Stop wearing all the hats
Because “I’ll just do it myself” isn’t a growth strategy.
If you’re looking for a practical speaker with 35+ years of real-world operations experience, Susan Fennema delivers sessions that help small business owners reduce bottlenecks, stop firefighting, and build businesses that run without constant owner involvement.
Best for: small business conferences, associations, and industry events with a business-owner track
Meet Susan
Susan Fennema is the chaos eradicator business owners call when their company runs like a job instead of a business. With 30+ years in operations and project management, she helps leaders get out of the day-to-day by building systems that make dependency on the owner optional.
Her speaking style is practical and direct — no buzzwords, no fluff — and audiences walk away with tools they can use Monday morning to reduce owner dependency, protect their time, and strengthen team performance.
Susan is a frequent conference speaker, podcast guest, and co-author of Your Business Is Holding You Hostage and Efficiency Amplified: Driving Business Value.
Speaking Topics
Stop Wearing All the Hats
Most business owners are the bottleneck in their own company. This session breaks down why owner dependency happens and how to systematically reduce it without losing control. Susan walks through mindset shifts, practical process design, and delegation frameworks that allow the business to move forward without everything running through the owner.
Audience Takeaway: How to design systems your team will actually use.
From Chaos to Control: Building Systems Your Team Will Actually Use
Systems don’t fail because people hate process—they fail because they’re overcomplicated or ignored. This session shows how to build simple, usable systems that support accountability, scale, and team ownership without micromanagement.
Audience Takeaway: How to design systems your team will actually use.
Intentional Use of Time: Getting Out of Firefighting Mode (Breakout/Workshop Friendly)
Being busy isn’t the problem—constant interruption is. This talk shows leaders how their time gets hijacked, why everything feels urgent, and what to change so fewer issues land on their desk. The focus is on protecting high-value time and creating structure that supports better decisions.
Audience Takeaway: Concrete ways to stop firefighting and regain control of the workday.
