12 December 2024

How to Find and Hire the Perfect COO or Operations Specialist

1Frameworks

7Insights

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Frameworks in this episode

Entrepreneurship7 steps

The Steal-the-Listing Operator Hire Method

Reverse-engineer real job posts to define and attract your operations hire

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take0:09:22

Don't hire a title, hire someone who thinks in systems

Jasmine argues she doesn't care whether a hire comes in as a COO, director of ops, or office manager. What matters is whether they can think operationally, look at a project and find a faster, better, or cheaper path. She wants a team of people who optimize plans, not just doers who plug in and out.

The label matters less than whether the person thinks operationally
She wants people who look at a plan and say they can optimize it
Doers who only follow instructions are not what she is after
Systems thinking earns a definite place on the team

“I want people who are operationalized. These are people who look at a plan and say, I can optimize it.”
Jasmine Star · 0:09:22

#hiring#systems-thinking#operations#team-building

Explainer· 3

Explainer0:06:29

How scaling without processes turns the founder into the bottleneck

Jasmine describes the trap of scaling: more people require more processes, but founders often hire fast without building them. The result is repeated work, miscommunication, wasted time, and unnecessary meetings, until the founder realizes everyone comes to them for answers and they have become the bottleneck.

The more people you add, the more processes you need
Hiring fast without processes causes repeated work and miscommunication
The founder ends up caught in the weeds and overwhelmed
The panic move is to hire anybody, which compounds the problem

“I'm the bottleneck to my business.”
Jasmine Star · 0:07:26

#scaling#processes#operations#bottleneck

Explainer0:14:02

Chief of staff vs COO vs integrator: the operations vocabulary decoded

Jasmine clarifies the confusing titles around operations roles. A chief of staff is a mini version of the CEO who echoes their voice and ensures decisions get implemented, but is not responsible for operations. A COO looks different in every organization and is often complementary to the CEO. In the digital space, Gino Wickman's Traction popularized 'integrator' for the same operations-lead role.

A chief of staff is an echo of the CEO who ensures decisions are implemented, not made
The COO role varies widely and is often complementary to the CEO's skill set
'Integrator', coined in Traction by Gino Wickman, maps to a director of ops or COO
Choosing the right title affects budget and the candidates you attract

“A chief of staff is literally a mini version of the CEO, but that person is not responsible for operations.”
Jasmine Star · 0:15:03

#titles#operations#org-chart#traction

Explainer0:08:29

What a great operator actually does with your crazy idea

Jasmine paints the picture of the operator she wants: someone who hears a big idea, pressure-tests it, then comes back with a plan. They map out what it will take, who is needed, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and, based on projections, how much it will make. It's the person behind the curtain who loves organization and systems.

A true operator loves organization and systems
They take a crazy idea, push back on it, then figure out how to make it happen
They return with the people, timeline, and cost needed
They forecast expected revenue based on projections

“that big crazy idea that you had? Well, I mapped it out. I think this is what we're going to need to make it happen.”
Jasmine Star · 0:08:29

#operations#planning#execution#delegation

Story· 1

Story0:00:00

The specialist doctor who dreamed of her own practice but couldn't find an office manager

Jasmine tells the story of a highly specialized doctor she waited eight months to see, who confided she wanted to leave her group practice and start her own. As Jasmine asked business questions, the doctor admitted she had no idea how to find an office manager. The anecdote frames the episode's core problem: knowing you need operations help but not how to find it.

The doctor was a top specialist who had built a covetable brand but had no entrepreneurial context
Becoming a solo practice owner means becoming an entrepreneur with a medical practice, a different job
She dreamed of buying a building before ever running the business
Her real bottleneck was not knowing how to hire an office manager

“And she looked at me, lowered her glasses and said, I don't know how to find an office manager.”
Jasmine Star · 0:04:32

#hiring#operations#small-business#story

Tool· 1

Tool0:22:29

Use LinkedIn listings to benchmark what an operator should cost in your region

Jasmine demonstrates pulling comparable listings for the same national employer across two cities to benchmark pay. A dental office manager in Cave Creek, Phoenix paid 50,000 to 55,000, while the same brand in Santa Barbara paid 75,000 to 90,000. She uses cost-of-living comparisons to estimate what a role should pay where she lives.

Search the same employer across cities to see how pay scales with cost of living
Cave Creek dental office manager: 50,000 to 55,000 full time on site
Santa Barbara same brand: 75,000 to 90,000 full time on site
Use a comparable-cost city as a proxy for your own market rate

“If you work at a dental office manager in Cave Creek, I just noticed it's in Phoenix, Arizona. They'll pay you 50,000 to 55,000 a…”
Jasmine Star · 0:22:29

#compensation#linkedin#hiring#benchmarking

Takeaway· 1

Takeaway0:05:31

Why 60% of seven-figure founders say their magic wand is an operations hire

Jasmine interviewed over 25 seven-figure entrepreneurs and asked what one wish she could grant in their business. More than 60% said they wanted help with operations. She explains that a strong operator keeps the founder in their place of power, creating vision and culture, while someone else owns the planning, assigning, and execution.

Founders get into business to run the business, then find themselves running the business instead
Operations handled well keeps the founder creating vision and building culture
The minutia of planning and assigning should be owned by an operations specialist
Over 60% of interviewed seven-figure founders named operations as their top wish

“more than 60% of the people said they were looking for somebody to help them with their operations”
Jasmine Star · 0:05:31

#operations#founders#delegation#leadership