How this Email Marketing Consultant dramatically reduced her pitching and onboarding time while still taking August off

Name:  Hannah Spicer Consulting

Industry: Email Marketing Consultant

Service Provided: Summit (Full Dubsado & ClickUp Build + coded Dubsado forms) + ongoing support via Summit Support to manage both systems

The Challenge: “I wanted to grow the business but I didn't want to hire someone on my payroll.”

Hannah Spicer had grown her email marketing business to six figures. She was working with luxury ecommerce brands, delivering high-touch, high-performing Klaviyo builds. 

On the outside, everything looked seamless. 

But something had to change because she was doing everything manually: 

• Creating new pitch decks for every project from scratch

• Following up with leads via memory and sticky notes

• Answering every enquiry herself without pre-qualification

• Managing all client communication through Gmail and Trello

• And constantly second-guessing what had or hadn’t been done.

“I was spending more time doing admin than actual strategy.”

The turning point: “I thought I’d have to hire someone full-time to get what I needed.”

In 2023, Hannah’s coach, Ceels Lockley, encouraged her to map her time and rethink how she worked.

That exercise made it clear: Hannah didn’t need to hire a full-time team member—she needed scalable systems. Systems that didn’t just support the way she worked, but reflected it.

Enter Harriet: a systems strategist who specialises in building custom systems and Dubsado CRMs for service providers.

After an initial call, Hannah felt confident in Harriet’s calm presence, experience, and luxury events background—perfect for Hannah’s own high-end clientele.

“She just made me feel very confident in her ability and that she would be easy to work with.”

The Process: “I wasn't using my time effectively. There wasn't a clear sales or onboarding process for my clients.”

Harriet came in to build custom Dubsado and ClickUp systems — designed to mirror Hannah’s brain and remove her from every manual input.

But first, they had to untangle years of mental processes.

“I didn’t have SOPs.

I think what was daunting was when she said, ‘We need to go through your whole sales process and turn it into something on Dubsado.’ I was like, oh my god, I don’t even know what my sales process is. That sounds like a lot of work.”

Instead of handing her a giant to-do list, Harriet asked questions. Listened. Translated Hannah’s brain into systems:

“She was just asking me questions and taking it and transforming it. The whole setup felt very easy for me — straightforward, logical, bespoke to my business.”

Together, they tackled the entire backend of Hannah’s business, translating her years of mental workflows into a streamlined tech stack built to grow with her, using:

• Dubsado for lead capture, proposals, contracts, onboarding, and automated client comms

• ClickUp for project and team management

• Custom SOPs that made running the business and hiring freelancers so much easier.

• A new enquiry form that pre-qualified leads and saved hours of time

All built to support a high-touch, high-end experience that matched Hannah’s luxury clientele.

And it didn’t stop at setup. Harriet suggested improvements to the workflow that would help improve the overall client experience, right from onboarding all the way to offboarding.

“She was sitting and making proactive suggestions. Like, ‘Let’s send this email at this point,’ or, ‘Let’s update your client at that point.’ Even though I wasn’t doing that before.”

Still, the idea of handing over control, even to an automated system, came with hesitation. Especially because Hannah had run everything on her own for nearly 4 years prior. 

“At first I didn’t even trust Dubsado I was like, ‘Did that email really go?’ But once I started seeing how things worked, it completely changed the way I work. I don’t even think about it now. It just works.”

But over time, she began to rely on—and love—the tools.

“Not only is it automated, it’s actually better.”

The results: “I’ve probably halved the time for onboarding and pitching.”

With the right systems in place, Hannah finally had the time — and trust — to grow her business her way.

1. Cut the pitching time in half

Thanks to smarter enquiry forms and a templated (but still personal) process, Hannah now avoids calls that aren’t the right fit — and spends less time crafting each proposal.

2. Onboarding happens in record time — with zero oversight

Everything from contract to kickoff happens automatically or with minimal approval. No more inbox juggling.

3. More revenue, less admin — by delegating to freelancers with confidence

“I’ve been able to grow the team of people I’m working with, which has left me able to focus on business development…
This way, I’ve been able to pass on income to other women, which always feels good.”

Her business now runs with a team of six — and onboarding each new hire is easy, thanks to her documented, repeatable systems.

“It’s been easier to bring in new team members and get them up to speed. Everything’s structured.”

4. Confidently takes time off (including all of August) 

Something that was important to Hannah was being able to take August off without stressing about her business. And because so much of her admin now runs on autopilot, she doesn’t have to worry about her business even when she’s on holiday.

The biggest shift for an email consultant like Hannah has been the peace of mind — because her system runs on autopilot even when she’s not working. And that is immeasurable.

“It’s completely changed the way I work that I don’t even have to think about it. It’s allowed me to focus on things I really enjoy doing and where my strengths are rather than wasting my time where it doesn’t need to spent. 

The time saved is measurable. But what’s even more immeasurable is the emotional support. 

Whether it’s a one-off project or an ongoing basis, Harriet can be an asset to anyone who's looking to get some support in terms of their processes and systems. She’s smart, logical, and understands my business and priorities.”

Continued Partnership

Hannah and Harriet have now worked together for more than two years. 

As Hannah’s business has grown, so has her trust in the systems — and the person behind them. 

And those Augusts off? Still happening. Still stress-free.

This case study was built on a conversation with this specific client, going through our work together.
Anything in quotes is a near-word-for-word statement said by the client on a recorded call or in a testimonial.

Let’s make taking time off the second-easiest part of your business.

The easiest? A system that works for you, like Hannah’s.

If you're looking for a Dubsado and Clickup expert who knows how to build you an exceptional CRM that works on autopilot, let's talk. 

On this call, we’ll discuss if my services are a good fit and explore how we can achieve similar results for your business.