What if the very coaching you give your clients every day is the exact advice you are failing to follow in your own business?
Our guest today built a premier firm helping seven- and eight-figure founders scale, yet found himself trapped at a growth ceiling because he was trying to run client delivery, business development, team management, and operations all by himself.
Even worse, a deep-seated resistance to owning the sales seat was creating a bottleneck that threatened to cap his company’s growth permanently.
By shifting his mindset around founder-led sales, streamlining his entire marketing engine into a single high-converting funnel, and building the right internal structure, he expanded his team to fifteen fractional executives while running the entire global operation from Paris.
Welcome to today’s episode of Your Business Growth Podcast. I’m your host, Jeremy Shapiro, author of Your Business Growth Playbook, and my guest today is Derek Fredrickson.
About Derek Fredrickson
Derek Fredrickson is the CEO and founder of The COO Solution, a fractional COO firm that works hands-on with 7- and 8-figure founders and CEOs to build the operational foundation their businesses need to scale. He began his career on Wall Street managing teams and projects, but discovered his true passion for entrepreneurial growth after helping scale his wife’s business to multiple 7-figures. For over 16 years, he has served as a Chief Operating Officer and second-in-command, specializing in operational leadership, team building, and founder development.
Over a decade ago, Derek relocated his family to Paris and built The COO Solution from the ground up. Today, he leads a team of fractional COOs and integrators who embed inside growing businesses across various industries. His firm focuses on ensuring smooth operations, building solid teams, and implementing proven strategies that hold organizations accountable while delivering sustainable, lasting results.
Derek’s approach provides visionary leaders with strategic second-in-command support, allowing founders to stop being the bottleneck in their own companies and reclaim their personal freedom without burnout. By combining structured operational playbooks with supportive leadership, he enables businesses to achieve 7- and 8-figure growth while operating independently of the founder’s daily involvement.
In addition to leading his firm, Derek is the host of The COO Solution Podcast, where he shares practical insights on scaling, leadership, and operational strategy. Through his podcast and consulting work, he regularly teaches entrepreneurs what it actually takes to build a business that runs smoothly without the founder sitting at the center of everything.
Connect with Derek Fredrickson
Speed Round Answers:
- All In Lead Source: Referral Network – unless money was no object, then PPC
- Books: Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, Traction by Gino Wickman and Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters, Built to Sell by John Warrillow
- Unlikeliest Mentor: Richard on designing a meaningful life and business
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Derek Fredrickson Episode Transcript
Coming Soon!
Like This Episode? There’s More!
Subscribe!
Your Business Growth Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. Subscribe today!
Get the Book!
Pickup the #1 Best Seller, Your Business Growth Playbook today online or at your local bookseller!
Meet Jeremy!
Book your Blueprint Discovery Call with Jeremy today and get back to the growth you deserve!