A SOL is a Strategy and Operations Leader and it represents a type of leader. It is an identity as opposed to a specific role.

SOLs exist at different levels of the organization.  

A CSOO is a specific role - a Chief Strategy and Operating Officer. 

They are an executive-level SOL who is the closest to the founder, typically serving as the right hand or strategic advisor to the founder.

A COO focuses primarily on optimizing internal operations and processes. Their role is centered around managing day-to-day business functions and driving operational efficiency.

In contrast, a CSOO (Chief Strategy and Operations Officer) takes a more comprehensive approach. Not only do they oversee operations, but they play an active role in setting the strategic direction alongside the founder or CEO.

A key responsibility for the CSOO is scaling the business.  Their approaches are highly dynamic, adaptive, agile and lean, to meet the unique needs of a scaling small business.

The CSOO's unique position blends strategic leadership with operational excellence. They ensure operations are fully aligned with the company's long-term vision and growth objectives - something critical for scaling businesses.

While a COO is more inwardly focused on execution and efficiency, a CSOO maintains an outward lens as well. They craft strategies that are operationally seamless yet market-relevant and scalable.

In essence, the CSOO acts as the visionary founder's strategic partner and "right hand" for both high-level strategy and operational efficiency spanning business operations and marketing operations. This focus allows for a cohesive, growth-oriented approach to operations and scaling the business.

CSOOs are also capable of leading the business on behalf of the founder and can be client facing versus behind the scenes.

Most certifications focus on core business operations, but you are already skilled at operations - so we skip the basics and go deep into scalable operations.

Most also focus on managing or executing ops - valuable but not enough in today's market.

A few get into strategy and strategic thinking but not to the same level of depth as CSOO does.

None focus on strategic leadership and sustainable scaling in the way the CSOO Certification and Licensing Program does.

The CSOO certification teaches you how to structure and lead a business through the messy middle of scaling and successfully handle the key changes the business and its founder experience as they hit common plateau points and challenges along this journey.

We don’t focus on overstuffed frameworks designed for corporate or enterprise environments, and we don't focus on overused surface-level concepts and practices you could find somewhere else.

We focus on what actually works for fast-moving, high-change, founder-led businesses who are consistently adapting to market shifts and trying to achieve greater results with less waste.

And instead of sending you back into the same broken service delivery model that caps businesses in the low six figures and creates cycles of overwork and burnout, we help you build a new one - one that is scalable, sustainable, and reflects the level you actually operate at.

Because we believe your clients' businesses shouldn't be the only ones scaling successfully - so we give you the training, toolkits, and personalized mentorship and support to ensure your business is as successful as your clients'. 

This certification was built for those working with founder-led, service-based businesses primarily between $1M and $10M in annual revenue*.

These businesses are past the early stages of growth and not yet structured to scale simply and sustainably. They’re typically drowning in complexity and chaos with too much dependent on the founder and major gaps in leadership, planning, systems, and team that developed as a side effect of growth.

They don’t yet have the leadership infrastructure or scaling ecosystem to get where they want to go next.

That’s where a CSOO equipped with the Lean Scaling System comes in.

(*It's more about stage than revenue numbers, however the majority of businesses fall in the $1M - $10M range. This also works well for start-ups who are building to scale from day 1 and willing and able to invest in their systems and team, including their leadership team.)

Yes. This certification is designed for those already operating as consultants, fractionals, strategic operators, or trusted advisors.

You don’t need a specific title, but you do need experience working with clients at a strategic level and helping shape growth, align priorities, and drive outcomes across all facets of the business.

This is not a beginner program. It’s where advanced operators and consultants elevate and scale.

If you aren't sure if you are ready for this level yet, we recommend applying anyway as our Scalable Ops Manager (SOM) certification may be better aligned as a next step. Once we receive your application, we'll set up a call to help you determine which is the best fit.

Plan for 3-4 hours per week, including training, implementation labs, and direct application to your business and client work.

This is not about adding more to your schedule - it’s about installing a system that saves you time, simplifies delivery, and increases client value.

However, you know better than anyone how you often have to temporarily work harder in the short-term in order to make the changes that will allow you to work smarter in the long-term.

We simplify and streamline your journey as much as possible to minimize the amount of time you need to add to an already busy schedule, however you will need to create the space for learning and implementation as you are making the changes now that will give you back time and sustainability later.

Our CSOOs typically:

• Generate more revenue from fewer clients, increasing profit margins while decreasing time commitment

• Shift from short-term engagements to long-term retainers

• Simplify their business model and create capacity to scale

• Install a strategic system for increased client conversions and retention with a streamlined delivery model to support it
• Confidently lead business transformation and sustainable scaling inside founder-led companies

• Position themselves as strategic scaling partners instead of operators or executors

Because of the unique nature in how we structure the certification and licensing path, you’ll build a business and body of work that reflects the depth of your expertise and be able to significantly differentiate your services from other fractionals, operational leaders, consultants, and advisors.

Certification is broken into 2 stages with different requirements for each as follows:

Stage 1: Learn (1st 6 months or sooner*):

1. Knowledge: Complete 80% or more of the on-demand content in your online portal (by pillar)
2. Knowledge Exam: Pass an exam per pillar that validates your understanding of what you learned; 80% or higher score is required
3. Application: Submit Capstone projects (by pillar) using your own business to show you understand how to apply what you learned

*Stage 1 is a go at your own pace stage.  For those who can dedicate the time and focus to go all in on stage 1, you can complete it in as little as 3 months, however most take 5-6 months.

Please note that you can not move onto stage 2 until you successfully complete stage 1.

Stage 2: Implement (remainder of the 12 months):

1. Knowledge: Complete 80% or more of the on-demand implementation content in your online portal
2. Situational Exam: Pass an exam that validates your ability to implement what you learned in different situations small businesses commonly experience; 80% or higher score is required
3. Application: Submit Capstone projects from 2 client businesses to show you understand how to successfully implement and generate measurable results

While you have 6 months to complete stage 2, please note that if you plan to continue on your certification journey, you can not move onto stage 3 until you successfully complete stage 2.

Yes.  There is an annual renewal fee to maintain your certification and continue to license the lean scaling system for use with your clients.

Your annual fee provides you with the following:

• Listing in our Certified CSOO Directory
• Matching services (for those who want to be referred to potential clients)
• Access to the SOL Collective Community
• Continued access to all trainings, toolkits, playbooks, and assessments, including access to any new content that gets introduced
• Plus more!

For the lifelong learners who are committed to getting the most out of their certification and licensing, and who are interested in continuing their journey, there are 2 additional tiers of certification.

You'll start with Certified Lean Scaling Professional in year 1 (like receiving a Bachelor's degree). Then you can move on to:

• Certified Lean Scaling Expert: Years 2+ (like receiving a Master's degree)
• Certified Lean Scaling Master: Years 3+ (like receiving a Doctorate degree)

Stages are as follows:

• Stage 1: Learn (year 1)
• Stage 2: Implement (year 1)
• Stage 3: Advance (years 2+)
• Stage 4: Master (years 3+)
• Sustain (ongoing)

For those who continue in year 2, this is where you will work closely with Crista on Advanced techniques.

Those who successfully achieve the Lean Scaling Expert designation at the end of year 2 will receive increased visibility and placement opportunities and will have the opportunity to join the faculty of Strategic Ops Institute as a mentor to stage 1 and 2 members.

Although years are shown for reference, moving from one stage to the next is dependent on successfully meeting the criteria for certification at each stage and not time bound. 

Stage 3 requires capstones submitted for 4 client businesses which can be done in as little as 1 year.  Stage 4 requires capstones submitted for 10 client businesses which will typically take longer.  You will work closely with the Strategic Ops Institute team all throughout your certification journey.

Yes, we have a special track for employees with slightly different requirements for certification that are focused on generating measurable results within the business you work for instead of within your own business and client businesses.

If you are a full-time COO, VP of Ops, Chief of Staff, or Operational Leader within a SMB in the $1M-$10M range, fill out an application and we will review the nuances with you when we meet.

We care deeply about maintaining the integrity of the certifications as the gold standard for small business success.

As a result, we are selective about who we admit into the certification and issue a license to. 

We care much more about fit than we do filling seats so we keep our cohorts relatively small.

This gives you personalized attention and limits the number of people licensed to use the Lean Scaling System which creates more opportunities for each license holder.

The exact number varies cohort to cohort based on number of qualified applicants. 

Right now, we are capping CSOO at 10 people per cohort, but if we only receive half as many qualified applicants, that's all we'll accept in. 

We assume that you do.  As an experienced consultant or right-hand, you couldn't have gotten to where you are today without identifying the patterns of what works and what doesn't and likely creating some of your own systems, frameworks, and ways of working that are successful for you and your clients.

What makes the Lean Scaling System different is that it is NOT a prescriptive paint-by-numbers system that you have to implement the same way in every business.

If that's what you're looking for, this will not be a good fit for you. 

But what it does better than anything we have seen on the market is help you understand what a business needs across the 9 engines required for sustainable and scalable growth and be able to apply the right technique at the right time to provide the biggest leverage for the business.

That's why the first 6 months is focused on ensuring you deeply understand the Lean Scaling System and how and when to address each engine in the business. Plus it is critical to understand how all the puzzle pieces in the business fit together and that's what the Lean Scaling System helps you do.

From there, you get access to a very robust suite of templates, tools, assessments, and frameworks for use with your clients and in your own business.

If you already have something you've developed, you can use it and augment it with what we provide. 

This is not a franchise where you have to do things a specific way, especially at the level you're operating at. 

We give you the knowledge, experience, 1:1 mentorship, and situational awareness to know what to do when - not a cookie-cutter approach you are forced to follow.