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Your Weekly Guide to Running a More Efficient Business.
WEEKLY EDITION • PRACTICAL INSIGHTS FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
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Operations & Overhead
Operations & overhead are where profits leak—through manual work, rework, and unused tools. This category helps small business owners streamline business operations, reduce overhead, and improve operational efficiency with simple process fixes and right-sized automation that frees time and cuts costs.


Small Business Employee Burnout: The Hidden Process Problem
Your best employee hasn't taken a real vacation in over a year. They say they're fine. But you've noticed the shorter fuse, the slower output, the mistakes that never used to happen. They're burning out. A recent Business Journals report , citing research from Careerminds, found that three out of four American workers experience burnout at least sometimes. One in four experience it frequently. But here's what caught my attention: nearly a quarter of workers avoid taking PTO

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
2 days ago5 min read


AI Initiative Fatigue: Your Team Wants AI, They Just Don't Want Another Initiative
You announced the AI rollout. Budget approved. Vendor selected. Kickoff scheduled. Your team nodded politely during the meeting. Then went back to their desks and kept working exactly the way they always have. This isn't resistance to AI. Harvard Business Review reports that employee willingness to support organizational change collapsed from 74% in 2016 to just 43% in 2022, according to Gartner research. At the same time, the average employee experienced 10 planned enterpri

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
6 days ago7 min read


AI Feels Like Extra Work: Why Relief Never Comes
You bought the tool. Leadership approved the budget. The vendor promised efficiency gains. Three months later, your team is busier than ever, and the AI sits half-used while everyone scrambles to keep up. Research from CEPR reveals workers in AI-exposed occupations now work an additional 2.2 hours per week compared to those in less AI-intensive roles. The technology meant to lighten workloads is doing the opposite. This isn't a technology problem. It's a design problem. And

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 186 min read


Structured Hiring Process: Why Informal Interviews Are Your Biggest Legal Risk
Your hiring manager just asked a candidate, "So, do you have kids?" It felt like small talk. It was actually a liability. According to a Huntr 2025 Annual Job Search Trends Report , roughly one-third of job seekers reported being asked illegal or generally prohibited questions during interviews in 2025. Questions about age, marital status, family plans, health conditions. Not in some back-alley operation. In real businesses with real revenue and real reputations on the line.

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 175 min read


Peak Season Operations: Why South Florida's Tourism Boom Rewards Prepared Businesses
South Florida tourism just posted record numbers. A brand-new travel expo is headed to the region. Visitor demand for early 2026 is already up. And somewhere in Palm Beach County, a restaurant owner is about to have the busiest weekend of the year with the same three-ring-binder training manual from 2019. The opportunity is real. Discover The Palm Beaches reported 10.6 million visitors during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, generating $11.3 billion in economic impact and supporti

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 156 min read


Small Business Hiring Slowdown: What Palm Beach County Needs to Know Now
You thought January would bring a fresh start. Budget approved. Roles open. Plans ready. Instead, you're staring at the same empty positions from December. And according to the ADP National Employment Report , you're not alone. Private employers added just 22,000 jobs in January 2026, down from an already weak 37,000 in December. The labor market that stumbled through 2025 carried that weakness straight into the new year. For Palm Beach County businesses navigating Wall Stree

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 128 min read


Palm Beach County Businesses: Fix These 5 Gaps Before Adopting AI
Palm Beach County businesses face a unique challenge with AI adoption. Table of Contents Gap 1: Processes That Change With the Season Gap 2: Ownership That Shifts When Volume Changes Gap 3: Data That Reflects Last Year’s Reality Gap 4: Follow Up Systems That Collapse Under Pressure Gap 5: Work Visibility That Disappears in the Rush Why Businesses Need Extra Attention Here Why Outside Perspective Helps The Real Cost for Seasonal Businesses Frequently Asked Questions The season

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 119 min read


Protecting Your Business From Tax Season Risk Starts With Process
Every tax season, we see the same pattern repeat. Not because business owners are careless but because sensitive information flows through too many hands, systems, and inboxes without clear controls. Table of Contents Where Tax Season Risk Actually Comes From News-Themed Scams Exploit Process Gaps AI Powered Scams Require Process Discipline What My CFE Training Taught Me About Process Gaps What Weak Processes Actually Look Like Why Outside Perspective Helps Important Disclaim

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 106 min read


AI Readiness: The 5 Operational Gaps You Must Fix First
Most AI failures don't happen because the technology is bad. They happen because the business wasn't ready for it. Table of Contents Gap Number 1: No Documented Processes Gap Number 2: No Clear Ownership Gap Number 3: No Consistent Data Gap Number 4: No Structured Follow Up Gap Number 5: No Visibility of Work Why Outside Perspective Helps The Real Cost of Skipping This Work Frequently Asked Questions According to MIT research published in Fortune, about 95% of enterprise AI p

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 68 min read


Why Simple Businesses are Built, Not Found
You won't stumble into operational simplicity. Every business starts with good intentions. Clean processes. Clear ownership. Simple systems. Then reality hits. You add a workaround here. A manual step there. A temporary fix that becomes permanent. Before long, you're running a complex operation that nobody fully understands—not even you. Here's what I've observed across different industries: Complexity accumulates naturally. Simplicity requires architecture. The companies tha

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 56 min read


Palm Beach County's Tech Boom Isn't Just for Tech Companies
D-Wave Quantum just announced it's moving its headquarters to Boca Raton, reports Brian Bandell of the South Florida Business Journal . Twenty-six thousand square feet of research and development space. One hundred new jobs. A $20 million quantum computer going to FAU. This is major news for Palm Beach County's tech ecosystem. But here's what most business owners miss: When major tech companies move into your market, it doesn't just affect tech businesses. It affects everyone

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 46 min read


The Easy Button Is a Myth: Why Quick Fix Business Processes Fail
You're drowning in inefficiency. A consultant pitches a software platform. A vendor promises their tool will "transform everything." Your team suggests automating the most broken workflow. You think: "Finally—a quick fix." But here's what I've noticed in 25 years across different industries: Quick fix business processes don't actually fix anything. They just make broken systems run faster. Why Quick Fix Business Processes Keep Failing The appeal is obvious. One purchase. One

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 35 min read


The "Lack of Skilled Employees" Problem That Isn't About Employees
You hire someone with solid experience. They interview well. Their resume checks out. References confirm they're competent. Three months in, they're missing deadlines. Making preventable mistakes. Asking questions they should know the answer to by now. You think: "I have a lack of skilled employees problem." But here's what I've noticed in 25 years across different industries—when good people consistently underperform, the problem usually isn't the people. What "Lack of Skill

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Feb 25 min read


Automating Broken Processes Is the Fastest Way to Waste AI Spend
Your business bought an AI tool. The team started using it. Work is moving faster. But somehow, nothing actually improved. Decisions are still unclear. Errors still happen. You're still in the weeds answering the same questions. The business feels just as reactive as before—only now it's reacting faster. This isn't an AI problem. It's a process problem. And automating broken processes doesn't create efficiency—it amplifies dysfunction at machine speed. What Happens When You A

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Jan 306 min read


Business Complexity Costs: Why Complexity Is Expensive—Until It's Organized
Your business is more complicated than it was five years ago. More products. More systems. More vendors. More processes. More tools. More people. More handoffs. More exceptions. And somehow, even though revenue has grown, profit margins feel tighter. Operations feel harder. Everything takes longer. Costs keep climbing—but you can't point to exactly where the money is going. This is the hidden reality of business complexity costs: they don't grow in a straight line. They multi

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Jan 296 min read


Florida Small Business Funding 2026: Billions Available, But Most Businesses Aren't Ready
Florida businesses are cash-strapped. Owners are struggling with cash flow, delaying equipment purchases, and turning down growth opportunities because capital isn't available. Meanwhile, $3 billion in small business funding has been distributed through a federal program most business owners have never heard of—and the application deadline is approaching fast. Wondering if your operations are solid enough to attract funding? Get the System Leak Audit —it identifies the operat

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Jan 286 min read


Everyone's Busy, But Nothing Moves Forward: Why Busy Not Productive Small Business Operations Kill Growth
Your team is working harder than ever. Everyone's putting in long hours. Emails fly. Meetings happen. Tasks get assigned. But somehow, nothing actually gets finished. Feeling stuck despite all the activity? Get the System Leak Audit —it identifies where work is getting trapped in your operations. This is the pattern of busy not productive small business operations: endless motion without meaningful progress. And it's exhausting. You're not imagining it. Your business really i

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Jan 276 min read


Florida Small Business Losing Money: The Invisible Process Gaps Draining Your Profits
Most Florida small business owners think money disappears through obvious problems—theft, fraud, or bad hires. The real culprit? Invisible process gaps that drain thousands every month without showing up on any spreadsheet. Not sure where your business is bleeding money? Get the System Leak Audit —it identifies the 5 categories where businesses lose time, money, and customers every week. Here's what I've noticed working with businesses across Palm Beach County and beyond: The

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Jan 266 min read


One Algorithm Change Away From Losing Everything - Traffic Gap Audit
Get Your Free Traffic Gap Audit Checklist - Spot Dangerous Dependencies in 15 Minutes Last month, a story made the rounds in business forums that perfectly illustrates this risk. A landscaping company owner shared how Facebook suspended his advertising account without warning, and 90% of his leads disappeared overnight. Three years of growth built on a single platform - gone. He had plenty of customers who loved his work, but no other reliable way to reach new ones. This scen

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Dec 31, 20255 min read


Software Budget Audit: Reclaim 10-20% in 90 Minutes
Get Your Free 90-Minute Tool Audit Worksheet - Stop Paying for Apps You Don't Use If you're a small business owner, your software expenses probably look like a subscription treadmill - monthly charges that seemed necessary when you signed up, but now you're not sure what you're actually getting for your money. You keep paying because canceling feels complicated, but those small monthly fees add up to thousands of dollars annually. Forbes research reveals a startling reality:

Maria Mor, CFE, MBA, PMP
Dec 3, 20255 min read
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