Tim Skelly’s Post

A Fractional COO is a seasoned Executive who provides part-time strategic and operational leadership to your company for a fraction of the time and cost of a full-time hire. The decision to hire a Fractional COO can be a game-changing one. In earlier-stage companies, where resources are limited and runways are short, hiring a Fractional COO is a great way to quickly access the kind of Executive-level expertise that can be the difference between success and failure, without having to have access to a large amount of funding. I have extensive experience across various industries and company sizes. I use this experience to help you design and execute a Strategy for your business that ensures you're always running as efficiently as possible. By running efficiently, you're making best use of two of your most precious resources - time and money - and that expands outwards into every department, oiling the entire machine of the company and propelling you forwards to the next stage in your growth story. If you're wondering if a Fractional COO is the right choice for your business, why not click the logo at the top of this post and book a free, no-commitment Discovery Call? --- #startups #strategy #operations Pay As You Go COO was founded by an expert company builder who wants to help you beat the odds and build a business that’s destined for success, without breaking the bank. Get Fractional COO and Business Coaching services to help you navigate make the most of your most precious resource - time. Liked this post and want to see more? 🏷️ Save this post ➕ Follow this page 📰 Subscribe to The Operating Table, the free newsletter that brings you the latest insights and advice for your growing company: https://buff.ly/3yb5dzh

OPTION 5: Get a magic 8-ball for decision making. It’s cost-effective, and who doesn’t love a little bit of mystery in their business strategy? 🎱💼" I’m all seriousness - this is great advice CAMERON HEROLD. A full-time COO is not the solution to solve all problems, but rather one of many options to consider. Sometimes, a bit of creativity and strategic thinking can save both money and headaches! 🚀

Entrepreneurs—Here's how you can save $250,000 annually with some simple advice: Don’t hire a COO if you don’t need one. There are ONLY 4 main reasons to bring in a COO: To grow profitability To increase efficiency To make employees or customers happier To grow the economic value of the company It’s that simple. Now, the right COO in the right situation is transformative. But they represent needless expense, disruption, and commitment if not necessary. And I’d advise you to keep your money and consider alternative options. OPTION 1. Try an EA (Executive Assistant) First If all you’re trying to do is to get shit done and free up time, try hiring an EA. Oftentimes, people say, “I need a COO.” But what they really need is someone who has time to do tedious stuff they shouldn't be doing. OPTION 2. Hire the Right Heads You might also not need a COO if you’re after a functional head or heads to bring expertise to specific domains. OPTION 3. Cut Back Your Core Can’t keep visibility across all your projects? Rather than hiring a COO to handle the projects, you can try scaling back. Then, figure out whether your core projects are truly instrumental. OPTION 4. Go Fractional Another possibility to consider before hiring a full-time COO is hiring a fractional COO. A fractional COO is usually a former senior exec who has chosen to work for multiple companies rather than just one. Acting on one of the options above will let you gauge if you truly do need a COO to help your organization—without risking $250,000 to find out.

Thank you to Forbes and John Knotts for this great article on "What Should A Fractional COO Look Like?" "I believe any business could benefit greatly from a great COO. However, cost is often a limiting factor for many businesses, as a great COO is very expensive. This is where the fractional COO concept becomes attractive. For part-time employment, you can bring in dedicated top business talent to quantum-leap your company to the next level very quickly." https://lnkd.in/eT3sM6xJ

A COO becomes effective when you are: -Experiencing Rapid Growth:  When your company grows quickly and the existing management team struggles to meet operational demands. -Operational Complexity: When your complexity of operations increases to the point where you need to hire specialized positions to maintain efficiency. - Scalability Challenges: When your company faces challenges in scaling its operations effectively and sustainably. -Focus on Core Activities: When the CEO needs to focus more on strategic vision, fundraising, and market positioning, a dedicated role for operational management is critical. What I’ve encountered: When your team moves from Seed or Startup phase to Series Stage A or from Angel to Venture investors, this is when you want to have your operational infrastructure in place. Often, a company does not have the budget for a full-time COO, so it hires a lower-level, less experienced person. You are giving up the experience that a COO brings to the table. You give up the “been there, done that” experience. And I’m here to say that experience is worth the investment. THERE IS AN OPTION    Bring in a Fractional COO. This person can assist in developing strategy and roadmaps to success.  They work directly with your current teams and provide what you need as an interim option. Will a Fractional COO benefit your company? The first step to operational infrastructure planning is understanding what you have and need.   I can help with this. HI I am Mary Plemons, Fractional COO, and I am available to chat through any ideas or problems you may have. DM me anytime. I love talking Operations!

Are you thinking about your next step for scaling, but you're worried about costs? If so, a Fractional COO could be the answer. For the same price as a full-time junior employee, you can get a senior resource who can accomplish more within a much smaller window of time and with a lot less input needed from you. Essentially, with a Fractional COO, you're getting much more value from much less time. Fractional COOs are typically seasoned executives who have navigated the gamut of business challenges, can understand the context of each problem, and offer solutions that fix the issue in the moment whilst also contributing to longer-term strategic decision-making. In an earlier-stage business, when you're figuring out a lot of things, and everything is constantly moving, a full-time operations employee can be a valuable resource for taking some of your routine work whilst you're focussed on your most pressing tasks, like delighting investors and finding new customers. To get the most out of that junior employee, you'll need to teach and train them, provide them with leadership and guidance, and offer a certain amount of job security. For a similar price, a Fractional COO can work independently, from the start, on significant pieces of work with little guidance (often, they'll be the one telling you what needs to be done). Pay As You Go COO's pricing will always be affordable and transparent - you can find it here: https://buff.ly/3WHcQ9X --- #startups #strategy #operations Pay As You Go COO was founded by an expert company builder who wants to help you beat the odds and build a business that’s destined for success, without breaking the bank. Get Fractional COO and Business Coaching services to help you navigate make the most of your most precious resource - time. If you dream about getting more sh!t done in your growing company, book a free, no-strings, zero-stress chat today. Liked this post and want to see more? 🏷️ Save this post ➕ Follow this page 📰 Subscribe to The Operating Table, the free newsletter that brings you the latest insights and advice for your growing company: https://buff.ly/3yb5dzh

I am seeking visionary small business owners in need of a good right hand, a strategic partner, and a servant leader. As a Fractional COO, I sometimes end up on short-term project based gigs that may be better labeled as 'consulting' when clients do not need the full scope of my services. These gigs are often around systemization, operations optimization, workflow analysis, process documentation & improvement, structure design & people planning, and even just one time vision building & goal setting projects. However, with many clients I am much more embedded within their teams as a true #fractionalleader. Both opportunities can be very rewarding, but 5 years ago I set out to help small, entrepreneurial businesses scale and/or manage change more as a fractional and less as a consultant. At this point I am working to clarify and focus my value add as a fractional COO, as a strategic partner, and right-hand for owners and founders. It is not really about the length of time, or the specifics of the service agreements. It is more about establishing partnerships, being a part of the team, collaborating, and contributing to the mission consistently rather than just knocking out a short list of deliverables and moving on. I am still open to, and will continue to help start ups and SMBs on, short-term project based initiatives- but my long-term vision is to be a part of a select few teams where I can both assist in and be a part of the growth and development that takes place within a healthy and prosperous organization. I want to help build and nurture teams and culture. I want to help small business owners work ON their business, balance their lives, and achieve their desired #futurestate professionally and personally. I want to be a part of building something meaningful, not just a gun for hire. If you are a small business owner seeking a driven, experienced, and dedicated leader and strategic project manager (https://lnkd.in/ew9gP3_D) to help you clarify, execute, and achieve your vision- I am ready to talk... and I am still open to starting with a small project so you can kick the tires. #fractional #futurestateCOO #strategicmanagement #servantleadership https://lnkd.in/daQk--h

Entrepreneurs—Here's how you can save $250,000 annually with some simple advice: Don’t hire a COO if you don’t need one. There are ONLY 4 main reasons to bring in a COO: To grow profitability To increase efficiency To make employees or customers happier To grow the economic value of the company It’s that simple. Now, the right COO in the right situation is transformative. But they represent needless expense, disruption, and commitment if not necessary. And I’d advise you to keep your money and consider alternative options. OPTION 1. Try an EA (Educational Assistant) First If all you’re trying to do is to get shit done and free up time, try hiring an EA. Oftentimes, people say, “I need a COO.” But what they really need is someone who has time to do tedious stuff they shouldn't be doing. OPTION 2. Hire the Right Heads You might also not need a COO if you’re after a functional head or heads to bring expertise to specific domains. OPTION 3. Cut Back Your Core Can’t keep visibility across all your projects? Rather than hiring a COO to handle the projects, you can try scaling back. Then, figure out whether your core projects are truly instrumental. OPTION 4. Go Fractional Another possibility to consider before hiring a full-time COO is hiring a fractional COO. A fractional COO is usually a former senior exec who has chosen to work for multiple companies rather than just one. Acting on one of the options above will let you gauge if you truly do need a COO to help your organization—without risking $250,000 to find out.

Here’s how to think like a $10,000,000 CEO: Over the last 5 years, we’ve helped 100s of agency owners scale every year. I think I’ve figured out the “one mindset difference” that the most successful CEOs we’ve helped possess. It's this: Not being afraid to share a piece of the pie with other people. Practically, this means sharing equity with partners & other key people in the business. After having helped 800 agencies scale - I noticed that the fastest growth agencies had biz partners. They also had a team of A+ people that were almost as driven to grow the businesses as the owners themselves. We’ve noticed this at 8FA too. We’ve grown fast because we’ve built a team of talented executives that don’t need micro-management. Knowing this - I decided to take it one step further. This year - we launched two new business units (8 Figure Finance & 8 Figure OS). They’re both led by one main operator. I’ve deployed executives from 8FA to work with the operator & hit growth goals. Equity is shared between the operator & the executives. I personally don’t feel the need to own 100% of those businesses. They actually take up very little of my time & energy to run. The big takeaway is that: You can scale faster, bigger, and better with amazing talent. Good talent is almost like adding gasoline to a fire. It’ll help you achieve your growth goals with less stress & less reliance on you. Hiring executives & partnering on ventures is underrated. It just be what you need to turn your business into a growth rocketship. Do you have a business partner? Let me know if & how that’s helped you grow your business below. Genuinely curious what the consensus is on that here.

Ready to Scale in 2025? Let’s Talk Fractional COO Services... Are you running a small business and feeling the growing pains in your day-to-day operations? Perhaps you’ve outgrown your initial processes, or you’re craving an experienced partner to keep things running smoothly while you focus on strategy and growth. As a fractional COO, I step into that gap—improving workflows, mentoring teams, and aligning operations with your long-term goals, all without the cost of a full-time executive. I’ve had the privilege of helping small businesses streamline processes, adopt scalable systems, and ultimately drive profitability. Now, I’m looking to add more companies to my client list in 2025. If you’re ready to get serious about your business operations—but aren’t quite ready to hire a COO full time—I’d love to connect. Let’s discuss how we can partner and position your organization for sustainable growth in the coming year. Interested? Send me a DM or comment below, and let’s explore what operational excellence could look like for your business in 2025. #COO #fractional #success #business #startup #founder #growth #strategy #organization #streamline