I spent my career as an Executive Assistant supporting everyone from scrappy academic startups on shoestring budgets to billion-dollar Fortune 100 product teams at Amazon. And through all of it, one thing never changed: the founders who needed me most were always the ones who couldn't afford me full-time.
So I built the thing that didn't exist yet.
Nat
Founder, SmartStart Executive Business Partners
Career Executive Assistant. Former Fortune 100 operator. Startup obsessive. Built SmartStart in 2023 to give $1–10M founders access to the kind of operational excellence that used to be reserved for companies 10x their size.
In March 2023 — like a lot of people in tech — I found myself navigating the aftermath of layoffs, figuring out what came next. I knew I didn't want to jump straight back into Big Tech. But when I started talking to startup founders, the same thing kept coming up over and over:
"We need your help desperately — but a full-time hire is beyond our budget."
I heard that enough times that I started asking a different question: why wasn't anyone solving this? There were millions of founders caught in the gap — too big for a VA, too small for a COO. And the market had basically nothing for them.
So, jobless and surrounded by executives jury-rigging makeshift solutions, I asked myself: "Can I fix this myself?" Turns out — yes.
Over a career as a professional EA, Nat supported executives across academic startups, Series A companies, and Fortune 100 product teams — including time at Amazon, where she learned what operational excellence actually looks like at scale.
Startup founders consistently needed executive-level operational support but couldn't justify a $250K COO. VAs weren't the answer — they execute tasks, they don't build systems. SmartStart was built to fill exactly that gap.
To make game-changing executive support accessible to deserving founders everywhere — blending Fortune 100 operational excellence with genuine startup hustle and entrepreneurial heart.
SmartStart isn't a VA service. It's not a consulting firm. It's an Executive Business Partner — someone who has worked inside the machine at scale, knows what good looks like, and can install those same systems in your business fast.
The best founders don't need to work harder. They need the operational infrastructure that lets them lead instead of firefight. SmartStart installs that infrastructure in 30 days, with a guarantee if we don't deliver.
This is the thing Nat wished existed when she was watching brilliant founders drown. So she built it herself.
Operators, not order-takers
We don't wait to be told what to do. We diagnose, prioritize, and execute. You make the decisions — we make them happen.
Outcomes over effort
We don't charge for hours. We charge for results. Our 30-day SLA isn't a marketing line — it's a contractual commitment we stand behind.
Visibility is power
You can't lead what you can't see. Every engagement includes real-time dashboards so you always know your revenue, pipeline, cash, and ops status.
Systems over heroics
Talent runs out. Systems scale. We build repeatable, documented processes so your business doesn't depend on any one person — including you.
Speed matters
Every week you spend drowning in admin is a week you're not closing deals, building product, or leading your team. We move fast on purpose.
Partnership, not vendor
We're in the business with you. We care about your growth, your margins, and your sanity — not just our deliverables. We win when you win.
Every SmartStart engagement comes with our 30-Day Outcome SLA. If we haven't freed at least 20 hours per week from your plate, launched your Exec Dashboard, and installed your Weekly Executive Review by Day 30 — we work free until all three are green.
No excuses. No extensions without accountability. Just results.
15 minutes to find out if we're the right fit for your business.
Book a Free 15-Min Fit Call →