When to Hire a COO & Step Out of the Weeds

Every founder hits the wall where they realize: “I can’t keep running everything.” Sales, ops, hiring, strategy—doing it all at once doesn’t scale. That’s usually when the idea of hiring a COO starts making sense. The COO isn’t just an “extra set of hands”—they’re the person who makes sure the trains run on time so you can focus on the big picture.

Signs you’re ready? You spend more time putting out fires than building the future. Decisions bottleneck at your desk. Growth slows because you can’t delegate at the speed the company needs. A strong COO brings structure to the chaos, freeing you to be the visionary instead of the air traffic controller. All sound familiar? Maybe it’s time to dedicate some time to finding a COO.