I launched Streamline Strategies this past summer with the goal of helping small-to-mid-sized businesses grow efficiently through smarter operations. Then life threw a curveball. At the end of August, my husband accepted an exciting new role at Arizona State University, which meant relocating our family from North Carolina to Arizona by October.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether to keep working through the chaos or pause my business to focus on the move. A friend gave me a perspective shift: even if I wasn’t growing my client base in September, I was running one of the most complex projects of my life. And just like in business, complexity is complexity. The same skills I rely on as an operations consultant and fractional COO—planning, problem solving, risk management, and adaptability—were the ones that got my family (and our three cats) across the country on schedule.

The Challenge

This wasn’t a simple move down the street. In just over a month, we had to:

Sell a home in North Carolina
Secure temporary housing in Arizona while exploring neighborhoods and homes for purchase
Identify a new elementary school and register my daughter
Downsize from a 3,500-square-foot house in the country to only enough furniture for a home with fewer than 2,000 square feet in the city
Safely move three cats across the country
Transfer my brand-new business registration from NC to AZ

It looked like a personal move on the surface, but it carried the same complexity business owners face every day: logistics issues, limited resources, tight deadlines, and competing priorities. The fundamentals of the approach were unchanged—solve problems, design plans, and break big goals into manageable tasks with clear timelines.

The Approach

Planning & Timeline

The first step was clarifying my priorities and goals for the move. The non-negotiables were clear: my daughter needed to be enrolled in school on time, my business registration had to remain compliant, and our family needed secure housing lined up the day we arrived. With those anchors in place, I built a structured plan in Excel that broke the move into milestones and dependencies.

Some dependencies were obvious but critical, like working backward from the school registration date to determine when to leave NC, and confirming Airbnb availability so we’d have housing until we sold our old home and purchased a new one. Others required careful documentation, such as providing proof of living arrangements for both business registration and elementary school enrollment. By mapping out these layers of timing, paperwork, and logistics, I ensured that every piece of the puzzle aligned.

Budget & Options Analysis

Every decision came with trade-offs, just like in business operations. I compared PODs, 1-800-PackRat, and U-Haul Boxes, weighing cost against convenience and reliability. Housing options required the same analysis: Airbnb offered flexibility, hotels were easier to book quickly, and short-term leases provided stability but required a lot of unpacking.

Travel was another layer of decision-making. Would all three of us drive across the country? Did I really want to spend four days in a car with a 6-year-old and three cats? Would we all fly—and if so, how would we manage the cats meowing the entire time? Or was a hybrid approach more practical?

The final plan was a mix of solutions: I drove cross-country with our cats, while my daughter flew with her grandmother and my husband stayed behind to finish work and oversee the U-Haul packing. Even hotel selection became an exercise in problem solving, since most chains either don’t allow cats or cap the number at two. Apparently traveling with three cats moves you into “crazy cat person” territory.

Every scenario mirrored the way I help clients: compare the options, weigh risks and benefits, and choose the approach that best balances goals, resources, and constraints.

Risk Management

Instead of building detailed contingency plans for every possible scenario, I focused on analyzing each option up front to choose the ones with the fewest risks. For example, I weighed which moving services had the most reliable track records, which travel plans left the least room for delays, and which housing options gave us flexibility if timing shifted. That approach gave me confidence we were starting from the strongest position possible.

Of course, not every challenge can be predicted. When unexpected issues did come up—a moving company that couldn’t handle my driveway or a cat that disappeared into a hotel bathroom—I leaned on quick problem solving to keep things moving forward.

In business, the same principle applies. You can’t plan for every single “what if,” but you can make smart choices up front to minimize risks, and then stay calm and resourceful when the unexpected happens. That combination of foresight and flexibility is what keeps projects on track.

Division of Labor

One of the biggest lessons I was reminded of during this move is that one person can’t (and shouldn’t) do everything alone. It’s the same in business: at a certain point, a business owner can’t realistically run operations, manage sales, handle marketing, network for new clients, and lead every project. Trying to “own it all” eventually limits growth.

For this move, my husband and I leaned into our strengths. I focused on organizing, planning, and quick decision-making. He focused on space management (his ability to Tetris furniture into a shipping container is unmatched) and doing the heavy lifting alongside a few friends. We also asked for help where it mattered most—my daughter flew with her grandmother so she didn’t have to spend four long days in the car with me and three cats.

Appropriate ownership meant no one was overextended, each of us contributed where we added the most value, and together we got the job done. In business, the same principle applies: clearly assigning ownership ensures efficiency, prevents burnout, and supports sustainable growth.

AI & Tools

AI acted as my project assistant throughout the process. I used it to audit my to-do lists, build detailed itineraries, and even create QR-coded maps for my road trip stops. While AI couldn’t account for every personal nuance, it was invaluable in spotting gaps and streamlining repetitive tasks. For example, I asked it to build a travel itinerary, and it produced such a clear plan that I shared it with my mom, who was thrilled to know exactly where I’d be stopping.

This reinforced how I use AI in my consulting work. The goal isn’t to replace judgment or strategy—we all know AI can make mistakes—but to accelerate execution, uncover blind spots, and free up time for higher-value decisions. The same way AI simplified my relocation, it helps my clients optimize workflows, improve operational efficiency, and scale sustainably.

Flexibility

No project runs exactly to plan. This is often really difficult for me to accept.

The first moving service I hired couldn’t place a shipping container on our steep driveway, so I pivoted to another provider with smaller containers and a different delivery method. For our initial time in Arizona, we shifted from buying a home immediately to staying in a temporary Airbnb, giving us time to explore neighborhoods before committing and unpacking our possessions. On the road, when one of my cats hid in a hotel bathroom for three hours, I had to restructure my second day of travel. In that moment, finding the cat mattered more than arriving at the next stop at the exact time I had planned.

Each adjustment reminded me that success doesn’t come from rigidly sticking to a plan. It comes from knowing when to adapt, reframe priorities, and keep momentum moving forward. In business operations, just like in a cross-country move, adaptability isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a competitive advantage (even when you don’t like it).

The Results

**I did it!**

We made it to Arizona on schedule and in one piece. My daughter started first grade at a top school in the area and made friends on day one. All three cats arrived safely and are slowly adjusting to our Airbnb. Yes, there were hiccups, but we met our goals and hit the overall timelines. The elementary school’s front office manager was impressed that I arrived exactly when I said I would, paperwork perfectly in order. For me, that felt almost as rewarding as a client testimonial. Most importantly, I stuck to my priorities and am genuinely proud of myself for helping my family make this big move.

The Business Parallel

My move may not have looked like an operations project, but the same principles applied:

The key to decision making is constant alignment with your goals. In my move, as in business, the smartest option was the one that balanced cost, reliability, and long-term fit.
Strategic delegation is what makes projects run smoothly. I didn’t do it all myself, and businesses can’t either. Assigning tasks based on strengths prevents bottlenecks, improves efficiency, and makes the entire project easier to manage.
Upfront risk analysis mirrored operational risk planning. Choosing options with fewer risks and then solving problems quickly when the unexpected happened kept everything on track.
AI is a great efficiency booster. It is not a replacement for strategy or expertise, but it speeds up manual tasks, highlights blind spots, and frees you to focus on higher-value decisions.
Flexibility is critical no matter the situation. Whether it is a lost cat or a shift in market conditions, agility ensures progress continues even in the toughest situations.

In the end, complexity is complexity. Whether it’s moving a family across the country or helping a business scale sustainably, the fundamentals are the same: structured planning, clear ownership, smart tools, and adaptability.

Takeaway

If I can apply these skills to a cross-country relocation, imagine what they can do for your business.

At Streamline Strategies, I bring the same discipline, creativity, and flexibility to operations consulting, process improvement, and fractional COO support. Strong project management doesn’t just reduce stress. It drives growth, efficiency, and long-term success.

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From North Carolina to Arizona: A Real-Life Project Management Case Study