Inspiring Conversations with Charlotte Merritt of OPPs Now

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Merritt.

Hi Charlotte, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Local to Atlanta, Charlotte has spent her career helping local entrepreneurs drive revenue. Rather than looking at Operations as a standalone, Charlotte looks at the intersection of Operations, People, and Sales to drive revenue.

Charlotte is known for cutting through operational chaos and turning overwhelm into clarity and momentum with her years of hands-on experience guiding law firms, creative companies, and high-end manufacturers.

At OPPs, she and her team step in as the operational backbone for companies that have grown past the founder-led stage but aren’t ready (or don’t need) a full-time COO. From streamlining workflows and financial metrics to building better accountability systems, Charlotte focuses on the three most valuable assets every business owner has: time, people, and revenue.

Clients often describe working with her as the turning point where their business finally started running like a business — not a never-ending to-do list. Whether it’s mapping processes, building accountability into teams, or guiding family legacy companies through leadership transitions, Charlotte’s approach is equal parts practical and empathetic.

Her motto: “Time is the currency I measure.”

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?
Does anyone have a smooth road? Especially us elder millennials who were in college for 9/11, trying to climb workforce ladders for the 2008 recession, COVID…..

During my first Director role I had my son and spent the first year and a half of his life torn between chasing success and numbers and watching him grow up. Family first so I stepped down and stopped working full time and stopped driving forward to be with him until he was three. That wasn’t a magical age to return to the grind – we found an amazing school and I stepped back into a VP role which quickly turned to wearing every hat I wanted – pretty standard for family owned companies.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about OPPs Now?
At OPPs (Operations, Process, People, Solutions), I step in as the operational partner for businesses that have outgrown their founder doing it all. Our focus is helping small to midsize companies — especially law firms, professional services, and niche manufacturers — build the structure, systems, and accountability needed to scale. We’re the fractional COO that ensures time, people, and revenue are managed like the valuable assets they are.

My goal is to turn operational chaos into clarity. That can look like designing streamlined workflows, implementing financial and performance dashboards, building out hiring and onboarding processes, or guiding leadership through family business transitions. Every engagement is customized — no cookie-cutter playbooks — because no two companies hit their growth ceilings in the same way.

Most importantly, I give owners breathing room. When you’re not buried in putting out fires, you can focus on growth, strategy, and the parts of the business that only you can do. Our job is to make sure the company runs smoothly, people are aligned, and systems are built to support the next stage of growth. The result: less stress, more scale, and a business that works for you — not the other way around.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that growth isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing the right things in the right way. Early in my career, I thought success meant pushing harder and keeping everything on my own shoulders. But working with business owners across industries taught me that the real breakthrough happens when you build systems, empower people, and protect your time. That’s when a business moves from surviving to scaling — and that shift has shaped how I run OPPs and how I help my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oppsnow.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottehmerritt/