The Second Time Around
Why I built Praxis Hub—and why I understand your world better than most consultants ever will
Hi, I'm Maria Mor, the founder of Praxis Hub™ and creator of The Praxis Method™.
The second time around, I wasn't afraid of failure. I was afraid of wasting the lessons from the first one.
The First Business
Twenty years ago, I started an import business in New York—K&M Home Fashions. We worked with major retailers like Stein Mart, TJX Group, and Tuesday Morning. For five years, we grew.
Then everything collapsed.
A partnership dissolved. The 2008 crash hit retail hard. A health crisis knocked me sideways. My husband lost his job. We were both financially dependent on a struggling business—and it nearly destroyed our marriage.
I closed K&M with debt, damaged credit, and a hard truth: businesses don't fail in isolation. They take families down with them.
The Education Response
I could have walked away from business forever. Instead, I spent the next 25 years systematically building every skill I didn't have the first time:
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Bachelor's degree in Accounting (to understand the financial language of business)
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MBA (to think strategically, not just reactively)
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PMP certification (to manage projects with rigor)
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Certified Fraud Examiner (to spot where processes break—and why)
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MIT training in AI and no-code tools (to prepare for what's coming)
Every certification was a piece of armor I didn't have when K&M fell apart.
The Berkshire Hathaway Bridge
For the past decade, I've led finance transformation inside one of Berkshire Hathaway's flagship companies—Duracell. I've worked across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, and Asia, fixing broken processes and leading global transformations.
I learned what world-class systems look like when built at Berkshire Hathaway's standards.
But here's what I also learned: those systems don't need to cost $50K or take six months to implement.
Why Small Businesses Were Left Behind
The more I worked behind corporate curtains, the clearer it became: small businesses were being priced out of transformational tools.
Complex systems. Expensive software. Inflated consulting fees. The same clarity, structure, and strategic thinking I used in boardrooms was completely inaccessible to the business owners who needed it most.
The ones wearing 10 hats.
The ones juggling spreadsheets.
The ones who don't have time (or budget) to waste.
Why Praxis Hub Exists
So I built Praxis Hub™ to give small business owners what I didn't have the first time:
✓ Clear processes (not chaos)
✓ Affordable expertise (not enterprise prices)
✓ Systematic thinking (not quick fixes)
✓ Disciplined systems (not memory-based guesswork)
I'm not a tech person. I'm a finance and systems expert who spent two decades fixing broken processes across businesses of all sizes—from Fortune 500 corporations to 5-person teams.
I know what overwhelm feels like. I know what failure costs. And I know what it takes to build something sustainable the second time around.
The Personal Philosophy
Here's something I've learned that guides everything I do:
"Fear is a signal to document something. The more I feared losing control, the more I realized I hadn't systemized it yet."
That's the foundation of The Praxis Method™. Fix the process first. Document what works. Then—and only then—add tools to amplify what's already working.
From Berkshire Hathaway Precision to Small-Business Simplicity
That's the bridge I help you cross.
You don't need a Fortune 500 budget to get Fortune 500 clarity. You just need someone who's walked both sides—and knows how to translate boardroom thinking into everyday business realities.
Meet Your Guide to Simpler Business Operations
Why you can trust this approach:
I bring a practical, proven approach backed by real-world experience across industries, company sizes, and global markets:
Cross-industry expertise: I've fixed processes in manufacturing, consumer goods, industrial systems, technology companies, fashion, legal services, non-profit healthcare, hospitality, and timeshare operations. Whether you're a 5-person service business or a 50-person manufacturer, I've seen the same challenges play out—and I know how solutions need to adapt to your reality.
Multi-scale experience: I've worked in small businesses (5-50 employees) and global Fortune 500 companies (Duracell/Berkshire Hathaway, Tyco, Johnson Controls). Unlike corporate consultants who only know big-company solutions, I understand Fortune 500 rigor AND small business constraints.
Global perspective: I've led transformations across the U.S. and Latin America, with guidance to teams in Europe and Asia. I've worked with diverse teams, different cultures, and varying operational realities—which means I quickly spot what works (and what doesn't) regardless of your industry or location.
Formal training that matters: MBA, PMP certification, MIT training in AI and no-code tools, Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. But honestly? What matters most is that I understand your world—and I know how to make big-company solutions work for small-company realities.
The combination matters: I can quickly spot what works (and what doesn't) because I've seen the same challenges play out across different contexts, industries, and cultures. I don't bring cookie-cutter frameworks. I bring systematic thinking that adapts to your specific reality.
Unlike most consultants, I've lived both sides of the small business story:
The chaos of running one (K&M).
The failure of losing one.
The discipline of fixing them (Berkshire Hathaway).
That's why Praxis Hub exists. To help you build what lasts—without repeating my mistakes.
S - Streamline
Make Work Flow
Remove duplicate steps, messy handoffs, and re-entry so tasks move faster.
I - Identify
Fix The Real Problem. Find the Bottlenecks
Quick workflow audit to spot bottlenecks and surface the easiest wins first.
M - Measure
Track Your Gains
Simple metrics—time saved, errors reduced, cycle time—so progress is visible.
P - Prioritize
Focus on High-Impact Wins
Low-effort, high-impact changes before anything else; no overwhelm.
L - Leverage
Adapt the Right Tools
Add no-code AI/automation only where it helps; keep your existing systems when possible.
E - Empower People
Make Changes Stick.
Train the team, document the new way, and support adoption so results last.
The SIMPLE Framework™: Six Steps to Fix Broken Business Processes
A proven methodology inside The Praxis Method™, designed to help small and medium-sized businesses organize operations, eliminate bottlenecks, and prepare for scalable growth—without adding unnecessary headcount or complexity.
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You don’t need to master every new tool.
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You just need a method that shows you what works, why it matters, and how to move forward.
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Learning AI—like running your business—should be SIMPLE: doable, repeatable, and powerful.
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With SIMPLE, you’ll see results you can measure—and replicate.