The Owner’s Brief
A Blog
You're over-spending on payroll
Is your payroll way too high? (Spoiler: probably.)
If your income statement looks fine but your profit margins are thinner than they should be, it might be time to ask a better question:
Are my payroll expenses normal for my industry?
In this post, we break down benchmark wage ratios by industry (accounting, law, physio, design + more), the hidden reasons service businesses overspend on payroll, and the operational fixes that actually move the needle.
If you’re bleeding cash and not sure why, start here.
Click to read the full post - and find out if your business is the outlier.
Let's talk about low hanging fruit..
Still not using AI in your business? It’s costing you — big time.
From manual appointment booking to over-engineered spreadsheets and email replies written from scratch — there are simple, low-effort ways to automate and streamline your operations today.
In this post, I break down three real examples where service-based businesses are overspending (by $43K+/year!) and how AI can help fix it — fast.
If you’re ready to save money without sacrificing quality or control, start here.
Click to read the full post — and let’s get your ops out of 2015.
Let's talk biz owner versus operations manager
If your days are full of meetings, admin, client follow-ups, and answering “quick questions” — you’re not leading your business, you’re running it.
In this post, I share why so many owners stay stuck in the weeds, how we help clarify what a CEO should be doing (spoiler: not Summer Party planning), and how a CEO Functions Doc can transform your day-to-day.
If you want to lead your business like an actual CEO — not its head admin — this is where you start.
Click to read the full post — sangria optional, clarity guaranteed.
You + me = patio sangria 🍹
What’s on your Summer Projects list?
If you’re still holding onto a post-it that says “revamp org chart” or “finally figure out second location” — this one’s for you.
In this post, I’m sharing the low-lift, high-impact projects my consulting team helps business owners tackle during summer, from updating admin workflows with AI to creating strategic hiring/firing plans and redefining the CEO’s role.
Bonus? It might all start with patio drinks.
Click here to read the full post — and let’s turn your “someday” list into done.