the work yourself.
Implement
This done-for-you service is where the rubber meets the road. Unlike most consulting firms, we actually DO what we recommend. Implementation could involve:
- writing processes
- creating software automation
- setting up templates or checklists
- implementing software tools
- training your team
- owner accountability sessions
- coaching on how to DIY
- managing projects with your client and your team
- and much more
Whatever the work, we are definitely more than “just” project managers. Over time, your consultant can become a trusted partner integrated into your team to listen and advise on many areas of your business.
Teamwork.com Consulting
As Certified Partners, we know how well Teamwork.com helps you optimize your most important resources – people and money. With a consulting engagement, you'll learn how to set up and use Teamwork.com for your unique situation. We have three options to work together at the level and depth you want. It begins with an audit to assess your needs.
Fractional COO
Have the C-suite operations expertise without the cost of hiring a full-time COO. Whether you want to create or optimize operations, we provide a highly personalized direction and leadership to get you there. Get the executive power you need without the full-time price tag. Keep your agility as business needs ebb and flow. Lean on us as your trusted advisor – only as needed. Get started by scheduling a 45-minute consultation.
Pick My Brain Consultation
Are specific questions about PM software or operational challenges holding up your progress? Sign up to Pick My Brain! A one-hour paid consultation with your choice of Operations and Project Management experts. This is a stand-alone service open to anyone. Come to the call with your agenda, and we’ll get through as many items as possible. Schedule your session here.
Top Ops Mastermind for Operations Experts
The Top Ops Mastermind helps small businesses grow by assisting the operations expert with outside perspectives, best practices, and guidance.
Fellow members will be there to provide accountability on goals. In addition, you will coach each other in areas where a little help is needed. Moreover, all will share their unified experience in operations!
As mastermind groups can be life-changing – professionally and personally – we want this one to be no different. Furthermore, we want to create a group of true friends who genuinely care about each others’ businesses, careers, and personal successes.
Learn more and apply.
Learn more and apply.
OneLife Mastermind for Small Business
OneLife Mastermind focuses on all aspects of one’s life. As fellow business owners, we all have OneLife to live to the fullest and we strive to thrive in ALL areas. This group will help you navigate the highs and lows. Above all, it will empower you to overcome the challenges of being an entrepreneur.
Consisting of small business owners in the professional service niches, the members have fewer than 10 employees. Additionally, you should have a mission to continue to grow and expand your companies.
Fellow masterminders will be there to provide accountability on goals. In addition, you will coach each other in areas where a little help is needed. Moreover, all will share their unified experience in business – and life! Since the leaders’ personal experiences in Mastermind groups have been amazing, they want this one to be no different.
Learn more and apply here.
Learn more and apply here.
Resources
Our Team
Susan Fennema
CEO (Chaos Eradicating Officer)
Susan Fennema is a chaos-killing, clutter-kicking, disorder-fighting maven. She loves beating the pants off of disorganization and taking paper where it belongs… to the shredder! She’s a Fractional COO for clients and serves as CEO, or “Chaos Eradicating Officer,” at Beyond the Chaos®. She’s the leader in helping you eradicate chaos!
Besides Susan, BTC has several certified Teamwork experts on the team.
Testimonials
FAQ
Project management is the art of organizing the details of a project: WHAT is going to happen, WHO is going to do it, and WHEN does it need to get done. It keeps projects on time and within budget. When your projects are completed within budget, you can avoid scope creep and maintain profits, thus growing your business. Examples of our project management services include: running your status meetings, creating new operational processes and implementing new collaboration software.
If you're currently reading this page, chances are, you are already feeling it. Chaos means having to work every weekend or not having time to spend with your family. It means struggling to fulfill promises and obligations to your clients and employees. Chaos is overwhelm. This is a great list to help you identify other signs of chaos in your business. Our project management services work to get you beyond the chaos.
We believe that project management should facilitate the team's and clients' end goals. It should not be invasive or bureaucratic. The structure we create should set you free, not bog you down. We view ourselves as the neutral diplomat, serving as an extension of our clients' small business. We understand that your business is extremely personal to you, so we're nurturing, but we won't let drama or chaos consume you or your business. While we help you complete the projects how they were scoped, we also listen to you and the pain points of your business. We provide a clear and simple path to solving your problems and repeating your successes. We listen to your frustrations and provide insight and suggestions based on our experience working with so many other small business owners.
Good news! Project management is billable. You can bill this time back to your client. It's not uncommon for us to hear that project management is overhead. But think about it this way - someone is probably already doing the project management work (whether it's your developers or creative team) - so your clients are already paying for it, but it probably isn't being done that well. Project managers allow developers and creatives to focus on what they do best. Meanwhile, the project manager supervises the scope, timeline, and budget to help keep clients happy. That's how project management reduces the overages on your hourly billing estimates.
That's fantastic! Then you already have a head start on understanding the value of project management. We can still coach your team to produce more efficient time management and client communication results. And if you already have existing project management processes, we can review them to make sure they are working effectively across the team. We are also available to help out if you need a quick ramp up for a special project, are between project managers, or to help you manage through a long absence. And keep in mind, project management is billable, and you can bill this back to your clients.
We are not software developers, architects, graphic designers, or accountants. But we do understand “geek speak” and can communicate well with developers. We have 135+ years of experience working with creatives. And, we can also communicate with clients. Being able to bridge that gap reduces misunderstanding and frustration.
Not being developers also helps us through the testing process, as we see the user experience through the client’s eyes. Our team can sit back and see the big picture, rather than work in the weeds of the technician, which is a huge benefit to the project. We don’t try to figure out how to solve the clients’ problems. We try to figure out how to make the solution that the expert comes up with work within the project.
Usually we start with a block of 20 hours. However, we are open to discussing smaller minimums. Keep in mind that project management can definitely be billed through to your client. We recommend at least a minimum of five hours a week in order to make an impact.
