Fit Call
A focused conversation about the problem, its impact, what you have tried, your timing, and realistic budget. We decide whether ABW’s approach is a fit before either of us invests more time.
Book a Fit Call
Operations + systems for small businesses and nonprofits
Practical systems that make your business or nonprofit easier to run.
ABW Solutions helps small businesses and nonprofits untangle manual work, disconnected tools, and knowledge that lives in one person’s head. We identify the operational problem creating the most friction, recommend a practical way forward, and help put the right system in place.
- Systems
- Technology
- Knowledge
- Automation
Does this sound familiar?
Does everything still run through you?
You may have good people and plenty of software, but the organization still depends on one person to remember how things work, answer routine questions, and keep every process moving.
01
Manual work
Jobs, appointments, registrations, or follow-up still rely on handwritten notes and repeated data entry.
02
Disconnected tools
Information is spread across inboxes, spreadsheets, messages, and apps that do not work together.
03
Owner dependence
Staff wait for the owner or director to answer routine questions and make everyday decisions.
04
Missing knowledge
Important processes and context live in one person’s head instead of somewhere the team can use.
These are not simply signs that you need more software. They are signs that the way the work is organized needs attention.
Start with the problem
Before we change a tool, we find what is really getting in the way.
A new platform will not solve an unclear process. A beautifully documented process will not help if the team cannot use it. ABW looks at the work itself: where information begins, who needs it, what decisions are made, and where the process slows down or breaks.
The goal is not to redesign the whole organization at once. It is to find the operational problem causing the most cost, delay, or frustration—and solve it in the right order.
The ABW path
A clearer path from operational pain to a working solution.
Better Way Assessment → Better Way Brief
Through interviews and a close look at the current workflow, ABW identifies the root cause and delivers prioritized recommendations, platform options, tradeoffs, cost considerations, and a practical order of action.
Explore the AssessmentSystems Intensive
Turn the agreed recommendation into a working system. We focus on one high-impact workflow, configure or build the right solution, test it in the real working environment, and prepare the team to use it.
Explore the Systems IntensiveWhen the main problem is knowledge trapped in one person’s head, a Business Brain built in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini may become part of the solution. Learn about Business Brain.
The Better Way Assessment
Find the real operational bottleneck before investing in another tool.
The interview-led assessment separates the visible symptoms from the underlying problem. The resulting Better Way Brief recommends a future-state workflow, practical platform options, relevant tradeoffs, and what to do first.
Explore the Better Way Assessment- Priority problem and root cause
- Current workflow and points of failure
- Recommended future-state workflow
- Platform options and tradeoffs
- Budget and capacity considerations
- Implementation sequence
- Dependencies and client responsibilities
- Quick wins and risks
Approved knowledge↓Business Brain↓Useful answers
When knowledge is the bottleneck
Give your team reliable answers without routing every question through you.
A Business Brain is an AI-assisted knowledge tool built in your chosen environment—ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini—using approved business information. It can help staff find routine answers, procedures, and context while keeping clear boundaries around what still requires human judgment.
For many clients, Business Brain will be one component of the system identified through the Better Way Assessment and implemented during a Systems Intensive.
Real operational problems
The right solution starts with the problem—not a favorite platform.
ABW balances functionality against cost, team capacity, existing tools, and long-term maintainability. Sometimes an established platform is the best answer. Sometimes a configured no-code system or a bespoke solution deserves consideration.
Crest Cleaning – Operations for Growth
Case Study: Crest Cleaning – Operations for Growth Client: Crest CleaningOwner: Lindsey The Challenge As Crest Cleaning grew, Lindsey found herself spending more and […]
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CB Custom Closets – Customer Engagement
Client: Robin YostCompany: CB Custom Closets The Challenge Robin’s business was growing. At the same time, she wanted to stay more connected with her […]
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Treasure Home Management – Building a Brand & Digital Presence
Client: Miguel MansillaCompany: Treasure Home ManagementWebsite: treasurehomemanagement.com The Challenge Miguel had been running a property management company for years, but the business wasn’t growing […]
Read the case studyWhy ABW
Practical recommendations, followed by hands-on implementation.
ABW does more than identify problems and hand over a report. The Better Way Brief explains what should change and why. If we move into implementation, the decisions already made during the assessment carry forward so we can begin building while the problem and its potential are still clear.
Focused
We solve the priority problem rather than promising to fix the whole organization in one engagement.
Practical
Recommendations reflect your budget, capacity, and actual working environment.
Independent
The solution is chosen because it fits the problem. ABW is not tied to one platform.
Hands-on
When the fit is right, ABW can configure, build, test, and introduce the system—not only recommend it.
Meet Leigh Paulsen
Practical systems thinking, grounded in how work actually gets done.
I’m Leigh Paulsen, founder of ABW Solutions. I help small-business owners and nonprofit leaders make sense of complicated operations, choose tools thoughtfully, and turn a recommendation into something their team can actually use.
My approach is curious, direct, and grounded in how the organization works today. I ask why a process exists, where it creates friction, and what a realistic improvement looks like before recommending another platform.
Based in Crested Butte, I work with organizations throughout the Gunnison Valley and remotely.
More About LeighFree starting point
Not sure where the bottleneck is?
The Owner Bottleneck Scorecard helps you see whether your organization is relying on you for knowledge, decisions, workflow, access, or data—and gives you a practical place to begin.
Upcoming workshop
Turn one repetitive task into a working solution.
ABW workshops guide small-business and nonprofit teams from a recurring frustration to a practical first solution.
New workshops are coming soon.
Join Better Way Notes to hear when the next practical session opens.
Get Workshop UpdatesCommon questions
Working with ABW Solutions
What does a business systems consultant do?
A business systems consultant looks at how information, decisions, and tasks move through an organization. ABW identifies the operational problem creating the most friction, recommends an appropriate process and platform, and can help implement the agreed solution.
Do you work with nonprofits as well as small businesses?
Yes. The setting may differ, but many underlying problems are similar: manual administration, disconnected tools, unclear workflows, and too much knowledge concentrated in one person.
Will you recommend specific software?
Yes. The Better Way Brief can include specific platform options, cost and functionality tradeoffs, and a recommended choice. Established software, configured no-code tools, and bespoke solutions may all be considered.
Do you only advise, or can you implement the solution?
ABW can do both. The Better Way Assessment defines the problem and recommendation. A Systems Intensive can then turn the agreed priority into a working system.
Can you work with organizations outside Colorado?
Yes. ABW is based in Crested Butte and works locally across the Gunnison Valley as well as remotely with small businesses and nonprofits elsewhere.
Where should I start?
Start with a Fit Call. We will discuss the operational problem, its impact, your timing and budget, and whether the Better Way Assessment is the right next step.
Better Way Notes
One practical idea for making work easier.
Occasional ideas about workflows, choosing tools, reducing bottlenecks, and using AI thoughtfully—only when there is something worth sharing.
Ready for a better way?
Start With a Fit CallLet’s find the problem worth solving first.
Tell me what feels harder than it should. We will use the Fit Call to decide whether ABW is the right fit and what a sensible next step would be.