Case Study — Confidential Client

From Manual Everything
to a Connected Operations System

Full-stack build-out connecting HoneyBook, Google Sheets, Zapier, Make.com,
and the Google Maps API into a unified operations backbone for an independent beauty brand.

Before we started

When I came on, every single operational task was done by hand. The founder was the system — holding it all in her head, her inbox, and a tangle of spreadsheets that only she could decode. Crucially, there was no defined client journey at all. Leads came in and were handled differently every time, with no consistent process from first contact through to event day.

---

The client journey we built

A core deliverable was designing and implementing a seven-stage client pipeline in HoneyBook — the first structured customer journey this business had ever had. Each stage has defined triggers, automated actions, and clear handoff criteria so nothing gets lost and no client experiences an inconsistent process.

---

Tech stack

---

My role

I led both the strategic recommendations and the complete technical build-out. This included designing the seven-stage client pipeline from scratch, configuring HoneyBook with custom templates and automated triggers at each stage, building the Google Sheets contractor system, and wiring the two platforms together via Zapier and Make.com. The Google Maps API integration replaced manual location matching for contractor assignments at the event checklist stage.

---

What I built

• Seven-stage client pipeline — Designed and implemented the brand's first structured customer journey in HoneyBook, from initial onboarding through to event day, with defined triggers and automated handoffs at every stage.
• HoneyBook CRM configuration — Custom pipelines, intake questionnaires, proposal templates, contracts, retainer invoices, and escrow-style trial payment flows tailored to the brand's booking model.
• Google Sheets contractor system — A structured tracker covering onboarding status, agreed rates, project assignments, deliverables, and payout history — giving every contractor an auditable record for the first time.
• Zapier & Make.com automation layer — Multi-step automations connecting HoneyBook pipeline events to the Sheets tracker automatically, eliminating manual data entry across both systems.
• Google Maps API integration — Location-aware logic at the event checklist stage, replacing manual proximity lookups with automated contractor matching.
• SOPs and handoff documentation — Lightweight operating guides so the founder could maintain and extend the system independently after handoff.

---

Outcome

What had been a fully manual, process-free operation became a structured, largely automated one. Every client now moves through the same consistent journey — from first inquiry to event day — with automated touchpoints, payment milestones, and contractor assignments happening in the background. Payout disputes dropped to zero in the first billing cycle, manual data entry was eliminated, and the founder stopped spending her evenings reconciling records by hand. With real infrastructure in place for the first time, the business was ready to scale without scaling the chaos.