The Ops Foundry | Fractional Operations Manager & Online Business Manager

Who I work with

The industry doesn't matter. The situation does.

You're the answer to every question

You wear all the hats. Marketing, delivery, sales, admin, all still running through you. You cannot step back.

Nothing is written down

No process, no handover notes, nothing anyone else could follow. It all lives in your head.

More growth, more chaos

Growth is adding chaos on top of the challenge. Every new hire or launch adds pressure instead of relief.

Services & pricing

One goal. A business that no longer operates on an 'everything-runs-through-you' strategy.

▶ Start here

For founders who know something's broken but don't know where to start.

The Dating Project

$450 / one-time

How it works

Book & pay - instant booking. Pick your time and you're in.
Complete the questionnaire - answer it thoroughly so we spend the strategy session going deep into your business.
90-minute strategy session - a real operational diagnostic of what needs your immediate attention.
Your 90-day action plan - specific, prioritised, delivered within 7 days.
Ongoing or handover - I stay on as your Ops Manager on a retainer or hand you a fully documented, ready-to-implement operation.

Not included: generic advice, vague next steps or a sales pitch. You get a real diagnosis and plan.

Book the Dating Project →

▶ What comes next

If you already know what you need, this is where the real work happens.

The Engine Room

From $1,500 / month

What this covers

Backend operations - the everyday running of the business, off your desk, so you're free to focus on growth.
Customer onboarding - the first 90 days of a new client's journey with you built to impress, so they stay.
Systems & automation - the manual work taken out of your business, so your time goes to what only you can do.
Hiring & team onboarding - from job post to fully ramped, so new hires add capacity within weeks, not months.
Project & launch management - every moving part tracked, so launches feel controlled, not chaotic.

Scope and price agreed upfront. Minimum three months. Priced around outcome, not hours.

Enquire about the Engine Room →

What people say

From people who trusted me with what they'd built.

"Before working with Ilona, everything in my business ran through me. Every decision, every moving part, every fire. She came in, mapped the whole operation and built systems I didn't know I needed. I got 20 hours a week back. That's not an exaggeration. I used them to focus on the work only I can do: the content, the audience, the brand. I didn't know an operation could feel this organised."

Peter Komolafe

Author · Channel 4 financial expert · Conversation of Money

"When Ilona handed the club to me, I expected chaos. It wasn't. Every role was documented. Every process had a system. I knew exactly what I was responsible for and how to handle anything that came up. I didn't have to call her once. She hadn't just built a club: she'd built something that could run without her. I've never seen that done so completely."

Raeshan Downer

Head Coach · Shropshire Handball Club

About Ilona

Fractional Operations Manager & Online Business Manager

Working with clients globally

Letting go of control is the hardest thing you'll do as a founder. Especially when you've built something real from nothing. But it's the exact thing every growing business needs at some point. You don't need someone to take over. You need someone who will care about your business the way you do.

I think and work at COO level. I join your team as a strategic partner, not a vendor on your list.

In practice that means I show up to your business, learn how it actually works and build the infrastructure around what's already there. I don't bring a template. I bring a process for finding out what yours needs to be.

20 hrs freed per week

Peter Komolafe

A book deal, a Channel 4 slot and 76,000 YouTube subscribers. Everything ran through him. I mapped the whole operation, built the systems he didn't know he needed and gave him 20 hours a week back.

400 players developed

Shropshire Handball Club

Built from nothing. Nine years. £75,000 in grants (GBP). 27 athletes selected for national teams. A national sports club that still runs from Dubai without me in the room.

1,500 students

School Enrichment Programme

A programme coordinating 75 staff and 70+ activities, built so completely that my successor never once needed to call me.

Free tool

Find out where your business is vulnerable in 5 minutes.

Built from the same diagnostic framework I use with every new client. Enter your email and get immediate access.

Free Audit

A personalised breakdown of where your business is vulnerable and what to fix first.

Take the audit →

Free to use. No catch. Your email gets you immediate access. Nothing is sent before you've seen the tool.

Ready to fix it?

The Dating Project is where it starts: a paid 90-minute session that gives you clarity, a concrete plan and a clear path to fixing it together.