096: Jonathan Bates | Executive Operation Designs

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Jonathan Bates has spent the last 21 years mastering entrepreneurship and systematizing processes. He has served military heroes and continues to serve by bringing his expertise to the backbone of America; his hometown heroes, the small business owner. Jonathan is an expert at diffusing business bombs; bringing owners new levels of success and more importantly, profitability. Nothing is more satisfying than providing the tools, motivation, and accountability that afford business owners the opportunity for clarity, sleep, health, a happy family, all adding up to living a life of significance.

Jonathan is married to his best friend and has four awesome kids. Three days after he was married, he deployed for 13 months. For the rest of his Navy career, he traveled for no less than 180 days per year and averaged over 280 days a year away from his family. Putting his work first afforded him a great military career and experience all over the world, but limited his family time. Sleepless nights, multiple surgeries, concern for his growing family, and arguments with his wife are why he empathizes with the overworked small business owner. Now that Jonathan is back in the states and able to spend time with his family, he has focused his efforts on helping small business owners grow both in business and, more importantly, with their families.

As an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer (Bomb Squad) for the United States Navy, he worked his way through the ranks. First, he learned to utilize systems and execute processes as a junior enlisted sailor. He quickly rose through the ranks and mastered the identification of needs and creation of new ways to handle unique situations that demanded reliable outcomes. After 17 years of successful program development and deployments to remote and less-than-desirable locations, he was eventually commissioned as a Naval Limited Duty Officer. His technical expertise, leadership skills, and ability to get the job done right made him an excellent candidate for this leadership position.

The Navy Bomb Squad is the entrepreneurial segment of the military. Jonathan was able to sell his systems and processes to anyone, in any situation, and deliver the desired outcome every time. The secret is the ability to provide choices. To complete any mission, decision makers need the critical ability to produce reliable results. Whether the mission is to disarm an Improvised Explosive Devise (IED), onboard a client for a law firm, bake a cake for a restaurant, recover a lost body underwater, or make the next sale for your company, the results need to be repeatable by anyone on the team.

Jonathan teaches that when a business is systematized, the business owner has choices that include the following:

1. Expand the current business – take advantage of created efficiencies to produce/sell more
2. Franchise – sell the right to use your systems and processes
3. Sell – when the owner is not the business, the repeatable results are valuable
4. Buy bolt-on businesses – exponentially increase the value of a business with established systems to consolidate the businesses, take advantage of new efficiencies, and create a larger customer base, increasing profit immediately
5. Pass the business to their family

Who doesn’t like choices?

Let’s systematize!