About Jana Franklin: 

Jana Franklin is a serial entrepreneur, franchise expert, and business efficiency strategist based in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the Founder and CEO of CEO Concierge, a premium virtual assistant agency that connects fast-moving entrepreneurs and executives with highly trained virtual assistants from the Philippines, enabling them to delegate effectively and lead with clarity. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in intentional delegation, team alignment, and creating space for visionary thinking.

Jana's entrepreneurial journey began in the world of franchising, where she successfully launched, scaled, and sold several Fantastic Sams and Jimmy John's locations under her company, Strange Allegro. Over a decade of owning and operating franchises taught her the value of building resilient teams, leading by example, and designing systems that allow businesses and people to thrive. Her pivot to the virtual space came after witnessing a growing need among high-level entrepreneurs for reliable, values-aligned executive support. Beyond her professional work, Jana served as President of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) St. Louis, where she fostered community and connection among growth-minded founders.

In this episode, Kevin and Jana Franklin discuss:

• Delegation and the role of virtual assistants in supporting entrepreneurs
• Leadership through servant leadership and team connection
• Overcoming control issues and learning to let go of administrative tasks
• The impact of COVID-19 on business practices and remote work
• Entrepreneurial journey and developing leadership skills through diverse business experiences

Key Takeaways

• Virtual assistants can help entrepreneurs escape the administrative hamster wheel by handling time-consuming tasks, allowing business leaders to focus on strategic growth and core business objectives.
• Servant leadership demands more than transactional management. It requires genuine care, regular personal check-ins, and intentional human connection, which becomes especially critical in remote work environments where isolation can quickly erode team morale.
• Effective delegation goes beyond simply assigning tasks. It needs a nuanced understanding of both personality compatibility and specific skill sets to ensure that support staff can seamlessly integrate into and enhance existing team dynamics.
• Successful leaders must consciously challenge their control impulses, learning to trust their team members and create systems that enable staff to handle administrative responsibilities with minimal micromanagement.
• Regular disconnection from work is not a luxury but a necessity, providing leaders and team members the mental space to recharge, spark creativity, and prevent professional burnout through intentional periods of rest and reflection.

"Be open-minded and learn from people's experiences versus thinking you know it all." – Jana Franklin

Connect with Jana Franklin: 

Website: https://ceoconcierge.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jana-franklin-10177/ 

Connect with Kevin Neal:

Website: https://drkdneal.com 

Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0C47RZDSS 

https://www.amazon.com/Guided-Greatness-Mentorship-Developing-professionals-ebook/dp/B0FGBH1VNS

Email: coachkd63@gmail.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachkd63