In today’s episode of The Opt-In Podcast, I’m taking inspiration from the unexpected king of business advice: Tom Hanks.

His mantra, “This too shall pass” became my lifeline during one of the darkest moments of my entrepreneurial journey… and again during one of the best.

Whether you’re drowning in problems or overwhelmed by opportunities (yes, that kind of chaos exists too), this episode is your blueprint for getting grounded, getting clear, and getting back in control.

I’ll walk you through:

• The Exercise That Saved Me: The exact process I use, and now teach to move from panic to clarity in under 24 hours.
• Why Chaos Is Normal (and why you should stop trying to eliminate it)
• How to Separate Real Problems from Emotional Noise
• The Business Triage Method: How to quickly determine what to fix first (and what to completely ignore)
• My Own Story of Hitting Rock Bottom… and Hitting Capacity Overload Two Years Later

This episode is both a pep talk and a practical framework for decision-making when everything feels urgent.

📌 If you’re in a season of overwhelm — good or bad — listen to this. Save it. Share it. And repeat after me: This too shall pass.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

Does everyone you interview look like you, sound like you, and maybe even want to be you? If so, it’s time to rethink your hiring approach.

In this episode of the Opt-In Podcast, Melissa Franks takes a candid look at why diversity matters in small business hiring, and what can happen when diversity of thought, background, and experience disappears from an organization. Using both real-world headlines and her corporate COO background, Melissa explains why innovation, creativity, and growth depend on having a diverse team.

You’ll learn:

• Why diversity isn’t just about what you can see, it includes socioeconomic background, education, life experiences, and more.
• How a lack of diverse perspectives can limit creativity, create blind spots, and weaken company culture.
• 5 practical steps to improve diversity in your hiring:
  1. Write inclusive job descriptions.
  2. Broaden where you post and source candidates.
  3. Standardize your interview process with structured questions and scorecards.
  4. Include a diverse panel in interviews.
  5. Track applicant and hiring data to uncover unconscious bias.

Melissa also connects today’s hiring challenges to what’s happening in government, showing why protecting diversity of thought is vital—not just for society, but for the long-term survival of your business.

👉 Whether you’re hiring your first team member or expanding a growing company, this episode will help you attract the best talent and build a stronger, more resilient business.

To learn more about how On Call COO can help your business: Https://www.melissafranks.com/fractionalcooservices

To learn about working for On Call COO: https://www.melissafranks.com/careers

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com

Every business owner eventually faces it: the dreaded plateau. Sales stop climbing, growth stalls, and suddenly you’re left wondering what went wrong. In this episode of the Opt-In Podcast, Melissa Franks breaks down the truth about business plateaus and how to navigate them without panic or wasted effort.

Melissa dives into the four core areas every entrepreneur should interrogate when growth has flatlined:

1. Your Data – Why understanding metrics like customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, churn, and return on ad spend is essential for diagnosing issues.
2. Your Sales Process – How inefficiencies, distractions, or broken funnels quietly kill conversion rates and what to do about it.
3. Your Time – The surprising ways a founder’s calendar can hold back growth (and how delegation and focus create momentum).
4. Your Team – How misaligned priorities, poor culture, or lack of standard processes can drag down performance across the business.

Melissa also shares a powerful analogy: think of business growth like a mountain range, not a roller coaster. Plateaus aren’t failures, they’re natural flat stretches where you regroup, stabilize, and prepare for the next climb.

Whether you’re currently in a plateau or preparing for the inevitable, this episode gives you the tools to diagnose, adjust, and reignite momentum.

Connect with Melissa:

Watch the Episodes on Youtube

Instagram: instagram.com/melissa_franks

Schedule a call: melissafranks.com