The Apprentice

The Apprentice — A 5-Year Path to COO | Kaizen Solutions
Kaizen Solutions · Now Hiring

From Apprentice to COO in Five Years

Real ownership. Real mentorship. Real growth.

Year 1 compensation is outcome-based — tied to real metrics, not a salary cap. By Year 5 you're Chief Operating Officer at $150K+. The full plan is laid out in the interview process. I'm choosing one person inside 30 days.

Apply by email

The deal at a glance

Year 1
Outcome-based
Operations Apprentice
→
Year 5
$150K+
Chief Operating Officer

What you do

  • Work directly with me. Real ownership from day one.
  • Own real projects end-to-end — turn ideas and tools into shipped value.
  • Drive lead generation, content production, and client experience.
  • Plan and execute our in-person Vegas event in December 2026.
  • Manage 1–2 contractors as the role grows.
  • Run point on systems, SOPs, and the ops cadence inside Kaizen.

What you get

  • Direct mentorship from a working operator.
  • Compensation tied to outcomes — clients enrolled, pipeline built, social and podcast growth.
  • A documented 5-year promotion path. Reviewed quarterly Year 1, then annually.
  • A 90-day onboarding curriculum with a reading list and structured skill progression.
  • The equivalent of a top-tier MBA — paid — inside a real, growing business.
  • Long-term upside. We grow, you grow.

The right person

Who I'm looking for

  • North America. Full-time available.
  • Hungry, coachable, ambitious.
  • Already in motion — building, working, hustling.
  • Reads, listens, learns deliberately.
  • Has a 5-year vision and gets fired up when asked.
  • Wants to be the engine, not the face.

Not for you if

  • You're a senior OBM looking for a $6K/mo retainer.
  • You're a career VA trying to level up titles.
  • You're an aspiring coach using this as a runway.
  • You need predictability or constant direction.
  • You're scrolling job boards looking for a paycheck.

The 5-year path

Promotion triggers are tied to performance, not tenure. In writing.

Year 1
Operations Apprentice
Year 2
Operations Manager
Year 3
Integrator
Year 5
Chief Operating Officer

How to apply

I'm not posting this on job boards. Choosing one person inside 30 days.

Apply by email

Send to [email protected]

  1. A 90-second Loom: who you are, what you're doing right now, and one thing you've built or done.
  2. Written answers to the eight questions below.
  3. Two references — mentors, employers, coaches, anyone who has watched you work.
The eight questions
  1. Tell me about something hard you accomplished with no playbook. What did you do, and what did you learn? (under 150 words)
  2. What 3 books, podcasts, or programs have shaped your thinking the most in the last 12 months? Why those?
  3. Where do you want to be in five years? What does success look like in your life?
  4. Tell me about a time someone gave you tough feedback. What did you do with it?
  5. Why this — over a 9-to-5 with a clearer paycheck?
  6. If we said yes tomorrow, what would be the first thing you'd go deep on, and why?
  7. What's your relationship with hard work? Tell me about your hardest stretch.
  8. Drop the 90-second Loom: who you are, why this, and one thing you're most proud of.
Josh Kerpan
Founder & CEO · Kaizen Solutions