Fix the friction. Keep growing.
For consultants and agency owners facing big decisions about their next 18 months.
I help you choose the right bets, design the team to deliver & remove the bottlenecks in your way.
- Make the right calls on what to grow, cut and fix next
- Align your team and roles to where the business is headed
- Protect client trust while you make big changes
- Remove the bottlenecks slowing growth and delivery
I bring whole-business fixes that last — blending leadership, ops & AI so the inside of your business matches the outside success — and you can keep saying yes to the work you want.
Fix the friction. Keep growing.
For consultants and agency owners facing big decisions about their next 18 months.
I help you choose the right bets, design the team to deliver & remove the bottlenecks in your way.
- Make the right calls on what to grow, cut and fix next
- Align your team and roles to where the business is headed
- Protect client trust while you make big changes
- Remove the bottlenecks slowing growth and delivery
I bring whole-business fixes that last, blending leadership, ops & AI so the inside of your business matches the outside success
& you can keep saying yes to the work you want.
Fresh Ways to Think About What's Next
The turning points in business rarely announce themselves. They show up as a decision you can’t put off, an opportunity you don’t want to miss, a question you can’t stop asking. Slow down enough to look closely, and you’ll see the shape of what’s next.
Here are a couple of resources to help you meet the moment:
🏃🏼♂️➡️ FOCUSED, FACILITATED SPRINTS
The Edits:
Fix the Friction
Growth gets a lot easier once the friction is gone. This is a concentrated push to solve the problem that’s been eating your time, money or energy.
Fix the thing that is slowing you down.
🛶 READ THE ESSAY
Upstream Leadership:
How to Make AI Work
AI doesn’t require you to get better at tools. It requires you to get better at leadership. This guide shows you how to shift from owner-as-bottleneck to leader of a business that’s clearer, more equitable — and finally scalable.
Most AI content is about prompts and tools.
This one’s about the real work: shifting the way you lead.
Fresh Ways to Think About What's Next
The turning points in business rarely announce themselves.
They show up as a decision you can’t put off, an opportunity you don’t want to miss, a question you can’t stop asking.
Slow down enough to look closely, and you’ll see the shape of what’s next.
Here are a couple of resources to help you meet the moment:
🏃🏼♂️➡️ FOCUSED, FACILITATED SPRINTS
The Edits:
Fix the Friction
Growth gets a lot easier once the friction is gone. This is a concentrated push to solve the problem that’s been eating your time, money or energy.
Fix the thing that is slowing you down.
🛶 READ THE ESSAY
Upstream Leadership:
How to Make AI Work
AI doesn’t require you to get better at tools. It requires you to get better at leadership. This guide shows you how to shift from owner-as-bottleneck to leader of a business that’s clearer, more equitable — and finally scalable.
Most AI content is about prompts and tools.
This one’s about the real work: shifting the way you lead.
A Bit About Me…
I’m Karen Sergeant. I’m a born optimizer. I’ve rarely met a system I haven’t wanted to deconstruct and rebuild.
This makes me annoying at build-your-own-taco nights (!) but it makes me a valuable partner for founders who are navigating the messy middle of growth and AI adoption.
Over the past decade, I’ve led and managed businesses from 6 to deep 7 figures. I’ve seen what breaks at each stage — and I’ve solved those breakdowns over and over, especially when growth starts to outpace the systems underneath it.
Now, as AI adoption accelerates, I help leadership teams integrate AI responsibly, without sacrificing client trust or team clarity. The tools are evolving fast — but the real challenge is how we delegate, review, and lead in an AI-native business.
🔐 I have a knack for picking the lock on tough operational issues. I’d rather prevent fires than fight them — so I focus on spotting hidden fragilities before they turn into real problems.
🚏I think in systems. I see upstream sources and downstream consequences. This means I solve the problem — not just the noisy one — and I don’t create new messes in the process.
🤹🏼 I keep teams on track. Protecting priorities is the hidden work of leadership, especially when AI is added to the mix. I bring evidence-based tools that help you lead with clarity, not just react faster.
Yes, growth comes with growing pains — but the ceiling shouldn’t be internal. Not your team, not your ops, not your habits.
I can help you simplify team management, develop responsible AI practices, and reclaim the focused, high-trust business you set out to build. Let's get started.
A Bit About Me…
I’m Karen Sergeant. I’m a born optimizer. I’ve rarely met a system I haven’t wanted to deconstruct and rebuild.
This makes me annoying at build-your-own-taco nights (!) but it makes me a valuable partner for founders who are navigating the messy middle of growth and AI adoption.
Over the past decade, I’ve led and managed businesses from 6 to deep 7 figures. I’ve seen what breaks at each stage — and I’ve solved those breakdowns over and over, especially when growth starts to outpace the systems underneath it.
Now, as AI adoption accelerates, I help leadership teams integrate AI responsibly, without sacrificing client trust or team clarity. The tools are evolving fast — but the real challenge is how we delegate, review, and lead in an AI-native business.
🔐 I have a knack for picking the lock on tough operational issues. I’d rather prevent fires than fight them — so I focus on spotting hidden fragilities before they turn into real problems.
🚏I think in systems. I see upstream sources and downstream consequences. This means I solve the problem — not just the noisy one — and I don’t create new messes in the process.
🤹🏼 I keep teams on track. Protecting priorities is the hidden work of leadership, especially when AI is added to the mix. I bring evidence-based tools that help you lead with clarity, not just react faster.
Yes, growth comes with growing pains — but the ceiling shouldn’t be internal. Not your team, not your ops, not your habits.
I can help you simplify team management, develop responsible AI practices, and reclaim the focused, high-trust business you set out to build. Let's get started.
"Karen has made such a difference at our company from the day she walked in.
We had ambitious growth goals, but weren't seeing traction on them — and internally, we didn't have consensus on what the problem was. Karen came in, assessed where we were — and offered both a strategy and new tactics for moving forward. We began quarterly planning sessions and a new meeting cadence, we focused on a handful of metrics that mattered most for our business, and we re-scoped the leadership team positions and found our dream candidate for each.
Now, the business is firing on all cylinders, we just passed an important milestone, and — best of all — I feel so invigorated by our vision and mission once again!
It's like I have the dream team that really understands my vision and what I need, and Karen was such a huge part of making it happen. I'm so grateful for her wisdom, for her kindness, for her good sense of humor, and for sticking by my side during this really challenging time. I could not have done it without her and I'm just so grateful! "
Kelly Notaras
Founder, CEO / KN Literary Arts
"Karen has made such a difference at our company from the day she walked in.
We had ambitious growth goals, but weren't seeing traction on them — and internally, we didn't have consensus on what the problem was. Karen came in, assessed where we were — and offered both a strategy and new tactics for moving forward. We began quarterly planning sessions and a new meeting cadence, we focused on a handful of metrics that mattered most for our business, and we re-scoped the leadership team positions and found our dream candidate for each.
Now, the business is firing on all cylinders, we just passed an important milestone, and — best of all — I feel so invigorated by our vision and mission once again!
It's like I have the dream team that really understands my vision and what I need, and Karen was such a huge part of making it happen. I'm so grateful for her wisdom, for her kindness, for her good sense of humor, and for sticking by my side during this really challenging time. I could not have done it without her and I'm just so grateful! "
Kelly Notaras
Founder, CEO / KN Literary Arts
Business Operations Strategy & Helping Owners Ignite Their AI Era
I help solos and small teams adopt AI and transform the way they deliver results. I build systems that scale your ingenuity and your impact. You’re in the right place if you want to explore AI in a way that protects your team, your clients — and what already works.
On this Site, We Explore:
• Responsible, ethical AI practices
• Equity-centered business practices
• Scaling your impact with AI — without breaking what works
Human in the Loop: Lead Where AI Can Follow
Most AI content is about prompts and tools. This one’s about the real work: shifting the way you lead.
Start Here:
• Upstream Leadership: The Mindset Shift That Makes AI Work for Small Teams (Read Here)
• How Pressure to Adopt AI is Really an Invitation to Rebuild Your Team (Read Here)
• 6 Ways Your Business Treats You Like the Only Adult in the Room (and Why AI Makes it Worse) (Read Here)
• 9 Leadership Habits That Can't Survive the AI Era (Read Here)
© 2025 KAREN SERGEANT • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED