John Claborn

5X COO | Former College Hooper | Helping home service founders operate the business better | Jesus + Family + Avs

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

Operations partnerships are not common, especially in the trades.

Had a few people DM me asking how I actually help.

So here you go:

-Build operating plans with clear targets to achieve.

-Define the owner's role and create a plan to get them out of day-to-day operations.

-Build organizational structures with outcome-based roles and accountability.

-Establish who owns decisions, results, and responsibilities.

I-mplement KPIs, scorecards, and performance tracking.

-Build and implement SOPs that employees will use

-Establish weekly meeting rhythms and accountability systems.

-Create financial visibility into profitability, cash flow, and job performance. (fCFO partnerships in some cases)

-Fix broken processes between the office and field.

-Develop GM's and Dir of Ops who can make decisions without the owner.

-Lead operational projects from start to finish.

-Step into the operations seat when the business needs someone to run execution.

-Train internal leaders to take over the systems we've built.

-Transfer operational ownership to the team so the business can run without me.

Coaches teach.
Consultant advise.
Ops partners do.

All 3 are needed at various stages. I just fill the gap at the end.

And for the record, I don't use Fractional COO because everyone over on LI seems to be a fractional COO these days. 😎

All about the free value, so start here. 👇

https://t.co/iWDWbkrIai

Want to chat? DM's are open.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@DougKennedy93 Definitely a fun experience!

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

And son #1’s first fish 19 minutes later 🤣

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

First fish.

Not a bad one to start with.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@mattragudo @ryanraysr Will check.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@mattragudo It’s true. No other way…unless of course you buy a Codie Sanchez course.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@DougKennedy93 And the first we you dig, the more skeptical you become of them just being a really good salesperson or marketer.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

I went from “I think we’re launching a Colorado Springs chapter of the COO Collective” to a full operating system for chapter expansion in 6 days.

I learned a few SMB words along the way too:

-National chapter overhead allocations
-Compensation based on unit economics
-Fixed vs variable moderator compensation
-Pre-launch reserve capital
-Revenue attribution and incentive design
-Standardization vs. local autonomy
-Internal Capital recovery

2 things.

1. I didn’t know what half of these things meant before tonight. Still probably don’t.

2. Unique talent + Specific experience X passion/tenacity is a great formula

This week, COO Collective COS launches.

First forum coming in January (or February/March pending it actually working).

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@jamesonhaslam 🤣🤣🤣

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

24 year old Life Coaches

[Harrison Vann @vannman26]

Most hated professions:

- Airbnb host
- Towing company truck driver
- Members of Congress
- Telemarketers
- Car Salespeople

Who else?

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@paulbullard On second thought, they’re probably laughing at all of us that feel for the scheme to draw attention.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

I was COO of a $4m landscaping company that acquired another home service company.

I can say with 100% certainty that this is utter and complete garbage being spewed by these people. The deal we acquired was about as good of a deal as you could find.

I spent 20+ hours per week building this company because it WAS my W2. I got paid to make it work.

Kaustuhb is 100% on the money here.

[Kaustubh Deo - Guesswork Investing @guessworkinvest]

I’ll try to say this kindly — every single business being shown at over 30% profit margin is not a good fit for someone with a full-time job (aka all the ones you showed).

Barring something very unusual about the business and some kind of structural advantage, that kind of margin is only possible due to the owner (and/or spouse) being heavily involved and effectively completing multiple unpaid roles.

That is business buying 101…your original post sounds more like someone who just logged into bizbuysell tor the first time, not someone who has any business teaching folks how to buy a business.

I’m doing my best to say this nicely, but the fact that you think a landscaping business could do north of 60% profit margins for an acquirer who already has a full-time job suggests you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Ignorance at best, grift at worst.

My gut is that you do know better, and that you posted it as engagement bait and hope folks enter the top of your funnel and don’t read the comments from experienced acquirers calling it out. If that’s correct, that is unethical.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@jrhartman131 @WesleyP91308 Indeed that is always the case it seems.

[Kaustubh Deo - Guesswork Investing @guessworkinvest]

I’ll try to say this kindly — every single business being shown at over 30% profit margin is not a good fit for someone with a full-time job (aka all the ones you showed).

Barring something very unusual about the business and some kind of structural advantage, that kind of margin is only possible due to the owner (and/or spouse) being heavily involved and effectively completing multiple unpaid roles.

That is business buying 101…your original post sounds more like someone who just logged into bizbuysell tor the first time, not someone who has any business teaching folks how to buy a business.

I’m doing my best to say this nicely, but the fact that you think a landscaping business could do north of 60% profit margins for an acquirer who already has a full-time job suggests you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Ignorance at best, grift at worst.

My gut is that you do know better, and that you posted it as engagement bait and hope folks enter the top of your funnel and don’t read the comments from experienced acquirers calling it out. If that’s correct, that is unethical.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@JaredDHardin @BizScout_ @Codie_Sanchez Couldn’t agree more Jared. Working a regular job while trying to purchase, then successfully run a service-based business “on the side” is dangerous at a minimum. Ask anyone who runs these businesses day to day.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@simplesamtx Yeah, they be bitin’ tonight!

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

First fish.

Not a bad one to start with.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@mattbart7 @GeorgeWTrumpWon All over the place.

I got two whiskey glasses with mountain engravings.

Another guy got a John Elway signed helmet. Nostalgic starter jackets, reminders of core memories, etc.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

Just got home from my brother in law’s 40th.

He planned the entire party.

17 couples.

Rather than having toasts and gifts for him, he bought every person a gift and toasted each person himself.

He called it a “reverse birthday”. Gifting everyone who had had an impact on his life.

One of the most honoring things I’ve experienced.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@tyromper Definitely adopting next year considering 41 is always a massive milestone 🤣

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@spartanleadsite Can’t imagine what this list will look like in a year.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

All this turning 40 talk got me thinking about what the crazy adventure of 2026 has been for our family and me.

So here are 40 lessons I've learned since starting my own business in January.

Take or leave what you want.

1. Self-employed is harder/more fun than any W2 I've had.
2. Once you experience being your own boss, it's almost impossible to go back to having one.
3. I thought I was only an ops guy. Turns out I can be visionary when nobody else is around to do it.
4. Being forced into something is sometimes the best way to get started.
5. When you have a wife and four kids, failure isn't a very attractive option.
6. Your network is probably the most important asset in your business. Wish I'd spent more time building mine.
7. Pricing matters from day 1. Apparently, you can actually charge too little.
8. Being good at something and convincing someone to pay you for it are two very different skills.
9. Sales is a dopamine hit. 
10. People will tell you your idea is amazing. That doesn't mean they'll buy it.
11. Everyone wants to grab coffee. Don't fall for it.
12. Following up isn't bothering people. 
13. You can have a great meeting, great chemistry, and a great proposal. And still get ghosted.
14. The best business opportunities come from asking great questions.
15. Referrals are incredible. You should probably give more of them than you ask for.
16. Some people genuinely want to help you succeed. Find those people.
17. You have to get comfortable talking about money. Especially your own.
18. Not every prospect needs what you're selling. Sometimes telling them that is the best thing you can do.
19. Losing a deal you were certain you'd win sucks.
20. You become your own bottleneck real fast.
21. You can spend an entire day being productive without doing a single thing that makes you money.
22. AI Agents are your best friend and worst enemy.
23. AI rabbit trails will kill your business.
24. Just because you CAN build something doesn't mean you SHOULD.
25. Building 2 businesses at a time is a bad decision.
26. You don't have to have everything figured out. Which is good, because I definitely didn't.
27. Nobody is coming to tell you what to do next.
28. Thinking of being an employee again makes me gag.
29. 90% of theory, opinions and frameworks should be taken with a grain of salt.
30. Done is better than perfect.
31. Saying no to potential revenue is harder than it sounds.
32. Owning your calendar is a major flex.
33. The hardest person I've ever had to hold accountable is myself. Harder than any founder I've dealt with.
34. You're a genius one day and an idiot the next.
35. Freedom means choosing which 12 hours you work each day.
36. You don't need to know everything. You need to know people who know things you don't.
37. Don't listen to those who think their opinion is the gospel.
38. Do it scared. 
39. Building someone else's dream is a terrible way to live.
40. I should've made the jump sooner.

[John Claborn @FrontierBDesign]

@Lukecleans Time is the most precious commodity.