Operations & Strategy Consultant
Freelance at JA Strategy Studio
I started out as a VC Investment Manager, but eventually noticed I was more interested in working with Founders than I was in reporting to investment committees. I pivoted from backing businesses to building them. Initially, I freelanced for contacts within my network, and tackled high-level strategy. Then, as I learned more about ops best practices, I got more involved in designing and automating ops infrastructure. Eventually, I combined the two in a role supporting a GM as 'Operations Strategy Manager', where my remit was to move from the high level strategy to the detail driven execution. Together, we launched a new business, growing it to £1M in revenue in 6 months, meaning I was far more involved in Marketing, Sales, Product and Finance than I had ever intended... but loved it!
Variety. Give me a day full of meetings, then a day of deep work. Let me design something on Monday and have it shipped on Friday. If I am able to indulge in a group discussion on complex ideas, in addition to following up on the detail, then it will have been an interesting week.
Building a business to £1M in contracted revenue. There was nothing in place when we started, and by the time I left, there were scalable, automated, well-thought-through processes right from Marketing to Delivery. Being able to build Ops with a 'best practice for scaling' mindset was incredibly rewarding.
Communication. I'm able to comprehend ideas quickly in the room, and then enjoy the challenge of communicating solutions/conclusions to others in a flexible way. That is, adapting my communication for the audience, ensuring wider understanding and alignment. Having led that alignment, I can then use that position to power next steps.
Notion has become the starting point for so much of my work - it helps me file and order resources, build V0.000000001 of prototypes and reports, and share my work rapidly.
Honestly, to remember it is (usually) not that deep. Reminding myself "it's only Solar Panels/an app/making widgets" allows me to take a breath and address urgent problems from a place of calm.
Being the person in the room who is setting the tone for the business's process culture, and who can remain calm and focused when others are stressed or excited.
There are two types of ops people: those that would be an entrepreneur in another life, and those that would be an engineer.
AI has brought about a huge need for business transformation, and there are so many businesses/industries that will need to be broken apart and put back together. Ops professionals are best placed to lead that charge, so I think we are in a very exciting position!
Try to understand *why* things are done in certain ways. This either helps you understand the 'best practice' you are hopefully picking up through osmosis, or helps you begin to spot areas for improvements. Always ask why!