6x Bestselling Author | Founder of COO Alliance | Host of the Second in Command Podcast | Former COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? (scaled from $2M to $100M) | CEO coach
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Articles by Cameron Herold
The Costliest Work Has No Job Title
Some of the most expensive work in a company has no job title. It includes follow-ups, status updates, cross-department coordination, system maintenance, and the daily tasks that keep projects moving. Someone must handle this work. Too often, the COO takes responsibility. The problem goes beyond wasted time. When senior leaders spend their days chasing routine tasks, the business loses valuable time for operational improvements, problem-solving, and strategic planning.
The 3-Year Model COOs Learn First
This week, COO Alliance members walk into MIT Endicott House for 2.5 days built around one exercise most companies never sit down to do. COO Connect Boston starts Wednesday, and the very first session teaches the same model behind every company that has doubled through this community. Cameron Herold calls it the 3-Year Model, and it comes straight from his book Double Double. The premise stays simple even when the execution is not.
COO Connect Vancouver
28 of 60 Seats Taken March 10 (5PM)–12 (4PM), 2027 · Vancouver BC WHERE COOS GO TO GROW 60 SEATS · 2.5 DAYS OF CONNECTION Min. $5M Revenue to Attend · Average Attendee $24M · Largest $400M ★ 10X ROI Guaranteed SHOULD YOU BE IN THE ROOM? The decisions on your desk are too important to solve in isolation. At the COO Connect Vancouver 2027, 60 COOs and Seconds in Command leading $5M to $400M+ businesses will bring their toughest operating challenges into one room.
Know Which Seat Would Break You
Most COOs treat succession planning as an HR project. But really it’s an operating discipline, and it belongs to whoever already owns the cadence everything else runs on. That’s you. Every company has seats that would break something the day they go empty. Nobody names them until the seat is vacant and someone is scrambling to fill it. The risk isn’t the vacancy. It’s that nobody in your Monday meeting can name which seats would cause one..
Cameron Herold | Substack
Helping entrepreneurs make their Vivid Vision come true | Founder of COO Alliance | 6x Bestselling Author | Host of The Second in Command Podcast
COO Connect Barcelona
Barcelona 2026 A private executive summit for Second in Commands capped at 14 Seats — 70% Sold Oct 14th 5:00 PM – Oct 17th 4:00 PM, 2026 The Barcelona Edition $5M+ Revenue Minimum 14 Seats Max 70% Sold A private room with top global seconds in command. $5M+ Revenue Minimum For operators leading real companies. Members & Non-Members Open to Top World Operators The COO Alliance members & qualified non-members.
Cameron Herold (@cameronherold)
Leadership Training Course | Leadership Development Program | Invest in Your Leaders Invest In Your Leaders is an online course by Cameron Herold that covers his 30+ years of experience coaching leadership teams to exponential growth.
How Elite COOs Build Teams That Win
If you are the second in command, you live in the space between strategy and reality. You see the frustrations up close: top performers drifting because no one is keeping score, managers avoiding hard conversations, and role descriptions that read like riddles. The result? High achievers leave while average performers survive. Why? There is no visible game to win, and there is no consistent calibration between leaders and their teams.
Leadership Development Must Be Practical
Practical Leadership Is Built Inside the Work Practical leadership is not learned in isolation. It is built inside the day to day work of the business. Leaders develop when training is tied to real meetings, real decisions, and real accountability. They learn how to run conversations, set priorities, and lead under pressure. Not hypothetically, in real time. When leadership development is embedded in execution, behavior changes faster. Learning sticks because it is immediately applied.
From 10 COOs Around a Table to the World’s Top Operator Community
From 10 COOs Around a Table to the World’s Top Operator Community Press enter or click to view image in full size Ten years ago, COO Alliance started in a private residence with 10 COOs sitting around a table while Mer made breakfast and tended bar between sessions. Last March, we hosted our COO Connect in-person event at a five-star hotel in Vancouver with 60 operators, full catering, and some of the best operational minds in the world openly sharing ideas, challenges, and lessons learned.
If you’re pointing fingers at your team, you’re missing the real issue
If you’re pointing fingers at your team, you’re missing the real issue Press enter or click to view image in full size Every time a leader says: “They didn’t perform”. What they’re actually revealing is a gap in coaching, clarity, or hiring. Did you set the standard clearly? Did you develop them properly? Did you put the right person in the role? Blame is easy. Ownership is leadership. The leaders who scale don’t focus on fault.
Entrepreneurship wasn’t always “cool”
Entrepreneurship wasn’t always “cool” Press enter or click to view image in full size When I was growing up, entrepreneurs were often labeled greedy capitalists. Schools didn’t celebrate founders. They certainly didn’t teach entrepreneurship as a viable path. That started to change in the mid-90s with the rise of the internet.Then social media amplified it even more between 2007–2012. Suddenly, entrepreneurship became aspirational. That’s progress. But it also created a dangerous illusion.
Get Your Free Copy of The Second in Command
Free for CEOs & COOs at $2M+ companies in the US & Canada — including shipping, on us. Apply to Receive Your Free Book A Practical Guide for the Chief Behind the Chief A clear playbook for stronger CEO/COO alignment, better execution, and scalable growth. Apply for Your Free Copy *Valid only for CEOs or COO/Second in Command based in the US or Canada at companies with $2M + revenue. Who Is This Free Book For?
Cameron Herold (@cameronherold1)
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When Is the Right Time to Hire a COO?
If you ask 10 CEOs when they hired their first COO, you’ll hear 10 very different timelines. Some bring in a second-in-command too early, creating layers before there’s real complexity. Others wait too long — drowning in execution while their company stalls. So when is the right time to hire a COO? Let’s break it down. Not every company needs a COO on day one. But once growth accelerates, the cracks start to show.
Ep. 493 - Mastering Operations: How COOs Empower CEOs in Growth
In today’s episode of the Second in Command podcast, Cameron breaks down the misunderstood and often misused role of the Chief Operating Officer. Drawing from both personal experience and established research, he uncovers how the COO is not a one-size-fits-all title—it’s a role that shifts depending on the needs of the CEO and the stage of the business.
492 | Jason Jaynes - Divine Leadership Secrets Every COO Turned CEO Must Know Now
What does it really take to lead a mission-driven company from the inside out? In today’s episode of the Second in Command podcast, Cameron is joined by Jason Jaynes, former CO and now CEO of eCatholic, creator of digital tools and services tailored to Catholic parishes, schools, and dioceses. In this insightful conversation, you’ll be taken behind the curtain of a rapidly evolving organization as its leadership navigates succession, growth, and transformation.
Ep. 485 - Empowering Leaders: The Role of Intuitive Hiring and Collaborative Growth
In today’s episode of the Second in Command podcast, Cameron shares unconventional strategies for leadership, team building, and decision-making. Throughout the conversation, he challenges traditional hiring methods, advocating for a deeper, more intuitive approach to evaluating potential team members.
Ep. 476 - STC Safety and Risk Management President, John Wallet
In today’s episode of the Second in Command podcast, co-host Sivana Brewer is joined by John Wallet, President of STC Safety and Risk Management. This conversation explores the complexities of leading teams and navigating the often delicate balance between visionary and integrator roles. Sivana and John discuss the importance of cultivating confidence in decision-making and the value of having systems in place to support clear communication, particularly when facing moments of uncertainty.
Ep. 309 - COO, Fastgrowingtrees.com, Matthew Graham
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Share This Episode On: In this episode, Cameron talks to Matthew Graham, COO of Fastgrowingtrees.com. He shares some funny yet effective marketing tactics that caught people’s attention. He recounts the time when Jeff Booth, CEO of BuildDirect, playfully used military helicopters for delivering construction materials instead of drones, leaving people in splits.
3 Steps That Create a Bigger Future for You and Your Business
As a leader, your most crucial job is to articulate what your company will become, where it’s going, and enact a framework to get there. Barry Raber, an Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) member in Portland, Oregon, is president and CEO of Business Property Trust, a Portland-based real estate investment firm that owns and manages covered RV and self-storage in Arizona and Texas.
Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief: Ep. 261 – COO, President and Board Member of Poppulo, Samantha Bufton on Apple Podcasts
Our guest today is COO, President, and Board Member of Poppulo, Samantha Bufton. Samantha has successfully driven transformational growth for organizations of all sizes for almost 20 years. Prior to joining Poppulo in 2022, Samantha served as EVP/ General Manager of Momentive-AI’s (formerly known as SurveyMonkey) survey business. She joined Momentive as a product leader […]
Ep. 247 - LinkSquares Chief Legal Officer, Tim Parilla
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is LinkSquares’ Chief Legal Officer, Tim Parilla. Tim oversees LinkSquares’ legal posture and acts as a strategic advisor to the company’s management and corporate counsel customer base. He previously spent seven years as General Counsel for DraftKings.
Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief: Ep. 247 – LinkSquares Chief Legal Officer, Tim Parilla on Apple Podcasts
Our guest today is LinkSquares’ Chief Legal Officer, Tim Parilla. Tim oversees LinkSquares’ legal posture and acts as a strategic advisor to the company’s management and corporate counsel customer base. He previously spent seven years as General Counsel for DraftKings. At DraftKings, Tim scaled the legal function and managed the company’s legal posture throughout numerous […]
Ep. 225 - Jobsity COO, Santiago Castro
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Jobsity’s COO, Santiago Castro. With over 16 years of experience in the technology and software industry and 12 of those years at Jobsity, Santiago has performed a variety of roles including UX/UI web designer, senior front-end developer, technical project manager, and account manager.
Ep. 203 - Duct Tape Marketing COO, Sara Nay
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Duct Tape Marketing’s COO, Sara Nay. Sara Nay is also the Founder of Spark Lab Consulting, Scalable Business Advisor and host of the Agency Spark Podcast. With 11+ years working in the small business space, it is her passion to install marketing and operating systems for small business owners so they can get more clarity and freedom in their lives.
4 Tips to Create a Productive Morning Routine
What’s your morning routine? Do you have one? I recently made a huge move with my family from the island of Maui to the city of Las Vegas. In all of the upheaval, I lost track of my morning routine for several weeks. I started missing it when I realized how its absence affected my productivity. My routine gives me the ability to complete more tasks and maintain a high level of productivity throughout the day.
COO compensation isn’t one-size-fits-all. It depends on the title, roles, responsibilities, and the company’s size.
WOW. The COOAlliance is Simply Awesome! Wow. The COOAlliance is THE best thing for growth-minded senior management seeking to drastically grow their companies. Cutting edge speakers, a Slack channel where COOs share tactics and advice, and where Cameron Herold moderates and provides his insight at every turn. The on-line references and webinars are incredibly helpful.
Ep. 170 - Cisco Meraki VP of Operations, Denise Thomas
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Denise Thomas, VP, Operations, and COO for Cisco’s Meraki business unit, where she’s responsible for Inclusion, Employee Experience, IT, Business Systems, Program Management, Facilities, Business, and Manufacturing Operations. Before her current role, Denise served as Meraki’s Chief of Staff at Meraki and Head of People.
Second in Command: The Chief Behind the Chief: Ep. 170 – Cisco Meraki VP of Operations, Denise Thomas on Apple Podcasts
46 min Our guest today is Denise Thomas, VP, Operations, and COO for Cisco’s Meraki business unit, where she’s responsible for Inclusion, Employee Experience, IT, Business Systems, Program Management, Facilities, Business, and Manufacturing Operations. Before her current role, Denise served as Meraki’s Chief of Staff at Meraki and Head of People. An experienced operator, Denise played a … 46 min
Top 4 Ways to Grow Your Company with Fractional Experts
Often, people can’t hire the most senior people they’d like to in all the roles they would like to have them. It’s expensive and a growing company can’t afford that, so they settle for subpar employees instead. The problem is, if you want your company to grow, you can’t settle. If you can’t find the best people to hire, or if you can’t afford to hire a complete, full-time, A-level team, there are other ways to get the job done.
Using a Search Firm to Find Top Leaders
If you’re contemplating using a search firm to hire someone, chances are you are looking for top leaders to join your team. There are thousands of search firms to choose from and making the right choice depends on the criteria you use in your selection process.
Ep. 165 - Entrepreneurs On Fire Engine, Kate Erickson
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Our guest today is Kate Erickson. She is known as the Engine at Entrepreneurs On Fire, which is an award winning podcast where John Lee Dumas interviews inspiring Entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE. She is also the co-author of The Podcast Journal: Idea to Launch in 50 Days.
Ep. 164 - Greetly COO, Chris Morin
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Our guest today is Chris Morin, the COO of Greetly. Chris is accountable for achieving Greetly’s business objectives and serves as a thought partner to the CEO. A major element of his role is anticipating the needs of their team. This includes defining the rights and positions before they exist and recognizing which structures of the business must change for them to grow.
Ep. 163 - SADA Systems COO, Dana Berg
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | RSS Our guest today is COO Alliance Member, Dana Berg the COO of SADA Systems. As Chief Operating Officer, Dana Berg is driven by the singular mission of identifying and implementing innovative solutions that create competitive advantages for our customers.
Ep. 162 - Credit Karma Co-Founder & CTO, Ryan Garciano
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Ryan Graciano, co-Founder and CTO of Credit Karma. As a co-founder and CTO, Ryan Graciano has grown the company’s engineering department from a one-man band into a team of hundreds, developing a technical framework to support the company’s rapid growth. His expertise and innovation has helped bring new levels of usability and sophistication to financial services technologies.
How COOs Can Save CEOs From Themselves
Even leaders need a little help from their COOs sometimes, especially CEOs. The reality is, entrepreneurs and CEOs are often “Quick Starters.” This means that when CEOs have an idea, they launch right into wanting to do it immediately. The return from conferences or events with multiple great ideas or new systems that “will only take a few minutes to do.” That rarely turns out to be true. As a COO, you can save CEOs from the wasted time and resources of their overexcitement.
Ep. 157 - Tiltify VP of Strategic Partnerships, Larissa Rydin
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Tiltify’s VP of Strategic Partnerships, Larissa Rydin. Larissa brings over 20 years of experience in marketing, corporate development, and nonprofit leadership. After quickly moving up the ranks at the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she held the position of Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, overseeing two offices and an annual budget of $13.5M.
How To Inspire Your Employees
Inspired employees are productive employees and who doesn’t want that? A company filled with inspired employees is a company whose chances of success are way higher, it’s people way happier, and it’s work far greater. So, what does your work environment have to do with inspiring your employees? Real Motivation in the Work Environment Creating a work environment that your employees love is the first step in inspiring them.
Ep. 153 - Podcast Magazine - Executive Editor, Kelly Poelker
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Our guest today is Kelly Poelker, the Executive Editor for Podcast Magazine. Kelly Poelker is also the President & COO of both Ear Control and Bold Enterprises which she runs alongside Steve Olsher. Kelly has been providing high-level customer service, business support, consulting, coaching, and event management to businesses and leading entrepreneurs for over 35 years.
Ep. 139 - Hint, Inc COO, Theo Goldin
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RSS Our guest today is Hint Inc’s Chief Operating Officer, Theo Goldin. Theo Goldin manages sales, operations and R&D for Hint Inc. Previously, Theo served as Lead Technology Counsel for Netscape’s online services business and as CEO of ZMedix, an Ai-based medical startup acquired by the Robert Bosch Foundation. His earlier career included work in molecular biology research and IT.
What Makes a Good Leader?
What makes a good leader? It’s one of the most important questions in any business and likely one you’ve asked yourself at some point. People expect the most from their leader, so it’s important that you expect the most from yourself as well. Here are some tips that you can use to be the best leader that you can be. Earn Respect, Don’t Expect It Some people have a natural way with people, but that doesn’t mean they’ll always be a good leader.
How to Generate Free Publicity for Your Company Without a PR Firm
Narrator: Most people will agree that the more traffic you bring to your website, the more users and sales and customers you’ll get. But when entrepreneurs try to think of how to generate that traffic, everyone’s got a different opinion and one of them is to employ an expensive PR firm to do the work for you. Cameron Herold will agree that publicity is an essential piece to building your customer base but not by shelling out piles of cash to a PR agency.
Top Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team
An unmotivated team equals a weak team, therefore you need to have strategies to constantly motivate your sales team. Here are some of the best ways to motivate your sales team whether it is big, or small. Set Goals Setting goals seems obvious, but that’s because it works! Goals are a vital part of how to motivate your sales team – as long as you use them properly.
The Vision-Driven Leader
10 Questions to Focus Your Efforts, Energize Your Team, and Scale Your Business Narrated by: Michael Hyatt Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins 4.7 out of 5 stars 4.7 (477 ratings) Please try again later Please try again later Please try again later Please try again Please try again Please try again Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts. You will get an email reminder before your trial ends. Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days.
Vivid Visions 90-Day Sprints: An Approach to Investing Life | Podcast
J and Carol Scott, co-hosts of the BiggerPockets Business Podcast, recently interviewed him… and the result was so epic we wanted to share it here, too! In this episode, Brandon reveals why he chose mobile home park investing (hint: NOT necessarily because it’s the “best” investment) and describes the method his team used to get hundreds of pads under contract in just a few months.
Advice from Clinton Senkow, COO of Infuencive
In episode eleven of the Second in Command Podcast Cameron sat down with Clinton Senkow, COO of Influencive. How Influencive Was Created Clinton Senkow recalls when Brian D. Evans started focusing his full attention towards Influencive. He basically started it as a personal blog that allowed him to share his wisdom and entrepreneurial experiences while building, growing, and selling businesses. It was shortly after that when Brian approached Clinton about writing for the site.
Cameron Herold: Let's raise kids to be entrepreneurs
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When does a startup founder need a COO?
Andrew: Hey, everyone, my name is Andrew Warner. I’m the founder Mixergy where I interview entrepreneurs about how they built their businesses, and I’m struggling with something. This interview is not like usual interviews that I do. Usually, you guys know, I interview entrepreneurs about the step by step, where they got their ideas, about the challenges that they had finding their first customers, and later on it’s about hiring.
Cameron Herold coaches me on hiring (so I don't collapse at my desk)
Andrew: Hey, there, freedom fighters. My name is Andrew Warner. I’m the founder of Mixergy, where I’ve interviewed some of the world’s best entrepreneurs over the last what, eight, nine, years now. And I did it because I want to learn from them and thought the audience could learn along with me. Here’s something that I still have not learned from them and I’ve been struggling with, how do I hire people to come help me out.
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