About
Hi, I'm Maylen.
I'm the founder of ThoughtfulOps and Chief of Staff to the CEO of Pixel Union and Archetype Themes. I help founders and leadership teams build and operate companies that can grow without depending on chaos, heroic effort, or constant founder involvement.
How I work
Ownership, clarity, and follow-through.
01
Ask first, prescribe second
I start by talking with the team to find where the real operational friction lives, not where it looks like it lives.
02
Communicate clearly, often
CEOs are never guessing what I'm working on, thinking through, or moving forward next.
03
Own it end to end
I turn messy priorities into action and carry the work through, without waiting to be prompted for every next step.
04
Build on what works
I create systems your team can actually use and keep running after I'm gone.
Who I work with
Small teams outgrowing "we'll figure it out as we go."
1–30
people
Early and maturing companies that have moved past scrappy but haven't built the muscle to scale calmly.
CEOs
ready to lead
Founders who want to run the business, not stay buried in follow-ups, tools, and operational firefighting.
Teams
feeling the strain
Responsibilities, workflows, and priorities have become harder to manage as the company grows.
Service, tech,
e-commerce, creative
Businesses ready for more structure without losing the flexibility that got them here.
My story
I'm the founder of ThoughtfulOps, where I help CEOs and growing teams bring structure to the messy middle of running a business.
Alongside ThoughtfulOps, I serve as Chief of Staff to the CEO of two Shopify software companies, Pixel Union and Archetype Themes. I work across strategy, operations, organizational planning, cross-functional execution, and special initiatives, including helping lead the integration of the two businesses.
I've spent my career with startups, entrepreneurs, and growing teams, so I understand what it feels like when a company starts to outgrow "we'll figure it out as we go." Priorities multiply, responsibilities get blurry, information lives in too many places, and the systems that once worked start to strain under the weight of the business.
Before founding ThoughtfulOps, I worked as an operations manager and senior experience producer, managing complex projects from idea to delivery and building the systems teams needed to work better together. My operations focus goes back to my time at John Molson School of Business, where I studied management and won awards for case competitions in change management and business strategy.
I started ThoughtfulOps because I believe operations should make work feel clearer, calmer, and more sustainable. Having experienced burnout myself, I know that strong systems are not about adding rigidity or bureaucracy. They are about helping people focus on the work that matters most, with less confusion, duplication, and firefighting.
Why "ThoughtfulOps"?
I ask a lot of questions, listen closely to the team, and look for the real source of friction before recommending a solution. That thoughtfulness is where the name comes from.
My work goes beyond processes and tools. I help leaders turn scattered priorities into clear plans, create systems their teams can actually use, and build operational habits that support the company as it grows.
At its core, business is just people working together. ThoughtfulOps exists to make that work feel better, clearer, and more human.