OPERATIONS YOUR TEAM WILL ACTUALLY USE.

So you can grow without burning out.

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Fractional COO support that stops the firefighting and builds systems that stick.

Scaling is messy. Ops shouldn’t be.

Right now, your team is misaligned, your tools don’t talk to each other, and you’re still answering every question. That’s survival, not scale.

I help founders:

  • Untangle duct-taped systems

  • Build onboarding and renewal flows that cut churn before it starts

  • Clarify roles and workflows so the team runs without you in every decision

So your business can grow and you can breathe.

Want to see what that looks like?

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Katie Headshot

About Me.

Hi, I’m Katie, founder of Rise & Optimize and a Fractional COO for early-stage SaaS teams.

For 14+ years, I’ve been in the trenches of startups across SaaS, health tech, legal, education, and media. I know what it’s like when growth outpaces your systems: onboarding slips, renewals stall, roles blur, and suddenly the founder is carrying everything.

That’s where I come in. I help founders fix the messy middle by:

  • Designing onboarding and renewal systems that stop churn before it starts

  • Aligning Sales, CS, Product, and Finance so everyone isn’t working in silos

  • Building clean dashboards, hiring rails, and operating rhythms that actually stick

  • Embedding like a teammate — not a consultant who parachutes in and disappears

I started Rise & Optimize because I was tired of watching brilliant founders burn out under the weight of duct-taped processes. The work is too important. Your systems should support growth, not strangle it.

If you’re scaling fast (or about to), let’s make sure your operations are ready.

Testimonials

  • "There isn’t a challenge you’ll share with Katie that she won’t dedicate her energy and thoughtfulness to. She has been a loyal, hard-working partner who first sought to understand my business by listening closely to me, and then customizing solutions to my unique needs. She has been committed to the growth of my business with her creative solutions. Katie is someone you want in your corner."

    - Julie Layton, Founder, Generous Helping

  • "I found her to not only be responsive to requests from our ownership team, but also proactive in her quests to make us more productive. She is self-motivated and always hunting for ways to help. But on top of all that, she is a delight to be around! If you’re going to be spending time with someone at work, it’s helpful when they’re a great person."

    - Dan Julius, Partner, Stock Legal

  • "Katie is the prototype for a superb chief of operations. She is a great leader and knows the value of teamwork, innovation and utilization of techniques that will better prepare a program for success.”

    - Tom Ahrens, Founder, Viven Health & NovEx