From overwhelmed to organized inbox

Item: Oceans Talent
Author: Brooks Powell

55 hrs

founder work week, down from 70+

Inbox Zero

reached and maintained

Industry

CPG

Company size

SMB

Role

Executive assistants

Published

July 1, 2024

A fast growing company and a new baby

Cheers, a CPG brand with $15M+ in revenue that makes alcohol supplements, was founded by Brooks Powell with the goal of promoting wellness and responsible drinking. Brooks envisioned Cheers not just as a business venture but as a platform to advocate for healthier drinking habits and social well-being.

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Growing a successful company is never easy. The struggle became even more pronounced when he and his wife welcomed their first baby into the world in October 2023.

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Brooks poured his heart and soul into Cheers, working until the work got done, which could be 70+ hour weeks. However, with the arrival of his baby, he realized that his priorities needed to shift. He wanted to be present for his family while also ensuring that Cheers continued to thrive.

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He realized his working hours were capped at around 55 hours per week if he still wanted to be a present dad and husband. But that limit left dozens of unread emails at the end of each day, missing potential client and partner opportunities. He was becoming a bottleneck for the company, and this was the first time that working more hours just wasn’t an option.

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At every step of the way, Anjalie has impressed me. She has initiative, thoughtfulness, attention to detail, willingness to suggest better ways to get things done, and more.

Brooks Powell

Founder & CEO

So, Brooks had this lightbulb moment where he realized he needed some serious help. He couldn't keep juggling all the tasks on his own or just download a new email app to fix the problem.
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It was during this time of frustration and exhaustion that Brooks stumbled upon Tim Feriss’s podcast featuring Sam Corcos, which discussed the concept of strategic outsourcing and the transformative impact it had on his own work-life balance. Sam Corcos spoke about the importance of delegating tasks to capable professionals, allowing business leaders to focus on high-priority activities and personal endeavors.
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Despite knowing about the concept of outsourcing for about 10 years, Brooks had never explored it until this point. Brooks reached out to a number of outsourcing solutions, took calls with them, and ultimately landed on Oceans, where Executives are paired with top-tier Executive Assistants (EAs), capable of handling a wide range of administrative tasks.

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Enter Anjalie Rajapaksa

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In February 2024, Brooks reached out to Oceans to find someone who could take some weight off his shoulders. After a series of discussions and interviews, he was introduced to Anjalie Rajapaksa! Anjalie wasn't just any assistant - she was a highly skilled and experienced EA+ with a proven track record of supporting C-suite executives in various industries.

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With Anjalie on board, Brooks got his email game under control. No more drowning in the sea of unread messages - he reached inbox zero for the first time in what felt like forever. And it wasn't just emails - meetings were scheduled seamlessly, and big projects were completed efficiently.

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Brooks became less of a bottleneck, allowing the entire team to thrive with Anjalie's support. They also implemented a new workflow to follow up with every contact they met at the events they attended - no more “let’s continue the conversation” without actually continuing the conversation.
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Cheers saw some serious growth and improvements with this new setup, and Brooks couldn't be happier with the results. The journey with Cheers and bringing Anjalie on board wasn't just a game-changer for the operations of the company, it showed everyone that with a little help, you can be a successful CEO, partner, and parent - all without burning out. Anjalie's integration into the team has set a whole new standard for how things should be done, making work-life balance a real thing for Brooks.

Brooks Powell

Founder & CEO

Cheers