Thrive on Data Autonomy
Find what you need. Trust your systems. Run your business with calm.
Bakari Consulting helps solopreneurs, small organizations, and lawyers build digital systems they actually own, so the information they need is where they expect it, organized in a way that makes sense, and documented so the work continues without them.
Built with you, not for you. So the systems hold long after we’re done.
Running a business on memory and willpower has a cost.
- Every week, hours disappear into searching for files you know you saved.
- Every platform you've signed up for has told you to fix your data first, with no plan for how.
- Every team conflict about "who sent what" is really a conflict about a process that doesn't exist yet.
- Every vacation you don't take, every late night you do, is the price of being the only person who knows where everything lives.
You need a system you can trust, and time back to do the work you actually love.
When we talk about your “system,” we don’t mean software. We mean the actual collection of tools, files, folders, notebooks, and habits you already rely on, whatever shape they take. Whatever yours looks like, it can be made trustworthy.
That's why Bakari Consulting exists.
Data autonomy, co-created.
Data autonomy is the ability to make meaningful decisions about your data, how it’s used, and how it supports the work you actually want to do.
Bakari Consulting helps you build that autonomy. Not by handing you a system and walking away, and not by selling you another platform you’ll never fully use. Together, we map what you have, surface what’s getting in the way, design solutions that fit how you actually work, and document them so they survive past the engagement.
You leave with systems you own. The goal isn’t to keep you dependent on a consultant. It’s to give you the foundation to keep building on your own.
What data autonomy gives you back.
Time you can feel.
Hours reclaimed each week from searching, fixing, and second-guessing. Three to five hours on average by Day 90.
Confidence in your systems.
Files where you expect them. Names that make sense. A single source of truth instead of three half-systems.
A business that doesn't need you to function.
SOPs documented, knowledge externalized, continuity plans in place. Take a real vacation. Cover your own absence. Hire help and onboard them in days, not months.
The freedom you signed up for.
You went into business to own your time, not to be owned by it. Data autonomy is what makes that promise real.
Tatiane Reis
Founder, Bakari Consulting
We know what it feels like to be buried in your own data.
Most of our clients come to us frustrated and embarrassed. They’ve tried the apps, the folders, the colour-coded systems, the productivity books. They feel like they should have figured this out by now. They haven’t, because discipline alone was never going to fix it. The problem was a missing system, and no one ever built one with them.
Bakari Consulting is led by Tatiane Reis, a process and data specialist with cross-sector experience across private, public, and nonprofit organizations, and a PhD candidate at York University researching women’s labour. The methodology draws on Lean Management principles and a bottom-up approach, so the systems we design together actually fit how your team works.
What working with Bakari looks like:
Bottom-up, not top-down.
We start with how your team actually works, then build systems around that reality.
People-centered, not platform-led.
Tools serve people, not the other way around. We won’t recommend software you don’t need.
Measurable, not vague.
Every engagement comes with SMART KPIs, so you can see what’s changed in 90 days.
Training built in, not bolted on.
Your team doesn’t need to share the same comfort with tech for this to work. We meet each person where they are, build training around what they actually need, and respect budget realities while we do it.
"I am here to dive into your needs, challenges, and feasible solutions with you. Together, we will make your archives and digital spaces private, convenient, and secure."
— Tatiane Reis
Who we help
Sole Proprietors
This work is for solo business owners who want clarity and calm, not more tools to manage.
If your business relies too heavily on your memory, if you’ve stopped taking real time off because nothing runs without you, if the thought of someone else stepping in to cover for you feels impossible because nothing is documented, Bakari Consulting is built for you.
Nonprofit Organizations & Small Law Firms
Files where you expect them. Names that make sense. A single source of truth instead of three half-systems.
If your team is duplicating effort, losing institutional knowledge every time someone leaves, or struggling to keep matters and files consistent across partners and staff, Bakari helps you build standards your team will actually use.
Who we are not for
Bakari Consulting isn’t the right fit if you’re looking for a software-only solution, if you want a consultant to permanently run your operations, or if you’d rather monitor your team than build shared accountability with them. The work asks for participation. That’s what makes it stick.
Why Bakari Consulting exists
Bakari Consulting was born when Tatiane watched a small business owner become physically ill from process chaos. As an academic researching women’s labour, she recognized the pattern: the people most affected by process chaos are often the people already carrying the heaviest invisible loads, including women juggling caregiving, housework, and a business at the same time. She had spent years working in private, public, and nonprofit organizations, and she kept seeing the same gap: consultancies that grow your revenue and tidy your operations, but miss the human side entirely. Platforms that sell you a solution and leave you to figure out the rest. Vendors who tell you to fix your data first, with no path for how.
Bakari fills that gap. The work is grounded in Lean Management principles, technical when it needs to be (file trees, data mapping, naming conventions, knowledge bases) and human all the way through (talking circles, co-design, no judgment, no overwhelm).
What we believe
Transparency.
Honest conversations about what’s feasible, what’s not, and what’s getting in the way.
Openness.
A willingness to look at what needs to change, and to consider that change is possible.
Solidarity.
People over growth. Bakari won’t take work that overburdens your team.
Trust.
Two-way. You trust the guidance. We trust you to do the work on your end.
Knowledge sharing.
We document as we go, teach as we build, and treat expertise as something to share.
Three steps to data autonomy
Request a
Consultation
Tell us where you’re stuck. We’ll talk through what’s working, what isn’t, and whether Bakari Consulting is the right fit. No pressure, no pitch.
Co-design
your system
Files where you expect them. Names that make sense. A single source of truth instead of three half-systems.
Own your
operations
SOPs documented, knowledge externalized, continuity plans in place. Take a real vacation. Cover your own absence. Hire help and onboard them in days, not months.
Imagine the calm.
Your files are where you expect them. Your team knows how things get done, and so do you. After days of preparing an application, you feel relief instead of panic right before submitting it — the right version is right where it should be. Your weekends are yours. The business runs because the systems run, not because you’re holding it together with willpower and Post-it notes.
You take a real vacation, and nothing breaks. You hire your first employee, and they’re up to speed in days, not months. A new intern or volunteer arrives, and the documentation does most of the orientation for you. You open your laptop on Monday morning and you know exactly where to start.
That's what data autonomy looks like. And it's closer than you think.
The first step is a conversation. No pressure, no pitch. Just a judgement-free space to talk through what's working, what isn't, and whether Bakari Consulting is the right fit.
Common questions
What is data autonomy?
Data autonomy is the ability to make meaningful decisions about your data, how it’s used, and how it supports the work you actually want to do. For a sole proprietor, it means a business that doesn’t collapse the moment you take a sick day. For a small team or firm, it means consistency across staff, shared knowledge that survives turnover, and partners who agree on how things get done.
Who does Bakari Consulting work with?
Bakari works with solopreneurs, small organizations, nonprofits, and small law firms based in Toronto and across Canada. The common thread isn’t industry, it’s the experience of being underserved by traditional IT and consulting services.
How long does a typical engagement take?
It depends on where you’re starting and where you want to end up. Some clients need a short diagnostic phase to get clarity before deciding on next steps. Others are ready for a multi-month, hands-on engagement to redesign their systems and embed new practices. We’ll talk through the right shape for your situation in the consultation.
Who should book the consultation, me or my boss?
Either works, but if you’re the person who would be doing the day-to-day work with Bakari, you should be in the conversation. Sometimes the best setup is a two-part call: a first conversation with whoever was handed the project to understand the situation, and a second conversation that loops in the decision-maker once we know there’s a fit. Just tell us about your reporting structure in the form, and we’ll figure out the right shape together.
What makes Bakari different from a typical consultancy or software vendor?
Most consultancies hand you a system and walk away. Most software vendors tell you to fix your data first, with no plan for how. Bakari co-creates the system with you, grounds the work in Lean Management principles, and measures progress against five SMART KPIs. You leave owning your systems, not renting them.
Do you implement specific software platforms?
Bakari is platform-agnostic. The work focuses on the underlying processes, file structures, and knowledge systems first. If you already have software in place, we’ll help you make the most of what it can do. If you don’t, recommendations come second, and only when a tool genuinely solves a problem you have.
What if I don't have the budget for new software?
Bakari is platform-agnostic. The work focuses on the underlying processes, file structures, and knowledge systems first. If you already have software in place, we’ll help you make the most of what it can do. If you don’t, recommendations come second, and only when a tool genuinely solves a problem you have.
Where is Bakari Consulting based?
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Engagements are run virtually, with some in-person work available in the Greater Toronto Area.