How one designer reclaimed 30 hours a week
(without hiring a VA)

✨ Client Snapshot

Makena Delaney runs Makena Creative, a boutique design studio crafting custom brands and websites for small businesses ready to stand out with strategy and heart. She’s known for high-impact visuals, a personal touch – and systems that (finally) match the quality of her work.

😩 The Back-End Problem

Before Studio320 stepped in, Makena’s business ran on sticky notes, memory and sheer willpower.

She was doing everything manually – from writing contracts from scratch to creating client folders one click at a time. Even though she had tools like Honeybook in place, she wasn’t using them in a way that saved her time – or sanity.

“Every task felt like reinventing the wheel… and I was exhausted.”

She couldn’t delegate. She couldn’t take time off. She knew her systems were holding her back, but she didn’t know how to fix them – or what was even possible.

🔧 What We Did

We started with a fully custom Dubsado setup, designed around Makena’s unique client journey. Then we layered in ClickUp and Zapier, connecting her systems to run seamless behind the scenes.

Over time, that one project evolved into an ongoing retainer partnership. We’ve fine-tuned every touchpoint – from lead capture to offboarding – so her business runs like a dream.

⚙️ Dubsado handles client communication, proposals and contracts
📂 Google Drive folders + docs build themselves
✅ ClickUp keeps a 9-person team aligned and on track
🪄 Zapier quietly connects it all behind the scenes

🔁 The Transformation

Makena now runs a growing agency without needing a VA – because her systems carry the load.

“I’ve likely reclaimed 20-30 hours every single week.”

She hasn’t worked a weekend since working with us (by requirement anyway 😉). She doesn’t wonder what’s falling through the cracks. And she no longer carries the mental load of a hundred tiny to-dos.

The business feels scalable. Sustainable. Spacious.
And most importantly? She trusts it to run without her.

💡 Moment of Magic

“The day I stopped manually creating Google Drive folders – that’s when it hit me.”

As a designer, Makena used to build out 15+ folders by hand for every brand project. Now, it happens automatically – with templates and docs pre-loaded. That’s close to an hour of admin saved, per project, forever.

🙌🏼 In Her Words

“Honestly, I didn’t even know what was possible.
Beth brought the expertise and the vision – now I can’t imagine running my business without these systems in place.”

🪄 Ready for your own back-end upgrade? 🪄

Whether you’re running solo or leading a growing team, your systems should lighten your load, not add to it. If you’re tired of doing everything yourself (or managing everything manually)…

Let’s get your brain outta your back-end.

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