RevOps functions as the "truth-teller" for the revenue engine. To be effective, they need immunity from organizational politics, regardless of their reporting structure. Without it, they're forced to serve a leader's ego to protect their job, which is a recipe for disaster.
The CRO's average tenure is now a mere 18 months, making them an unstable ally for RevOps. To ensure job security and drive impact, RevOps leaders should instead align with the CFO, who has a 7-year tenure, by pitching initiatives with undeniable ROI.
Don't try to fix everything at once. Inspired by the Theory of Constraints, identify the single biggest bottleneck in your revenue engine and dedicate 80% of your energy to solving it each quarter. Once unblocked, the system will reveal a new constraint to tackle next, creating a sustainable rhythm.
A perfectly clean GTM process at a startup is a red flag indicating over-engineering and a lack of real-world traction. True growth creates chaos and pain points ("dumpster fires"). RevOps should let these constraints emerge naturally before attempting to solve them, avoiding premature optimization.
When planning initiatives, account for a hidden tax. Any new change will cause a temporary 20% dip in revenue and productivity. Meanwhile, any process left alone improves by 5-10% as people get more efficient. Your initiative must therefore generate over a 30% uplift just to break even.
Early-stage startups desire senior RevOps leadership but can't afford a full-time hire, often settling for junior talent who learn on the job. Fractional agencies solve this by providing access to world-class, experienced talent on a flexible, as-needed basis, de-risking a critical function.