About Modern Ops
OUR STORY
Most small and growing businesses know today’s tools can make things easier.
But the pace of change is fast, the advice is noisy, and it’s rarely obvious how to apply any of it in a way that actually improves day-to-day work.
The result is often the same pattern:
tools get added reactively
processes live in people’s heads
admin quietly grows
AI gets tested, then parked
Not because the tools don’t work, but because the operational foundations aren’t there.
That gap is where Modern Ops was built.
We kept seeing the same pattern:
Businesses aren’t struggling because they lack technology.
They’re struggling because they lack clarity, structure, and support around how to use it.
Between us, we bring:
20+ years’ combined experience supporting business operations
20+ businesses helped to streamline and modernise how they work
Hundreds of operations and VA team members trained to use AI, automation, and modern tech effectively
We’ve worked closely with founders, small teams, and growing businesses — helping them streamline workflows, implement practical automation, train teams, and improve how work actually flows through the business.
The Modern Ops exists to close the gap between:
knowing modern tools exist
and using them in a way that genuinely makes work easier
Meet the Founders
Lara —Co-Founder & Head of Operations
After 10+ years supporting CEOs, founders, and scaling teams, Lara saw the same problem everywhere:
too much time lost to messy systems and repetitive admin.
As a certified coach with a deep background in operations, she brings a people-first approach to modernising businesses.
She founded The Modern VA to help virtual assistants use AI confidently and strategically — and now leads The Modern Ops to bring the same clarity to entrepreneurs, founders, and small business teams.
Her focus:
make tech usable, make operations lighter, and help teams spend more time on real work, not admin.
Tom — Co-Founder & AI & Automation Lead
With 15 years in financial services and 8 years specialising in process improvement and automation, Tom understands exactly how well-designed systems transform how a business runs.
He blends deep technical expertise with practical, hands-on implementation — showing ops teams how to streamline admin, automate workflows, and apply AI in a way that actually makes sense.
Tom leads the technical training at The Modern VA and heads up the AI + automation builds inside The Modern Ops.
His focus:
turn complex tech into simple, effective systems teams can rely on.
Our approach:
We don’t start with tools.
We start with how the business actually runs.
That means:
understanding workflows before automating them
simplifying before adding complexity
choosing tools deliberately, not reactively
AI and automation are powerful, but only when they’re applied in the right places, at the right time, with the right guardrails.
We focus on building operational systems that:
reduce admin
improve consistency
support growth
and make day-to-day work feel more manageable
The Modern Ops was born to bridge the space between “knowing tech exists” and actually using it to simplify operations.
People first, technology second
We’re clear about what we don’t do.
We’re not here to help businesses replace people with AI.
We’re here to help teams work better with the tools available to them.
That means:
using technology to remove friction, not roles
designing systems people can understand and trust
enabling teams, not creating dependency
Good operations support people.
They don’t work around them.
Who we work with
Modern Ops works with scaling businesses that know their operations need to evolve.
Typically, that means:
Founders whose business has outgrown informal processes
Small teams feeling the strain of manual admin
Organisations trying to keep up with fast-moving tech responsibly
Our clients don’t want tech for tech’s sake.
They want clarity, confidence, and systems that actually stick.
