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Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Description

A Chief Operating Officer is the founder’s scale partner. They design and lead the operational engine that allows a company to grow beyond its founder. Unlike a Head of Ops, who is focused on daily execution, or a Chief of Staff, who creates leverage for the CEO, the COO owns company-wide operations — building the systems, teams, and accountability structures that turn strategy into durable, repeatable execution. They lead functional areas such as finance, people, compliance, and delivery, ensuring performance, quality, and margins improve as the business expands. A COO builds the infrastructure and leadership cadence that keeps priorities on track, managers accountable, and teams aligned. The role is most valuable in growth-stage companies that need formal operational leadership to scale sustainably — when success depends on reliable systems, strong management, and accountability frameworks that make the business run without relying on the founder’s constant oversight.

Features

Owns the business engine and org-wide operations

Designs scalable systems, processes, and metrics

Leads managers and operational functions

Turns strategy into repeatable execution and accountability

Improves performance, quality, margins, and risk management

Builds infrastructure so the company runs beyond the founder

FAQ

You ask, we answer.

What’s the difference between a CoS and a COO?

The Chief of Staff (CoS) serves the founder and creates leverage for the CEO by driving clarity, priorities, and alignment.
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The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves the company andbuilds the business engine—systems, teams, and accountability.

How do I know which role my company needs?

If the founder’s time and focus are the main constraint, you need a CoS.
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If the organization itself is breaking under growth—missed handoffs, no systems, managers without leadership—you need a COO.

Can one person do both jobs?

Not at the same time. The scopes are different. A strong operator may start as CoS and grow into COO as the company matures, but those are sequential phases, not one job.

When would a company need both?

In messy growth stages, a CoS and COO often work side by side.

The CoS keeps the founder focused and aligned. The COO builds and runs the operating system.
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Together, they support the founder/ CEO in closing the gap between vision and execution.

Why hire fractional instead of a full-time?

A full-time Chief of Staff or COO is a $150K–$400K+ commitment once you factor in salary, benefits, and equity.
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Many early-stage companies can’t take on that expense without cutting into product, growth, or key hires.

Fractional leadership gives you the same senior expertise for a fraction of the cost.
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Companies often save $200K+ per year by going fractional — enough to extend runway by 6–12 months or hire several additional team members.
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It’s a way to scale to the point where a full-time executive makes sense, without forcing the hire too early.

What's your approach?

We start with an operational audit to surface what’s working and what’s blocking growth. From there, we create a roadmap tailored to your stage and goals. Whether serving the founder as CoS or the company as COO, we embed where the pressure is highest to build what’s needed to scale.
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Book A FREE CALL HERE

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

You ask, we answer.

Smooth scaling from here on out.