Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Schomer.
Hi Alexis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve always been driven by solving problems and building systems that work. That mindset led me to co-found a health tech startup in 2016, where I had to wear many hats — including marketing, which became a natural strength. As part of a strong entrepreneurship community (Hub101), other founders and business owners began reaching out, asking for help with their own marketing efforts. That demand sparked the launch of Simply Branded, my digital marketing agency.
Over the next five years, I exited the first startup, co-founded a second health tech startup, and continued growing Simply Branded alongside it all. But in 2021, I felt a shift. While I loved marketing, I realized I was even more passionate about operations — the behind-the-scenes structure that makes a business run efficiently. That’s when I stepped in as COO of Alchemy Foods, a brand-new food manufacturing warehouse. I helped build the company from the ground up — leading everything from the food assembly line to hiring, HR, and operational systems.
From there, I transitioned into a marketing leadership role at a premium baby furniture brand. I launched their direct-to-consumer (DTC) division — they had previously only sold through retail — and drove over $1 million in online revenue within the first year. I was responsible for the entire marketing function: website, PPC, trade shows, email, social, influencer campaigns, and more.
Still, operations kept calling to me. While judging a startup competition at CSUN, I told my friend Jenna how I was looking to pivot fully into ops. She happened to be hiring an Operations Manager for her company, Your Startup Operations (YSO), and thought I’d be a great fit.
When I joined YSO, it was a lean operations agency offering admin virtual assistants and bookkeeping services. The Virtual Assistant division was the perfect fit for me — it sits at the intersection of two things I deeply love: business and teaching. (Fun fact: I’ve tutored most of my life and still tutor my first client.) I was genuinely excited to take ownership of the role — learning how to recruit top talent, create onboarding plans, map and document client processes, and train and manage virtual teams.
Given my marketing background, it was only natural that our services evolved. Under my leadership, we introduced a full marketing arm offering influencer management, email marketing, social media, and design. We’ve become a true one-stop shop for everything a modern brand needs — whether it’s building internal systems or generating growth externally.
YSO has grown into a white-glove partner for startups and growing businesses — supporting their operational and marketing needs. We’re entrepreneurs ourselves, and we absolutely love helping small businesses succeed.
Fast forward to 2025 — I’m now officially a Partner at YSO, continuing to build, scale, and support the kind of businesses that inspired my journey in the first place.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road — I don’t think it ever really is. There are challenges at every phase of the journey, but one period that stands out (and I think many people can relate to) was during COVID.
When the pandemic hit, marketing was one of the first expenses businesses cut — and as a result, my agency’s revenue dropped to nearly zero in under 30 days. It was a massive shock, especially since it had been the business keeping the lights on. I had to quickly rethink my strategy and shift into survival mode. I leaned hard into social media, started offering free consulting sessions to get in front of people, and joined online communities to build relationships through Zoom. Some of it worked, some didn’t — but slowly, I was able to rebuild a client base entirely virtually, with people I’d never met in person, all across the U.S. That was a huge shift from how I had operated previously, relying heavily on my in-person network.
At the same time, COVID impacted my health tech startup in two major ways. First, our product was designed to support patients recovering from hip and knee replacements — elective surgeries that were completely put on pause during the pandemic. That essentially froze our business model and forced a major pivot. Second, my co-founder was stuck in London and couldn’t return to the U.S. Due to the time difference and sudden shift to remote, it became incredibly difficult to collaborate the way we had for years — side-by-side, every day.
Those months were tough. I navigated uncertainty from all directions — financial, professional, and personal. But like with most challenges, they ended up pushing me to evolve. I came out of that period more adaptable, more resourceful, and honestly, more connected to a wider business community than ever before.
As you know, we’re big fans of Your Startup Operations. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At Your Startup Operations (YSO), we help small businesses scale by removing the day-to-day operational and marketing overwhelm. Our boutique agency provides white-glove support — acting as a true partner, not just another vendor. Our mission is simple: to give entrepreneurs the freedom to grow their businesses without getting stuck in the weeds.
We specialize in:
– Virtual Assistants (executive, admin, project-based support — all high-caliber and fully managed)
– Bookkeeping
– Marketing (influencer/UGC management, social media, email marketing, and creative design)
What really sets us apart — especially in the Virtual Assistant space — is how hands-on we are. Most agencies in this space operate more like staffing firms: they match you with a VA and step away. At YSO, we stay deeply involved. We don’t just place a VA and wish you luck — we recruit top talent, create custom onboarding plans, train based on your standard operating procedures (SOPs), and manage performance alongside you. Need help creating SOPs? We do that too. We’re often in the background mapping processes, troubleshooting team issues, and improving workflows — becoming a true operations partner to our clients.
This level of white-glove service stems from our roots. We’re operators and founders ourselves, and we understand that hiring help isn’t the solution unless that help is trained, managed, and aligned with your business goals. That’s where we shine.
Under my leadership, we’ve also expanded into digital marketing, combining operations and growth strategy in one agency. Whether launching influencer campaigns, creating a social media strategy, designing creative assets, or setting up email marketing systems, our goal is to help businesses grow.
I’m most proud of the way our brand has evolved: from an operations agency to a full-service growth partner — all while staying personal, relationship-driven, and obsessed with results.
If there’s one thing I want readers to know, it’s that YSO isn’t just here to lighten your load — we’re here to help you build smarter, scale faster, and get your time back.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Absolutely — the list could go on forever, and I’m genuinely grateful for the mentors, family, friends, clients, and teammates who’ve supported me throughout my journey.
I want to give a special thank you to Valerie Swift, a longtime mentor who has consistently offered wisdom, encouragement, and guidance as I navigated each chapter of my career. She’s been a steady presence and an invaluable sounding board.
I also have to credit Jenna Henao, my business partner and someone who truly changed my life. She believed in me when I was ready to make a big leap and pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. Her leadership and partnership have helped shape the leader I’ve become today.
And, of course, my daily support team — my boyfriend Hunter, my best friends Sammi and Baylee, and my family: Ani, Tiffany, and Tina. They’ve shown up for me in many ways, but most importantly, they’ve always believed in me. As an entrepreneur, that belief means everything — especially in the moments when self-doubt creeps in.
At the end of the day, success isn’t a solo journey. I’m here because of the people who lifted me up, reminded me I could do hard things, and never let me forget what I’m capable of.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yourstartupoperations.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schomeralexis/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexis.schomer
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisschomer/
- Twitter: https://x.com/schomeralexis
- Other: http://alexisschomer.com/
