If you’re searching for the best outsourced COO, you’ve reached an important realization: you need senior operational leadership, but not necessarily for forty hours a week. And you certainly don’t want to commit to a $200,000+ salary before you’re confident it’s the right decision.
If this sounds like where you’re at right now, you’re not alone. This is precisely the stage where many business owners find us at The COO Solution. They’re growing, they’re scaling, and the operational strain is undeniable. But a full-time COO feels premature, overcommitted, or simply too expensive for their current stage.
This is where part-time, or fractional COO support becomes not just a viable option, but often the smartest strategic move for growth-minded businesses.
The Full-Time COO Cost Barrier
A full-time COO typically commands between $150,000 and $250,000 annually. Once benefits, bonuses, and occasionally equity are factored in, the real total commitment is more like $180,000 to $300,000.
For many seven- and eight-figure businesses, this feels risky. Common concerns include:
- “We need operational support, but not necessarily 40 hours a week”
- “I’m not sure yet if the problems justify a full-time executive”
- “I want to test the fit before locking myself into a long-term hire”
These are entirely reasonable considerations. They’re also precisely why outsourced COO-for-Hire services exist and why this engagement model has become increasingly popular among scaling businesses.
Ready to explore how part-time COO support could work for your business? Let’s talk about where you’re stuck and what level of operational leadership makes sense for your current stage.
What an “Outsourced COO” Actually Means
An outsourced, or part-time, COO represents a fundamentally different model than traditional consulting. This is not about delivering recommendations in a report and departing, but rather an implementation and execution partnership.
The best outsourced COO services step directly into the business as operational leadership. They work a predetermined number of monthly hours based on what your business actually needs. And these hours can scale up or down as your circumstances and needs evolve.
At The COO Solution, this model offers an additional advantage: you’re not hiring an individual. You gain access to a dedicated COO supported by a comprehensive team with deep experience across system, finance, marketing, and sales, team leadership, and strategic execution.
The COO becomes integrated into the leadership structure, working alongside the CEO rather than as an outside advisor. The focus remains on delivering measurable results and tangible implementation, not theoretical recommendations.
Strategic Advantages of Part-Time COO Engagement
The part-time engagement model delivers several compelling advantages that full-time hires often cannot match. Let’s explore these in more detail.
Cost Efficiency and Financial Flexibility
Most businesses invest 30-50% less than they would for a full-time COO. Companies pay only for the hours they actually utilize, not for unused executive capacity. Because the focus centers on implementation rather than lengthy onboarding, return on investment often appears quickly.
Dr. Jessica Drummond, Founder & CEO of The Integrative Women’s Health Institute, experienced this firsthand:
“Thanks to Derek’s guidance, we’re making 30% more revenue while maintaining consistent profit with much more simplicity. I can contribute my ideal genius, work 30 hours per week, and focus on a few clear objectives with complete trust that my team is on track.“
Flexibility That Scales With Your Business
Business needs fluctuate. Some quarters demand intensive hands-on operational leadership, while others require less active involvement. A part-time COO adjusts proportionally to business requirements without needing job description renegotiations or payroll restructuring.
This adaptability proves particularly valuable for businesses experiencing rapid growth, seasonal fluctuations, or transitional periods where needs evolve quickly.
Immediate Expertise Without a Learning Curve
The most significant advantage is that there’s no extended onboarding period. The best COO for hire for growing businesses brings proven methodologies ready for immediate deployment.
At The COO Solution, our signature 30-60-90 day methodology works consistently across industries and business stages. You won’t spend months waiting for momentum to build; you’ll feel the difference within weeks, not quarters.
Reclaiming CEO Time
While financial considerations matter, founders consistently tell us that the most transformative benefit isn’t monetary, it’s time recovery and mental bandwidth.
When an experienced COO manages day-to-day operations, the CEO reclaims their most valuable asset: focused attention.
The constant firefighting diminishes.
The never-ending stream of questions requiring approval decreases.
The exhausting feeling of being the bottleneck in every decision dissipates.
Instead, CEOs redirect energy toward revenue-generating activities, strategic partnerships, market expansion, and visionary leadership. Work-life balance transitions from fantasy to achievable reality, and clarity replaces chaos.
Amy Anderson, CEO & Founder of ACG Practice Partners, described the psychological shift:
“I felt my shoulders drop. I wasn’t alone anymore—and there was a real path forward.”
Within weeks, she moved from “doing it all” to protecting CEO time and building organizational capacity through intelligent delegation.
Rocky Anderson from ADC Water experienced a similar transformation:
“I just started handing pain points to Paisley and saying, ‘Make it go away.’ She fixed my fixer—and gave me my life back.”
He transitioned from 70-hour weeks consumed by operational details to taking genuine vacations, while his revenue grew from $65K to $350K per month.
How a Part-Time COO Benefits The Business
While the CEO benefits personally, the business experiences equally significant improvements. A strong outsourced COO constructs systems that create consistency and predictability throughout the company. Let’s look at these benefits in more detail.
Enhanced Team Accountability
In short, team members gain clearer accountability structures. They understand exactly what’s expected, when deliverables are due, and how their work connects to broader company objectives.
This clarity eliminates the confusion that plagues many growing businesses where roles blur and responsibilities overlap.
Consistent Strategic Execution
Strategic initiatives that previously languished are now completed. The gap between vision and execution narrows dramatically when someone with operational expertise owns the implementation process.
Improved Financial Visibility and Management
Financial clarity improves substantially. Leaders gain better insight into cash flow, profitability drivers, and resource allocation. This enhanced visibility enables smarter decision-making at every organizational level.
Infrastructure That Supports 2-3x Growth
Perhaps most critically, the right COO builds infrastructure designed to support two or three times current revenue without proportional increases in founder workload or organizational chaos. This scalability enables businesses to grow sustainably without burning out their leadership.
Romain Collignon, Founder & CEO of SQUARED, quantified this impact:
“[Derek’s] strategic mindset and meticulous attention to detail allowed me to free up my mental load and focus on new revenue-generating activities. With his guidance, we doubled our revenue within that period.”
Seeing the potential, but want to understand the specifics for your business? Book a no-obligation consultation to discuss your operational challenges and how fractional COO support can address them.
What to Look For in an Outsourced COO
When looking for the best outsourced COO for hire for your needs, there are a few things to look for. Let’s run through what they are and why they’re important.
Implementation Focus Over Advisory Consulting
The distinction between “telling you what to do” and “executing alongside you” cannot be overstated. You want someone who executes with you, not someone who tells you what to do and leaves.
At The COO Solution, our fractional COOs roll up their sleeves and build with you, not simply present recommendations and leave implementation to an already-overwhelmed team.
Read more about this in our previous article, the Best COO for Hire to Transform Owner-Managed Businesses.
True Flexibility and Scalability
Ask specific questions about how hours adjust over time.
- What happens after the initial 90 days?
- Are there long-term contract requirements?
- How quickly can engagement levels scale up or down to meet business needs?
The best providers earn continued partnership through demonstrated results, not contractual obligation.
COO Experience and Methodology
Experience matters, and an outsourced COO who knows they’re doing their job can articulate clear, proven methodologies and demonstrate consistent results across multiple client engagements.
At The COO Solution, our proven 30-60-90 day framework provides structure and predictability.
First 30 Days: Stabilization and assessment through operational audit, identification of quick wins, and establishment of consistent meeting rhythms.
Next 30 Days: Structure and systematization, including implementation of core systems, clarification of team roles and accountability, and deployment of KPI tracking.
Final 30 Days: Optimization and scaling through strategic planning, embedded accountability mechanisms, and transition of the CEO into their zone of genius.
Beyond 90 Days: Month-to-month partnership with flexible hour adjustments based on evolving needs.
Real Transformation: Beyond the Numbers
While revenue growth, profit margin improvements, and operational efficiency gains provide concrete evidence of value, the human transformation often proves equally significant.
Fabienne Fredrickson, whose business Boldheart has generated close to $50 million in revenue with COO Solution support, captured this sentiment:
“The systems and processes developed by The COO Solution have helped Boldheart generate close to $50 million in revenue while giving me back my time, freedom, and peace of mind… Their methodology empowered me to take unplugged vacations, confidently knowing my business was running smoothly.”
The ability to step away from the business, and not just for a weekend but for meaningful vacation time, without anxiety about what’s falling apart in your absence, represents profound freedom for entrepreneurs who’ve built businesses that previously demanded constant attention.
What’s the Next Step to Work With an Outsourced COO?
If you’ve realized you need operational leadership support but aren’t ready for a full-time executive hire, the path forward begins with a straightforward conversation.
We’ll start by examining where the business is currently stuck, what specific operational challenges are creating the most friction, and what level of support makes sense given the current stage, goals, and resources.
From there, we’ll recommend an appropriate COO match and engagement structure with a clear rationale. No pressure tactics. No long-term lock-in requirements. Simply the right operational leadership, at the right intensity level, at the right time for your business.
According to McKinsey research on scaling leadership, organizations in the top quartile for leadership effectiveness can earn twice as much in EBITDA as those in the bottom quartile. Strong operational leadership directly impacts employee engagement, retention, and scalability, all of which are critical factors that part-time COO support addresses through improved systems and clearer accountability.
Is Your Business Ready for a COO?
The decision to bring in outsourced COO support isn’t about company size alone. It’s about recognizing specific patterns that indicate operational leadership would create disproportionate value:
- The CEO consistently identifies as the bottleneck in business processes
- Excessive time is consumed managing people and addressing daily fires
- The existing team or organizational structure has outgrown itself
- There’s clarity on what needs to be accomplished, but insufficient time or support to execute effectively
- The vision includes building something significantly larger without the founder doing everything personally
If any of these resonate with you, a conversation about fractional COO support likely represents a strategic investment in capacity, freedom, and sustainable growth rather than simply another business expense.
The best outsourced COO partnerships transform not just operational efficiency, but the entire leadership experience. The end result? You have a business that runs smoothly, scales sustainably, and frees you to focus on the visionary work only you can do.
If these patterns resonate with you, it’s time to have a conversation about how The COO Solution can help you build operational systems that scale. No pressure, no long-term commitments, just a strategic discussion about your next steps.
