We need to talk…
Your business has outgrown you as its operations manager.
That's not a criticism. You’ve built something successful enough that every minute you spend managing operations work that you don’t love is a minute you’re not growing the bottom line (or spending time with your family, because life outside of work matters too).
It's not that you're just busy.
You have a vision for what your business can be and you haven’t been able to execute on it because you’re still in the weeds of reviewing a contract, filming a video and delivering an excellent customer experience.
Every month you look at the numbers (which you pulled and analyzed) and think about what the top-line number would be if you had capacity to take on 2 more clients. Or what the bottom-line number would be if you could streamline your software stack to 3 programs instead of 13.
But fixing it? That requires time you don’t have (and frankly, just aren’t that lit up about). And every month you keep forcing yourself to just “figure it out yourself” is another month the bigger goals get pushed back.
It’s time to accept that what got you here, isn’t going to get you there.
ONCE YOU REALIZE THIS YOU CAN…
Stick your head in the sand and avoid it…
If you want to wake up in a few months with the same frustrations, then sure? But I’m guessing you wouldn’t do it if a customer raised a problem, so why do it with your own business?
Commit to spending time this weekend to research your options…
If not having enough information was the problem, you would have solved this months ago. The problem with research is it normally creates more questions than answers and what you need is to cut through the options and the noise so you can start taking action.
See if you can find a VA or OBM to do most of it…
With all that time you have to write a job description, post a listing, hire the person, train them and manage them? Even if you have somebody supporting you already, there’s a big difference between someone who can execute and someone who can identify or anticipate issues and come to you with solutions.
Finally pull the trigger on that business coach with the big results…
Who will applaud you for the business you’ve built, offer suggestions on where to be putting your time and energy and usually recommend the two options above to “get stuff off your plate.” Do you need strategy or do you need actual hands-on-keyboard implementation?
Or you could bring on someone to take not just the work but also the mental load off your plate, without giving up control of your business.
Just imagine for a second…
It’s a Friday morning. You have a fresh iced salted vanilla latte that’s the perfect shade of brown as you sit to open your computer.
Email #1: App Completed: [Your next paying client] - Their cool company
The email contains the information the client shared plus an auto-generated briefing about what product they’re a best fit for, some market research about their industry and the timing of the call they’ve scheduled
Email #2: Weekly Summary: [Today’s date]
In just a few seconds, you know how your biz is tracking toward monthly numbers, the tasks you need to complete to get that new offer launched on time and exactly how much progress your team made on their priorities.
Email #3: Your subscription will renew in 10 days
Clicks forward and send. That’s not your department anymore and you know, because of the audit we did last month, that you’re only paying for the subscriptions you regularly use.
No scrambling to address a notification, no 17 Slacks that need answering before your team can get to work. Immediately into CEO mode because you know that the business makes the most money when you are in your zone of genius.
And there’s no doubt in your mind that you’ll have a crisp glass of Sauvy B in your hand and your friends across the table from you by 5:30pm.
Operations is not just inbox management and updating checkout links. With the right partner, your operations can help you grow responsibly, increase your profit margin and still have a life.
How it works
While we believe every business owner deserves this type of support, this probably isn’t for you if…
You need to be involved in every decision in your business. You’re not ready to let go.
You just need to fix one system and then you’re probably good. (If this is you → System Sprint)
Your business handles significant physical inventory or physical locations requiring on-site management.
You actually prefer doing things manually. Sitting at your computer at night actually feels nice.
You hate technology and only work with paper and pen. (Honestly, respect, but we probably aren’t the right COO for you.)
Let’s get into the nitty gritty…
What’s actually included?
Every business is different so every Fractional COO engagement is a little different. But here’s what we typically see…
Included:
Reviewing ops efficiency
Building + managing automations
Regular reporting on key initiatives and numbers
Evaluating potential new tools
Setting up and maintaining dashboards, trackers, templates
Strategic planning
Varies:
Invoice and contract Management
Client onboarding processes
Inbox management + customer service
Managing marketing systems (email, blog, video)
Analytics + reporting
Sourcing new contractors or specialists
Not Included:
Legal advice (drafting contracts, trademarks, etc.)
Financial advice (bookkeeping or taxes)
How does billing work?
We’ll customize a plan for exactly what you need based on areas of responsibility, not time, so you’re never left in the cold because we “ran out of hours” or something took more time than we expected. We work until the work gets done.
On the flip side, in lighter weeks or months, we’re looking ahead toward key initiatives and finding ways to optimize any areas we currently own. The only renegotiating we’ll be doing is when you’re so thrilled with our work that you want us to take on more areas. No nitpicky change orders.
ABOUT
Exhale Operations was founded by Samantha Pillsbury, inspired by her experience of running a small business for four years. She scaled it to six figures in 18 months, all while figuring out systems that allowed her to scale the business while still traveling and enjoying her life.
By her third year in business she realized she enjoyed the operations work more than anything else, but that the nerdy automations, dashboards and templates she loved building were her small business peers least favorite part.
And thus… Exhale was born. We support small business owners who want to build nimble, profitable businesses and still enjoy their life outside of work, by helping them build and run systems to get them back time and mental load.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The most common reason systems don't stick isn't the build. It's what happens after. Most projects end at handoff: you get documentation, and then you're on your own. WIth a Fractional COO, you have someone who’s there to maintain systems, fix errors and hold you accountable to using it until the new habits replace old ones.
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That feeling is usually a sign this is the right time, not the wrong one. The entire goal of bringing on a COO is to reduce your workload. We are taking things off your plate ASAP and even the things that take longer to ramp will get easier quickly. Any time you put in upfront is the cost of getting time back downstream.
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Every system we built is focused on what you will actually use, so tool selection is based on your comfort level, not on what has the most features. Not to mention, we’ll be there doing most of the management and tech troubleshooting, if necessary.
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A VA executes tasks inside whatever process already exists. An OBM manages operations, but that works best when there are already systems worth managing. A Fractional COO is there to design systems, maintain them, and most importantly think strategically about how to take operations in your business to the next level, and the next, and the next. Because we work together on an ongoing basis, we’re always finding ways to level you up, not just taking orders.
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We customize everything to our clients. if you already use something and love it, we’ll stick with that. If you need to transition somewhere else, we’ll help you find a new tool and do all the behind-the-scenes research and work to get you up to speed.
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Due to the amount of hands-on support we put into these projects, we want to make sure that we are going to be able to deliver value and guarantee our results. The survey (and call afterward) makes sure that we can say with our full chest that you’ll get the results you want (or direct you to something else if it’s a better fit), before you pay a dime.
Still not sure?
Every Fractional COO engagement starts with a diagnostic - a full look at your operations, followed by a live debrief where we walk through what we found and what we'd prioritize.
If you're not sure if you’re ready for this, you can sign up for the diagnostic stage first to get a clear picture of where your business stands operationally and a real sense of how we work. If you decide to move forward, the fee applies to your first month. If you don't, you pay a flat fee for our time and walk away knowing more about your business than you did before.
What are you waiting for?
Peace of mind is possible, with the right teammate in your corner.
Every hour you spend overwhelmed or trying to figure out what the right decision is an hour you could have been enjoying the sunshine or signing a new client. You don’t have to commit this very second, all you have to do is take the next step.