I find what's broken,
build what fixes it,
and hand it off running.
Operations help for business owners who are tired of being the thing their business runs on. We start by finding what's actually broken. Then we fix it.
You're probably in one of two spots
Your business works, but only because you're holding it together. Every task, every handoff, every decision runs through you. You're ready to stop being the bottleneck.
Things are running and you want more. You keep hearing about AI and automation, and you want it done right. Set up so it actually saves you time, not five more tools that don't talk to each other.
Doesn't matter what you do or what industry you're in. If something could run better, that's the job.
Start with the Foundation Audit
A deep dive into how your business actually runs.
Before I build anything, I need to see what's really going on. Not what you think is broken. What's actually broken. You fill out a short intake, I do real research on your business before we ever get on the call, then we spend 90 minutes mapping how it runs right now and finding the one thing costing you the most.
Then you get your Foundation Roadmap. Not notes from a call. A written plan, built from your actual business, that tells you what to fix first, what order the rest goes in, and what to leave alone for now. Plus a video walkthrough so it sticks and you can hand it to your team.
What's in your Roadmap
- How your business actually runs right now, mapped out
- The one bottleneck costing you the most, and why it's the choke point
- What it's costing you to leave it where it is
- The order to fix things, what comes first and what can wait
- What not to build yet, so you stop overspending on tools you don't need
- Your first 90 days, and what you can handle yourself
Most people selling systems want to sell you more tools. My job is telling you which ones you don't need yet. That alone tends to save more than the audit costs.
You keep the Roadmap either way. And if we move into a build within 30 days, that $500 comes right off your build cost.
Starts with an intake form so I can prepare before we meet.
Not ready for the audit yet?
Find your bottleneck free first →Then I build the fix
The audit tells us what needs to happen. From there I build it, document it, and hand it off running, so your team can actually use it without me in the room. Every build is scoped from what the audit finds. No menu, no guessing.
Every build starts with the audit.
Here's what I actually do
I'm not tied to one tool. If you're using something different, I'll learn it. The capability matters more than the platform.
Systems I run my own business on
Here's some of what I've built. A lot of it is what I run my own business on, because I'm not going to sell you something I haven't used myself.
Briefing Agent
It reads my whole pipeline — my SharePoint leads, my email, my Kit tags, my Typeforms, my Zoom calls — and keeps it all honest. Every morning it pings my phone with what to focus on. Twice a week it emails me a deeper coaching breakdown, like "you've gone quiet, go talk to more leads," or what to try with a specific client.
Microsoft Lead & Project Tracker
My leads used to live in scattered spreadsheets. Now SharePoint is my one source of truth and I can update leads and projects from my phone. Meet someone in person? I can send them a lead magnet right there on the spot.
Content Operations Hub
I drop my Metricool export in and it hands me back real analytics. Preset dashboards, a stickiness score so I can see what people actually saved and shared, and the trends underneath. Then I build my plan and hold myself to it.
What I'm building now
Active builds right now.
To Bee Continued
My dad's a beekeeper. Right now my parents drive all over town delivering honey and hand-print every label. I'm building them a site where people order and book their own delivery, with payment handled automatically. My dad's going to start posting updates from the bees and the garden too, because people genuinely want to see it.
GoHighLevel build
Connecting his intake forms straight into his CRM so he stops entering everything twice.
Site + lead intake build
A business owner expanding into multiple service lines who needed one place where the right clients can find her and reach out without going through her manually. Site build plus a lead intake system so inquiries come in qualified. In progress.
Not everything is a build
Sometimes the win is not building the wrong thing.
I helped a financial advisor avoid overbuilding. He came in ready to spend on systems he didn't need yet. We sorted out what actually mattered first.
"Ms Graves is very passionate and professional about providing innovative business solutions in order for her clients to achieve effective and efficient systems results. Employing several of the custom audit results she shared with me have proven to be quite beneficial."— Dennis B., Financial Advisor
I helped a model sell out her time slots for swim week through Stan Store — a different way to deliver a digital product.
A lot of the time the work is helping someone figure out which tools they actually need, and which ones to drop.
I don't just build
I taught a Microsoft 365 training — apps, automation, and AI — walking entrepreneurs through real ways to use them. I don't just build. I show people how.
Looking for speaking, training, or something I didn't mention here? Email me at mary@marybehindthesystems.com.
Want to find out what's actually broken?
Not sure where you stand? Find your bottleneck free first →