What Operators Need to Do Differently in Growth-Stage Companies
Thoughts and lessons from my first 60 days as COO
I stepped into my first role as COO in April, while continuing to build my entrepreneurial ventures on the side - slowly shaping the portfolio life I’ve been working towards, one step at a time.
After years in a large consulting firm where operations were clearly defined, processes were tried-and-tested, and scale was a given, this new environment felt like a different world entirely. For the first time, I wasn’t stepping into a system that already existed. I was being asked to help build and scale it.
It’s been just under two months, and I’ve learned more than I expected. Not just about the business, but about the role of an operator when a company is in growth mode.
Being a ‘growth-stage’ operator isn’t about keeping things moving.
It’s about figuring out how to move the business forward thoughtfully, strategically, and with the people at the centre.
From Executor to Strategic Growth Partner
Operators are often thought of as the ones who “bring order to chaos”. They get things done, fix what’s broken, and make things run smoothly.
But when a business is growing or evolving, the best operators do more than manage. They build. They look at what’s happening under the surface, ask difficult questions, and help create the systems, habits, and rhythms that allow the business to scale without relying on constant heroics.
In this kind of role, the real value isn’t in perfecting what exists, it’s in having the courage to test, learn, and adapt faster than the business outgrows itself.
It takes practice and time, and I’m nowhere near perfect to delivering this role. But I’m grateful to be working with a founder & team who are as excited to experiment as I am. I’m not here to preach what my what my x years of experience in Operations have taught me. Instead, I’m here to reflect on my learnings as someone new to this role, and share these learnings with you. If you’re a founder, operator, or leader managing a growing / changing company, this is for you…
What Growth-based Operations Has Taught Me
Start changes by running experiments.
There’s a natural temptation, especially for detail-oriented people like myself, to want to build the “right” system from day one. In a scaling company though, the right system is not a perfectly oiled machine. It’s an MVP that is quick enough to learn from, and flexible enough to evolve. Trying to perfect something too early usually results in wasted time and slower momentum.Recognise that change management is 80% of the job.
Processes don’t fail because they’re badly designed, they fail because no one uses them. The human side of operations is the part few operators are taught to focus on, but it’s the part that matters most. Before you jump into redesigning anything, take time to understand how employees and clients actually experience the business. One-on-one conversations are incredibly revealing - they uncover not just what’s broken, but why people work around it.
Don’t assume you know better than those who’ve lived within the system longer than you have. Their insights are essential. Use that input to shape solutions that are not just efficient, but adoptable and be just as intentional about how you’ll gain buy-in, influence change, and (most importantly) adapt when things don’t land the way you hoped.Connect operations to outcomes.
Operations is not just about building internal tools and tracking deliverables, it’s about also intentionally designing systems that support the bigger picture.
How does this reduce churn? How does this increase retention? What does this process enable us to do better, faster, or smarter next quarter?
It’s easy to get caught in the weeds. That’s why it’s just as important to build in time to step back - to reflect on what’s working, what’s not, and whether the work you're doing is actually moving the business forward. Having a regular rhythm of reflection, even something as simple as a weekly 30-minute check-in with yourself, helps you stay grounded in the why, not just the how.Founders need a thought partner, not just an executor
Since I’ve gotten into this new role, I’ve been doing a lot of reading into how the best COOs have worked with CEOs. The best founder–operator relationships I’ve seen are the ones where there’s space for challenge, curiosity, and course-correction, all in service of building something stronger together. When these partnerships work, they work really well. And they tend to share a few key traits:Clarity of roles and priorities so you’re not stepping on each other’s toes or duplicating effort
High trust, low ego where both sides feel ownership, but also safe enough to be honest when things aren’t working
Shared vision, different lenses - the founder often dreams in bold strokes; the operator sees what needs to be true operationally to get there
My reflection
If you’re stepping into your first operator role or trying to grow with your business rather than get buried by it, here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Running a business is about maintaining control.
Growing a business is about building trust, testing assumptions, and being willing to get it wrong on the way to getting it right.
I’m still figuring a lot of this out. Some things I’ve tried have worked better than expected. Others… not so much. But the process of experimenting, listening, and learning alongside the team has been energising and honestly, fun.
I didn’t expect to enjoy the messy middle this much. But here we are.
If you’re an operator navigating similar waters or a founder trying to make your first big ops hire, I’d love to hear your stories, too.
What’s been your biggest lesson in making operations a tool for growth, not just control?
Hi Nareen. I appreciate hearing about your experiences. The messy middle is a journey, not a destination, for sure. I have worked at growth-stage companies, and being adaptable is key. Change often seems to be the only constant.
Engaging your stakeholders is definitely key. Jumping in and making changes too soon is definitely a trap. It's important to get the lay of the land first. Seek to understand is always the first thing I do. I had 100 people on my team, but I met with every single one to get their thoughts and perspectives. Short-term pain for long-term gains. When you're new, people give you insights that they won't be willing to share with a senior executive once they feel you've drunk the Kool-Aid. :) And being new means you have fresh eyes on everything. Great for starting discussions.
Last thing I'll say is that change is hard. People don't like change. So my suggestion is to always look at the data. Data doesn't lie and will give you real insights into effectiveness.