When Growth Comes Fast: What Onboarding 4 Clients at Once Taught Me About Systems, Mistakes, and Scaling
- Coralis Nieves Bravo
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
In mid-to-late November, my business shifted fast.
What started as slow momentum quickly turned into onboarding four clients almost all at once. On paper, this is freakingggg AMAZING! Plus, This is what I have been working toward for months.
But in real time?
It was intense, overwhelming, and deeply humbling.
In Today’s Behind the Desk, I share my mistakes I made with a client, and how it forced me to completely rethink the way I manage my time, my clients, and my business
The Week Everything Felt Like Too Much
The first week of December I had:
Just onboarded one client in the end of November
Started onboarding a new client that week
Was still trying to finalizing a contract with a third client
And was trying to settle a start date with a fourth client
At the same time, one of my newer clients required 24–72 hour turnaround times, which added a whole new layer of pressure.
On top of that, I was learning a lot…and FAST!
That week alone, I:
Learned how to create funnel (landing) pages
Built email sequences from scratch
Set up automations, triggers, and delays
Connected systems using HeyClients
All while trying to keep my existing clients happy and supported.
I thought I was organized.I quickly learned… I wasn’t organized enough for this level of growth.
The Mistake That Woke Me Up
In the middle of all this, I made a big mistake with one of my clients, my longest-standing client, who I had been supporting for about three months.
I forgot to add the audio to her weekly blog and scheduled it without the audio included!
And honestly? It crushed ME!!!!!!
I was still coming down from an emotionally intense week at the hospital with my mom, trying to show up strong for my clients, while my capacity was already stretched thin.
Something slipped and I did not deliver.
It wasn’t because I didn’t care.
It was because I am HUMAN.
That moment forced me to pause and reflect.
If I truly want to grow…
If I want to scale…
If I want to eventually build a team…
I cannot operate in CHOAS.
I’m incredibly grateful for my client’s empathy and feedback. We recalibrated, reorganized, updated the SOP, and put a new system in place so this mistake would never be missed again.
The Realization: Not All Clients Work the Same
Another huge lesson I learned during those first two weeks of December?
👉 Not all clients operate the same way.
Some are:
High-touch
Fast turnaround
Strategy-heavy
Others are:
Long-term
Flexible
Project-based
And slower momentum
Trying to treat every client the same was setting me up to FAIL!!!!!
So that weekend, I took time to myself, not to spiral, but to rebuild my systems intentionally.
Rebuilding My Business From the Inside Out
I already had tools in place:
ClickUp
Google Drive folders for each client
But they weren’t structured deeply enough.
So I:
Added every client into ClickUp
Broke down every task they asked of me
Assigned clear due dates
Created client-specific task lists and folder
Matched tasks to each client’s monthly hours and priorities
Thankfully, my Google Docs organization saved me from starting from zero, but I still needed to refine it.
Now, everything has a home.Nothing lives “in my head” anymore.
My New Weekly Flow (That Changed Everything)
Here’s what truly made the difference:
Before each week starts, I:
Review all tasks across clients
Revisit notes from client meetings
Prioritize based on urgency and scope
Then I do something that feels almost counterintuitive…
👉 I dedicate specific days to specific clients.
Of course, I still handle smaller tasks for other clients, but having a primary focus per day ensures:
Nothing gets missed
Checklists get completed
Work gets done thoroughly
If I finish priority tasks early, I move ahead on future ones.
Clients love this, and so do I.
Why I Treat Client Work Like a College Syllabus
This might sound funny, but I started thinking about my clients the way I used to think about college courses.
Each client has:
“Homework” (tasks)
Due Dates
A general roadmap of what needs to happen over weeks or months
Back in college, when I was working three jobs, I’d often dedicate one full day to finishing as much of a course as possible and sometimes even weeks ahead.
Why?
So life wouldn’t derail me later.
I’m applying the same logic now.
When I can, I complete work early, so:
Clients stay ahead
I stay calm
Strategy conversations become richer
Growth feels sustainable
The Unexpected Bonus: Time for My Own Business
The biggest surprise?
Once I created structure…I got my time back.
Not only am I:
Supporting my clients better
Delivering faster
Staying organized
I now also:
Dedicate a day to my own business
Work on my own systems, content, and growth
Feel grounded instead of reactive
I also hired my mom lol
That’s a win I didn’t expect so quickly. Plus, by hiring my mom, I am learning how to navigate a team and already putting SOP in place (thinking ahead for my own business).
Final Thoughts
Fast growth is a blessing, but only if your systems can support it.
If you’re:
Onboarding clients quickly
Feeling overwhelmed
Making mistakes despite “trying your best”
It’s not a failure.
It’s Recalabriation.
And with the right systems, reflection, and intention, growth doesn’t have to feel chaotic, it can feel expansive.
This shows that nothing is perfect when you start your business, and probably will never feel that way, but the important part is that you start! As your business grows, you grow with it, and you’ll know when change is needed.
Your Bilingual Virtual Assistant,
P.S.
I hope you had an amazing holiday! I am excited to go to Colorado Dec. 3oth to see my god daughter. I am hyping myself to be the Rich Auntie and spoiling her!!!!!
Plus, I have a secret.... I have never seen SNOW....
The funny thing is my last name is Nieves, which means "snow" in Spanish. I am nervous, but excited!
Your tropical girly will be in the cold. I hope I am not like Jasmine from "90 day Fiance" LOL!