Helping Business Owners With Operations – Exclusive Interview With Shelly Criswell
Updated: Apr 17, 2023
Shelly Criswell is a highly experienced Director of Operations who specializes in providing comprehensive support to small businesses. Her areas of expertise include project management, team management, hiring, strategic annual planning, financial management, and KPI tracking. With her vast knowledge and experience, Shelly can assist businesses in achieving sustainable growth and success. She is capable of providing reliable and efficient support, customized to meet the specific needs of each business, whether it's day-to-day operations or long-term planning. Shelly is committed to working closely with her clients to help them achieve their goals and take their business to the next level.
Shelly Criswell, Certified Director of Operations
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Hey there! My name is Shelly Criswell. I’ve been married to my husband for 23 years. We met in an AOL chat room (yes, I’m that old! lol). We have 2 amazing daughters; our youngest is graduating high school this year. We’re a retired US Air Force family and had the amazing opportunity to travel the world and become friends with people we never would’ve met otherwise.
I’m sad about empty nesting, so I’ve surrounded myself with animals. We have 3 cats and 2 dogs (one is a puppy and she keeps me busy). Working from home can get lonely sometimes, but not with this crew!
I love glamping and try to get away in my camper several times a year. I would love to live the RV life for a bit. I just have to talk my husband into it.
I’m from South Carolina and have a really thick southern accent. For the longest time, it embarrassed me. There’s a stereotype that comes with this accent and I don’t want people to have preconceived ideas about me when they hear me speak. It’s taken a long time, but I’m starting to embrace it rather than fight it.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
My business is Criswell Solutions and I help business owners with everything from project management and hiring to team management, strategy development, strategic annual planning, financial management, and KPI tracking. I like to think of myself as the strategic partner or second in command. I run the day-to-day of the business so the business owner can step more into their visionary role.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
If I could change one thing in my industry, it would be educating other business owners to know about the Director of Operations role. I think there are a lot of CEO’s out there that grow their business so quickly and haven’t even had the chance to take a step back and evaluate their business needs. They don’t even know the DOO role is a tremendous tool they can use to take things off their plate to help them scale their business even further.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
Before I started working in the online space I was a Medical Technologist working in hospitals and private labs. While I loved the analytical parts of my job, I hated the weird hours and feeling like just another employee lost in the sea of thousands. My kids were in elementary and middle school and I felt like we were both missing out on things. I wanted them to be able to participate in after-school activities and not have a mom that missed out on spending time with family on holidays.
I then discovered the wonderful world of virtual assistant work and a whole new opportunity was opened up to me. The online space has allowed me to discover what I’m good at, what I enjoy, and what lights me up. I can change who I serve, how I serve them, and when. I can make my business work for my life and not the other way around!
I’ve evolved so much since those first days as a VA. I’m now a Certified Director of Operations, doing what I love and working with clients that light me up.
