Business operations & strategy

Turning complexity into operational clarity.

I build dashboards, systems and strategies that translate data into decisions, and I lead the teams that carry them out.

Based in Houston
Kianna Ford smiling, wearing glasses and a black and red floral top
10+ yearsleading multi-site operations
43%profit margin across my 11-location area in 2024
~20%portfolio NOI improvement as Area Director
~30%lift in landlord profitability
82area NPS, against a company target of 70
~26new revenue-generating offices from one space conversion

About me

I'm a Waco-born, Houston-based operator who came up through hospitality and learned to lead with data.

I studied journalism and public relations at Baylor, then spent five years running a 60-vendor retail cooperative before joining a national coworking company as a Community Manager. I was promoted twice in four years, to Senior Community Manager and then Area Director over 11 locations in three states.

Today I advise franchise owners across a 46-location network. The thread through all of it: I find the story in the numbers, build the system that fixes it, and make sure the people doing the work feel set up to win.

Outside of work I'm usually planning the next trip, and I bring that same planner energy to every operating calendar I touch.

Multi-site P&LKPI dashboardsBusiness reviewsTeam developmentPricing analysisSOP designCustomer experienceFranchise consulting

Analyze

Find the story

Using data to uncover insights, identify trends, and guide better business decisions.

View projects →

Design

Build the system

Dashboards, workflows and operating rhythms that drive efficiency and consistency.

View the toolkit →

Improve

Move the number

Strategies and initiatives that solve real challenges and deliver measurable impact.

View results →

Featured project

Portfolio performance & building health

Performance existed at the location level. The challenge was seeing the portfolio at a glance. I built a reporting architecture that rolls location data into group, regional and executive views. Try the sample below: filter by region, then tap a site.

Executive dashboard · H1

SiteRegionOcc.MarginLeads/moCalls ans.Status
Status rules: negative margin and falling occupancy = Needs attention · negative but rising = Improving · under 10% = Watch. Call answer rates below the 70% standard are flagged.Sample data · See the workbook behind it →

Before

  • Each location reported in its own format
  • Review meetings spent reconciling numbers
  • Leadership saw buildings one at a time
  • Lead and call metrics lived in separate tools

After

  • One input sheet per location with a definitions guide
  • Automatic rollup into group and executive views
  • Financials, leads and call rates on one page
  • The same review deck across eight location groups

Leadership

Results come from people

I led six managers and about 30 team members across three states. Here is how I kept a remote team aligned, and what members said about the experience they created.

Member experience that beat the target

Net Promoter Score, quarterly member survey. Black line marks the 70 target.

My area
82
Company overall
78
Next-best region
67

The company led every region in its global network. Buildings under 70 got a hypercare plan with owners, dates and status.

My operating rhythm

  • Weekly1:1s with each manager, restructured to cover leasing pipeline and renewal strategy
  • MonthlyBusiness reviews per location group and a standing marketing sync
  • QuarterlyLocation action plans tracked by owner and status, plus visits with skip-level conversations
  • Twice a yearManager offsites with goal setting, P&L practice and focus-asset strategy sessions

More work

Plans with a number attached

Company, location and client details are removed. Charts use sample data shaped like the originals.

AnalyzePricing study

Blinded market pricing study

A franchise owner asked if price was why offices sat empty. I compared their rent roll with eight peer locations, labeled A through H so no competitor could be identified.

Small
82
Medium
88
Large
85
XL
78

Finding: rates ran about a third below peers while occupancy was lowest in the group. Discounting wasn't buying occupancy, so we shifted focus to lead flow and size-based pricing.

ImproveTurnaround

60-day NOI recovery plan

For an underperforming two-floor location, I tied desk pricing to a 75% occupancy goal floor by floor, revised amenity pricing and set line-item expense targets.

Plan: about 55% monthly revenue growth and a 29% cut across targeted expense lines, with savings reinvested in marketing and staffing.

AnalyzeNetwork review

Half-year benchmark review

Built a business review for owners across three coworking brands, scoring revenue, occupancy, leads and online reputation, with spotlights on the tactics behind top performers.

Outcome: set the next half's priorities for the consultant team: CRM adoption, meeting room revenue and review generation.

ImproveMarket entry

New-market leasing strategy

For a single location in a new city, I ran a SWOT against ten nearby competitors and rebuilt leasing around local partnerships, promotions and community events.

Results: a paid search pilot drove about 8× more traffic per dollar, and an email series held 17–23% open rates, at or above benchmark.

The toolkit

Systems teams actually use

Reporting

Monthly financial reporting SOP

Month-close rhythm, accrual process and a review checklist that gets reports to landlords a day early.

Reporting

Business review kit

Input sheet, deck template and guide covering financials, pipeline, NPS and action plans.

Planning

Budget season workflow

Six-step order of operations with clear owners and staggered deadlines across eight locations.

Sales

Tour scenario playbook

Five prospect personas with qualifying questions, tour paths, objection reframes and role-play drills.

Sales

Needs analysis guide

Need-to-know, want-to-know and personalization questions that keep tours tailored.

Continuity

Reduced-staffing playbook

Member messaging and adjusted service hours for running a location through staffing gaps.

AI in my work

From question to decision, faster

I use AI as a working tool that shortens the path from raw data to a recommendation someone can act on. This site is one example: I built it from my own working files, anonymized and turned into interactive pages.

Career path

Ten years, always growing

Jul 2025 – Present

Franchise Business Consultant · VAST Coworking Group

Advise owners across a 46-location, multi-state network on P&L, pricing, occupancy, lead generation and customer experience.

Sep 2023 – Jul 2025

Area Director · Common Desk, a WeWork company Promoted

Led 11 locations in Texas, North Carolina and Utah, six direct reports and about 30 team members. Owned location P&L and landlord relationships.

Oct 2021 – Aug 2023

Senior Community Manager · Common Desk Promoted

Led operations, financial performance and customer experience across four locations.

Aug 2020 – Sep 2021

Community Manager · Common Desk

Ran a high-volume location spanning reporting, vendors, staffing and revenue.

Aug 2015 – Aug 2020

Store Manager · Spice Village

Led a 60-vendor retail cooperative and up to 30 employees.

Let's build something clear.

Want to talk dashboards, operating rhythms or multi-site growth? I'd love to connect.

kiannalford@gmail.com
LinkedInOpen
ResumeView