stop the drain: why having less time was the best thing for my business

For a long time, I bought into the lie that more hours equaled more success. As a Senior Executive Operations Manager for a marketing firm spanning 9 territories and 6 states, "hustle" was my baseline. I was training teams, overseeing massive operations, and had just welcomed a new baby when the pandemic hit.

In a single phone call, the world came to a halt. My "busy" was replaced by a sudden, sharp silence as everything was canceled.

But in that silence, I went into money-making mode. I realized that if businesses didn't shift their perspective immediately, they wouldn't survive. I took the skills I had used to grow corporate territories and birthed Ideal Brand + Business Services. While the world was shut down and my baby wasn't sleeping, a phase that actually lasted until she was six, I was architecting growth for clients in the UK, Germany, Canada, and across the US. I was helping them pivot, rebuild, and create when the stakes had never been higher.

When the marketing firm eventually reopened, I went back. I held onto that "9-5 security blanket" while my own business was simultaneously taking off. I was living in two worlds, until 2023 forced a final, permanent shift.

I was diagnosed with five rare brain conditions.

Everything changed. I left the security blanket behind and went all in on my business, but with a radical new constraint: I had to work less than I ever had in my life. I had to focus on my health and my family while recovering from brain surgery that summer.

The only reason I didn't lose everything was the Architecture I had put into place years prior. Leaning on my systems allowed me to rebuild while I healed. By the close of 2025, I hadn't just survived, I had grown my revenue by 300% and doubled my full-time service-based client list.

Now, as we head into 2026, I realized that having less time was actually the catalyst that allowed my business to thrive. When you are forced to be ruthless with your minutes, you stop playing with the "pretty" things and focus exclusively on the money-making activities. You move out of Instability and into Mastering Time because you simply have no other choice.

the systems that saved my business (and my health)

To achieve this kind of growth while working fewer hours, you need an engine that runs without you. Here are the four systems that allowed me to focus on my "Lane of Genius" while recovering and scaling:

• Trello: The Business HQ This is my primary communication and organization tool. It’s where I identify time drains and build strategic margin. By centralizing every project, I eliminated the stress of "where does this live?" and created a hub that allows for seamless delegation, and was ready to continue growing as my team did.

  
  

• Google Suite: The Brand Vault This is the "Anchor" of my digital storage. By keeping every high-res asset and strategy document here, I ensured that nothing was ever lost, allowing me to revisit and reuse content instead of starting from scratch.

  
  

• Rella: The Approval Powerhouse Rella allowed me to keep my "Reverse Blueprint" on track without endless meetings. It gave my clients a clear window into their content, allowing for direct feedback and quick approvals so we could move from development to distribution efficiently. It allowed us to minimize the spreadsheets and move multiple systems into one saving over 10 hours a week!!

  
  

• Marco Polo: The Strategy Sync Marco Polo became my lifeline for quick, high-level strategy updates. It allowed me to share "wins" or shifts in real-time, ensuring my team and my clients stayed aligned without draining my physical battery. This one tool has torn down the barriers for many clients with ADHD and needing to connect and visually get help.

  
  

how to start your shift today

1. Identify the "Busy Work" Drain: Look at your week. If a task isn't a money-making activity or essential to your health/family, it is a drain. Use the Reverse Blueprint to map your vision and cut the rest.

   
   

2. Build Your Margin: Start by identifying your "Time Drains" and building in a 20% buffer. You cannot scale a brand if you are working at 100% capacity every day.

   
   

3. Implement One Anchor System: Don't try to change everything at once. Start with Trello or Google Suite to secure your business foundations.

architecting your 2026 legacy

If my story resonates with you, it’s likely because you are currently standing where I once was: successful on paper, but drowning in the "busy work" of your own creation. You are ready to move out of the "Instability" phase and into "Authority".

I don't just want to help you post on social media; I want to help you build an engine that serves your life. This is why I created The Executive Architect Series, to give you the exact roadmap I used to grow my revenue by 300% while prioritizing my health and my family.

Ready to start building? Here is how we can work together:

• The Full-Service Partnership: Let me take the "Marketing Catch-up" off your plate entirely. We’ll build your 12-month strategy, handle your content filming, and implement the systems that give you your time back and can grow with you and your business. [learn more]

  
  

• The Strategic Partner Coaching: If you are ready to refine your own operations, join me for my monthly live training sessions. We’ll dive deep into themes like Time Management, Work-Life Harmony, and Execution Architecture. [learn more]

  
  

• The Executive Architect Series (Your 12-Month Roadmap): This is the exact strategic flow we follow to move from "Immediate Pain Relief" in February to "Execution Architecture" in December. It is your guide to mastering time, setting boundaries, and crafting an unstoppable brand story. This a Free 12 month series that you can catch live monthly or catch the replay by upgrading your experience. [join for free]

  
  

The "Marketing Lag" is real, and the consistency you start today is what you will harvest 90 days from now. Stop the drain. Reclaim your margin. Let’s build something that lasts.

cultivating growth while harvesting gratitude