Ever wondered what happens when you throw a 17-year-old into the deep end of a $15 million business? Eryn Stannard’s journey to Systems Champion at Stannard Family Homes proves that sometimes the best learning happens through hands-on experience.
Left Alone After Just Three Weeks
When Eryn joined her family’s building business with dreams of interior design, she expected mentorship and gradual learning. Instead, she found herself completely alone after just three weeks when her supervisor unexpectedly departed.
“I asked a few too many questions too quickly and scared the architect and interior designer at the time away within the first two weeks,” she recalls. “So by week four, she had left and it was all up to me now.”
At 17 years old, she suddenly had clients depending on her for selections so their slabs could go into the ground.
Systems Champion Role Emerged from Necessity
Rather than panic, Eryn embraced the challenge and began systematically rebuilding processes from scratch. This pivotal moment transformed her from an interior design assistant into the company’s unofficial Systems Champion.
“I just jumped straight into it and rewrote the systems and procedures, probably over six months of exactly how it needed to go, how I wanted it to go. What I expected of the suppliers as well,” she explains. This systematic approach caught her father’s attention and set the stage for her expanded role.
Building Systems Across Multiple Departments
Eryn’s Systems Champion approach involved documenting and improving processes across the entire organization:
- Selection Phase Systemization: Rewrote all procedures for client selections and supplier expectations over six months
- Accounts Integration: Stepped into accounts payable when staff departed, learning systems while maintaining operations
- HR Development: Created new HR systems as the company grew from 7 to 15 staff members
- Cross-Department Visibility: Gained understanding of marketing, sales, pre-construction, and selections interconnections
- Tool Implementation: Utilized Loom videos, Asana task management, and Chat GPT for system documentation
- Continuous Improvement: Established regular system updates and accountability measures
From Chaos to Clarity in Three Years
By age 20, Eryn had transformed into a key systems leader, demonstrating the power of systematic thinking in business growth. Her Systems Champion role provided unprecedented visibility across the entire organization.
“I’m very grateful and privileged as well to be able to see into the nitty gritty behind all the way from the marketing, all the way to the sales, then it goes to pre-con selections, the whole big picture,” she reflects. This comprehensive understanding makes her invaluable to business operations.
Key Lessons from Our Interview with a Systems Champion
Eryn’s rapid development offers practical insights for aspiring Systems Champions:
- “Be a good listener” and observe operations as “a little bit of a fly on the wall” to identify improvement opportunities
- “Be able to take criticism” because systems that don’t work need honest feedback and adjustment
- “Take it on as bite-size chunks” rather than overwhelming teams with massive system overhauls
- “Stay open-minded and embrace the challenges” even when documentation feels repetitive
- Problem-solving mindset is essential: “When something goes wrong, going back and going, why did that go wrong”
Eryn’s story demonstrates that Systems Champion roles offer incredible career advancement opportunities, especially for young people willing to learn and continuously improve business operations.
“There definitely is a huge career path and opportunities there for lots of different people, especially the younger people who don’t know what they want to do. It’s just a great way to find a passion for something,” she concludes.
Ready to Develop Your Own Systems Champion?
Eryn’s transformation shows how the right systems approach can accelerate career growth and business efficiency. Whether you’re a business owner looking to develop internal talent or someone interested in becoming a Systems Champion yourself, structured processes make all the difference.
Start your systemization journey with a 14-day free trial of systemHUB and discover how documented processes can transform your operations just like they did for Stannard Family Homes.
