In a startup, the moment to hire the first head of operations usually comes earlier than the founder is willing to admit and later than the company actually needs. Earlier, because letting go of control is painful. Later, because operations quietly deteriorate until problems explode in the form of delays, dissatisfied customers and improvised decisions. The criterion should not be \u201cwhen everything is in order\u201d, but rather when the lack of order starts to cost growth, cash and reputation.<\/p>\n
The company is permanently in emergency mode<\/strong>. If every week there are new \u201cfires\u201d, late shipments, deliveries that depend on someone \u201cremembering\u201d, support answering late, invoices with errors or projects closed without a post-mortem, it is no longer a question of effort: operations are overloaded.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Growth compromises quality<\/strong>. Many startups see quality as a luxury, but in reality it is a cost multiplier. A small repeated mistake in an order, in support or in delivery generates more queries, rework, returns and financial strain. If increasing sales does not make the company more stable but more fragile, it is because operations do not scale.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n