Startup Operations & Executive Support

The person who makes it actually work.

I help early-stage founders get operationally sorted - building the systems, tools and processes they need to grow, then staying to make sure it keeps working.

Let's talk What I do

What I do

Operations built around how your business actually runs.

Most founders are brilliant at their thing. Running a business around it is a different skill set entirely. That's where I come in - setting up the infrastructure, then keeping it running as you grow.

Startup Operations

Getting a new business properly set up - tools, processes, workflows, team onboarding. The foundations done right from the start.

Systems & AI Tools

Building smart systems using the best current tools - Notion, Monday, Zapier, AI - so your business runs efficiently without you doing everything manually.

Events

Launch events, team offsites, client dinners, retreats. Conceived, organised and delivered properly, without the chaos.

Executive Support

Senior-level support for founders who need a trusted right hand - communications, priorities, decisions, the stuff that keeps falling through the gaps.

Brand & Creative

Early-stage brand foundations - visual identity, templates, decks, comms. Enough to look like you mean it, without the agency price tag.

Ongoing Operations

Once the foundations are in, I stay in the background - maintaining systems, running projects, keeping things from sliding back into chaos.

Not the right fit if you need:

How it works

A setup phase, then ongoing if you want it.

First

A Conversation

We talk about where you are, what's not working, and what good looks like. No pitch, no deck - just a straight conversation about whether I can help.

Then

The Build

A defined project - typically 4–8 weeks - where I come in, audit what exists, and build out the systems and processes your business needs. Fixed scope, clear deliverables.

Ongoing

The Retainer

Most founders want me to stay once the setup is done. A monthly retainer keeps me in the background - available for projects, events, new tools, and making sure nothing breaks.

About

Twenty years of making founders' lives easier.

Clare Mills

I've spent my career working closely with founders and senior leaders - from investment at 3i in London to six years as the sole EA to the CEO of Gatekeeper, a global SaaS business, where I built and ran the operational infrastructure as the company scaled.

I'm based in Cornwall, work fully remotely, and am easily accessible to London-based founders. I'm not a VA agency and I don't have a team of people behind me. You get me - and I take that seriously.

I'm particularly good at coming into early-stage businesses and creating order without creating bureaucracy. And I stay current - AI tools, automation, the way work is changing. I use them all, and I'll bring them into your business too.

Experience

  • Gatekeeper (SaaS) - 6 years, sole EA to CEO
  • 3i plc - London investment
  • 20+ years across corporate & startup

Strong In

  • Startup operations & systems
  • Events, end to end
  • AI tools & automation
  • Brand & creative foundations
  • Founder-level EA support

Based

  • Cornwall - remote-first
  • London accessible
"Clare is the kind of person who makes everything around her work better - quietly, competently, and without any fuss."

— Patrick O'Connor, CEO, Gatekeeper

Get in touch

Tell me what you're working on.

If you're building something and you're starting to feel like the operational side is the thing holding you back - that's usually where I can help.

No long forms, no discovery call booking system. Just send me a message and we'll go from there.

Or email directly: hello@claremills.co.uk

I'll usually reply within a day.