New book highlights the crucial role of the second-in-command in business growth

Who's Number One, a new book by Forrest Derr, addresses a common challenge in growing businesses: the unacknowledged role of the second-in-command. The book argues that the lack of a defined title for this crucial position can trap founders in their own creation, creating a bottleneck that hinders the company's growth.

Derr, a fractional COO and Integrator based in Fairhope, Alabama, has spent three decades working in this role across a variety of industries, including grocery, warehousing, distribution, technology, and construction. His book, released on August 31, 2026, identifies the second-in-command as the unsung hero who keeps the company running smoothly while the founder focuses on the big picture.

"Founders don't build a prison on purpose," Derr explained. "They build a company, and one day they look up and every decision routes through them. They can't take a vacation. They can't sit through a four-hour meeting without the phone ringing. That's not a business. That's a high-paying job with no exit."

The book is designed to help both founders who have become the bottleneck in their own companies and the "closet Integrators" who have been shouldering the second-in-command responsibilities without recognition. "I meet these people constantly, and they undersell themselves every time," Derr said. "They think they're the person who handles loose ends. They're actually the reason the company still functions. Nobody ever told them that, so they never learned to say it out loud."

Derr uses the analogy of a thoroughbred horse to illustrate his point. "Put a racehorse in an open field and it runs, zigzags, bucks, and runs over whoever's in the way. Not on purpose but that's just what it does. Put that same horse on a track with a jockey and you get something worth watching," Derr said. "The founder is the horse. The second in command is the jockey. Neither one wins alone."

The book covers defining the second seat, installing accountability and meeting discipline, and the working relationship between a visionary founder and the operator who translates vision into execution. It is structured into 14 chapters and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook at <https://fractionatorhq.com/playbooks/whos-number-one>.

Derr's background is rich with experience. He is a co-host of the Fixers & Founders podcast and co-founder of ENRG, an entrepreneurial peer learning community with more than 100 chapters nationwide. His work with Derr Consulting and The Fractionator has helped numerous founder-led companies scale between $2 million and $50 million.

"Who's Number One" offers a fresh perspective on the role that often goes unnoticed, providing tools and insights to help companies navigate the challenges of growth and maintain a healthy balance between innovation and operational excellence.