Description

Growth can create valuable opportunities, but it also places new pressure on the way a business operates. Processes that worked when the company was smaller may begin to cause delays, repeated work, inconsistent service, unclear responsibilities and excessive reliance on the owner or a few experienced employees.

Growth Without the Chaos will help business owners and managers evaluate whether their current operations can support the next stage of growth and identify what should be strengthened before additional investment creates more complexity.

Who This Session Is For

This session is particularly relevant to businesses that already have customers, recurring work, an operating team or clear plans to expand. It is designed for:

• Owners and managers of growing small and medium-sized businesses
• Businesses preparing to hire, expand services, enter a new market or add another location
• Teams experiencing bottlenecks, repeated follow-ups, rework, unclear responsibilities or inconsistent customer experiences
• Owners who remain the main decision point for too many activities or whose operations depend heavily on a few key employees
• Businesses considering new technology or automation but unsure whether their underlying processes are ready

Key Takeaways

Participants will gain insights on how to:

• Assess growth readiness across people, processes, operational capacity, systems and financial resources
• Identify bottlenecks, broken handoffs and recurring work that limit capacity and performance
• Distinguish visible symptoms from the underlying causes of operational problems
• Recognize owner and key-person dependency before it becomes a growth or continuity risk
• Decide what should be strengthened before investing in hiring, marketing, technology, automation or expansion
• Prioritize improvements according to business impact, urgency and practical feasibility

What to Expect

Ozgun Papan Kasik of Acumen Business Consulting Inc. will open the session with a practical keynote on growth readiness and the operational foundations businesses need to scale. The keynote will be followed by a moderated panel discussion. Practical examples and audience questions will connect the discussion to the decisions growing businesses face in day-to-day operations.

Keynote Speaker
Ozgun Papan Kasik - Co-Founder, Business Consultant and Client Strategy Lead, Acumen Business Consulting Inc.

Speaker Bio

Ozgun Papan Kasik, CITP®|FIBP®, is a co-founder and business consultant at Acumen Business Consulting Inc., where she advises business owners and leadership teams on growth strategy, operational performance, process optimization, and the management systems required to scale.

Her work focuses on identifying the constraints that limit growth, including bottlenecks, unclear accountability, owner dependency, capacity gaps, and disconnected workflows, and translating them into focused priorities and practical implementation plans. Drawing on experience across business strategy, operations, and international expansion, Ozgun helps companies improve execution and build businesses that can grow without compromising service quality or operational stability. Ozgun Papan Kasik on LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozgunpapankasik/


Meet our Panelist: Reid Thornley and Therese Van Es

Therese Van Es is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ladder HR Solutions, a human resources consulting firm based in London, Ontario. With more than 25 years of experience helping organizations strengthen their people practices and support business growth, Therese brings extensive expertise in human resources leadership, organizational development, and strategic business support.

At Ladder HR, she guides the company's strategic direction, builds partnerships, and helps ensure that clients receive practical, people-focused HR solutions. The firm supports organizations in areas such as recruitment, employee relations, performance management, workplace culture, leadership development, and HR strategy.

Therese's professional background also includes senior human resources leadership, business coaching, and a commitment to helping organizations develop effective teams and stronger workplaces. Her experience combines strategic thinking with a people-centred approach to business growth and employee development.

Meet our Facilitator: Ashley Sisco

Dr. Ashley Sisco works at the intersection of entrepreneurship, advocacy, and systems change—supporting women entrepreneurs and advancing community-driven impact alongside Indigenous partners.

For more than 15 years, Dr. Sisco has built and led SISCO Consulting, a values-driven firm partnering with Indigenous Nations, non-profits, and organizations to advance social impact. For more than 20 years, she has worked alongside Indigenous communities across Canada, Australia, and Latin America as a settler in allyship. Her work focuses on bridge-building, institutional transformation, and translating research into meaningful action.

Ashley is also a thought leader in women’s entrepreneurship, with a forthcoming book grounded in research, lived experience, and interviews with 50 women and gender-diverse entrepreneurs across Canada. She mentors through the Women Entrepreneur Mentorship Program at the London Chamber of Commerce and supports emerging founders through student-led initiatives, such as NextGen, at Huron and Ivey.
Dr. Sisco currently serves as the Vice Chair on the London Chamber of Commerce Board and contributes to national advocacy through the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and All Women L.E.A.D.

As an Assistant Professor at Western University and Huron University College, she teaches Entrepreneurship, Education, and Indigenous Studies, bringing a scholar-practitioner lens into the classroom. Dr. Sisco holds a PhD in Education and a Postdoctoral Fellowship, but her most important learning comes from the people and communities with whom she works.