245: Business Growth Comes from Access Not More Information

Andrea Liebross: Welcome to the She Thinks Big podcast. I'm your host, Andrea Liebross, coach, speaker, life balance architect, and strategic thought partner for high-achieving women who want to think differently, lead confidently, and create success on their own terms.

As an entrepreneur myself and the bestselling author of She Thinks Big, here's what I know: You've been at this for a while, but somehow you can still feel stuck in the day-to-day. And running your business like a to-do list does not fulfill the vision.

So around here, we're not about more hustle, we're about smarter strategy, bolder thinking, and leading a business that fits your life. Each week, you'll hear the mindset shifts, real-world tools, and CEO-level conversations that help you reclaim your time, grow with intention, and elevate your leadership. Now, let's dive in.

Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the She Thinks Big podcast. So I am super excited for this episode because I think it really hits on something that you may have heard me talk about throughout some other episodes, but I've never done an episode specifically on this topic. But before we get started, I want to know, where are you? Where are you listening from? Get out your phone. You're probably listening on your phone. Go on Instagram and just DM me, DM me and tell me where you're at. Are you taking a walk? Are you in your kitchen? Are you driving? Maybe don't DM me if you're driving, but when you stop, because I do want to know. I want to connect with you, and I always am curious what's happening in your world. So, all right, here we go.

You've heard me talk about assets in business before. We've talked about money and systems and even people, but today I want to talk to you about a different kind of asset. One that doesn't really always make it into your spreadsheets or your quarterly reports, like that missing metric that we talked about last time. Today, though, we're going to talk about access. Here's the thing. Access is an asset that can either accelerate your business or hold it back. If you don't have access—and I'm going to tell you what I mean by that—if you don't have it, you really waste time, energy, and sometimes a whole lot of money trying to figure things out on your own.

But if you do have it, decisions get made faster and problems get solved quicker and confidence, your confidence really skyrockets. So let me talk about a personal example. When my kids were little, our pediatrician had office hours every morning, 7:00 to 7:30, where you could just call his personal home phone number and talk to him directly. You didn't need an appointment. There was no waiting for weeks. You didn't need to talk to the nurse first who was going to put a message up for him. You could just pick up the phone and call him, and he personally would answer the phone.

Now, sometimes you got a busy signal. He still had the old school busy signal that meant he was talking to some other parent. But if you kept trying, which I would do like on redial, you would get him. That access changed a lot for me as a mom. I didn't have to spiral out about whether a fever was serious or a rash needed urgent care, or "Could they actually go to school or not? Or should we come see him?" I had a trusted expert on the line every morning, 7:00 to 7:30 AM. So shout out to Dr. Cumming. He is now passed, but thank you for doing that.

Okay, so that's what access does. It reduced my uncertainty. It totally saved me time because if he did think he needed to see you, he would just say, "Okay, I'm putting you in this morning for 8:30. I'll see you then." It was a morning appointment. So it reduced my uncertainty. It saved me time. It helped me move forward through my day with confidence. In business, I think the same principle applies.

So here's why access matters. Access is different from information. Okay, so information is everywhere. You can Google or ChatGPT your way into any strategy. You can download any template these days. You can scroll through endless reels with tips. But what you don't get from that is the ability to ask your specific question and get an answer that fits your specific situation in real time. Okay, so access to a human gives you the ability to ask your specific question and get an answer that fits your specific situation in real time. That is why access to humans matters. It's really like the bridge between knowledge and action.

Without it, you collect more ideas. Okay, ideas. Think about all the ideas that are coming to you. But oftentimes you stay stuck in indecision. But with this access, you can make the right call, and you can keep moving. So think about, again, go back to your own life. Maybe you have a lawyer in the family or a CPA or even just a handyman in the family that you know loves fixing things when they break. That access really changes the way you operate.

I will tell you, when you don't have a handyman that you can trust or that you can't just call, things just don't get fixed. The drawer stays broken. The leaky faucet keeps dripping. The list piles up. It's not because you don't care. It's not because you couldn't YouTube it on your own, it's because you don't know who to ask, or you don't know how long it's going to take to get help. Right? If you YouTube something and you try to follow those instructions, you know you're going to get frustrated.

So I want you to imagine that same drawer, that same faucet, but you've got this trusted handyman on speed dial. Suddenly, the leaky faucet isn't a problem anymore. It's just a text message away from being solved. They tell you to turn the dial or to loosen this and it's solved, right? That's the difference that access makes. So it's not about luxury. Access to other humans isn't about luxury, it's about speed and clarity and peace of mind.

Okay, now, if you're someone who likes numbers, I researched this. Here's what the research says. Studies show that having access to a coach has a 7x return on investment when measured in increased productivity and performance. 7x. McKinsey, that's a consulting company, they found that companies who make faster decisions see double the financial returns compared to those who drag their feet. So when you invest in access to other humans, you're not paying for extra time or handholding, you're investing in the speed of decision-making, and speed has a direct financial ROI, right?

So this is why in my coaching programs, access to me as a coach isn't an afterthought. It is central. I use Voxer in the Ascension Collective in my highest-level coaching program, my mastermind. Through Voxer, my clients can reach me between sessions. They're not waiting weeks for clarity. They can move forward the same day. What this often looks like is they're driving and they are Voxering me. What's something that happened? Something that they want some input on, or they're sitting on the sidelines at socce,r and they are Voxering me.

Okay, here is what my client, Whitney, said when we asked her about this.

Whitney Vredenburgh: Then the Voxer access is really nice because if we have a question or something that we're working on, it's nice to have that access.

Andrea Liebross: Yeah, that's exactly it. It's not about endless calls or piling on more sessions or writing out lengthy emails. It's about knowing you have a place to go in the moment when clarity matters most. So my coaching clients have access to me in the moment. We use this app called Voxer. It's almost like a walkie-talkie texty thing. Okay, it helps with real-time problem solving. So when you hit a roadblock, that real-time back and forth changes everything. I'm not giving you back theory. I'm giving you back help so that you can solve things. You can decide. You can move on.

Okay, here is what my client, Jen, said.

Jennifer Holladay: So it's great to have access to Andrea through Voxer because if I'm dealing with an issue, whether it's an employee or a client or any issue, and I'm struggling with how to handle it or what to think of it or how to shape it in my brain, I can easily just Voxer her and we're back and forth. In real time, I'm solving a problem that makes coaching and learning that much quicker. It just sticks in your brain, and you actually learn it in real time.

Andrea Liebross: I mean, that's the heart of it. Real-time access doesn't just fix problems faster. It makes the lesson stick because you apply it right when it matters. It is not out of the moment. It is in the moment. Here's something my clients tell me often. They didn't realize how much access they would actually have or how quickly I would respond.

Emma Frutkin: So what's really great is that I'm in her, I think it's called Runway to Freedom Group. So I get a lot of access to Andrea, and I have the Voxer app. So I can message her anytime. It is really amazing how quickly she gets back to me. But usually I'm taking my dog out to the dog park at 7:00 AM. These ideas come to me and, you know, I need help brainstorming or thinking through something. I'll message Andrea, and then she messages me back. We figure it out together, and I'm off on my day.

Andrea Liebross: That's the difference between spinning in a decision and getting unstuck in just minutes. It's what makes access an actual asset in your business.

Now, let's be clear. Access isn't only about fast replies. It's also about being guided through a way of thinking so that you can make decisions even when I'm not there. My client, Laura, described it beautifully.

Laura Khesin: She gave me questions that helped me create tangible decisions that I can then move forward with, which I find extremely helpful for my business. Her idea is always on the bigger picture, but we're breaking it down into small steps that feel like I'm making a significant change.

Andrea Liebross: So this is why access pays off, I think, long after the moment, because it equips you with decision-making muscles that you can use again and again. Now, some people, you maybe, you sitting there in your car, might be thinking, "But Andrea, isn't access kind of intangible? Like, I would rather pay for deliverables I can hold in my hands." Well, here's my reframe. Deliverables, by that I mean templates and tools, are important, yes. But if you get a beautiful marketing plan and don't have someone to help you decide which piece to implement first, that plan just sits in a drawer.

Access is what turns these deliverables into results. Access saves time. It prevents costly mistakes and it accelerates progress. It's not fluff. It is tangible ROI. Like you see tangible ROI from having this access. Okay, that is why I'm going to go back to having access to a human is an asset. So what can you do with this information today? Here are three things. Number one, I think you can audit who you currently have access to. Who are your trusted experts? Where are the gaps?

And I'm going to go back. Who are your trusted experts? So this is not your husband. This is not your best friend. They might be experts in certain categories. But even if they are, like I sometimes get like, "Well, my husband's really good with money. He's in finance." Is he really wanting to dig deep into your business? Do you want to be listening to him about it? Right? So audit who you currently have access to, who are your trusted experts and where are the gaps? Then ask yourself, what's one decision that's been sitting on your plate for too long? Who could you reach out to for quick clarity?

I'm going to make an offer to you right now. I want you to pick up your phone, and I want you to DM me with your voice. What is one decision that's been sitting on your plate for too long? DM me it. I promise you, I will DM you back with some guidance, maybe some questions, maybe some things to think about to help you get unstuck from this decision, to help you make the decision. So you can talk to me in full sentences, my friends, on Instagram. Did you know if you go to direct messages on Instagram, there is a little microphone? If you press that down, you can send me a message with your voice.

I do this all the time. I feel like I would rather talk than type, I like to say. So I am offering you today, here's something you can do. Pick up your phone, go to Instagram, hit the little mic, find me, direct message me, message me, hit the little microphone, and tell me in full sentences, what's the decision that's been sitting on your plate for too long? We're going to solve it together. Finally, something else that you can do today. Consider this. If you want faster results in your business, you don't just need more information. You need better access.

In fact, sometimes I hear people say, "Oh my gosh, I have so many tools now. I just want to implement them." That means you're trying to just work with the information you have. I promise you, even though you have all of those tools and all of that information, you're not going to get faster results in your business. The way you're going to get faster results is having access to humans, to strategic thought partners. You have access to me today, right now, using that Voxer DM, microphone. That's what's going to get you faster results in business. It is not going to be all of the tools and information and templates and courses that you have.

So here's what I want to leave you with. Access is an asset. It is one of the most underrated but most valuable assets that you can invest in as a business owner. I invest in access to other humans tremendously. It is one of my biggest expenses because when you have access, you're not stuck in indecision. The access I have to my strategic thought partners gets me moving. You're not spinning in anxiety when you have access. You're making confident, fast decisions that are going to move your business forward.

That's why my clients say what they do. Whitney values it. Jen uses it in real time. Emma is surprised by it. Laura sees how it changes her decision-making long-term. So if you're ready to experience that kind of access for yourself to stop overthinking and start moving with clarity, then I invite you to step into a coaching container, a coaching space where I build that access in. Because business doesn't wait. Neither should you.

Okay, my friends. DM me. Full sentences on Instagram. If you want to talk in real life over Zoom or over a phone, go to the link in the show notes. Go to my website. Schedule a call. You have access to me. Those calls are at no cost. You have access to me right now, and you're not using it. So go for it. I want to be your strategic thought partner. All right. Keep thinking big. I'll see you next week.

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