Erica Hired Four People to Help, but Helping Them Became the Job.
The Business
Erica runs Corder Creative, a fast-growing communications and creative agency. She's built the clients, developed the expertise, and put together a team of contractors to help deliver the work.
When we first met, she was also weeks behind on proposals, running projects out of her inbox, and had no way to know if they could handle another client. Every new inquiry was a gut call, and her gut was a bit too optimistic.
She had contractors who were, in theory, there to share the load. But handing anything off meant explaining how it was done, and there were no standard answers. So every project started from scratch, and they only got started when Erica had time to set them up.
"I keep saying yes to new clients that I likely don't actually have time for, and then setting unreasonable timelines." — Erica
Where We Started
Before we built anything, we mapped how the agency ran: how work came in, where projects stalled, and everything still living in Erica's head that hadn't made it onto paper yet.
Then we built an org chart that connected roles to responsibilities. This gave Erica a view on what she wanted to spend time doing and where more work could be delegated.
The Little Team that Could
Every time Erica handed something to her team, questions came back, gaps needed filling, and nothing moved without her in the middle. What she needed was a structure where projects could truly be handed off. So we built one inside ClickUp.
Every project type got a template, so picking up new work didn't mean starting from a blank page. Tools were connected so when a new project started, documents were automatically created and linked. Just like that, Erica’s team got everything they needed to start work on every new project.
And, as an added bonus, clients got their own dashboard to track progress and submit requests, keeping all those "where are we on this?" emails out of Erica's inbox.
The Joy of Sending Proposals
"Proposals were the bane of Erica’s business existence. Each one started from scratch, took days to put together, and felt inconsistent when they did go out. Not surprisingly, they had started to pile up in her email drafts.
We built her a proposal process with templates she was proud to send. A client can now review it, sign it, and pay a deposit all in one place.
"The biggest win of our work together was improving my proposal process. It was a game-changer." — Erica
What used to take days, now takes minutes.
A Trusted Right-Hand Woman
Erica had a contractor she trusted and wanted to keep. Making her a full-time hire felt like the right move, but the role wasn't defined enough to feel confident about it.
Once we wrote the job description, and mapped out everything the role would encompass, the offer went out and she made the hire! 🎉
Corder Creative’s team had officially doubled in size. And this is just the beginning.
Erica Says Nice Things 💛
"Rachael is an absolute phenom. She will take your mess and turn it into systems, SOPs, and clear processes. She helped me think about my company with a systems mindset and then implemented that in ClickUp, automating wherever possible. And she did it all with her signature care for me as a founder. She just gets it.
The sooner you work with Rachael, the sooner you will streamline and organize your operation."
– Erica, Corder Creative LLC
