Hey, I'm Carla.

Founder of The Long Lever. Recovered architect, rollerskater, accidental YouTuber, and someone who built two businesses the hard way while figuring out what actually works. I live in Vancouver, get out sailing on my boat “Huzzah” whenever I can, and ride my red cruiser bike around the city to get from here to there.

I help owners of seven figure businesses stop being prisoners to what they've built, and start running companies that actually work for them.

A smiling woman holding a green umbrella outdoors in a park with blooming trees and green grass.

Why I do what I do

I've watched too many capable, hardworking people grind themselves into dust building something that was supposed to give them freedom.

They’re great at the product; the service they provide. But nobody ever handed them a manual for how to do the business part. They live in chaos and overwhelm. The exhaustion is real, and the money that should be there often isn't.

I know what that looks like from the inside. I also know exactly what's causing it, and exactly how to fix it.

After eleven years in my own businesses, and working under the hood in a couple hundred others as a performance coach, I’ve seen the consistent patterns leading to founder frustration, and I know how to uncover them. I've lived through most of these issues myself. Seeing them clearly from the outside is what The Long Lever is built on.

An adjustable pair of pliers with blue handles against a teal background.

Been there done that

In 2012 I started my first business while working full time as an architect. Roller Derby Athletics was an online fitness membership serving the global roller derby community. I had no roadmap, no business training, and no idea what I was doing. I figured it out, grew it to six figures, and sold it in 2019.

Then I co-founded Rolla Skate Club, Vancouver's first dedicated rollerskating facility. We started with a truck and 150 pairs of used skates. We grew it to a 20,000 sq ft facility with 500+ members, through COVID, without outside investment.

It was a thrill, and the experience of a lifetime! But slowly my body and my spirit burnt out. The weight of a large payroll, a big team, and the relentless pressure of keeping it all running ground me down. I had become exactly the thing I now help people escape.

In 2024 I stepped back, took a role as a Performance Coach at The Professional Builder, and spent two years working with 150+ founders across North America, New Zealand, and Australia. 1,600+ one-on-one sessions. 2,500+ P&Ls. The same patterns, everywhere I looked.

I came out the other side knowing exactly what breaks these businesses, and exactly how to fix them, with the results to prove that it works. That clarity became The Long Lever.

Cash flow keeps you up at night.

You're still putting out the same old fires.

You're the last one to leave and the first one they call when something breaks.

That's exactly what I fix.

A woman with short curly blonde hair sitting cross-legged on a large rock outdoors, smiling, with mountains and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

A few things you might not expect

  • Co-invented a sport that’s now played on six continents

  • Played and coached roller derby at an international competitive level with Vancouver and Toronto teams

  • Served customers on all seven continents, including a scientist in Antarctica

  • Pitched on Dragons' Den - no offer, but we looked damn good.

  • Awarded a Governor General's Medal for Architecture 

  • Was accidentally a YouTuber before that was a thing

  • Currently plotting my next sailing adventure

Work With Me
A woman riding a red bicycle on a sidewalk in a residential neighborhood. She is smiling, wearing a black leather jacket, a white dress, and black boots. The background features trees and houses.