For founders of growing B2B SaaS companies
Your company grew. Somehow, you became its operating system.
I'm Katie Barnes, an operating advisor and fractional COO for growing B2B SaaS companies. I figure out why everything keeps coming back to you, then help your team build a better way to run.
Who this is for
You're running a real business. It just wasn't built for this size.
Everything runs through you.
Your team is capable, but decisions, exceptions, and approvals still find their way back to you.
The revenue is real. The systems aren't.
What worked at 8 people is creating friction at 25.
You're great at the work. This is a different job.
You are spending more time coordinating the company than building it.
You didn't break it. You outgrew the way you built it.
The receipts
Specifics, not adjectives.
- 18 to 6 days
Customer onboarding reduced while maintaining 100% NRR.
- $30,480
ARR identified as uncollected because of invoicing and handoff breakdowns.
- 90%
Reduction in outstanding client balances after migrating 140+ accounts to Stripe.
Also: investor-ready data rooms that gave leadership one complete source of truth.
“We've made HUGE progress, and I now have a much clearer path forward, even with all that's still left to do. Thank you for all that you have done.”
How I work
I figure out why everything keeps coming back to you.
I don't start by recommending a tool or installing a giant framework.
Most growing companies don't have one giant operational problem. They have ten small ones that have become normal.
- A decision nobody technically owns.
- A handoff that works differently depending on who is involved.
- A meeting that exists because nobody trusts the information elsewhere.↳ Usually on a Tuesday. Usually an hour.
- A founder answering questions the team should be able to answer without them.
That's the stuff I look for.
What that looks like, in order
Listen.
I talk to you. Then I talk to your team, separately, because the answers are rarely the same.
Follow the work.
I watch where work and information get stuck, and trace decisions and handoffs back to where they really get made.
Name the pattern.
I tell you what is actually happening, plainly, including the parts that involve you.
Change the few things.
We pick the changes with the most leverage, and I stay close until they actually happen.
Work with me
Three ways in.
Most founders start with the audit. Some stop there, and that's a fine place to stop.
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Most founders start here
Founder Bottleneck Audit
$2,500Two weeks
For founders who know something is off but are too close to the business to see exactly where it is coming from.
Katie interviews the team, follows the work, identifies the highest-cost bottlenecks, and gives the founder a prioritized 90-day plan.
Start with the audit → -
Ongoing
Founder Operating Advisory
Starting at $3,500/month
For founders who need an experienced operator in their corner while they continue running the company.
Decision support, operating priorities, leadership accountability, and ongoing help making the company less founder-dependent.
Explore advisory → -
Embedded
Fractional COO
Starting at $6,000/month
For companies that need someone actively inside the business helping lead through an operational inflection point.
Hands-on ownership through things like leadership transitions, GTM changes, customer journey problems, organizational changes, or cross-functional execution issues.
Explore fractional COO →
Not sure which one fits? That's what the first conversation is for.
In their words.
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.
“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, then customizing solutions to my unique needs. Katie is someone you want in your corner.”
“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. And on top of all that, she is a delight to be around.”
About Katie
I see the pattern before I prescribe the process.
I've spent 15 years inside growing companies as a Head of Operations, Director of Operations, Chief of Staff, and fractional COO. That work has covered B2B SaaS, Customer Success, RevOps, finance, leadership, and GTM.
That range is the useful part. Most operating problems live between functions, and I've sat in most of the chairs.
Rise & Optimize is my practice. I'm based in St. Louis, where I live with my husband, a toddler, and a dog. (The dog is easier.)
A newsletter by Katie Barnes
5,000+ readers · On Substack
Systems & Side Eyes
Notes on building companies that don’t require the founder to personally hold every piece together.
↳ The side eyes are included at no extra charge.
A few questions.
What size companies do you work with?
Mostly B2B SaaS companies somewhere between 10 and 75 people. The revenue is real, the team is capable, and the founder is still the place where too many decisions end up.
What is the difference between advisory and fractional COO work?
Advisory is me in your corner while you keep running the company: decisions, priorities, accountability. As a fractional COO I'm inside the business, owning operational work alongside your team.
Do you work with teams outside St. Louis?
Yes. Most of the work happens remotely. I'm based in St. Louis and happy to be in the room when it helps.
What happens on the first call?
You tell me what keeps landing back on your plate. I ask questions. By the end we'll both know whether working together makes sense, and if it doesn't, I'll say so.
Let's talk
Tell me what’s stuck.
You do not need to diagnose the problem before we talk. Tell me what keeps landing back on your plate, what feels harder than it should, or where your team keeps getting stuck. We’ll start there.
Got it. Thank you.
I read every one of these myself and will reply within two business days.