Fractional Strategy & Operations for Growing Startups
The strategic thinking of a COO. The operational muscle of a Chief of Staff. The human touch that actually makes things stick.
I’m Meredith Lynch. I help founders move faster, with less chaos.
As a former Chief of Staff and Head of Operations, I bring both vision and execution to turn operational overwhelm into clarity. I do this through strategic prioritization, cross-functional insight, automation, and optimization - all without choosing between speed and quality, or systems and people.
After 15+ years scaling high-growth orgs from the inside (across operations, people, marketing, and finance), I now partner with founders as their fractional COO, Chief of Staff, or operational sherpa - bringing the full weight of cross-functional leadership without the full-time overhead.
You might be feeling…
Who I Work With
Pulled in too many directions - You fear you might be the bottleneck, and growth is creating more friction than momentum
Operationally underwater - Your team is busy, but productivity feels scattered
Lost in the weeds - You're drowning in execution when you should be thinking strategically
Unsure what to prioritize - Everything feels urgent, but you don't have data or systems to guide decisions
Worried about your foundation - You're hiring fast, but concerned the infrastructure can't support it
Who I Work With
Early-stage
Companies post-product-market fit; growing fast and feeling the internal friction (1-100 employees)
Founders wearing too many hats
Executives needing strategic execution support,
a right hand, or someone to find a
solution to a problem
Multi-industry
Travel, education, health/wellness, CPG, food/beverage, technology, climate and more
Values aligned
I love working with mission or impact-driven businesses, with a soft spot for women-led orgs
Services
Fractional Head of Ops/Chief of Staff
Your strategic second brain and executor, without the full-time overhead
Ideal for: Founders stuck in the weeds
What’s typically included:
Strategic planning (OKRs, priorities)
Decision-making support & infrastructure
Operational system design and execution
Cross-functional team alignment
Executive enablement and customized problem solving
Format: Retainer
Strategic Systems Build
A 4-8 week sprint to stabilize the core and better prepare for growth
Ideal for: Fast-growing orgs before/during a team build
What’s typically included:
Organization + process audit
KPI/OKR system setup
Priority roadmap + comms tools
Systems and role design recommendations
Custom recommendation based on current challenges
Format: Fixed project
Clarity Hour (1:1 Sessions)
Working sessions to roll up our sleeves together without the long-term commitment
Ideal for: Leaders who need a sounding board
What’s typically included:
60-minute session to talk through challenges, ideas, or decisions
Option to focus on org structure, ops strategy, team dynamics, prioritization, hiring, strategic priorities, or founder mindset
Follow-up email with notes, frameworks, resources, and recommendations discussed
Format: One-off
Why “Lynchpin”?
That’s the role I’ve always played in organizations: part operator, part strategist, part unifier. In fact, I once won a company-wide award called The Elmer (short for Elmer’s Glue), given to the person who held the team together through complex transitions.
I bring that same spirit to my consulting work. My job is to step in, stabilize the structure, create clarity, and build systems your team can own long after I’ve stepped out. My presence may be temporary, but the impact is built to last.
And yup - Lynchpin is also a nod to my last name. A little pun, a little personal, a lot of purpose.
