You may be thinking; Why do I even need a COO? I can handle everything myself, so let's start with the why…

Why do you need a COO:

Remember, this does not apply to everyone; every business is different, and each business has different needs, budget, and processes.

1. Business Development To Do list:

Every business owner, whether on a piece of paper, in their head, or on a project organization platform, has a list of to-do items. This list may or may not be getting done, so the first question of whether or not you need a COO: Is your business development to-do list being checked off?  

Whether you have amazing ideas doesn’t matter if they never get completed. look back on some of your oldest items (if you still have them) and see how long they have been on your list for.

2. Bounce ideas off of:

Making all the decisions is great (usually), but what happens when you cannot figure out a key problem? When you are in a “meeting” with just yourself and really need a second opinion.

“Do I need to make this purchase?”

“Why aren’t we profitable?”

“How can I figure out goals for the coming year? Should I just name a number bigger than last year?”

These are all real questions many founders ask, which, without another person, makes it very hard to answer. everyone needs support, even if it’s just someone to bounce ideas off of.

3. Drowning in Operations:

This is a more obvious one, but still important to mention. If your operations are not set up properly, not moving forward, then this is a clear indicator that it is time for a COO as well.

Benefits of an in-house COO:

1. Always there:

The in-house COO is always there to answer problems, hear you out, and help your business. A Fractional COO is going to schedule availability when they can, but an in-house COO is ready for crises to hit.

2. Company Culture:

It is way easier to build a strong company culture with in-house employees; the employees are part of your business and will automatically help you build this company culture, whether that is your intention or not. Hiring a good culture fit is going to be extremely important when looking for a COO.

3. Full-time need:

Many businesses are big enough to need a full-time COO. If you have enough high-level projects that a part-time person will not cut it, that is when you need to hire someone in-house.

Benefits of hiring a Fractional COO:

1. Project-based:

While being always available is great, it can also be a problem if you do not have the workload. If you are paying this employee a full-time salary for a once-a-week high-level project you cannot figure out, this is going to be problematic for your budget. COOs are going to be expensive, so to hire someone full-time time you need to make sure it is necessary.

2. One-off projects:

A big indicator is if all your high-level projects are project-based. If you have competent employees, but every once and a while, there is a system or task they cannot figure out, it is time to consider providing that resource for them.

3. Remote projects:

If all the work you need done is work that could be done anywhere, then an in-house COO is not necessary, and fractional is more cost-effective.

Buzzy Work Pro is your task-based Fractional COO. Rather than booking someone full or part-time, using multiple hires, or outsourcing to hire a wide range of problems, have complete control over the number of tasks you need done by hiring a Buzzy Work Pro.

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