Fractional COO / Integrator — Business Operations & Growth

Fractional COO / Integrator — Business Operations & Growth Allostasis Performance | Remote | ~15 hrs/week to start This is a builder/operator role inside an early-stage, founder-led company — not a traditional corporate COO position. About Allostasis Performance Allostasis Performance is a human-performance company built around a proprietary method — psychophysiologic training, combining breathwork, nervous system regulation, movement, physical therapy, and mindset. Founded by Dr. Justin Ternes, DPT we currently run an ongoing weekly breathwork residency at Walmart HQ, have delivered corporate programs for TrustMark and Michelin, work with select athletes and general population clients and operate two active client pipelines: corporate wellness and athlete/team performance. We have real clients, real relationships, substantial intellectual property and content, an existing CRM (that needs work), documented systems, and support staff. What we don't yet have is a fully developed operating system that connects all of those pieces into a clean, scalable business. The Role We're looking for a Fractional COO / Integrator to become the operational right hand to the founder and help build the company around what already exists. Allostasis Performance is a single-owner, founder-led company with real assets, clients, relationships, intellectual property, and demand — but the business infrastructure connecting those pieces is underdeveloped. You'll be coming into a company that needs to be organized, structured, reshaped, and built. We will work together to determine what the business should become and the sequence for getting there. The founder brings the vision, expertise, content, relationships, and strong strategic preferences. You'll help turn those things into an operating business. Some weeks may involve CRM architecture and SOPs. Other weeks may involve market research, restructuring an offer, mapping a funnel, coordinating a course build, fixing a client workflow, managing the VA, or figuring out how a new opportunity should actually be operationalized. You are not being hired to perform a predefined list of tasks. You are being hired to help build the operating system of the company and complete the list of tasks. This is not a role where you're expected to independently reinvent the company but work alongside the founder, who is highly involved in the strategic direction and uses AI tools such as Claude to help think through business decisions. We need someone who is function-oriented, decisive, resourceful, highly organized, and exceptionally good at execution. What You'll Be Walking Into There is already a substantial amount of material to work with: * Existing and previous corporate relationships and clients * An established network of potential clients and partners * Existing intellectual property and substantial content * Existing CRM and operational tools * An existing VA/support structure * Existing course concepts and content structures * A founder with deep subject-matter expertise and strong strategic direction The problem is that these pieces are not yet operating as one cohesive system. Most notably, we currently have a full front-end funnel but a broken conversion and follow-up system. There are network connections and opportunities that aren't being consistently nurtured, routed, followed up with, or converted into clients. There is also significant opportunity to turn the existing intellectual property into scalable products, including an online community/membership platform and online courses. The challenge is therefore not simply managing what's already there. It's taking what exists, understanding the bigger picture, determining what needs to be built, and then building it. Initial Focus: Build the Business Foundation The first stage will require stepping back from individual tasks and looking at the business as a whole. Together, we'll work through questions such as: * What is the soundest business model for Allostasis Performance? * What should the business plan look like? * Who are the highest-value markets and customers? * What does the market research tell us? * Which offerings should be prioritized? * How should the corporate and athlete/team businesses fit together? * What should the customer journey look like? * Where are the biggest operational bottlenecks? * What should be automated, delegated, documented, or eliminated? * What needs to be built first? * What should not be built yet? * What is the most effective sequence for moving the business forward? The founder will be an active partner in this process. Your responsibility is to bring structure to the thinking, translate decisions into plans, and then execute those plans. What You'll Own 1. Business & Operational Architecture * Help organize the overall business model and operating structure * Translate strategic decisions into actionable plans * Identify gaps, bottlenecks, redundancies, and founder dependencies * Establish clear ownership and accountability * Build the systems necessary for the business to operate without everything routing through the founder * Create project plans and execution timelines * Make sure agreed priorities actually get completed 2. Funnel & Client Conversion Infrastructure This is one of the highest-priority areas. We currently have a large network and a full front-end funnel, but the conversion system is underdeveloped. You'll help: * Map the existing customer journey * Diagnose where leads and relationships are being lost * Build follow-up and nurture systems * Establish lead-routing and ownership * Create appropriate CRM stages and workflows * Build automations * Organize existing relationships and opportunities * Create repeatable processes for moving prospects toward appropriate offers * Ensure qualified opportunities don't disappear because nobody followed up 3. Sales, Marketing & Growth Infrastructure You'll help build the systems that support how Allostasis Performance generates awareness, attracts prospects, and turns attention into qualified opportunities. This includes helping organize and operationalize: * Sales processes and pipelines * Lead generation * Marketing strategy and execution * Content and campaign planning * Email marketing and nurture campaigns * Paid advertising strategy, setup, tracking, and optimization * Search engine optimization (SEO) * Website and landing-page optimization * Organic traffic and audience growth * Lead magnets and other customer acquisition mechanisms * Analytics, attribution, and performance tracking * Integration between marketing, sales, CRM, and client onboarding * Identifying which acquisition channels are working and which should be improved, tested, or abandoned The goal is to build a measurable, repeatable system for turning market attention into qualified opportunities and ultimately clients. 4. CRM & Operations Infrastructure You will own the operational backbone of the company, including: * CRM structure * SOPs * Automations * Client workflows * Lead workflows * Tool integrations * Data organization * Documentation * Reporting * Process improvement The ultimate objective is to create an operating system where the founder doesn't have to remember what happens next. 5. Online Community (later phase) We intend to build an online community/membership environment around Allostasis Performance. You'll help determine the appropriate platform — potentially Kajabi, Circle, GoHighLevel, or a comparable system — and own the operational implementation. My VA is very well trained in this area and a valuable resource. This includes: * Platform setup * Member onboarding * Customer journeys * Content organization * Automations * Communication systems * Membership processes * Retention and nurture systems * Integration with the broader CRM and business model 6. Online Courses (later phase) We already have substantial course content and structure. The challenge is making sure we don't waste time producing the wrong thing in the wrong order. You'll help: * Organize the existing content * Establish the course architecture * Determine what needs to be created first * Create the production workflow * Identify missing assets or materials * Select the appropriate technology/platform * Coordinate the actual build and implementation We want the architecture and workflow figured out before significant time is spent creating the final product. 7. Client Operations * Same-day client response (VA responsibility - with new COO supporting the direction of her role) * Every new enrollment onboarded within 48 hours * Consistent communication throughout the client lifecycle * Nurture coverage across active and past clients * Zero dropped leads or client relationships * Handling escalations and higher-judgment client communication 8. VA Management You'll work directly with our existing VA and become responsible for helping turn that support into an effective operating function. This includes: * Delegating work * Creating clear processes * Establishing priorities * Reviewing performance * Coaching and correcting * Identifying what should and shouldn't be delegated * Creating accountability around recurring responsibilities 9. Decision-Routing One of the most important parts of this role is progressively removing routine decisions from the founder. You'll help create a "decide-once" policy library so recurring questions have predetermined answers. What We're Looking For We're particularly interested in someone who has previously operated inside a founder-led, small, service-based business where things were moving faster than the systems could keep up. Relevant backgrounds could include: * Coaching * Wellness * Healthcare * Sports * Athletic Performance * Consulting * Professional services * Human performance * Other founder-led or solo-practitioner businesses General corporate or enterprise-only operations experience is not enough for this role. We need someone who understands what it's like to walk into a business where the founder is still involved in almost everything and help create the structure that allows that to change. You should have: * Direct experience owning day-to-day operations or client success * Experience building systems rather than simply following existing systems * Experience managing or closely coordinating with a VA, EA, coordinator, or similar support role * Hands-on CRM and automation experience * The ability to take incomplete information and create structure * Strong organizational and project-management skills * High follow-through * The ability to make operational decisions without constant supervision * The ability to distinguish between something that requires founder input and something you can simply handle yourself * Comfort working in a fractional/trial capacity initially Experience with Kajabi, Circle, GoHighLevel, course platforms, membership platforms, CRM automation, paid advertising, SEO, marketing automation, or similar tools is a strong plus. The Person Who Will Thrive Here This role is probably not a good fit if you need a highly structured environment where someone else has already figured out the process. It may be a very good fit if you enjoy: "Give me the problem, give me the context, and let me figure out how to make the system work." You should be able to zoom out and understand the business, then zoom back in and build the actual workflow. You should also be comfortable working closely with a founder who has strong opinions and is actively involved in the business. What Success Looks Like The long-term goal is for the founder to stop being the operational bottleneck. The founder should no longer have to: * Remember to follow up with leads * Answer routine operational questions * Figure out what happens after someone purchases * Manage the VA's daily priorities * Rebuild the CRM * Decide how routine situations should be handled * Keep track of every moving piece * Chase down project status * Personally coordinate every new client * Constantly ask, "What happened with that?" Instead, there should be a functioning operating system around the business. And as the company grows, your role should evolve with it. Structure & Compensation This begins as a fractional engagement of approximately 15 hours/week, with the initial workload adjustable based on fit, priorities, and the actual needs of the business. The engagement begins with a paid trial/fractional period. There is potential for the role to expand over time based on performance, fit, and the needs of the company. Fully Remote. To apply, please answer the follow questions: 1. What makes you a strong fit for this role? 2. What is one operational system you have built from the ground up? 3. Have you worked in the sports/athletic performance space before? If so, please share. If not, please share why this area of focus interests you.