Finding Your Dream COO and Defining Success for Their Role

Apr 29, 2025

Feeling overwhelmed by your growing business? Discover the pivotal moment that led to hiring a Chief Operating Officer and transforming leadership. Explore the essential qualities of a COO and learn about the one key performance indicator that drives success. Hear insights on building trust and collaboration within your team. This is a must-listen for anyone looking to unlock their potential and scale with heart while defining success beyond just numbers.

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ANECDOTE

COO's Provocative Question

Jade, Jasmine Star's COO, asked her a surprising question: "What would make you fire me?".
This question prompted Jasmine to reflect deeply on her leadership and clarity in expectations.

INSIGHT

COO Role Depends on CEO Needs

The COO role is highly variable and tailored to what the CEO needs.
Trust between CEO and COO is essential for success in this diverse role.

ANECDOTE

Hiring COO Through Executive Project Manager

Jasmine hired her COO first as an executive project manager to test humility and compatibility.
Over 10 months, Jade progressed from project manager to marketing director, then COO, proving her fit and skill.

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Ever feel like your business is outgrowing you?

Like you’re stuck in the daily grind, managing everyone and everything, and somehow still have no time to think big?

Been there. 🙋🏻‍♀️

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I hired my right hand: our Chief Operating Officer (COO)—and what that decision has meant for scaling our business beyond 7 figures.

It all started with a simple question Jade (now our COO) asked me:

“What would make you fire me?”

😳 Cue the mic drop.

And in that moment, I realized… if I couldn’t answer that, I wasn’t leading with clarity.

So we’re diving deep into:

How I knew it was time to hire an integrator
What role I hired for before calling her “COO” (hint: humility check)
The Harvard Business Review article that changed the way I viewed operational leadership
The one KPI I gave her (yes, one)—and why it works like magic
The real reason I trust her to lead even when I’m not looking
How we define success together, not just in numbers but in execution

Whether you’re a 7-figure founder looking to scale to 8, or you're dreaming of finding someone to help carry the load of building a big business with heart—this episode is your guide to making that vision a reality.

Spoiler alert: It’s less about resumes and more about trust, alignment, and execution.

Grab your notebook—you’ll want to jot this down.

Click >>PLAY<< to hear all of this and:

[00:02] How the question “What would make you fire me?” sparked a leadership reflection

[00:08] When I knew I needed a COO—and the chaos that led me there

[00:13] The Harvard Business Review insight that changed how I hire

[00:21] The unusual path I used to test and promote our COO

[00:31] Why I only gave her one KPI—and how it works better than a spreadsheet

[00:38] What my COO does that I could never do myself

[00:44] Questions you should ask yourself before hiring your right hand

[00:54] What would make you fire your COO? Define it—before you need to

Listen to Related Episodes:

>>Harvard Business Review Article Mentioned<<

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For full show notes, visit jasminestar.com/podcast/episode539