Vocal Manoeuvres Academy, part of The Manoeuvres Group, is an Australia-based voice education business founded by Alison Rogers. With decades of experience in voice coaching, ensemble performance, and choral direction, Alison built a reputation for excellence.
But behind the scenes, the business relied heavily on her personal involvement.
After years of managing everything herself, Alison realized the lack of documented systems was limiting her growth, increasing anxiety, and threatening the sustainability of the academy. This SYSTEMology case study explores how she transformed Vocal Manoeuvres Academy from a personality-driven enterprise to a systems-based organization.
A Business Built on Passion Alone
For over 20 years, Vocal Manoeuvres Academy was guided by Alison’s musical expertise and deep personal mission. Having never worked for another business, she had no exposure to standard workplace systems or scalable operational practices. Most business processes existed only in her head, delivered through intuition and habit. While this approach helped her grow a strong reputation, it made the business entirely dependent on her involvement. This restricted scalability, strained her team, and consumed her time and energy.
When Burnout Becomes a Wake-Up Call
COVID-19 reduced her team to just two people. As she began rebuilding, Alison saw an opportunity to rethink the foundation. Years of running the business alone had taken a toll.
“I was in a constant state of heightened anxiety, always on tools, always working, burying my head in the sand… I just didn’t want to complete some things because the tasks were just so enormous in my head.”
She had explored other approaches like Work the System and The E-Myth, but nothing stuck. That changed when she found the SYSTEMology audiobook. “This poor man is me sitting in singing lessons,” she said, referring to David Jenyns’ story in the book. That moment of recognition prompted her to take action and join the Catalyst Program.
Bringing Systems into the Symphony
Alison’s transformation began with a clear commitment to remove herself from the daily bottlenecks and build a business that could run independently. She approached it with focused intent and the right support.
Her implementation strategy included:
- Clarifying the Critical Client Flow (CCF): Iterating with her facilitator until the core business flow was accurate and actionable
- Hiring a Systems Champion: Using SYSTEMology’s templates to recruit someone dedicated to capturing and managing processes
- Documenting As-Is Processes: Recording current workflows without judgment to establish a baseline for improvement
- Building Team Alignment: Creating a shared systems language that her staff could understand, adopt, and maintain
This structured approach helped Vocal Manoeuvres Academy build sustainable systems without compromising creativity.
Real Transformation at Vocal Manoeuvres Academy
Vocal Manoeuvres Academy experienced significant shifts after implementing SYSTEMology. The changes weren’t just about systems—they redefined how the business operated and grew.
The Business Ran Without Stopping
During the Catalyst Program, Alison delivered major national performances while keeping the education arm fully operational. Previously, events meant shutting down core services. SYSTEMology made it possible to run both sides of the business simultaneously, without burnout or breakdown.
Teaching Without the Bottleneck
Alison’s unique teaching methods were finally documented and teachable. Her team, many of whom were former students, could now deliver consistent results without needing her to personally oversee everything. This shift gave the business room to grow beyond her.
The Business Became a True Asset
What was once an overwhelming, undocumented operation became a structured, sellable asset. With systems in place, Alison now sees the business as something her children can one day own, operate, or benefit from, even if she’s not in it.
Lessons from a Creative Founder Who Systemized
Alison’s story offers practical lessons for business owners, especially those in creative industries:
- Start with what exists: “Own it, be proud of it, and allow your Systems Champion to hold that space for you as the business owner.”
- Stay involved in the early stages: “Now that I have done the Catalyst Program and was able to do it myself and try it on for size, I’m going to be able to identify in my team when something’s not fitting properly because I’ve tried it on.”
- Systems don’t kill creativity: “SYSTEMology is my secret weapon to efficient, creative, and productive thinking and action.”
- Don’t ignore discomfort: “There were times where I’d probably prefer to run and hide and pretend I was too busy to do SYSTEMology rather than face the pain of how broken elements of my business were.”
Looking Ahead for Vocal Manoeuvres Academy
Vocal Manoeuvres Academy is now positioned for sustainable growth. With a fully systemized education arm, Alison’s team can now teach and deliver her unique methodology without her direct involvement. Performances and operations can run in parallel, no longer forcing her to choose one over the other.
With the burden of burnout lifted, Alison is focused on strategic expansion and higher-level work. She described the shift best: “Now with SYSTEMology, the future for the business is this just comes along, like the most beautiful machine.”
Alison turned chaos into harmony by systemizing her voice academy, without sacrificing creativity.
If you’re in the arts, education, or a service-based business and still doing it all yourself, it’s time to step off the stage. Not sure where to start? We’ve curated free templates, guides, and training to help you systemize your departments one step at a time.
Access our Free Resources and start composing your own business systems today!
