Clockwork Operating Officer

Stop Carrying the Weight Alone—Train The Right Person to Lead With You.

You didn’t start your business to spend your days buried in Slack messages, endless approvals, and putting out fires.

But somehow, that’s where you’ve ended up.

Your team relies on you for everything—decisions, direction, problem-solving. Nothing moves forward without you. You’re answering the same questions repeatedly, stuck in a cycle of managing tasks instead of growing the business.

And the worst part? You know this isn’t sustainable.

  • You don’t have time to focus on revenue because you’re drowning in the minutiae.

  • The business has hit a ceiling—not because of lack of opportunity, but because you don’t have the right operational leadership.

  • This means you’ve never been able to take a real vacation because it never feels safe enough to take any time off.

Your entire life is impacted by the mental load of running this business alone. Even when you step away, your brain never shuts off.

You need someone who can carry that weight with you.

Imagine Life After Having a COO You Can Trust

Take a second and picture this:

You wake up and check your phone.
No fires to put out.
No urgent emails.
No Slack messages are waiting for your approval.

Your team is already running the business—handling operations, making decisions, and keeping everything moving forward without you being involved.

Instead of reacting to problems all day, you’re spending your time on high-leverage activities:
💡 Time for creative thinking and exploring new ideas.
📈Building relationships with colleagues and industry leaders.
🌴 Maybe even taking some well-deserved time off.

But getting to this level of freedom doesn’t mean you have to make a massive, risky hire.

You Don't Need To Hire!

You Don't Need To Hire!

Hiring a full-time, experienced COO is a major investment—and one that often doesn’t work out. It’s expensive and risky, and finding someone who truly understands and cares about your business as much as you do can be impossible.

A Smarter Alternative: Train the Right Person on Your Team

Instead of bringing in an outsider, what if you developed someone who:

  • Knows the history of what has and hasn’t worked in your business

  • Is trusted by your team and understands the company culture

  • Just needs the right training to step up and take the lead

Right now, you don’t need another hire. You need someone who stops passing decisions back to you and starts owning them.

In our Clockwork Operating Officer Program,  we take a high-potential team member and transform them into the operational leader your business needs—so you can finally get out of the weeds and focus on real growth.

Is Your Business Ready for a Clockwork Operating Officer?

Check the boxes below to see how close you are to needing an operational leader.

0% - Results will show here

If you’re generating between $500,000 - $3M in revenue with a team of 3-15ish, and you checked more than 2 boxes…

It’s time to develop an operational leader who can step up!

The CEO Path to Freedom

Wondering Who To Invest In?

It might feel like it, but you don’t need to find a magical unicorn—you need to invest in the right person.

If the perfect COO had “factory-installed” settings, they’d likely be

  • Detail-oriented

    They can zoom in to fix inefficiencies and understand how every part of the business connects to the larger vision

  • Excellent Communicator

    They bridge the gap between the CEO’s vision and the team’s execution, ensuring clarity and alignment.

  • Execution Driven

    They don’t let projects stall or decisions linger. When they commit to something, they see it through to completion.

  • Direct Communicator

    Whether it’s holding a team member accountable or delivering tough feedback, they handle tough convos with clarity, confidence, and empathy.

  • Resilient & Growth-Minded

    They embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and always seek improvement.

  • Calm Under Pressure

    When things go sideways (as they inevitably do), they stay level-headed, make clear decisions, and guide the team forward.

You’ll notice we don’t mention what technical skills they have…

The most important thing to identify is their natural skills and strengths. 

Tools can be taught (by us!), but these skills are inherent.

If you want even more information about who to invest in, we have an assessment you can use here.

“We now are starting to have the framework to think about every decision in a way that will aid the team instead of holding it back. We've been able to take a step back and get clear on our team priorities, systems, processes, and metrics.

We've started understanding who should be doing what, how to best utilize our people, and how to develop our team so that everyone works only on their genius zone.”

Laura Marston (COO @ alexbeadon.com)

“It’s amazing how--in one session--the Big Promise, IPO, and Decision Tree concepts focused their thinking and started them on their Clockwork journey”

Bill Abram

You Are Not the Right Person to Train Your Ops Person

Here’s what I see happen all the time:

A small business owner realizes they need someone to run operations. They identify a great internal candidate—someone who’s organized, dependable, and eager to step up.

So they promote them to an operations role… but don’t invest in training them.

Fast forward a few months, and things aren’t going well. Deadlines are slipping. The CEO is still fielding endless questions. The operator isn’t quite delivering at the level expected.

So, they fire them.

The CEO assumes the person just wasn’t cut out for the role. They start the cycle again, hiring someone new—only to repeat the same mistake.

Here’s the real issue: These operators don’t fail because they lack potential.

They fail because they aren’t trained properly.

As a visionary leader, it’s not in your skillset to train a COO.  You are good at seeing the 10,000ft view, not the minute details. 

And even if you could train them, it’s not the best use of your time.

How can you train someone to create a system when you don’t know how to?

And let’s be honest—you don’t have the time to do it either.

That’s where our Clockwork Operating Officer Certification Program comes in.

What You Can Expect From Your COO by the End of the Program:

Instead of coming to you with questions, your new Clockwork Operating Officer will be coming to you with solutions to problems you weren’t even aware of.

When you invest in training, your operator will:
✅ Lead your team instead of leaning on you for every answer.
✅ Take ownership of revenue-generating ideas and execute them without you.
✅ Build systems that remove you as the bottleneck.
✅ Rebalance the team so everyone is operating in their strengths.
✅ Establish the right metrics and hold the team accountable to their KPIs.
✅ Handle all hiring, firing and employee evaluations.
✅ Own your annual planning and goal setting.

Hi! I’m Adrienne!

The entire Clockwork system was developed as I took my expertise in the large-scale manufacturing world and pivoted to supporting small businesses. 

I knew my Lean Six Sigma certification could make a much larger impact in supporting small businesses. 

We’ve worked with 1000s of businesses over the years at Run Like Clockwork, and I know that many business owners worry, “What if I invest in this person, and then they leave?”

But I want to flip that question:
What if you don’t invest in them… and they stay?

  • You’re still fielding every decision.

  • Projects stall because your team needs your approval to move forward.

  • You still can’t fully step away, take a real vacation, or focus on a big-picture strategy.

Businesses that don’t invest in leadership development lose money, time, and top talent.

The difference between an untrained operator and one trained in our proven frameworks?

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, profit, and peace of mind.

You invest in them. They know how to step up.

They start leading the team instead of leaning on you for every answer.

They take ownership of key projects and execute them without you.

That’s what happens when you invest in your team.

And even IF the worst happens and they leave… we’re not going to leave you high and dry!  All of the tools and structure they created after going through the program will stay in the business forever.

But to put those worries to rest, we guarantee that if your team member leaves the company within 6 months of starting the program, we will give you full credit to enroll someone else or a future hire.

If they leave after 6 months, the cost for a new team member will only be $1000.

How It Works

The COO Program  is a 12-month program broken down into 2 parts

Part 1

During Months 1-4, students complete the certification process, which includes:

✅ 12 comprehensive modules covering the entire Clockwork System™️

✅ 9 Live learning calls to deepen your practice + integrate the learning.

✅ 4 Module Projects you’ll submit to our team for review.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅Graduation Day to bring it all together.

✅ Slack community with support from Team RLC & other certified partners.

✅ A monthly email for you that explains exactly what your team member is learning.

Part 2:

Months 5-12 is an opportunity to apply all of the new tools and frameworks inside the business, with the continued support of Team Run Like Clockwork for backup!
It includes:

✅ Monthly group Q+A calls.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅ Slack community with support from Team RLC & other certified partners.

✅ 100s of additional resources, templates, and tools.

Here’s the projected growth path for your COO

Most COO training programs focus only on systems.

Ours goes beyond that, offering:

  • Live mentorship from experienced operators who’ve done this before.

  • A community of peers facing the same challenges, sharing insights.

  • Real-world application so your operator is ready to lead, not just learn.

Your team member won’t just be trained—they’ll be supported every step of the way. 

You’ve likely invested in your mentorship through masterminds and networking groups, so you know how valuable it is to be in a room with supportive peers.

COOs need that, too, desperately!

The old saying “it’s lonely at the top” is just as true for those sandwiched between their direct reports and those who sign their paycheck.

Now, when they need someone to bounce ideas off, they don’t have to come to you. They can talk to their peers. 

Right now, your business relies on you for everything.

Every decision, every problem, every next step—it all falls on your shoulders.

And as long as that’s the case, you’ll stay stuck.
Stuck in the day-to-day.
Stuck answering the same questions.
Stuck working in the business instead of growing it.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

The leader your business needs is already on your team. They just need the right training to step up.

When investing in them, you invest in your business and your own freedom.

📈 More growth.
⏳ More time.
🏝 More space to focus on what truly matters.

That transformation starts today.

I’m Ready!

What’s the Investment?

Your Business Can’t Scale Without Strong Operations—Let’s Fix That.

❌A C-Suite level COO would easily cost you $150K+ per year.

❌ Sending your team member through an ineffective and drawn-out corporate COO training is well over $50K.

❌ Working with a business coach or mentor (who still won’t be IN the business) would be $3K–$10K monthly.

OR

Get your COO the training, tools, and mentorship they need to lead with confidence and free you from the day-to-day.

Option 1:
Pay In Full

✅ 12 comprehensive modules covering the entire Clockwork System™️

✅ Top 25 Proven Clockwork Tools (plus our ever-growing library)

✅ 9 Live learning calls to deepen your practice + integrate the learning.

✅ 4 Module Projects you’ll submit to our team for review.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅ Graduation Day to bring it all together.

✅ A monthly email for CEOs that explains exactly what your team member is learning.

✅ Expert Mentorship & Support from our team with a combined 25+ years of operations coaching

✅ Access to a community of growth-focused operators

1 Payment of $6000

Option 2: Payment Plan

✅ 12 comprehensive modules covering the entire Clockwork System™️

✅ Top 25 Proven Clockwork Tools (plus our ever-growing library)

✅ 9 Live learning calls to deepen your practice + integrate the learning.

✅ 4 Module Projects you’ll submit to our team for review.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅ Graduation Day to bring it all together.

✅ A monthly email for CEOs that explains exactly what your team member is learning.

✅ Expert Mentorship & Support from our team with a combined 25+ years of operations coaching

✅ Access to a community of growth-focused operators

12 payments of $550

Fill out the form below and join the waitlist to be the first to know when doors open again!

FAQs

  • If you’re feeling stretched too thin, constantly answering questions, and struggling to step away without everything stalling, you’re ready.

    This program is designed for businesses that are scaling and need a strong operational leader to keep things running smoothly.

  • The best COOs are proactive, detail-oriented, and strategic thinkers—even if they don’t have all the experience yet.

    If you have someone on your team who is dependable, organized, and eager to step up, this program will give them the exact tools they need to lead operations successfully.

  • That’s okay! If you don’t have anyone internally, check out our directory to see if one of our fractional COOs would be the right fit.

  • As the CEO, you’re focused on vision, growth, and leadership—not building an operations training program from scratch.

    Our program gives your COO the exact structure, mentorship, and frameworks they need so you can focus on what you do best.

  • It’s hard to nail down a specific number because it depends on many factors like the size and structure of your business, but a well-trained COO means:
    ✅ You’re no longer the bottleneck.
    ✅ Your business runs smoothly without your constant oversight.
    ✅ You free up time to focus on growth, strategy, and even time off.
    ✅ You avoid the costly mistake of promoting someone without proper training, only to fire them later and start over.

    Sounds priceless to us.

  • The program includes:

    • A step-by-step COO training framework

    • Expert mentorship and coaching

    • Access to a community of other operators

    Templates, tools, and resources to systematize and streamline your business

  • Your team member will begin applying what they learn immediately. The full certification is designed to be completed over 4 months, and the average business takes 8-14 months to be completely systematized,  but the transformations start from day one.

  • The bigger risk is not investing in them and having them stay—untrained, unprepared, and unable to lead. The truth is employees who feel valued and invested are far more likely to stay and contribute at a higher level.

    We’re also pretty reasonable people, so if your team member decides to leave within 6 months of starting the program, we will allow you to add a different team member at no additional cost. After 6 months, the cost will only be $1000.

  • We offer two flexible ways to enroll:

    • Pay in full: $6000

    • 12-month plan: $550/month

  • Once you sign up, your COO (or future COO) will receive a confirmation email.
    Closer to our official start day, they will receive access to the first training module, resources, and community. We’ll also provide guidance on how to get the most out of the program from day one.

“The program helped us create better systems, rebalance the team so everyone could work more in their zone of genius, identify the roles that we needed to hire and have clarity on the tasks that we needed to delegate.

One of the best things from the program is that it has given us a framework to easily identify bottlenecks and create solutions to solve them before they escalate.

I know this is something that I will come back to many times as the business continues to grow.”

Orne Herbon (COO @ lexidangelo.com)

Join now!

Option 1:
Pay In Full

✅ 12 comprehensive modules covering the entire Clockwork System™️

✅ Top 25 Proven Clockwork Tools (plus our ever-growing library)

✅ 9 Live learning calls to deepen your practice + integrate the learning.

✅ 4 Module Projects you’ll submit to our team for review.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅ Graduation Day to bring it all together.

✅ A monthly email for CEOs that explains exactly what your team member is learning.

✅ Expert Mentorship & Support from our team with a combined 25+ years of operations coaching

✅ Access to a community of growth-focused operators

1 Payment of $6000

Option 2: Payment Plan

✅ 12 comprehensive modules covering the entire Clockwork System™️

✅ Top 25 Proven Clockwork Tools (plus our ever-growing library)

✅ 9 Live learning calls to deepen your practice + integrate the learning.

✅ 4 Module Projects you’ll submit to our team for review.

✅ Access to 1:1 Q+A calls as needed.

✅ Graduation Day to bring it all together.

✅ A monthly email for CEOs that explains exactly what your team member is learning.

✅ Expert Mentorship & Support from our team with a combined 25+ years of operations coaching

✅ Access to a community of growth-focused operators

12 payments of $550