Mandi Ellefson transformed her life from battling $175k in debt to amassing a multi-million dollar net worth before hitting 40. As the visionary behind Hands-Off CEO, Mandi isn’t just another success story; she’s a lifeline for consulting agency owners drowning in the day-to-day. Her magic? Transforming million-dollar agencies into scalable enterprises with minimal CEO dependency. Mandi has propelled hundreds of agencies toward tens of millions in revenue by refining their offers and attracting premium clients willing to pay 50-600% higher fees—all within 90 days.

But Mandi’s expertise doesn’t stop there. As a former business exit advisor for Millionaire Exits, with $20B in exits under their belt, she knows a thing or two about creating and executing an exit strategy. Her clients rave about adding five figures to their net profit monthly, skyrocketing sales, and stepping back from daily operations to focus on growth or prepare for sale.

Beyond her transformative consulting work, Mandi is the author and host of the Hands-Off CEO Podcast, sharing insights and strategies to triple your fees and profitably scale an exceptional consulting agency that grows without you.

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Cecilia Owens is an esteemed finance and operations executive with over 20 years of progressive experience in financial reporting, budgeting / forecasting, strategic planning, cash management, business operations, HR oversight, and business relationship management. Cecilia is currently the Chief Financial Officer / Chief Operating Officer at Grandview Entertainment, a renowned management company that represents awe-inspiring writers, directors, producers, and talent.
She also serves as Fractional Chief Financial Officer of Rogue Planet ATV, an award-winning advertising agency that cuts some of the best movie trailers in the business.
Aside from her work within the entertainment industry, Cecilia serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at EmpowHer Institute, an organization focused on helping young women in marginalized communities gain the skills necessary through education, training, and mentorship to become confident, college and career ready.
Cecilia is a Founding Member of Chief Los Angeles, one of few organizations specifically designed for senior women leaders to strengthen their leadership journey, cross-pollinate ideas across industries, and affect change from the top-down. Cecilia is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Black TV & Film Collective, which provides creative and professional support to facilitate career advancing opportunities for artists of Black and African descent within the entertainment industry.
Although she has earned many titles throughout her career, two of the most important roles Cecilia has are wife to her husband of nine years and mother to their two daughters.
She is also a proud native of Southern California having attended Junipero Serra High School where her admiration for academics flourished, Loyola Marymount University where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, and the University of Southern California (Fight On!) where she earned an MBA.

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Tony Kadillak has spent 20 years in branding and promotion, servicing today's most recognizable entertainment and sports brands. Currently EP at Versus, he’s been responsible for supporting the strategic growth of his agency teams, while focusing on key clients to drive the value of design-led thinking to their bottom lines.

For over ten years, Carson Hood has played a crucial role as the executive producer at BigStar. He shares a passion for sales, marketing, and collaborating on branding and storytelling initiatives with the creative team. A connector at the core, Carson spends much of the time collaborating with his vast network of peers and influencers, honing client strategy, developing partnerships and expanding upon the BigStar portfolio.

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Join Esther and Tim for the DDD Catalyst Think Tank at DDD Milan this October.
https://ddd.live/programs/catalyst-think-tank

​Esther Weinberg is a business growth accelerator that equips executives in high-growth media and technology industries to create game-changing breakthroughs, increase profitability in declining markets and create successful and sustainable“portable” virtual cultures with executives, leaders and teams.

With over 20-years experience, her innovative strategies have assisted clients to grow, scale and thrive during the worst and best of times including Netflix, NBCUniversal, Microsoft, ESPN, WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., CNN, DreamWorks Animation, Discovery Communications, Adobe, Disney, IMAX, National Geographic, and Nickelodeon.

https://thereadyzone.com/

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This is a recording from RevThink's The Weekly Briefing from August 7th, 2024. 
This discussion was followed by a Q&A which you can watch here: 

• https://community.revthink.com/c/the-weekly-briefing/resilience-in-chaotic-times-strategies-for-economic-shifts-d3d6ea28-b832-4e00-bf7b-e0aa74fd52d6

Blair Enns is on a mission to change the way creative services are bought and sold the world over. He is the CEO of Win Without Pitching,  the sales training and coaching program for creative professionals, and a 25-year veteran of the business side of the advertising and design professions. 

He is the author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto and Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour.

• https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/

David C. Baker is an author, speaker, and advisor, helping entrepreneurial experts make better business decisions. He’s worked with 1,000+ firms.

His work has been discussed in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fast Company. Inc. Magazine, Forbes, MarketingProfs, and BusinessWeek.

He was referred to as “The Expert’s Expert” in the NY Times.

• https://punctuation.com/

The conversation is moderated by Tim Thompson, Founder of RevThink, serving thousands of creative business owners through RevCommunity, one-on-one engagements, accelerators and podcasts. 

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Alana Tompson is a Melbourne cinematographer and the creative director of Said & Done Media.
She also hosts a podcast called Said & Undone which interviews creatives about what could be done – and is being done – to increase the diversity of the film, TV, media and advertising industries to make them a more inclusive place.
With her career commencing as a camera operator on Animal Planet's acclaimed series 'Whale Wars', Alana spent 100 days at sea in Antarctica capturing the intense clashes between the Japanese Whaling Fleet and the Sea Shepherd conservation group.
In 2015, she founded her own production company, Said & Done Media, with a clear mission to redefine industry standards. Emphasising inclusivity and diversity, Said & Done Media sets itself apart as a female-led production company prioritising varied perspectives among its crews and creatives.

https://www.saiddone.com.au/

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Kevin Robinson is an award-winning design leader with decades of experience as a director, entrepreneur, executive creative director, strategist, and advisor. Throughout his professional career, Robinson founded and led Juniper Jones, a multidisciplinary studio, and most recently, Creative Dept., a new platform whose mission is to provide access to extremity-vetted talent on a fractional monthly basis; allowing brands to easily build internal creative teams and for individual creatives to establish micro-studios.

"Kevin and I have crossed paths numerous times over the years. From our shared experience, I know he has a deep passion for fostering creativity and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in our field. So it was great to catch up with me a few weeks ago, before his big announcement and launch of Creative Dept."
Tim Thompson, RevThink

https://www.creative-dept.co/

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Marlene P. Naicker, a serial fashion entrepreneur and the Founder/Creative Director of MULDOONEYS, epitomizes resilience and innovation. Born in apartheid-era South Africa in 1975, she draws inspiration from influential figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, embodying fearlessness and empathy.

Facing adversity head-on, Marlene battled cancer while simultaneously building MULDOONEYS in 2009, showcasing her strength and commitment. In 2022, she relaunched the brand with innovative solutions, disrupting the traditional luxury industry.

Marlene's singular vision led her to move from the Netherlands to France, demonstrating adaptability and a commitment to global expansion. Her impact extends beyond business success, influencing and reshaping the luxury sector. Her journey underscores a pattern of overcoming challenges, pursuing excellence, and contributing positively. Marlene's story is one of personal and professional growth, driven by courage, tenacity, and a relentless pursuit of passion and purpose.

https://www.muldooneys.com/

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Joanne is CEO of Turner Duckworth, a world-class branding agency with studios in San Francisco, London and New York. Turner Duckworth has designed some of the world’s most valuable brands, including Amazon, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Levi’s and Samsung.
Joanne’s first career was in the art world, having worked at prestigious art galleries in New York, Monaco and San Francisco, and the Guggenheim Museum. After deciding on a career shift, Joanne became employee #2 at Turner Duckworth San Francisco, establishing and growing its design business in the United States.
Over 24 years, Joanne went from managing brand identity and packaging projects, to focusing on new business, operations and finance, leading to the acquisition of Turner Duckworth by Publicis Groupe in 2014. Joanne was appointed global CEO in 2019.
Joanne was awarded the honor of AdAge Leading Women in 2021 and GDUSA People to Watch 2024. She lives in Marin County, where she, her husband and teenage daughter are outnumbered by their four cats.

https://turnerduckworth.com/

Joanne Chan is a special guest at The Lady Boss Retreat happening on April 26th, 2024 in Los Angeles. Register for the event here: https://www.revthink.com/retreat

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Stephen Price is the founder and creative director of Stash Media Inc. and executive editor of Stash Magazine and the Stash Permanent Collection – the world’s only video streaming platform dedicated to design, animation, and VFX.
Stephen has given dozens of talks on design at festivals/conferences from Los Angeles to Hamburg and Istanbul to Caracas and curated scores of film screenings in over 20 countries. He also oversaw the creation of The Style Frames Design Conference and the Collider Digital Production Conference (both in New York).
Prior to founding Stash Media, Stephen executive produced animation and visual effects for feature films, TV series, and advertising – winning multiple industry awards along the way. Stephen also created and executive produced five seasons of “Splat!” a TV series about design and animation broadcast in over 100 markets.

https://www.stashmedia.tv/

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Will Travis is an internationally respected brand builder and social connector. With a career leading respected branding / advertising agencies ATTIK, Dentsu and SidLee as CEO, he has worked with brands like Toyota, Facebook, Apple, Nike, Coca-Cola. After a 25-year career in elevating products and services, Will launched Elevation Barn (link below) to elevate people, future-proofing their self-belief through defined higher purpose ambitions. The Elevation Barn network now unites leaders in a kindred quest of higher purpose in 48 countries, celebrating diversity of thought across 168 professions. Sub-brands WELL and STABLE by EB elevate wellbeing and business consulting needs respectively. Will is a father of 4, avid explorer and resides between NY, UK and Bali.
https://www.elevationbarn.com

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