The Most Important Job At Fresh You Never See
Reflections from Rémi Saint Jean, outgoing Operations & Finance Lead at Fresh Ventures
In most organisations, operations sits next to the mission. Someone keeps the lights on while the important work happens somewhere else. At Fresh it doesn't work like that. We co-found regenerative food and farming companies, and what we build for ourselves: the finance, the systems, the rhythm we work to is what those ventures start on. Run operations well here and it travels well beyond us.
Rémi built the first version of that backbone and held it for over two years. As he moves on to something new, we asked him to be honest about what the job really is, what he learned, and where he sees it going for the person who takes it on next.
How did you end up in this role at Fresh? What's your background?
Before the Operations Lead role, I was Venture Lead at Fresh, working with our ventures and founders. The transition came about to support Fresh's founders with our internal processes, as there was a gap in the team at the time. So I took on some ops responsibility initially, and then moved fully into this role. It also played to my strengths of structuring and organising. I'd always had an interest in budgets and financial models, so I allowed myself to dive deeper into these for Fresh.
How would you describe the essence of this role at Fresh?
It's ensuring that the organisation runs smoothly. It's supporting all team members so they can perform at their best, and enabling our work to transform the food system.
The role gives you an inside view of every aspect and component of our organisation. That's a unique vantage point to have, and it means working closely with the Fresh founders.
What does a typical week actually look like?
No two days are the same. It sounds cliché, but that's the reality of this role. Sure, there's some continuity and some aspects of the role are always on: making sure our space is welcoming to our team and ventures, keeping on top of the bookkeeping through the quarterly and annual cycles, preparing reports for our investors and funders.
But the rest depends on the cycles of the organisation: recruitment, the programme, the studio phases. Each of those demands its own supporting activities from this role. Personally, that's what I find exciting about it. I'd get bored in a repetitive role.
What surprised you about doing this job at a mission-driven studio?
Coming into Fresh, I had pictured a much bigger, more structured organisation. But we're a startup, and we operate like one.
In many organisations, personal development and the inner journey get talked about but aren't really embraced or practised. At Fresh, it's real. I had read about healing organisations (see The Healing Organization: Awakening the Conscience of Business to Help Save the World by Michael J. Gelb and Raj Sisodia), but this is the first time I've encountered one.
One thing you're most proud of from your time in the role at Fresh?
Recently we have been working on transforming our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) approach. From data scattered across different tools, we are bringing all into one self-hosted solution. This project will create a new foundation for how we interact with the different stakeholders, ensuring that we can engage with all in the best way and create a stronger information layer to support us.
What would you tell the person who takes this on next?
While the role might not sound very exciting - operations and finance - it's working in a cutting-edge space. We, Fresh, are building new ventures at the edge of systemic thinking, different ownership structures and agrifood. So you're in a mentally stimulating space, day in, day out.
Our team and founders are inspiring people to work with - mission-driven, and with a variety of great backgrounds. I often joke that we'd be a "best place to work" if we were big enough and had the time to apply for it.
Over the last years, Fresh has matured as an organisation, and the next person will be critical in supporting Fresh through its next phase of development.
Ready to hold down the fort?
Fresh is hiring its next Operations & Finance Lead: someone to hold our financial and operational core, keep a small team running smoothly, and build systems that our ventures start on too.
If you've run this before and want to keep going deeper in the craft, not as a stepping stone to something else, but as the work itself, this role might be for you.
Think you could take over from Rémi and rock the Operations & Finance Lead role? Explore the opportunity here.