The job description Bezos wrote for his very first employee said, “You must have experience designing and building large and complex (yet maintainable) systems, and you should be able to do so in about one-third the time that most competent people think possible.
Hiring a COO isn’t easy at the early-stage and is wrought with more danger than potential success. Make sure you take the time to understand if you are ready for this hire. When it is done right, the impact on you and the company is tremendous.