What Does a Startup COO Actually Do? Time to get in touch with your nurturing side and know thy people! No SaaS company needs a COO at $20k in MRR. Keep reading. Or, if the CEO has experience with operations, the COO might operate as a business partner, sharing work and ideas in an early startup. As a company's second in command, the answer is everything. It depends on the stage of your startup. So what does a Startup COO do? But ask yourself, what does a COO actually do? The key is to start thinking about it and preparing before you are ready. A CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is the highest ranking executive, and head of an organization or corporation. by ploeffler2014 “In this post I explore the ambiguity of the role of a COO (Chief Operating Officer) in a startup, and my journey to becoming one at Mattermark. When should founders hire one? With the proper training, experience, and skills, an individual can fill this role in a variety of organizations, such as a for-profit business, non-profit organization, government entity, or school. What the heck does a COO do anyway? Many startup CEOs hire COOs or launch companies with a co-founder carrying the title. Sep 19, 2018 - Titles shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately everyone has to have one — including me. A couple of years ago when I agreed to take on the title of Chief Operating Officer at Industrial (Wicket’s sister company), I wasn’t exactly popping champagne. When do you need a COO? For a CEO, the scope of what they’re “hired” to do is much, much bigger. How to Lead Kids Down a Path to Entrepreneurship in 2021. Today, I am the COO at Mattermark. July 15, 2015. I think usually a COO title at a startup is an ego thing. How does one become a COO of a startup? What does a startup COO do? January 17, 2021. COO is a very confusing role inside a startup. Usually it’s a line function but they’ve been given a lofty title. The moment your startup first takes outside capital, you suddenly have a new boss: your shareholders. January 18, 2021. A number of our companies have been addressing this question recently, so it’s been on my mind, and having just read some thoughts on the question on Elad Blog I thought I would get my own thinking straight. Jul 16, 2015 - Titles shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately everyone has to have one — including me. You haven’t figure out how to scale. In a larger company, they can choose to delegate some of the other responsibilities and duties with the exception of these. When does a startup founder need a COO? Jul 16, 2015 - Titles shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately everyone has to have one — including me. I had been the Director of Operations for the past 7 years between Industrial and one other company, so this was a natural progression in my career. Sure. For a startup that is still iterating to get the key pieces of the company in place, there is a risk in bringing someone on too early in the COO role. The role of CEO is to work out the product market fit, the vision and strategic priorities of the business. Startup general interest What does a COO do and should you hire one? 10 min read. You have two founders and it was agreed that one would get the CEO role so the other needs to call themselves president or COO. Airline Industry in Crisis Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Period. What does a COO do, you might ask? And yet every company needs someone to lead operations. So what does a COO at a startup do if the CEO should be managing things? Today, I am the COO at Mattermark. Typically, a COO is sought out because there’s a specific impetus for the startup to do so — a strategic hurdle on the horizon that requires a particular skill set to clear. What Does a Startup COO Actually Do? Usually it’s a line function but they’ve been given a lofty title. Mar 20, 2019 - Titles shouldn’t matter, but unfortunately everyone has to have one — including me. I think the thing about startups is that you have to be a jack of all trades, especially in non-technical positions. CFO role at a Startup: The start-up CFO as the commercial manager is certainly one of the central roles in a growing young company. But ultimately, I think the job of a CEO, at least for a small-to-medium-sized startup, can be divided into ten roles. They can rarely delegate much. But at a higher level, as you scale, a great COO can make all the difference. This only becomes more poignant as you continue to capitalize your business. Given how ambiguous a COO job description is to many startup founders, the timeline can even be more of a mystery to crack. In this post Andy Sparks, Co-Founder & COO @Mattermark, explores the ambiguity of the role of a COO (Chief Operating Officer) in a startup, and his journey to become one. Keith Rabois, former COO of Square, describes the COO at a startup as a doctor in an emergency room, constantly fixing things, triaging and diagnosing issues to … The only consensus on what a COO does … Good question. Weekly Wrap-Up: August 7, 2020. Last Friday Cem Guralp hosted the latest in our series of events for our portfolio companies and the wider startup community. What does the COO do in Tech Organizations? But what do COOs actually do for startups? The only consensus on what a COO does … January 18, 2021. The only consensus on what a COO does … You have two founders and it was agreed that one would get the CEO role so the other needs to call themselves president or COO. The keyword here is “Operating”, which is not the same as “Operations”. How does an entrepreneur who just wants to do stuff also create an organization that can get stuff done? Do not hire a COO until you have figured out how to scale. Small and especially young companies are much shirt-sleeved. He was a COO, chief operating officer … Being a successful COO means taking care of your most valuable asset—your work family. - by Andy Sparks medium.com. Today, I am the COO at Mattermark. In Rao’s case, he feels that Girish and he have very similar qualities. There are a variety of well-written articles by successful entrepreneurs and VCs about what a startup CEO actually does. Fast Company A Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a member of an organization's executive team. Even though this is a very clear role for big companies, it is not so clear in a startup. A CEO's duties will vary slightly from company to company, but for the most part they run the company, and are responsible for the vision, mission, direction, and the formulation and implementation of a strategic plan to make a company successful. In this post I explore the ambiguity of the role of a COO (Chief Operating Officer) in a startup, and my journey to becoming one at Mattermark. The 10 Roles of a Startup CEO The Caretaker. For an entrepreneur, a startup is more like this baby who he has nurtured over the years. It relates to “the way a machine, vehicle, device, etc., functions or is used and controlled”. The reason that I’m confident when I come to him is frankly because so many people have told me how much this guy gets it, and also, because he was a COO. I have this conversation with every startup that comes to see me and has a CEO & a COO. Every situation is different, but a non-founder COO/CFO recruited early into a startup (say – pre-financing) will usually get options for between 1% and 5% of the company. And that’s why the job looks like it’s always changing. The COO role is responsible for creating operations and structure supporting the day-to-day delivery of your organization’s products and services. Of course they “need” the title to convince customers, biz dev partners and VCs that they’re to be taken seriously. Joining the journey mid-way could get tricky for an outsider. This is a guest post from Stephano Kim, former co-founder of Web 1.0 success story Blackboard and veteran entrepreneur who’s held several COO and president roles at various startups.. In this post I explore the ambiguity of the role of a COO (Chief Operating Officer) in a startup, and my journey to becoming one at… Kicking the company into hypergrowth could lead to bottlenecks, which a COO may be brought in to prevent. By Nic Brisbourne February 6, 2013 No Comments. A COO, or chief operating officer, is typically the second-highest-ranking executive in a … I’ve been intensely involved in learning about the startup world and work for Steve Blank. Scroll to the bottom for further reading, as I have aggregated 10+ articles on the subject. Today, I am the COO at Mattermark. I think usually a COO title at a startup is an ego thing. This one was about the the role of the COO and sought answers to the question “what does a COO actually do?” As with previous … Here are my takeaways. “In terms of roles, it’s good to have some kind of clarity. Many of these principles have since been adapted for modern-day startups in The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. Well, basically, the CEO of a startup does everything. The only consensus on what a COO does … The future of chat (and interacting with your customers) January 18, 2021. The COO operates the business as a whole or parts of it. What does a startup COO actually do? 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