The COO Show – Details, episodes & analysis

One thing has been made abundantly clear as I interview more COOs:
There is no “right” path to take to
Moving from revenue to operations may seem like a leap, but I did it…
And so did Mark Rosenthal, COO at HqO, who joins me today to share the insights he learned on his journey.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The transition from revenue to operations
- The role a COO plays in getting the alignment needed in order to scale
- How to ensure your M&A strategy doesn’t fail
Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.

It’s that time again: Quarterly Planning Sessions have arrived.
And whether that fills you with dread or uncontrollable excitement, may come down to how effectively you planned ahead for your marathon session of, well… planning ahead.
Today’s guest, Nicole Mennicke , Integrator & Vice President at Rocket Clicks, falls in the latter category — and it’s because 4 proactive rules ensure everyone leaves the quarterly planning happy about the meeting.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The 4 H’s powering a successful quarterly planning session
- How to have clear expectations and accountability while remaining kind
And be sure to check out the books we mentioned in the episode:
- Traction - Gino Wickman
- Radical Candor - Kim Scott 
- No Rules Rules - Reed Hastings; Erin Meyer
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni 
Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
This post is based on an episode of the COO Show podcast. Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.

Entrepreneurial leaders deal with 136 problems simultaneously. At minimum.
But instead of believing all 136 problems need individual solutions, the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) view has it that there are only six key components at the root of each problem facing entrepreneurs.
In this inaugural episode of the COO Show, I interview Danny Toney, COO at Signal Wealth Advisors and EOS Implementer at Toney Co., LLC, about EOS implementation strategy.
What we talked about:

The power of principles
EOS basics and the six key components
Trust, leadership, & repetition
Committing to the system and to your people

Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.

Passionate about people and processes?
Then this show is for you.
It’s a podcast by COOs, for COOs. But you don’t have to be one to benefit from it. This show is for anyone who cares about people and the processes that empower them to be great.
In this introductory episode, Bill Reed, host of the podcast and the COO at Sweet Fish Media, provides a sneak peek into the themes that will be covered within the show.
Topics covered:

Being COO at a scaleup vs a Fortune 500 company
Launching a podcast where COOs can share insights and learn from each other
What listeners can expect from each episode

Want to level up your people and processes? Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Financials…

Can you hear it? That’s the collective groan of almost every business owner at the mere mention of the word.

But all you business owners out there, you can save the exasperated sighs.

Because financials don’t have to be hard — you just have to learn to ask the right questions.

In fact, today’s guest, Kyle Beltle, Fractional CFO at Sweet Fish Media, says you can stop worrying about endless KPIs and just ask five simple questions.

In this episode, we discuss:
-The 5 questions every business owner needs to answer to understand their financials
-Why simplicity is your friend when it comes to financials
-The value a fractional CFO brings to an organization (and why COOs should consider ceding some financial responsibilities to one)

After a year of unprecedented pandemic layoffs, furloughs and shutdowns, something equally unprecedented happened:

Everyone started hiring again all at once.

In a job market with so many options, how do we ensure we still attract and retain top talent?

To help answer that, I’m joined by Francisco (Cisco) Sacasa, CEO at HireBetter, where he has a unique inside-view on the challenges facing companies and job-seekers alike.

In this episode, we discuss:
-Why every company is your competitor when hiring top talent
-Strategies for standing out from the crowd as an employer
-How to get the right people sitting in the right seats (and keep them there)

Want to level up your people and processes? Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.

As leaders, we talk a lot about talent — acquisition, nurturing, retention — but how often do we talk about talent density?

You don’t just need one or two superstars, you need a team of superstars to reach the critical mass needed to positively shape your organization.

That’s one of the foundational concepts today’s guest, Lara Dodo, Chief Growth and Operating Officer at Newtopia, and I dissect as we discuss No Rules Rules — a book that should be required reading for every COO.

In this episode, we discuss:
What talent density means for your organization
How candor should best be employed
The concept of ownership — AKA freedom with responsibility 

Want to level up your people and processes? Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.

You don’t have to choose between the creative process and systems.
Like leadership, creativity is all about organizing chaos and making the abstract tangible.
That’s why creatives are often great at operations, and are a fit as COO.
If you need proof, you have to meet my latest guest, Rebeca de Ojeda , COO & EVP at Encompass Onsite. Rebeca didn’t trade creativity for analytical thinking — she married the two.
That’s why she’s been so successful in operations.
In this episode, we discuss:
-The parallels between art and operations
-Why growth leads artists towards more operational thinking
-How to embrace data as a leader and a creative
Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.

As the integrator, your job is to turn the dreams of your visionary into reality.
Sometimes though, that requires your visionary to fully understand your accounting.
And, let’s face it, most visionaries are more likely to dive into a pool of starving piranhas than into the books.
So, what do you do?
I can think of no one better to answer than Shannon Johnston, Integrator at Shift Financial Insights, where she has discovered the secret to making accounting not suck for entrepreneurs.
In this episode, Shannon and I discuss:
- How to break down the numbers for entrepreneurs
- How an integrator and visionary complement one another
- How to align vision across the organization
And be sure to check out:
- Entreprenumbers: https://entreprenumbers.com/
Shannon Johnston can be found on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-johnston-56a85712/
Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favourite podcast player.

One of the defining characteristics of the Visionary’s and the Integrator’s roles is courage. It takes courage to bring a dream into reality, and it takes courage to create a process that creates change for every person in an organization.
When the Visionary-Integrator relationship is strong, it feels like the sky’s the limit.
In this episode, I interview Kyle Mealy, Partner Relationship Manager at Rocket Clicks, about his time as Visionary, Integrator, and supporter of both roles.
Kyle talked with me about:
-Traits the Visionary and Integrator have in common
-Who has the harder role, Visionary or Integrator
-3 critical first steps to seamless EOS introductionKyle Mealy can be found on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-mealy/
Do you have ideas for or feedback about this show? Email your host Bill Reed at bill@sweetfishmedia.com.
Be sure to hear every conversation about innovative COO strategies at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and our website.
Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for The COO Show in your favorite podcast player.