From Chaos to Confidence:

A business structure that no longer leaned on Sandra

Case Study | Operational Excellence

When Sandra founded Auaha in 2001, she was at the heart of every event, decision, and detail. Her agency thrived, but as it grew, so did the complexity. Processes evolved organically, and soon, Sandra found herself buried in operations, making decisions, troubleshooting, and holding everything together. She knew she couldn’t scale or exit the business if everything relied on her.

That’s when she turned to us for a complete business process transformation.

With the guidance of Sue as her Business Operations Manager, Auaha underwent a complete operational transformation. Over 18 months every process was reviewed, documented, and optimised. A centralised system replaced scattered workflows, and a structured accountability framework empowered the team to work independently.

This is how we helped her get there.

Challenges

When Sandra started Auaha in 2001, she built it from the ground up. She established processes and systems that worked for her small team at the time. As the business grew, Sandra knew in order to give herself options she needed to remove herself as the bottleneck.

1

Event scope creep and profitability issues

No clear ownership of roles in projects

2

Inconsistent processes

Processes were inaccessible, incomplete, or out of date

3

Founder bottleneck

Every decision, every answer sat with Sandra
As her business evolved and her team grew, Sandra needed support to drive change in order to step away from day-to-day operations with confidence.

Our Approach

Sue provided a comprehensive 18-month overhaul of the agency’s processes resulting in events now managed as projects with clear visibility and ownership.  This resulted in decreased scope creep and increased profitability.

 

1
in-depth analysis

We conducted an in-depth analysis to identify and optimise outdated and inconsistent workflows. We worked with the team to implement a centralised process library with standard operating procedures documented and visible in their project management system.

2
Tracking

A tracking system was put in place to monitor process completion and accountability.

 

3
Streamlining

With streamlined processes and documentation in place, the agency is positioned for efficient scaling, confident onboarding of new hires, and consistent delivery for clients.

 

4
Visibility

Sandra now had the operational visibility and trust in her team to focus on big-picture growth initiatives.  This ultimately resulted in the successful sale of her business, giving her the freedom to pursue new ventures.

 

The Transformation

Partnering with The Lever was a pivotal decision for Auaha. Sue and her team undertook an 18-month overhaul of our standard operating procedures, delivering tangible results that exceeded expectations.
SOPs Review
Completed review of existing Standard Operating Procedures
Identifying and filling gaps
Updated outdated processes, identified gaps and supported team to document processes
Team culture
Improved team culture and engagement with more focused weekly team meetings
Tracking Implementation
Implemented weekly goals, and scorecard tracking
“You should see my operations structure now, it’s a thing of beauty! This transformation not only provided me with the operational confidence to step back from daily tasks but also fostered a culture of accountability and collaboration within our team.”
- Sandra Julian, Auaha Events

Key Takeaways

  • Over 100 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were reviewed, updated, and developed, providing role clarity and consistency across projects.
  • A centralised process library and tracking system now ensured accountability and efficiency, allowing the business owner to focus on growth.
  • The implemented changes fostered a culture of continuous improvement and instilled confidence in the team, leading to improved teamwork and operational efficiencies.

More Transformations

Justine Parsons
Justine Parsons, The Lever enjoying Freedom to Lead
From Frustration to Focus: Strategic CRM Implementation
From Operations to Leadership