Who do you work with?
Women-led, owner-led businesses where too much of the day still runs through the owner. Sector matters less than shape — clinics, service businesses, professional practices, single-person consultancies. What they have in common is that the business is busy, the systems have grown by accident, and the person who knows how everything works is also the person doing everything. If you're not sure whether that's you, the Business Leak Check takes about five minutes and will tell you.
What's included in a Business Systems Audit?
Three things. Before we meet, I review how your business currently runs — the tools you use, what you're paying for, and the workflow behind the problem you want solved. Then we have a structured conversation of about 90 minutes about how the work actually happens, not how it's supposed to. Afterwards you get a written report in seven sections:
- how it works now
- where time, money or enquiries are leaking
- what you already have and aren't fully using
- what I'd fix first
- what I wouldn't touch
- your AI, data and responsible-use position
- your 90-day plan
The report is written to be useful on its own, whether or not you ever ask me to implement anything.
How much does it cost?
The Business Systems Audit is £750, agreed before we start. There's no hourly rate quietly running in the background. Implementation is quoted separately once we know what actually needs fixing, because that work ranges from switching on something you already pay for to building a system from scratch — pricing those as though they were the same job wouldn't be honest. Talks, workshops and training are quoted on request.
What makes an implementation quote go up or down?
Four things, mostly. How many systems have to talk to each other. Whether existing information has to be moved rather than just used where it is. How many people need training and support through the change. And whether anything new has to be bought. I'll tell you which of those apply to your project before you decide anything.
What happens after the Audit?
Whatever makes sense for you. Some people take the report and do the work themselves, which is a perfectly good outcome. Some ask me to scope and implement the first priority. Some do nothing for six months and come back. Booking an Audit doesn't commit you to anything beyond the Audit. It's paid work in its own right — I'm not on commission from any software company, and I don't need your project to turn into a build for the Audit to have done its job.
Do I need to change my software?
Usually not. Section three of the report exists because most businesses are already paying for something that does more than they realise. If your current system can solve the problem, I'll tell you that and show you where to look — I'd rather you spent nothing than move you onto a new platform for the sake of it. If something genuinely does need to change, I'll explain why, and what it will cost you in money, time and disruption.
What if I already use ChatGPT, Claude or a CRM?
Good — that's a head start, and it usually means the problem isn't the tools. I'm not tied to any one platform. What matters is whether what you've set up is actually being used, by the people it was meant for, in a way that's safe and consistent. Often the fix is tightening something that already exists rather than adding anything new.
What information can I safely put into AI tools?
That's one of the seven sections, and it's the part small businesses most often get wrong by accident. We look at what information is really going into these tools, who can see it, where your clients should be told, and where a person needs to stay in the loop. What you get is practical guidance and a clear internal position you can hand to staff — not legal advice, and not a compliance certificate. If your work involves sensitive personal information, a regulated sector, or automated decisions about people, I'll tell you where you need a data-protection or legal specialist rather than pretend that's my job.
Will you try to automate everything?
No, and one of the seven sections is specifically what I wouldn't touch. If a human conversation is the thing your clients actually value, if automating something creates more risk than it removes, or if the way you work now is already good enough, I'll say so. Being known for good judgement about where technology helps is worth more to me than adding AI to your business.
Do you offer ongoing support?
Where it's genuinely useful, scoped to what's been built. I deliberately don't sell a monthly package by default. Everything I implement comes with a handover, short training, a walkthrough recording, written process notes and a named person inside your business who owns it — the aim is that you aren't dependent on me. If you want ongoing help beyond that, we scope it then.
