Sound familiar?
Q2 is here. And if you're being honest with yourself, there are a few things you've been meaning to get to since January.
Your testimonial process. You have happy clients who would absolutely go on record for you — but you don't have a system for asking, so it just... doesn't happen.
Your networking follow-up. You've met good people. Some of them have quietly gone cold because the week got away from you.
Your referral ask. You know you should be doing it. You just haven't.
Your project profitability. You find out at closeout, when there's nothing left to do about it.
Your weekly rhythm. The week happens to you more than you happen to the week.
None of this is a character flaw. It's an operations gap. And it's exactly what this challenge is built for.
Every morning April 6–10, you'll get one email with one focused action. No lengthy worksheets. No all-day commitments. Just one practical move to spring clean a key area of your operations — and move into Q2 with a little more clarity and a lot less "I really need to get to that."
The 5-Day Spring Clean Your Business Challenge is a free, email-based challenge designed specifically for women leading AEC firms.
A testimonial request sent to a happy client - template included, no awkward wording required
You'll follow up with someone you've been meaning to reconnect with. One message. That's it.
You'll make a referral ask — and I'll give you the exact words to make it as easy as possible
A real-time profitability check on your most active project
You'll build a weekly rhythm that actually sticks. Your future Monday self will thank you.
@Ratiosolutionsgroupllc
meet your host
Your Operations Best friend
Catherine Shuman
I'm a fractional COO for women-led AEC firms, and I've spent years helping firm owners build the operational systems that make growth feel sustainable instead of chaotic.
I've worked inside enough AEC firms to know that the business development gaps most owners are sitting with — the inconsistent testimonial collection, the networking relationships that quietly go cold, the referral asks that never happen — aren't personal failures. They're systems problems. And systems problems have systems solutions.
This challenge is comprised of five of the most practical ones I know, compressed into one focused week.
I'll see you in your inbox on April 6th!
"Catherine doesn't just tell you what to fix — she hands you the system to fix it and makes sure you actually use it."
are we a good fit?
This is for you if...
You run a women-led architecture, engineering, interior design or construction firm
You're growing your business steadily but your operations haven't quite caught up with your growth
You have great clients and solid work — but the business development side feels inconsistent at best
You know what you need to do. You just haven't done it yet.
You're tired of putting out fires and ready to build some actual systems
"I came to Catherine feeling like I was constantly behind in my own business. I had the clients, I had the work — I just couldn't get out of the weeds long enough to build anything that would last. Within a few weeks of working together I had processes in place I'd been putting off for years, and for the first time I felt like I was actually running my firm instead of it running me. She has this rare ability to see exactly where the gaps are and close them in a way that actually fits how you work. I don't know what I was doing before Ratio."
Sarah,Architect
5-Day Spring Clean Your Business Challenge
APRIL 6-10, 2026
5-DAY Spring Clean Your BUsiness Challenge
Five days. Five systems. One focused week to clean up the operations gaps you've been carrying since January. It's completely free — here's what you'll walk away with:
One practical action per day — done in 15 minutes or less
A cleaned-up testimonial process, referral system, networking follow-up, profitability check, and weekly rhythm
The systems foundation your AEC firm needs to actually grow in Q2 (and beyond!)