Pulling Back the Curtain

We spend a lot of time talking about what good operations look like in theory. This week, we're pulling back the curtain and walking you through an actual client engagement (our Operations Uplevel service) so you can see what it looks like in practice.

Background Details

This client launched her business in February 2025 and grew fast--like, four-months-in-and-already-overwhelmed with clients fast. 

She came to us in June as a solopreneur with a project management tool she hadn't touched yet, client relationship management (CRM) software she was just starting to figure out, and a growing list of prospects starting to slip through the cracks after proposals were sent.

She knew she needed help, but wasn't sure where to start. Cue FTLOS…

Where the Work Started

The first part of any engagement with us is always strategic. For the Operations Uplevel, we map out all of the responsibilities being executed in the company first, analyze the tech stack that supports them next, then we dive deep into the company’s services, and finally, we map out the full client experience--sales, onboarding, delivery, retention, and offboarding. 

Through that process with this client, we identified strategic project opportunities and prioritized them by urgency and impact. With the plan in place, we jumped into implementation coaching.  

First Things First

Top priority on the list was a Google Workspace transition (from free to paid). This wasn't even on her radar, but we knew from previous experiences with other clients that it would create significant friction down the road if we didn't address it early. 

Within her new Workspace account, we built out a proper foundation: Shared Drives, email filters, branded document templates, and a copy of our Google Workspace Guidelines to set her up for future team and contractor training.

Checking that off the list, we moved on to the next priorities: the sales process and client onboarding. 

Here's a snapshot of what we built together:

Sales process:

• Added an intake form to her discovery call scheduler

• Built an automation in her CRM that handles: 

  • Confirmation emails

  • Proposals

  • Contracts

  • Follow-ups (based on whether or not they've accepted the Proposal)

The transformation: This kept her from starting from scratch with each prospect, and also kept opportunities from falling through the cracks.

Client onboarding:

• Created a Welcome Guide

• Built a client project portal in Google Workspace

• Created an intake questionnaire

• Developed and documented a kick-off meeting agenda

• Built a CRM automation for all this to make sure every client gets the same experience

The transformation: This standardized how she collected information at the start of an engagement, ensuring nothing was overlooked, and set clear expectations with clients of what the experience working with her business would be like. 

All that after only six meetings! 🤩

The Plot Twist

At the halfway point of the engagement, our client and her husband made the strategic decision that he would exit his job and join her in the business. Exponential growth will do that! 

In true “build it as you fly” nature, we paused our work on the priority list, revisited the business model, and used our Delegation Planner to figure out who would be responsible for what going forward.

The Work Revealed the Next Step

The Delegation Planner exercise mapped out both of their roles, but also surfaced a clear need: a social media assistant who would take work off the founder’s plate and enable her to shift her focus to sales and relationship management. 

With the processes already mapped, the job responsibilities of the new social media assistant were clear. 

We pivoted our priorities to building out the onboarding process for new contractors--standard operating procedures (SOPs), an intranet page, and intake forms--to create a clear sense of our clients’ business culture and expectations.

As all of this was unfolding, a grant opportunity came up. So we pivoted again, jumping in and helping them navigate the operational details of the business plan required for the application. And after all of their hard work, they got the grant! 👏

The Final Transformation

Even with all the pivots, we completed our priority list of projects and still had a little time left to spare. With that time, we built a key performance indicator (KPI) tracker so they could stay on top of key metrics as their business continues to grow.

After our final meeting, here’s what the founder had to say about our work together:

“Working with Kristen and Greg at For the Love of Systems has been transformational for my business. I initially reached out needing help with project management, and our engagement has encompassed everything from service offerings to customer journeys. Their expertise in crafting processes and systems for each aspect of my business has changed the way I operate.”

This is what three months of focused operations work can look like during our Operations Uplevel. 💃🏽

If any of this resonates with where you are in your business right now, let’s chat about it on a Discovery Call!