Helping Service Businesses Scale Without Borrowing or Burning Out.
I help small businesses eliminate the operational constraints holding back growth through strategic automation, process redesign, and hands-on implementation.
Services
I bring Fortune 500 operational rigor to growing businesses, without the corporate overhead or complexity.
Here's how we could work together:
Download the Owner's Quick Health Check: a simple guide to spot the workflow bottlenecks slowing your business down.
Five questions. Five minutes. Instant clarity on what's costing you time.
About Growth Unlocked Consulting
Helping Service Business Owners Scale Without Borrowing or Burning OutAt Growth Unlocked, I believe your business should work FOR you.Too many service business owners feel trapped. They are successful enough to have a team and customers, but not free enough to step away. Everything depends on them. Growth means more hours, more stress, more of the same chaos at a larger scale.I started Growth Unlocked Consulting because I saw a gap. Large companies have operations teams, documented processes, and systems that run without the CEO in every meeting. Small businesses don't. But they should.My mission is simple: bring the operational discipline that scales Fortune 500 companies to growing service businesses, in a way that's practical, affordable, and can easily be implemented.I build systems that give you your time back in order to grow your business.
Meet the Founder
Erin Bigelow
I spent 15 years scaling operations at Amazon and Yahoo, where I learned what it actually takes to make things run without everything depending on one person.
At Amazon Live, I led production operations for 146+ staff, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and increased content output by 350% while cutting costs by 27%, all without adding headcount. At Yahoo Studios, I expanded global operations by 400% and built the systems that let teams deliver consistently across 13 brands.
But here's what I noticed: the frameworks that work at Fortune 500 companies are exactly what small businesses need. They just need someone to translate them.
That's what I do now. I help service business owners, especially in health and wellness, build the documented processes, clear roles, and automated workflows that let them step out of daily operations and focus on growth.
I'm based in Cary, NC, where I balance building this practice with being present for my husband and two young kids. I understand what it means to want a business that supports your life, not one that consumes it.
Credentials:
- B.A., Electronic Media Production, Northern Arizona University
- Certificate, Transformational Nonprofit Leadership, University of Notre Dame
- Certificate, Organizational Leadership (Agile Management), Villanova University
- Edward R. Murrow Award (ABC News)
- Marquis Who's Who in America (2024)
- Certificate, Applied Agentic AI for Organizational Transformation, MIT (February, 2026)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What makes you different from other consultants?
A: Three things. First, I've built and run operations at scale, managing 140+ people and multimillion-dollar budgets at Amazon and Yahoo. I'm not teaching theory; I'm sharing what I've done. Second, I don't just hand you a strategy document and disappear. I help you implement. Third, I focus on service businesses specifically because I understand the realities of managing teams, serving customers, and dealing with the daily fires that come with that territory.
Q: Why do you focus on operations instead of marketing or sales?
A: Because operations is usually the bottleneck. I've seen business owners pour money into marketing, get more customers, and then watch their business buckle under the weight. Before you scale, you need systems that can handle scale. If the bottom of your funnel is broken, growth just means more chaos.
Q: Who do you typically work with?
A: I can work with anyone, but my ideal clients are service business owners doing $2M-$10M in revenue who feel like they've outgrown their current way of operating. Often they have a team of 5-20 people, they're working too many hours, and they know something needs to change but aren't sure where to start. I also work well with non-profits and product retailers.
Q: What if I'm not sure I need help yet?
A: Start with the Quick Health Check. It's a free five-question guide that helps you spot the workflow bottlenecks slowing your business down. If the answers reveal gaps you want to fix, we can talk. If not, you've lost nothing but five minutes.
Q: How do you charge?
A: It depends on what you need. Diagnostic assessments start at $2,750 and give you a clear picture of what's broken and what to fix first. Ongoing advisory retainers run $6,000-$15,000/month for businesses that want a fractional operations partner. Implementation projects are scoped based on complexity. Every engagement starts with a free discovery call so we can figure out if and how I can help.
Q: I'm worried about disrupting my business with changes.
A: That's exactly why we start with a diagnostic. I'm not going to recommend tearing everything down. The goal is to find the highest-impact changes that create the most relief with the least disruption. Usually that means fixing 2-3 key workflows, not overhauling everything at once.
What People Say About Working With Me:
Contact
Whether you have a question, want to explore working together, or just want to say hello, I'd love to hear from you!
If you're tired of being the bottleneck in your own business, let's talk.
A 30-minute discovery call costs you nothing and could change how you think about what's possible.
Follow Growth Unlocked on LinkedIn. I share daily frameworks, real-world lessons, and practical tips for service business owners. No fluff. Just what works.
Or DM me on LinkedIn or feel free to send a good ol' fashioned email!