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

Your team is capable. But they can't make a single move without checking with you first. You know this set up isn't quite working but fixing it requires time you don't have.

Nothing is written down

Your business exists in your head. If you disappeared for two weeks, it would grind to a halt. That's not a business. That's you, on call, permanently.

You're growing but it's getting messier

More revenue, more people, more chaos. Every hire adds complexity instead of capacity. Every launch is a scramble. Growth was supposed to make this easier. Instead, it's running you into the ground.

Services & pricing

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

▶ Start here

The Dating Project

$450 / one-time

Ideal For → Founders who know something is broken but not where to start

How it works

Complete the pre-session questionnaire - I read every answer before we meet. I arrive knowing your business, not learning it on the call.
90-minute strategy session - a proper operational diagnostic. Not a surface-level chat.
Your 90-day action plan - delivered within 7 days. Prioritised, specific and built for your business.
Ongoing or handover - I stay in as your fractional Operations Manager or I hand over a fully documented operation. Either way, you get your time back.

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

Book the Dating Project →

▶ What comes next

Most founders start with the Dating Project. If you already know what you need, you can enquire directly.

The Engine Room

From $1,500 / month

Priced around the outcome and scope of your engagement, not the hours.

Ideal For → Founders who are ready to fix it, not just diagnose it

What this covers

Fractional retainer - me embedded in your business month to month, running the operational side so you don't have to.
SOP library build - every key process documented, structured and handed over so your team can operate without you explaining it.
Launch management - the operational side of your next launch run properly, from planning to post-launch debrief.
Team and people operations - onboarding new hires, offboarding leavers and building the management structure so your team runs without you in the middle of everything.
Or something else entirely - every engagement is different. We scope it in the Dating Project and price it around the outcome, not the hours.

Scope and price agreed before we start. Minimum three months for retainer work. One conversation. No guessing. No generic packages.

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. 27 GB-capped athletes. 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.

The Operations 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.