Suzanne Hopson’s Post

As the company grows, so do the CEO’s problems. This is usually because they: → Don’t have time to execute their growing list of high-impact projects. → Get stuck in the day-to-day instead of building the overall business. → Can’t seem to hire the right people or grow their team. → Can’t even think of positioning the company to sell. → Have no time for strategic thinking. Then they spend too much energy working on areas where they kind of suck, and it leaves them feeling drained. It’s enough to make even the most visionary CEO feel overwhelmed. But hear me out—there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Although you might feel like you have to do everything yourself, you don’t. You just need to hire the right second-in-command. The bad news is that hiring the right COO isn’t easy. That’s why, the search for a kick-ass COO doesn’t start with the COO. It starts with the personality of the CEO. What they need, and the perfect match for their skills and character. I cover this in my book, The Second in Command. You can order your copy of The Second In Command here: https://lnkd.in/epURxuNh --- cooalliance.com - where COOs go to grow! PS - Limited time offer. You can save $4,400 by joining the COO Alliance in July. (Offer ends Aug 31).

🚀 Reach & Grow Your Business Potential with a Fractional Operations Lead 🚀 Ever wondered what a Fractional Operations Lead is and why your company needs one? 🤔 A Fractional Operations Lead is a seasoned pro who brings expert operations management skills to your business on a part-time or project basis. This flexible approach allows companies to benefit from high-level expertise without the full-time commitment, or the paperwork to boot. 🔑 Why Should You Consider a Fractional Operations Lead? 1. Cost-Effective: Access experienced talent without the overhead of a full-time employee. 2. Scalability: Perfect for growing businesses needing to scale operations efficiently. 3. Expertise on Demand: Leverage specialised skills exactly when you need them. 4. Fresh Perspective: Gain valuable insights and innovative solutions from an external expert. Seamless operations are crucial, a Fractional Operations Lead can make a significant difference. From optimising guest/customer experiences to streamlining back-end processes and systems, this kind of expertise ensures your business runs smoothly and efficiently - allowing the business to thrive. In today's fast-paced business environment, agility is key. With me as Fractional Operations Lead I can provide the strategic support you need to streamline operations, drive growth, and stay ahead of the competition. Drop me a line and we can discuss how a I can help you on a fractional basis to help your business thrive - be that 1 day a week, 1 day a month or on a retainer basis, I love a chat so will be only too happy to! 🌟 #BusinessGrowth #OperationsManagement #FractionalLead #ScaleYourBusiness #HospitalityExcellence #Efficiency #OBM #Onlinebusinessmanager #founder

Unlock Your Business Potential with a Fractional COO! Feeling bogged down by daily operations? Imagine having a supercharged operations expert at your side without the full-time commitment. Here's why hiring a Fractional COO could be the best decision for your business: 1. Big Brains, Small Budget: • Get top-tier operational expertise without breaking the bank. 💡💰 • Pay for what you need, when you need it! 2. More You Time: • Focus on what you love—growing your business! 🌱❤️ • Let a pro handle the nitty-gritty of daily operations. 3. Scale Like a Pro: • Flexible support that grows with your business. 📈✨ • Adapt quickly to market changes with tailor-made strategies. 4. Efficiency Ninja: • Streamline your processes and boost efficiency. 🥷⚙️ • Implement best practices and innovative solutions. 5. Strategic Superpowers: • Benefit from top-notch strategic planning and execution. 🎯🦸 • Navigate challenges with confidence under expert guidance. At RavenOps, we make your business our business. Ready to take your business to the next level? Book your discovery call today! #FractionalCOO #OperationalExcellence #ProjectManagement #BusinessSolutions #KeepSoaring

𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗢𝗢 🚀 Like running, building a business is a long and relentless process. Your first race is often shit. Rarely fun. But somehow, you end up signing in for a second one. In today’s fast-paced business environment, many companies are seeking innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiency without the overhead of a full-time executive. Enter the 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗢𝗢 – a strategic partner who can drive growth and optimize operations on a flexible basis. Here are 4 key advantages of bringing a fractional COO into your world: 1. 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: As your business evolves, a fractional COO can adjust their level of engagement, whether you need them full-time during a critical phase or part-time for ongoing support. 2. 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀: By delegating operations to a fractional COO, founders and executives can concentrate on strategic priorities, innovation, and growth rather than getting bogged down in daily operational challenges. 3. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀: Fractional COOs often come with established connections and insights that can open doors to partnerships, talent, and resources that can benefit your business. 4. 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: With a focus on optimising processes and increasing efficiency, a fractional COO can help develop long-term strategies that align with your business goals. Hiring a fractional COO is not just a temporary fix, it’s a strategic move that can propel your business forward. If you're considering this option, let's connect and explore how it can work for your organisation! #BusinessLeadership #FractionalCOO #OperationalExcellence #BusinessGrowth 📸 Second half marathon, October 2024 - PR of 12 minutes.

When is the Right Time to Hire a Fractional COO? As a business owner, you’ve likely reached a point where growth feels overwhelming. The systems and processes that once worked are now stretched thin, team accountability feels misaligned, and the operational demands of running the business are pulling you away from your vision. Sound familiar? 🤔 This is when many leaders realize the value of a Fractional COO. A Fractional COO is more than just an operations expert—they’re a strategic partner who brings structure, clarity, and scalability to your business. Acting as your trusted second-in-command, they take ownership of processes, align your team, and create scalable systems to set you up for sustainable growth. 🤩 Here are some clear indicators that it might be time to bring in a Fractional COO: ➡️ Your focus is stuck on daily operations instead of high-level strategy. ➡️ Strategic initiatives like product launches or expansion plans are constantly delayed. ➡️ Your team struggles with accountability, missed deadlines, and misalignment. ➡️ Transitions like rapid growth or leadership changes feel chaotic without clear systems. At The COO Solution™, we understand that timing is everything. A well-timed Fractional COO can turn overwhelm into opportunity by streamlining workflows, empowering teams, and freeing owners to focus on what they do best—leading the business forward. 💨 One of our clients faced rapid growth but needed more efficient systems and a team under pressure. By bringing in a Fractional COO, we restructured their workflows, optimized their team, and implemented scalable solutions. Within months, they regained focus, clarity, and control over their growth trajectory. ✨ Hiring a Fractional COO isn’t just about fixing challenges—it’s about preparing your business for what’s next. Is now the right time for a Fractional COO? Explore the full blog here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d48vVmJT Let’s connect to explore how operational clarity can transform your business.

While I understand the terms “Visionary” and “Integrator,” I think they have set far too many small businesses up for failure. I have met way too many small businesses owners who say they are in the role of “Visionary,” yet what their company actually needs is someone rolling up their sleeves and making shit happen. If you’re a small business (<$10m) founder, there’s a bit of time you need to set the Vision and then a tiny amount of time on an ongoing basis to make sure the plans, execution, and management are aligned to that Vision. The rest of the time? EXECUTING THE PLAN. Which is the function of the COO. And therein lies the next problem—many founders that think their companies can benefit from them being a full time “visionary,” then hire someone to be the “integrator”… someone who can *simply manage the business operating system* at the behest of the Visionary. But this role is not some glorified assistant or project manager—it’s the freaking COO! And this role is to not be fractioned out or subordinated to a “jr.” In fact, the COO job is more of a day to day job than the CEO job in small businesses (again, <$10m). If you want to apply those labels, that’s all fine and good, but just know that as a founder working in the business, your business needs less “visionary” work and more getting shit done work.

This is how a Business Management Hub increased the output of my team by 60% instantly. (Yup, really 60%) When I started to really grow with my business it got harder and harder to stay on top of everybodies productivity. After about 10 to 15 employees there was just no way I was able to know what everybody was doing and to know that everybody was doing the right things. But it’s really important though, that your team is working on the most important things at all times. When I started building the Business Management Hub (will tell you more about this in a minute) my team started to work way more efficiently. By getting everybody aligned to the companies goals AND having one clear overview where I saw exactly what was going on, I managed to increase the output of the team by a whopping 60%! So how exactly did I fix this and manage to keep on scaling? Well… I have something amazing for you. It’s a system where all the workload of all departments are always up to date. It gives you accurate insight into what everybody did, is doing and is going to do at all times. This makes sure you never have to ask that awful question ever again. “What have you done this week”. This system is part of the Business Management Hub and it’s called “Master in Management” It’s one place where everybody in your team works in a simple overview giving 100% transparent insight into what’s going on at all times for everyone. It includes:           👉 Workload, so that you know if your team is under- or overpopulated.           👉 Scheduling, so that deadlines are always met.           👉 Delegating, to increase efficiency for the leadership department.            👉 Much more. If you want to get more details about it just shoot me a DM or leave a comment saying “give me more”! I’ll send it to you for free.

The fractional COO model is a burgeoning market many small to mid-size firms would greatly benefit from but are unaware of. For small firms looking to grow, having access to experienced operational leadership is essential—but hiring a full-time COO often isn’t feasible. That’s where fractional COOs come in. These experienced professionals offer high-level strategic guidance on a part-time basis, allowing small firms to benefit from critical leadership without the financial burden of a full-time executive. Fractional COOs bring a wealth of knowledge in streamlining operations, optimizing processes, and scaling businesses. They can help firms set clear goals, implement efficient systems, and align teams to meet growth objectives, all while working within a firm’s existing resources. By providing flexible, on-demand support, fractional COOs allow small firms to scale strategically and sustainably. They offer the operational insight needed to overcome growing pains—whether it's improving cash flow, enhancing team collaboration, or introducing new technologies. Fractional COOs empower business owners to focus on core services while ensuring that operations are running smoothly behind the scenes. For firms that want to grow but aren’t ready for a full-time commitment, a fractional COO offers a perfect solution to bridge the gap between ambition and capacity.

If you're a business owner wondering if it's time to hire a second-in-command, you've likely heard this advice: • Consider hiring a COO when you reach a million dollars. • Wait to add another leader to your team until you have the right balance of doers. • Get clear about the type of second-in-command you need first. In general, this is good advice. 🚫 It is also risky to wait to get the support of an expert in operations until you have ALL the answers. ✅ Instead, be on the lookout for the warning signs indicating you need an operations advisor. 5 Signs You'd Benefit from an Operations Advisor • You aren't sure where to start to build a team. You're wondering if you need a team leader, executive assistant, project manager, or sales rep. • You are nervous about outsourcing what you do to part-time and full-time contributors. You're worried the quality will decline and tarnish your brand. • You wish you knew if your project management system was the best option for scaling. You're wondering if it could be easier to use. • You have a system and worry it is clunky, not client-friendly, and not fully used.  You know there is a better way. • You aren't sure you have the time to train and onboard new employees. You don't want to disappoint the new hires. Good news there is a way to have some peace of mind. Imagine having an operations Swiss army knife for your business – someone experienced in advising owners like you, improving consistency, and simplifying processes to scale. Someone who shows up when you need them with capabilities in client service, sales, marketing, finance, technology, project management, talent development, and creating collaborative environments to achieve operational excellence. 🚀 It's possible to have the support you need to focus on what matters: growing your business.  Are you curious about how a fractional COO can support you and your business? 👉 Book a call with the link in my profile.  

Don’t hire a COO. Yet. If you are like most $3M business owners (and I see this all the time), You need to transition from doing it all yourself to having a COO. Because jumping straight into having a COO is too much of a shock. It slows things down instead of speeding them up. When business owners aren’t ready to let go, this is what usually happens: - Handing things off and then taking them back before work is finished, causing confusion, rework, and missed deadlines. - Giving the new COO tasks a lower-lever staff person could handle, which wastes resources, causes frustration, and significantly increases costs. - Overriding or arguing with the new COO in meetings, which confuses the staff, creates a negative culture, and leads to productivity and quality issues. All of these wind up wasting thousands of hours & hundreds of thousands of dollars. That’s why taking a phased approach to bringing in a COO is so valuable. - You’re clear on your role and theirs. - You’re prepared for a smooth, low-stress transition. - You’ve got a firm foundation that can support growth. And best of all, Because your new COO is set up to succeed, Your investment will pay off.