Fractional COO Services

Your operations,
finally working
for you.

You started your business to make an impact. Not to drown in process, bottlenecks, and firefighting. Sundial Ops brings executive-level operational leadership to growing companies, without the full-time overhead.

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Clarity
Alignment
Execution
Sundial Ops Leah Heidinger, Fractional COO I help founders scale without operational chaos
Who I Am

Operations isn't overhead.
It's your edge.

Hi, I'm Leah — a fractional Chief Operating Officer and the person who makes sure the work actually gets done.

With over 20 years of experience across e-commerce, technology, finance, and small business, I've built systems, led teams, secured funding, and restructured operations for companies at every stage of growth. I'm industry agnostic — what I care about is whether your business is ready to move with intention.

"I bring clarity and alignment so your business moves at the right pace — with intention."

I work with founders and small teams — the solo operator who just hit their first major milestone and is drowning, or the team of three who just landed their biggest contract and needs someone to make sure they can deliver. I show up calm, grounded, and detail-obsessed, so you don't have to be.

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Leah Heidinger, Fractional COO
20+
Years in Operations
10+
Businesses Served
$0
Full-Time Overhead
Industry
Agnostic
The Process

How we work together

Every engagement starts with deep listening. I don't show up with a playbook — I show up with questions, and we build the answers together.

01

Discovery

A 60-minute conversation to map your current operations, identify friction points, and understand your goals for the next 12 months.

02

Diagnosis

I conduct a structured operational audit — reviewing your team structure, workflows, tools, and key metrics to pinpoint what's holding you back.

03

Design

Together we build a prioritized roadmap with clear owners, timelines, and success criteria. No vague "strategy" — concrete next steps.

04

Execution

I roll up my sleeves alongside your team, driving implementation, removing blockers, and adapting as we learn what works.

What I Do

Where I can help most

Operational Architecture

Build the systems, processes, and structure your business needs to grow without breaking. From SOP development to workflow design, I create the operational backbone that lets your team execute without you in every conversation.

Process Design SOPs Org Design Tooling

Strategic Planning & Execution

Translate vision into quarterly roadmaps and weekly rhythms. I facilitate planning cycles, build accountability frameworks, and make sure what you commit to actually gets done.

OKRs Quarterly Planning KPIs Accountability

Growth & Scale Operations

Preparing to hire, expand, raise funding, or restructure? I build the operational and financial readiness that makes growth feel controlled. This includes grant writing, funding strategy, and corporate restructuring support for founders ready to move to the next level.

Hiring Systems Scale Readiness Grant Writing Funding Strategy Restructuring

Team & Leadership Alignment

Communication gaps and misaligned teams are operations problems. I facilitate alignment, build team rhythms, and create the communication structures that keep everyone moving in the same direction — including remote and cross-functional teams.

Remote Teams Leadership Rhythms Communication Cross-Functional

Project & Change Management

Launching something new, navigating a pivot, or integrating a major change? I lead complex initiatives from kickoff to close — keeping timelines, owners, and deliverables clear from day one.

Launch Management Change Management Cross-Functional

Interim COO Coverage

Sudden leadership gap or not ready for a full-time hire? I step in as your acting COO, maintaining momentum and stability while you figure out your next move.

Interim Leadership Transition Support Team Stability
Real Results

Client success stories

E-Commerce · Beauty & Wellness Brand

From day-to-day chaos to a backend that runs itself

A fast-growing e-commerce brand needed operational infrastructure to match their ambition. I stepped in as operational lead — building backend systems, creating performance reporting from scratch, optimizing Shopify workflows, and implementing SOPs that gave the whole team visibility into what was working and what wasn't. Day-to-day operations became structured, repeatable, and no longer dependent on one person.

8 → 2
Communication channels consolidated
SOPs
Implemented across fulfilment & customer service
Full
Shopify ops & inventory systematized
Technology · AI-Focused Company

Funding secured. Structure built. Ready to scale.

A growing technology company needed to get its financial and corporate house in order before it could grow. I led the full corporate restructure from partnership to incorporation, established new banking relationships, secured a term loan to fund a private data centre build, and brought in $250,000 in non-dilutive grant funding — all while keeping day-to-day operations running.

$250K
Non-dilutive funding secured
Full
Corporate restructure completed
Marketing & Media · Virtual Team

SOPs that let a virtual team execute without hand-holding

A marketing and media company needed a repeatable system for producing assets across a distributed team. I designed and documented the full marketing production workflow — from brief to final delivery — creating templated SOPs that any team member could follow without needing constant direction. Consistency went up. Turnaround time went down.

Full
Marketing SOP library created
↓
Onboarding time & production inconsistency
What Clients Say

The real impact

If you need a highly competent, motivated, reliable, high-level executive assistant in any capacity where strong organization, problem solving and follow through is required, Leah is your girl. She's an analytical thinker and is multi-skilled in a variety of online business management and e-commerce software. She's passionate in the success of any project and a champion of any business she works for. Operations management is where she excels and would be an asset to any e-commerce company requiring help to scale. She's the A player you've been looking for to move the needle.

B
Brandi Tindal
Founder, Sunna Inc

Leah is a great resource for any tech or operations support. She is extremely organized, friendly and always on top of whatever project she is managing. She handles all customer service inquiries quickly, professionally and efficiently and is always willing to help out when her expertise is needed.

D
Denise Ginzel
Sales Manager, Uvalux
Engagement Options

How we can work together

Every business is different. I offer flexible engagement structures so we can find the right fit — whether you need intensive support for a sprint or a steady operational partner for the long game.

Operational Sprint

A focused 4–8 week intensive targeting a single high-priority challenge — ideal for companies in a specific transition or facing an urgent operational gap.

  • Defined scope with clear deliverables
  • Weekly working sessions
  • Final implementation roadmap
  • 30-day post-sprint check-in
Most Common

Fractional COO Retainer

Ongoing embedded partnership — 8 to 20 hours per month of dedicated operational leadership, adapted to your business rhythm.

  • Weekly leadership team participation
  • Continuous process improvement
  • Strategic planning support
  • Priority access between sessions
  • Monthly executive reporting

Operational Assessment

A structured 2-week deep dive into your operations, culminating in a prioritized recommendations report — a great first step if you're not sure where to start.

  • Team interviews & process review
  • Systems & tooling audit
  • Prioritized recommendations report
  • 90-minute readout presentation

Not sure which is right for you?

Let's have a 30-minute no-pressure conversation. You'll leave with clarity either way.

Schedule a Discovery Call
Common Questions

Before we connect

What exactly is a Fractional COO?
A fractional COO provides the same expertise and involvement as a full-time Chief Operating Officer, but on a part-time or project basis. You get senior-level operational leadership without the cost of a six-figure salary, equity, and benefits package.
What size companies do you typically work with?
I work best with founders and small teams in the six-figure range — whether you're a solo operator who just hit your first major milestone, or a team of three to five who just landed a big contract and need someone to make sure you can deliver. If you're early in your hiring journey and things are starting to break, that's exactly when I can help most.
How quickly can you get started?
After our discovery call, I typically complete a simple contract and kickoff within 1–2 weeks. For urgent situations like leadership transitions, I can sometimes move faster.
Do you work in specific industries?
I'm industry agnostic. Operations principles translate everywhere — I've worked across e-commerce, technology, finance, marketing, and more. What matters isn't what your business does; it's whether you're ready to build the systems that let it grow.
How do you measure success?
We define success metrics together at the start of every engagement. This typically includes a mix of qualitative goals (founder stress, team clarity) and quantitative ones (time-to-hire, margin, delivery speed). I hold myself accountable to these.
What if I just need a one-time project?
Absolutely. The Operational Assessment and Sprint options are designed for exactly that. Some clients start with a one-time project and transition to a retainer — but there's never any pressure to do so.
Get in Touch

Ready for clarity?

The first conversation is free and low-pressure. I want to understand your situation and see if we're a good fit — for both of us. If I'm not the right resource, I'll say so and point you toward who is.

hello@sundialops.com
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Based in Canada · Working remotely nationwide
Message received.

Thanks for reaching out — Leah will be in touch within 1–2 business days.