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The Hidden Power of SOPs: How One Directory Boosted Efficiency and Cut Costs

Prepared by: Aveline Elfar & Co.

August 2025

The Client

Kelly found herself trying to scale two different types of businesses, juggling over 10 team members without clear processes or role definitions. The daily operations became a scramble to find information, execute on tasks, and take preventative measures vs. reacting to emergencies. One business, an e-commerce store, required developing processes  to fulfill orders and meet customer service requests in a timely manner. They also needed operational structure for their team to understand who was responsible for what.The other was an online certification course business that required an overhaul on their  client delivery experience and implementing a marketing system and subsequent processes. In both businesses, deadlines were not outlined, tasks were delayed, and valuable hours were wasted figuring out who should do what. 

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By creating a centralized knowledge base (think: a mini-google for their business) —complete with written instructions, video walkthroughs, and clear ownership for every task in both businesses—the business now had a centralized knowledge base that their team could access and update easily, and clarity around the roles and responsibilities.  

Challenges

Kelly struggled with significant operational inefficiencies within her two businesses:

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  • Unclear roles and responsibilities — No one knew exactly who owned each task.

  • Lack of process documentation — When someone took sick leave or a vacation, projects stalled.

  • Missed deadlines and dropped tasks — Projects missed deadlines and tasks frequently slipped through the cracks.

  • Wasted hours — Time was lost every week figuring out what needed to be done and what was priority.

  • CEO burnout - Kelly was exhausted, trying to juggle multiple different initiatives inside both businesses, but lacking clarity of what was getting completed and what wasn’t.

 

The lack of structure created stress, reduced productivity, and made it impossible to scale without risking burnout and affecting team morale. 

Solutions Implemented

To resolve these challenges, AE&Co took a structured, and collaborative approach to creating a centralized Process Database.

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  1. Task Analysis - Conducted a full review of recurring tasks for each team member.

  2. Video Documentation – Guided the team to create Loom tutorials for their responsibilities.

  3. Written Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Creation – Documented each process step-by-step in clear, actionable language.

  4. Centralized Systems Database – Organized all SOPs by department with assigned owners.

  5. Cross-Linked Resources – Combined written and video SOPs to accommodate different learning styles.

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This new structure ensured that any team member could step in and execute a process with confidence, even without prior experience with the task.

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Results & Outcomes

The results were both immediate and long-lasting:

 

  • CEO Workload - reduced her workload by 70%

  • Clear accountability — Every task had an assigned owner.

  • Faster onboarding — New contractors reached optimal productivity in days, not weeks.

  • Reduced bottlenecks — Work flowed smoothly, even during absences.

  • Consistency & quality — Deliverables met the same standard every time.

  • Time savings — Eliminated hours of confusion and back-and-forth communication.

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Beyond operational improvements, the business gained:

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  • Scalability without burnout — Systems allowed for growth without overloading the team.

  • Improved morale — Clear expectations reduced stress and improved collaboration.

  • Increased long-term business value — A documented, transferable operation made the business more attractive to buyers, investors, or partners.

Client Testimonial

“Working with you has been incredible. I love that you actually 'CARE* and I love that you listen... you're like a friend, a partner, integrator, and visionary all in one. I feel way more stress-free than I have in the past. You have a calming, grounded presence and that helps reel me in because my head can be up in the clouds wanting to do a million things. You have given me my time back (by far the best thing), pulled off successful stress-free (for me) launches, and built out our SOPs and testimonial database. I have more time. I stress wayyyy less. I am 'actually* traveling a lot this year (finally) - yay!! I work a few hours every day compared to my old self - at most 16H days. I feel like I can breathe... I don't have all of our team members reaching out to me anymore. I don't feel like I have to be on my computer/phone all the time. I can trust that you will get the important things done.. I trust that you care about my business as I do. I trust that you care about our team members, me, and our clients as I do. You've been a blessing to work with."

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- Kelly Callaghan

Ready to transform your business?

If you are ready to transform your business and achieve similar success, apply to work with AE&Co today to discover how we can help you implement tailored solutions that drive growth and efficiency and help you to scale quickly.

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