The problem is not effort. It is where the effort is going.
A serious owner can work hard all day and still lose the night to estimates, replies, records, invoices, job notes, vendor questions, and follow-up.
That work matters. It protects revenue and reputation. But it should not all require the owner to sit at a screen and push every task across the line.
The first win is not a dramatic reinvention. It is moving repeat computer work to a worker that can remember the business, follow the rule, prepare the artifact, and report back.