Ever felt the raw pressure of holding a company’s fate and the founder’s trust in your hands?
Lindsay Smith drills into the no-filter reality of the “second in command” role, sitting down with Aaron Getty, President of Joe Taylor Restoration. This is not your average COO conversation.
Aaron Getty lifts the curtain on his wild ride from sales rep to running every part of a rapidly scaling restoration business. He exposes the brutally honest partnership between visionary founders and operators, the loneliness most COOs quietly endure, and why clear vision beats perfection every day. You’ll hear why most leadership “rules” are outdated, how to nurture real growth (not just bigger headcount), and what separates those who thrive from those who buckle under pressure.
Listen now, or risk missing the exact frameworks and mindsets that separate average executives from legends. This is an insider’s playbook you won’t hear anywhere else and the shifts revealed here will shape your next leadership move.
Timestamped Highlights
00:00 – The vivid vision move that erased all guesswork overnight
03:06 – Thriving with a founder who never stops—how to lead without being the brakes
06:19 – The “loneliest seat” in the company and the hidden weights of the COO
08:51 – How Aaron built an unstoppable leadership team from scratch
12:47 – The slow, relentless sales approach that future-proofs your business
15:01 – When leaders outgrow their teams: What happens next
19:21 – The one training that finally unified frontline and executive growth
30:06 – The vivid vision launch party and what it did for company velocity
33:57 – Letting go: Why Aaron wants less decision-making power, not more
About the Guest
Aaron Getty is President of Joe Taylor Restoration, a powerhouse in Florida’s emergency mitigation industry. With over a decade earned in the trenches, he’s scaled the company from a seven-person shop to a 100+ member, seven-location force—setting a new standard for operational leadership in the high-stakes restoration sector.
Mentioned Resources
- Traction by Gino Wickman
- Scaling Up by Verne Harnish
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- 10x Is Easier Than 2x by Dan Sullivan
About the Co-Host
Lindsay Smith is an experience-driven growth strategist and former Chief Strategy Officer. This marks her first episode as official co-host of the podcast. She previously scaled a new region without a traditional sales team or bloated marketing budget by turning relationships, culture, and execution into revenue. She is the author of No One Needs Another Company Mug. Stop Branding. Start Experiencing and helps leadership teams use experience as a competitive growth lever.
? Connect with Lindsay on LinkedIn
Important Links
- Connect with Cameron: Website | LinkedIn
- Explore the COO Alliance – The World’s Leading Community for Seconds in Command
- Get Cameron’s book: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO Book
- Take Cameron’s leadership course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off)
- Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi
The Second in Command Podcast is an original production hosted by Cameron Herold and co-hosted by Lindsay Smith. Brought to you by COO Alliance. Production and editing by Podcast Your Brand.
