FOUNDER OPERATIONS PARTNER
Built for Founders
who are done doing everything themselves.
I'm Sharmla Pillay, Founder Operations Partner who resonates with Founder's DNA. I build the systems, digital presence, structures, and teams that let you stop running the business and start growing it.
SOUTH AFRICA & GLOBAL REMOTE
HealthTech
NGOTech
MusicTech
CreativeTech
ABOUT
Most founders don't have an operations problem.
They have a 'doing everything myself' problem.
What I Deliver For Founders
Not a virtual assistant. Not a project manager.
A strategic operator who builds what your business needs — while it's running.
Operational Audit
Find exactly where your time and money are leaking — and fix it.
SOP Development
Documented, replicable processes your team can follow without you.
Full Recruitment Function
End-to-end recruitment for new and scaling companies — job design, sourcing, screening, compliance checks, and deployment.
Built to move fast under real pressure.
Startup Operations Build-Out
From zero: infrastructure, rostering, payroll setup, vendor management, and regulatory relationships.
Delivered under live pressure, fast.
CRM Development
CRM systems configured to match your pipeline and team workflow. Implemented, data migrated, team trained — so adoption actually happens.
Ai Workflow Automation & Systems
Automations using Systeme.io, Notion, Trello, Asana, and AI tooling — so your team focuses on what requires human judgment.
Available fractionally.
Engagement types: Fractional Ops Manager · Head of Operations (contract) · Operational Advisory · Project-Based Systems Builds.
Results That Speak For Themselves
Every number above was delivered under real pressure, with real constraints, in a real business.
$30K
Revenue billed in the first 14 days — Covax Australia.
300+
Registered nurses recruited and deployed across Queensland, Australia, during COVID19.
9M
South Africans reached — NASA/ESA campaign on a R5,000 budget.
15+
Years of hands-on operational experience across four continents.
South Africa, USA, Australia, Europe
MARKETING DIGITAL SERVICES
Need More Than Strategy?
In addition to fractional ops management, I build and manage the digital infrastructure your business runs on — using Systeme.io end-to-end. Every service below is something I have already built for a live client or my own ventures.
CRM Setup & Automation
CRM built and configured to match your actual pipeline — not a generic template. Contact management, lead tracking, tagging, and automation rules set up and tested before handover.
Social Media Management
Consistent presence across platforms — content creation, scheduling, community management, and reporting. Currently managing 13 active profiles across 5 brands.
Sales & Lead Generation Funnels
Sales funnels and email list funnels that capture, qualify, and convert. Designed, copywritten, and built in Systeme.io — including thank-you pages and delivery automation.
Digital Presence & Website Builds
Landing pages, portfolio pages, link-in-bio pages, and full multi-page Systeme.io websites — designed, built, and domain-configured. Bilingual builds available.
Email Campaigns & Sequences
Automated email sequences and broadcast campaigns — written, designed, and deployed. Welcome sequences, nurture campaigns, and re-engagement flows.
Workflow Automation
End-to-end automations that handle the repeatable work — lead capture to CRM, opt-in to email sequence, form submission to notification. Built and tested in Systeme.io.
These services are available as standalone engagements or as part of a fractional ops retainer.
All Systeme.io work is built from direct hands-on experience — not outsourced, not templated.
5 live sites built · 2 lead generation funnels · 9 social profiles managed · R20,000 revenue generated from a single funnel without a full launch.
Case Studies Proven In The Field
The proof is not in the credentials. It is in what was built, under what conditions, with what resources.
Covax Australia — Healthcare Startup
Covid19 Pandemic Mission
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia · 2021
Healthcare | MedTech
Team Management
CRM
Full Recruitment
Stakeholder Management
The Situation:
Day one instruction: Recruit 15 registered nurses by morning. She started at 1pm. Done by 8pm. Over the following weeks, the entire operational engine was built from zero — CRM, rostering, payroll, government relationship, and Facebook recruitment campaigns — while simultaneously managing 11 onsite staff and hundreds of remotely registered nurses.
Results:
→ $30,000 billed to QLD Health in the first 14 days
→ 300+ nurses recruited, credentialled, and deployed across Queensland
→ 8 vaccination sites staffed simultaneously at operational peak
→ Full CRM, rostering, payroll, and government relationship built from zero.
Children Unite Against Child Abuse Campaign
Celebrities For Humanity (CFH) in collaboration with NASA & European Space Agency (ESA)
South Africa, USA & Belgium - 2007 - 2008
NGO | Social Impact
Multi-Stakeholder
Zero Budget Execution
International Campaign
The Situation:
A zero-budget, bi-national awareness campaign designed, managed, and executed end-to-end — coordinating an NGO partner, Children In Wonderland, Belgium, NASA, the European Space Agency, 10+ celebrity judges, and schools across South Africa. The winning artwork from both countries flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-122 at 17,600mph, 213 miles above Earth, certified by Astronaut Leopold Eyharts.
Results:
→ 1,200 student artwork entries received nationally
→ Winning artwork launched aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-122
→ SABC prime-time coverage reaching approximately 9 million South Africans
→ Bi-national campaign executed across three continents on a R5,000 budget.
Celebrities For Humanity (CFH) Annual Blankets Drive
in collaboration with the Late Archbishop Desmond Tutu Anti-Xenophobic Campaign
Masiphumelele, Cape Town, South Africa, Atlanta, USA
2008 · NGOTech / Social Impact
Stakeholder Coordination
Event Production
Crisis Management
Zero Budget
The Situation:
CFH launched it's Share The Warmth Blankets Drive, during South Africa's 2008 xenophobic violence crisis. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's official visit to Masiphumelele was organised, coordinated, and managed end-to-end — with no government funding, no PR agency, and no operational budget. Multi-stakeholder coordination across TBWA, Protea Hotels, Patricia Maier & Captain Bob Maier of Delta Airlines, 6+ celebrities, a 15-member community forum, and the Archbishop's office. National press coverage secured through IOL and SAPA newswire.
Results:
→ Archbishop Desmond Tutu's visit organised and managed end-to-end
→ Corporate partners secured: TBWA Hunt Lascaris, Protea Hotels, Delta Airlines — at zero cost
→ 200+ blankets distributed; 400+ children in attendance
→ National coverage via IOL Independent and SAPA — no PR agency
MusicTech - The Operator Who Lives It
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Fiji, Thailand
2014 to Present · MusicTech
MusicTech
Creative Ops
Independent Artist
Lived Experience
The Situation:
South Africa's only female of colour, award-winning, international Techno DJ — self-managed, independent, active across five countries for 11 years. Every booking, radio residency, press release, distribution deal, and regulatory registration self-negotiated and self-managed. When working with music tech founders, the lived perspective of the independent artist your platform is built to serve comes built in.
Results:
→ 9+ simultaneous global radio residencies across New York, Italy, Sweden, UK, India and more
→ Lady of the House UK Demo Competition Winner, 2025
→ Code 1313 (Pty) Ltd — independent record label founded and registered
→ 10,000+ international audience built with zero paid promotion budget
PORTFOLIO
DIGITAL WORK
A selection of live digital work built, designed, and managed across clients and my own ventures — using Systeme.io, WordPress, and the full social media stack.
WEBSITES
Fondation Ann Martel
Background:
Designed and built in Systeme.io for a French-language NGO. All site copy translated and localised into French. Managed full domain setup and DNS configuration with their external hosting provider. Ongoing site management — recently added a new Events page and created video.
What was built:
→ Full Systeme.io site design and build
→ French copy translation and localisation
→ Domain setup and DNS configuration
→ Ongoing site updates and management
Background:
MMA and combat sports event site built end-to-end in Systeme.io for a Kinshasa-based championship event. Client provided flyers as source material — all copy was developed, structured, and written from scratch using AI-assisted frameworks. A hero video was created in Canva and embedded into the site. Delivered within two weeks including full English-to-French translation, with French pages built manually as Systeme.io does not support automatic translation. Domain registered, hosting managed, DNS configured, and client email address set up and handed over.
What was built:
→ Full Systeme.io site — fight card, event lineup, and hero section
→ Hero video created in Canva and embedded into the site
→ All copy developed from client flyers using AI-assisted frameworks
→ English-to-French translation — pages manually duplicated and translated
→ Domain registration, hosting setup, and DNS configuration
→ Client email address set up and credentials handed over
→ Delivered within 1 week from brief to live
Firewood Suppliers
WordPress
Full Build from Scratch
Gauteng SME
Social Management
Background:
Full WordPress site built from zero for a Gauteng-based firewood delivery business — no template handed over, no brief document, built from a conversation. Covers homepage hero, benefits, about, services, products, customer reviews, and contact.
What was built:
→ Full WordPress site from scratch
→ Homepage, services, products, reviews, and contact sections
→ Ongoing Facebook social media management
LEAD MAGNETS - LANDING PAGES-
SALES FUNNELS
Next Chapter Resumes
Background:
Built complete digital infrastructure from zero — two live lead generation funnels, both lead magnets researched, written, and designed. Email automation and CRM lead capture configured end-to-end. Generated R20,000 revenue without a full marketing launch.
What was built:
→2 opt-in lead generation funnels
→2 lead magnets — researched, written, and designed
→Full email automation sequence
→CRM lead capture setup
→LinkedIn blog content
Changa Energy
Link_In-Bio
Solar Power
Digital Presence
Graphic Design
Background:
Built an all-in-one branded digital presence page as a Linktree alternative for a solar energy company. A yearly cost saver for client. Single destination for company brochure, social media links, and key brand assets — clean, mobile-optimised, and on-brand.
What was built:
→ Branded link-in-bio page in Systeme.io
→ Company brochure integration
→ Social media and contact link hub
→ Mobile-optimised layout
PORTFOLIO
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Instagram - Facebook - LinkedIn - TikTok - Twitter - Google My Business - YouTube
Mixcloud - SoundCloud - Distrokid - Spotify - Ableton - Suno - Mix & Mastering Certified
Managing content, scheduling, and community across 5 brands and 13 active profiles.
Changa Energy
Solar power client — brand content, company updates, and lead-facing social presence across three platforms.
Next Chapter Resumes
A division of Triple Fire Holdings Pty Ltd
Repositioning Resume Service. A supporting division to ProficientOBM. Ongoing social media management.
Firewood Suppliers
Local SME in Gauteng. Monthly social media management.
LuvCurryandco
A cooking brand. Ongoing social media management. Intermittent cadence.
Sharm Pillay | DJ Artist
My personal brand. Ongoing and intensive end-to -end social media management.
PORTFOLIO
CANVA DIGITAL DESIGNS
A selection of CANVA digital designs across clients and my own ventures.
LOGO DESIGN
FLYERS
PRODUCT BROCHURES
PRESENTATIONS
Who I Work With
I work best with early-stage and scaling founders who are high energy, smart, mission-driven, leads with their heart but running out of runway to do everything themselves.
MusicTech
Platforms, tools, and infrastructure for artists, labels, and the creator economy. I bring an operator's expertise and an artist's lived perspective — I already know your users' world from the inside.
MedTech & Healthcare
Healthcare startups scaling clinical or administrative operations. Proven experience building recruitment infrastructure, CRM systems, and multi-site staffing under live pressure.
NGO & Social Impact Tech
Mission-driven organisations building tech-first infrastructure on constrained budgets. I understand how to deliver extraordinary outcomes with limited resources — I've done it repeatedly.
Also working with Founders in:
Creative Agencies · Early-stage Startups · Remote-first Teams
📍 Based In South Africa. Open to Relocation.
🌐 Working With
UK & Global Remote
⏱️ Availability - Fractional
💼 Engagement Types
Fractional · Contract · Advisory · Project-based
What Clients Say
Sharmla's unwavering commitment and profound expertise were truly commendable. Her pursuit of excellence and her tenacity to transcend set benchmarks were palpable. We hold no doubt that she will channel the same zeal and expertise into any future project or role she embraces.
Annie Muller
Operations Manager KnG Healthcare / Covax Australia
Manu Kala, Co-Founder of Covax Australia, referred to Sharm as his "Mike Ross" — the person who walks into a room with no playbook and delivers through raw ability, work ethic, and instinct.
You did such a great job and I’m so happy with it! It was an absolute pleasure working with Sharm for my design project. I was expecting a turnaround time of about a week and she had it done within hours. She was very professional, understood what I wanted, and used her creativity to create a design that represents me and my company to a T! Not only that, she went above and beyond what we originally discussed and created brand new logo options for me and used her amazing copywriting skills to make my project 100x better. I highly recommend her services!
Natalie
Co-Founder, Aquila Virtual Solutions, Central Florida, USA
As a new start-up business in 2014, We needed expert advice and marketing services to launch our new company, And Sharm was our guide and mentor through our start-up phase. Over the years we have utilised all the services Sharm provides including day-to-day operational assistance that has allowed us to rapid growth. It is an absolute pleasure to work with Sharm who is resourceful, and very supportive. Sharm has our best interest at heart and that is what makes this partnership of using the services so rewarding.
Chantell Kanes
Founder, The Cold Calling Company
Recognition & Credentials
🏆 Lady of the House UK
Demo Competition Winner, 2025
🌍 DJane Top 100 Global & Mix Mag
Top 6 — Africa Rankings, 2017
📺 SABC3 Mela TV Show
Documentary Feature, 2016
🎓 Pete Tong DJ Academy
Qualifying Student & Moderator, 2025 | 2026
📰 Destiny Magazine
Champion of Change · Woman to Watch, 2010
📰 Press Coverage
Beatportal · IOL Independent · Psychologies Magazine · Entrepreneur Magazine
Let's Talk
If your business is running you, it's time for a conversation.
I work with a small number of founders at any one time — fractionally, remotely, and with full commitment to your operational outcome. If you're building something in MusicTech, MedTech, or NGO-Tech and need someone to walk in on Monday and make it work by Friday — I'd like to hear about it.
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Reg. No. 2021/947150/07
MusicTech · MedTech · NGO-Tech · CreativeTech
South Africa · Australia · Europe · Global Remote
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