You’ve hit the wall. Your service business is generating between $20k and $100k a month, but you are the bottleneck. Every decision flows through you. Every fire is extinguished by you. If you take a weekend off, the wheels stop turning.

To get to $200k, $500k, or $1M a month, you need someone whose sole job is to make the machine run without you. You need an Operations Leader.

When to Hire: The Revenue and Capacity Signals

Don’t wait for a crisis. Look for these signals:

Revenue stagnation for 4-6 months.
Spending 80% of your time fixing instead of growing.
Total owner-dependency on every minor Slack message.

The Role Spectrum: Admin vs. Manager vs. COO

The Admin (The Doer): Follows your instructions.
The Operations Manager (The Builder): Takes your vision and builds processes. Figure out the “How.”
The COO (The Partner): High-level executive, handles entire P&L.

For most businesses in the $50k–$100k/range, an Operations Manager is the sweet spot.

Writing the Outcome-Based Job Description

Define success in 30, 60, and 90 days. Focus on problems to solve, not just tasks.

The Vetting Process: Skills Tests vs. Interviews

Interviews alone can be deceptive. Use:

Archetype Filter: Builder vs. Leader.
Paid Work Sample: Give them a messy Loom video and ask for a streamlined SOP.
Integration Test: Ask how they’ve handled team friction in the past.

Onboarding for Success: The First 90 Days

Week 1: Shadowing and context.
Weeks 2-4: Have them document the as-is.
Month 2: Hand-off the “Operational Rhythm.”
Month 3: Full accountability and KPI reporting.

Final Thoughts

Hiring an Operations Leader is the single most important hire you will make to transition from technician to CEO. Don’t hold the pipes together until they burst—build your playbook instead.

Auguste Global: Marketing For Winners.