After more than a decade in Alaska's tourism and hospitality industry, I founded Northern Compass Operations to give small seasonal businesses access to experienced operations support — without the cost of a full-time hire.
I'm Miranda Schmidt, owner of Northern Compass Operations. I've spent over a decade working inside Southeast Alaska's tourism, hospitality, and transportation businesses — across operations, food & beverage, HR, vendor management, and administration.
I know what shoulder season looks like. I know what spring hiring feels like. I know how fast things fall apart when there's no system behind them.
Northern Compass exists because small seasonal businesses deserve organized, reliable operations support — and most can't afford (or don't need) a full-time operations manager. I step in remotely, build what you need, and show up in person when it matters.
You get someone who actually understands your business, not a generic virtual assistant who needs to be trained from scratch.
Reconciliation, categorization, cleanup, and keeping your books accurate all season.
Managing relationships, tracking contracts, handling communications, and keeping suppliers on schedule.
Job postings, applicant tracking, onboarding paperwork, and keeping your people files organized.
Writing clear, usable standard operating procedures so your team can work consistently without you in the room.
Payroll prep, schedule tracking, and making sure your team gets paid correctly and on time.
Food and beverage ordering, inventory tracking, and supplier management for lodges, vessels, and concessions.
Driver scheduling, DOT compliance support, logbook tracking, and transportation operations coordination.
Taming your email, building better workflows, and clearing the backlog that's been slowing you down.
Not sure what you need? Start with the audit. Most clients use it as the jumping-off point for everything else.
A deep dive into how your business actually runs. I review your hiring process, training materials, SOPs, vendor relationships, and admin systems — then deliver a written improvement plan with clear next steps. Low commitment, high value.
Ongoing remote support across all areas of your operation. QuickBooks, payroll, HR, SOPs, vendors, F&B ordering, CDL admin, inbox management, and process cleanup. Scope and price are tailored to your business — quoted after a discovery call.
I build everything remotely first. Then I come to you for two days to train your team, walk through the systems, and make sure everything sticks before the season starts. Travel costs billed separately and agreed upfront.
Seasonal packages — Spring Readiness and Fall Wrap-Up — are available as add-ons. Ask about them on your discovery call.
We talk through your operation, what's working, what isn't, and where you're losing the most time. No pitch — just a real conversation to see if we're a good fit.
I get to work — cleaning up your books, building SOPs, setting up your hiring process, organizing vendors. All done remotely, on a clear timeline.
For clients who want it, I come to you for two days to train your team and launch everything in person. I arrive prepared — not figuring things out on your clock.
Most clients move into a monthly retainer after the initial work is done. I stay on as your remote operations partner — available when the season gets busy.
I have direct experience with the rhythms of industries where things aren't steady — where staffing spikes, vendor relationships matter, and operations have to work even when ownership is stretched thin.
Whether you have a specific project in mind or just know you need help, reach out and let's figure out if Northern Compass is a good fit for your business.
miranda@northerncompassops.comI typically respond within one business day.