What if you're working a full-time job—but you're also trying to build a business?How do you find the time, get clients, follow up, stay organized, and build systems when you're already busy?In this episode of Systems with Sonja, I sit down with Natasha Apau, Founder & Operations Partner of Organize Mayhem, to talk about how she uses systems, AI, and automation to build her business while working full-time.

IN THIS EPISODE00:00 — She Works Full-Time AND Runs a Business03:21 — Time Management While Working Full-Time04:56 — Sales & Marketing System07:48 — Post-Sale Automation Systems11:49 — Customer Relationship Systems16:00 — Financial Metrics & CEO Dashboard19:34 — Rapid Fire & Wrap-UpWe talk about:Building a business while working full-timeTime blocking and protecting your timeNatasha's 20-minute networking systemUsing LinkedIn and Threads to build relationshipsUsing Claude as a sales coachHow HoneyBook supports leads, follow-up, and onboardingUsing Google Apps Script to automate parts of the backendUsing ClickUp for projects, time tracking, and follow-upBuilding a CEO Dashboard to understand what's happening in the businessWhat to automate—and where a human still needs to be involvedWhy understanding your business comes before trying to automate everything🎁 FREE RESOURCEWant to understand the technology we discussed in this episode?I've created a FREE Technology Glossary to help you follow along.It explains the tools Natasha discusses—including Claude, HoneyBook, Google Apps Script, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Gemini, ClickUp, LinkedIn, Threads, Calendly, the CEO Dashboard, and automation.👉 Get the FREE Technology Glossary:https://payhip.com/SystemswithSonja CONNECT WITH NATASHANatasha ApauFounder & Operations Partner, Organize Mayhem🌐 Website: www.organizemayhem.com💼 LinkedIn: company/organize-mayhem/▶️ YouTube: @OrganizeMayhem🧵 Threads: @organizemayhem📱 Instagram: @organizemayhemwww.youtube.com/@UCzcP8NHGdoj04hVWkxeYI7w ABOUT SYSTEMS WITH SONJASystems with Sonja is about the people, processes, and systems behind businesses that want to grow without everything continuing to depend on the owner.Because the goal isn't to build a business that needs you for everything.The goal is to build a business that doesn't need you for every little thing.Subscribe to Systems with Sonja for conversations, ideas, and practical systems for women business owners.

Think you have an employee problem? Before you blame the employee, look at your system.

As a business owner, it’s easy to get frustrated when employees are late, work isn’t completed on time, or you find yourself repeating the same expectations over and over.

But what if the problem isn’t just the employee?

In this episode of Systems with Sonja, Sonja Caison shares a real lesson from her own business that changed the way she approached employee problems.

We’ll look at:

• Are your expectations clear?
• Have you communicated them effectively?
• Do you have a process for addressing performance issues?
• Are you applying that process consistently?
• What should be documented?
• How can progressive discipline create clarity and accountability?
• What might your employee turnover be telling you?

Because sometimes an employee isn't the right fit. But that doesn't mean your people system shouldn't work.

Before you hire the person, understand the work.
Before you blame the employee, look at the system.
Before you scale, make sure your people systems can support the growth.

If you're building a business that you want to run with less chaos and less dependence on you, you're in the right place.

Subscribe to Systems with Sonja for practical conversations about people, processes, systems, and sustainable business growth.

A Key Employee Just Resigned. Now What?You listened or watched the video. Now build the system.I created The Key Employee Transition Playbook to help you turn what you just learned into an actual process for your business.Inside the Playbook:Interview questions & testingOnboarding checklist30-day training schedulePerformance expectationsBonus money-handling testDon't wait until someone quits to figure out what to do next.👉 Get the Key Employee Transition Playbook:https://payhip.com/SystemswithSonjaI’ve owned my business for 20+ years. These systems come from experience—not theory.Want to work on it with me?If you're in the DMV and want to take this beyond the workbook and actually work on your business in person, join me at Women Who Scale.We meet the 3rd Tuesday of every month.👉 Register at womenwhoscale.orgStop reacting. Start building systems.Subscribe for more Systems Tuesdays with Sonja.#SystemsWithSonja #SystemsTuesday #WomenWhoScale #SmallBusiness #BusinessSystems #Entrepreneurship #Hiring #EmployeeRetention #BusinessGrowth #WomenEntrepreneurs00:00 A Key Employee Just Resigned. Now What? 4 Systems That Prevent Chaos01:30 Step 1: Don't Panic — Use Your Playbook02:12 Step 2: Test During Interviews03:51 Step 3: Onboarding Checklist04:26 Step 4: Set Performance Expectations

Do you ever put off sending invoices, raising prices, or having difficult financial conversations?You're not alone.In this week's Systems Tuesday, I share one of the biggest lessons I've learned after more than 20 years of owning a business: getting paid isn't about courage—it's about creating a system that removes hesitation.In this video, you'll learn:✅ Why your emotions shouldn't determine your pricing strategy✅ The difference between an accounting system and a financial system✅ Why QuickBooks records your business—but doesn't run it✅ How to build a process that takes your customer from "yes" to paymentIf you're a woman entrepreneur who wants to build a business that doesn't depend on you, subscribe for weekly insights on business systems, processes, and infrastructure.🌐 Register for the next Women Who Scale Roundtable:https://womenwhoscale.org🌐 Learn more about BackOfficeCOO:https://backofficecoo.orgRemember: Stop buying software. Start building systems.#SystemsTuesday #WomenWhoScale #BusinessSystems #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneur #FinancialSystems #BusinessInfrastructure #QuickBooks #CashFlow #BackOfficeCOO

Your business vehicles need systems too.

If your business depends on vehicles, you probably already know that a vehicle problem can quickly become a business problem.

• A missed maintenance appointment.
• A recurring issue that nobody documented.
• A vehicle that needs attention—but nobody remembers when it was last serviced.

In this episode of Systems with Sonja, I take you behind the scenes of one of the systems I use in my other business, The Cleaning Authority, to manage our business vehicles.

I share how a fleet management system helps us keep track of vehicles, maintenance, and routine issues so we're not relying on someone's memory or waiting until a small problem becomes an expensive one.

Why business vehicles need a system—not just a maintenance reminder

• What to track when you have multiple business vehicles
• How fleet management can help you stay ahead of routine maintenance
• Why documenting vehicle issues matters
• The difference between having technology and actually having a system
• How the same systems thinking can be applied to other areas of your business

The goal isn't for you to become an expert on vehicles.

The goal is to build a system that tells you what needs attention, who is responsible, and when it needs to happen.

That's what good business systems do.

And this is the same philosophy I use through BackOfficeCOO: helping business owners build the back-office systems that allow their businesses to operate with less dependence on the owner's memory.

Ask yourself: What are you still managing from memory?

That may be where your next system needs to start.

Systems with Sonja is for women business owners who want to build businesses that can grow without everything depending on them.

We talk about business systems, people, processes, operations, and growth—using real business experiences and practical systems you can actually apply.

Learn more: BackOfficeCOO.com

Join Women Who Scale: womenwhoscale.org

Subscribe for new System Tuesday episodes.

#SystemsWithSonja #SystemsTuesday #BusinessSystems #FleetManagement #SmallBusiness #BusinessOperations #BackOffice #BusinessGrowth #WomenEntrepreneurs

Think you have an employee problem? Before you hire another person, look at your system.

At the time, I thought I had an employee problem. Looking back, I had a systems problem.

I hadn't clearly documented how things should be done. I was relying on people to figure things out as they went. And I learned an important lesson: having technology isn't the same as having a system.

In this episode of Systems with Sonja, I share a real experience from my business and the questions I now ask before adding another person to solve a problem:

Can I eliminate it?
Can I automate it?
Can I standardize it?
And if I still need a person, who should own it?

We'll also talk about employee turnover, accountability, documentation, and why your people problems may sometimes point to a bigger issue in the way your business operates.

Because sometimes the employee isn't the problem.

The system is.

If you're a woman building a business and you're tired of solving the same problems over and over, this episode will give you a different way to look at what's happening inside your business.

Systems with Sonja is about building the people, processes, and systems that allow your business to grow without everything depending on you.

I'm Sonja Caison with BackOfficeCOO.

What should a business owner do when an employee is injured at work? Having an employee workplace injury system in place can help you respond quickly, document the incident, communicate with the right people, and manage what happens next.

In this episode of Systems with Sonja, Sonja Caison walks through four steps to think through an employee workplace injury: getting medical help, management response, documenting the incident, and handling medical information and modified duty.

You'll also learn why having a workers' compensation system before an injury happens can help your management team know what to do when something unexpected occurs.

📋 WORKERS' COMPENSATION SYSTEM STARTER KIT

Need help creating your own workplace injury process? Sonja created a customizable starter kit with forms you can adapt for your business, including:

• Employee incident report
• Witness documentation
• Management response checklist
• Medical & insurance contact log
• Work restrictions/modified duty form
• Follow-up tracker

Get the Workers' Compensation System Starter Kit:
https://payhip.com/SystemswithSonja

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This episode and accompanying materials are for general educational and informational purposes only. They are not legal, medical, insurance, or HR advice. Workers' compensation requirements vary by state and circumstance. Review your procedures and forms with your attorney, insurance professional, workers' compensation carrier, and/or other appropriate professional before implementing them.

Systems with Sonja shares practical business systems that help business owners build companies that don't depend on them for every decision.

Join us at Women Who Scale, held on the third Tuesday of every month, to learn practical business systems, share experiences, and work on your business.

https://womenwhoscale.org

Subscribe for new System Tuesday episodes.

In this episode of Systems with Sonja, I sit down with Marcia Sheehan, Solopreneur CEO Strategist, to talk about the systems she uses to grow her business without making the business depend entirely on her.

We talk about:

• Turning networking conversations into clients

• Automating follow-up and consultations

• Using newsletters and social media to stay connected

• Turning one piece of content into multiple marketing opportunities

• Using AI without losing your personal voice

• Tracking your time to understand profitability

• Knowing what to delegate — and what isn't worth doing

And Marcia shares the one system she believes entrepreneurs should put in place first if they want to build a business that doesn't depend entirely on them.This isn't about being more organized. It's about building a business that can support the growth you're creating.

Resources Mentioned

• Marcia Sheehan / Solopreneur CEO

• The Solopreneur CEO Podcast: https://solopreneurceo.com/podcast

• TidyCal: http://tidycal.com/marciasheehan

• Descript:descript.cello.so/djM1ZRMO3pv

Disclosure: We may earn a commission from some of the products and services mentioned in this episode, including Descript and TidyCal, when you purchase through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you.

Connect With Marcia

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marciadsheehan/

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcia-sheehan/

• Website: http://marciasheehan.com/About

Systems with Sonja explores the people, processes, and systems behind successful businesses — and the practical decisions entrepreneurs make as they grow.Because getting more customers is only part of the equation.The real question is: Can your business support the growth you're creating? Take the Owner Dependency Audit and find out where your business still depends on you.

The If I Couldn't Work Tomorrow Owner Dependency Audit Workbook walks you through the questions every business owner should ask about customers, employees, decisions, information, training, and critical processes.

Get the workbook