Revenue Problem Solvers

Operationalize

Revenue Problem Solvers delivers candid conversations with top business & revenue leaders who've mastered the art of growth. Each episode uncovers real-world challenges, practical solutions, and proven strategies that drive measurable results. No fluff or theory—just actionable insights from those who've successfully navigated revenue roadblocks. Listen as industry veterans share their playbooks for breaking through plateaus, optimizing sales processes, & creating sustainable revenue engines. Turn your toughest business challenges into opportunities with insights you can implement immediately

  1. Growing From $300K to $26M Without a VP of Sales | Ross Paquette, Maropost

    1 DAY AGO

    Growing From $300K to $26M Without a VP of Sales | Ross Paquette, Maropost

    Ross Paquette built Maropost into a global commerce and marketing platform over 13 years. No venture capital. No VP of Sales for longer than most founders would be comfortable admitting. In this episode, Ross breaks down exactly how he built a revenue engine from scratch when he had no choice but to own it himself. He talks about the $30M ceiling he hit as a founder, the $8M in failed expansion attempts across Toronto and Chicago, and why most bootstrap founders make the same hiring mistakes over and over. This is not a highlight reel. It is a real conversation about what it actually takes to go from startup to scale when you are running lean and every wrong hire sets you back months. What you will hear in this episode: Why founder-led sales drove explosive growth from $300K to $26M in under 30 months. The real cost of hiring before your system is ready. How Ross finally figured out his own ceiling as a founder and what he did about it. The shift from startup dictator to scale-up CEO and why that transition is harder than it sounds. Why he stopped selling candidates on the company and started filtering for the ones who could actually handle the reality. Three things every founder should do before posting that VP-level job. If you are building a bootstrap business and trying to figure out how to grow revenue without unlimited runway, this episode was made for you. Ross Paquette is the founder and CEO of Maropost. Find him on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossandrew1/ - or at maropost.com. The Revenue Problem Solvers Podcast is hosted by Karl Ortmanns. New episodes drop weekly for founders, revenue leaders, and operators who are serious about building. Sponsored by Virtual Causeway. Learn more at virtualcauseway.com. #RevenueProblemSolversPodcast Entrepreneurship, Sales, Business, SaaS, Marketing, Startups, Leadership, Management

    50 min
  2. Change Management in the Age of AI. Leadership, Adaptability & Revenue Growth with Neil Weitzman

    27 FEB

    Change Management in the Age of AI. Leadership, Adaptability & Revenue Growth with Neil Weitzman

    AI isn’t just changing tools. It’s changing leadership. In this episode of Revenue Problem Solvers, I sit down with fractional CRO and GTM advisor Neil Weitzman to unpack what change management really looks like in today’s AI-driven world. After 25+ years building revenue engines at Rogers Media, Nielsen, and Deloitte, Neil has seen every kind of transformation. But AI may be the ultimate leadership test. This conversation covers: 02:10 – Why change management feels harder than ever05:30 – The two types of people inside every organization09:45 – Why AI is different (and why it’s not)13:40 – “Will” vs. “Skill”, the real career divider18:25 – The power of direct, honest leadership conversations23:10 – A story every leader needs to hear28:50 – How individual contributors should show up33:20 – Why some professionals won’t survive the AI shift38:10 – The one action you should take this week41:45 – Where to connect with Neil If you’re a founder, CRO, sales leader, or revenue operator trying to navigate constant change, this episode will challenge how you think about growth, mindset, and leadership. Because AI isn’t replacing leaders. But it is exposing them. Neil is a fractional CRO and GTM advisor who partners with founder-led B2B SaaS and technology companies to deliver speed, clarity, and zero drama. He is also a long-time Pavilion ambassador and works closely with consultants and fractional executives through the CAF community. Connect with Neil:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilweitzman/Linktree - https://linktr.ee/neilweitzman This episode is sponsored by Virtual Causeway. Traditional demand generation is breaking. Virtual Causeway helps revenue teams shift from demand generation to demand positioning, engineering where and how your brand appears when buyers research through AI tools and peer networks. Learn more at virtualcauseway.com. Mention the show for a special rate.

    38 min
  3. SaaS Pricing Strategy: How to Stop Leaving Money on the Table With Roee Hartuv

    20 FEB

    SaaS Pricing Strategy: How to Stop Leaving Money on the Table With Roee Hartuv

    Pricing and packaging is the single most important growth lever in your business, and the one most leaders are afraid to touch. In this episode of Revenue Problem Solvers, I sit down with Roee Hartuv, Senior Pricing Advisor at WillingnessToPay.com, who has spent two decades seeing how growth breaks when pricing doesn't reflect the value companies actually deliver. The conversation covers everything: - Why no one owns pricing until it's too late - How to move from seat-based to usage-based models without disrupting your business - The right way to validate a price increase with your most important customers - Why packaging is more important than the number itself. If you know you're leaving money on the table but don't know how to fix it; this episode is your starting point. KEY INSIGHTS: - Pricing touches every team: Product, Finance, Sales, CS, Ops. That's why it's so hard - Most companies revisit pricing every 3–5 years. It should be every product cycle. - Price the customer, not the product. The willingness to pay varies by segment - Packaging is more important than the price point - The validation process: internal → trusted customers → field test → roll out - OpenAI changed their pricing 10 times in 12 months. If they're iterating, you should be too. Guest: Roee Hartuv | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/roeehartuv | willingnesstopay.com Sponsor: Virtual Causeway. Creating demand positioning for B2B revenue teams. virtualcauseway.com #SaaS #PricingStrategy #B2BRevenue #RevenueProblemSolversPodcast #GoToMarket

    50 min
  4. Why Most GTM Leaders Get TAM Wrong (And How to Fix It) with Dan Wardle, VP Sales at Spellbook

    13 FEB

    Why Most GTM Leaders Get TAM Wrong (And How to Fix It) with Dan Wardle, VP Sales at Spellbook

    Most companies define their Total Addressable Market incorrectly. And it quietly limits their growth. In this episode of the Revenue Problem Solvers Podcast, Dan Wardle, VP of Sales at Spellbook (AI legal tech serving eBay, Dropbox, and enterprise legal teams), breaks down why TAM is not a math exercise. It's a leadership decision that shapes retention, revenue, and long-term company value. If you're selling to customers who won't retain, you're not growing. You're resetting the clock. We talk about: * The brutal truth about TAM vs ICP that most GTM leaders ignore * Why retention matters more than short-term revenue * When to narrow your market and when to expand it * Product-market fit signals that actually matter * The "two-person test" for smart market expansion * How to hire sales teams without burning cash * How they built a team where 100% hit quota Dan shares real strategies from scaling legal tech in one of the fastest-moving AI markets. Perfect for founders, CROs, VPs of Sales, and go-to-market leaders who want to scale intelligently and sustainably. — This episode is brought to you by Virtual Causeway. As traditional demand generation gets noisier, Virtual Causeway helps B2B companies shift to demand positioning by engineering where and how your brand appears when buyers research. Visit VirtualCauseway.com and mention Revenue Problem Solvers for a special rate. Connect with Dan: linkedin.com/in/wardledan

    47 min
  5. How to Drive Revenue Growth Without Chasing New Leads with Stephanie Valenti

    6 FEB

    How to Drive Revenue Growth Without Chasing New Leads with Stephanie Valenti

    Most revenue leaders are obsessed with new leads. Meanwhile, they're sitting on hidden revenue in their existing customer base. In this episode, Stephanie Valenti (SVP at BILL) shares how she built a post-sales motion that outperformed new business, all without hiring a single new rep. You'll learn: - Why your existing customers are your fastest path to growth - The lions vs zebras framework for structuring revenue teams - The childhood question that reveals if someone's in the wrong role - How to build a post-sales motion in a transactional business - The exact moment Stephanie realized post-sales could outperform new business KEY TIMESTAMPS: 02:45 - Why CROs default to net new 07:30 - Lion vs Zebra sales teams 14:10 - The churn blind spot (months 3–9) 22:40 - The ONE post-sales metric that matters 31:15 - How to redesign quotas for net growth 41:00 - What new revenue leaders should do first 52:30 - Monday morning action steps CONNECT WITH STEPHANIE: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanievalenti/ Thank you to the great team at Virtual Causeway for sponsoring this episode. To learn more, visit www.virtualcauseway.com and mention the show for a special rate. Follow Revenue Problem Solvers to get weekly insights from revenue leaders solving real growth challenges.

    46 min
  6. Why Hitting Your Number Isn’t Enough to Build Predictable Growth with Simon Drexler

    30 JAN

    Why Hitting Your Number Isn’t Enough to Build Predictable Growth with Simon Drexler

    You hit your quarterly revenue target. Your team is underwater. Your capacity planning is broken. Sound familiar? Simon Drexler, President of Samuel Automation, explains why booking cadence is the growth constraint nobody talks about. Getting $9M in bookings during the final month of a quarter looks identical to $3M per month on paper. Operationally, they're completely different businesses. One creates predictability and sustainable growth. The other creates chaos, firefighting, and burned-out teams. Simon brings a rare perspective: engineer turned revenue executive who has scaled industrial automation across automotive, medical devices, and consumer products for over a decade. He treats revenue operations like an engineering problem, which means he actually measures what works. In this episode: Why inconsistent bookings kill your business heartbeat, even when you hit the numberHow lumpy revenue cascades into hiring mistakes, broken capacity plans, and lost focus on growthThe validated learning loop that separates guessing from scalingWhen you actually have product-market fit (it's not what you think)Why turning off what doesn't work matters more than finding the next new thingWhat relentless customer behavior analysis looks like in practice This episode is for you if: You're a revenue leader tired of hitting targets but feeling behindYou're a founder trying to build predictable growth, not just chase bookingsYou're a CRO, VP of Sales, or RevOps professional questioning why growth feels harder than it shouldYou're scaling a business and need frameworks that actually work in complex sales environmentsAbout Simon Drexler:President at Samuel Automation. Former General Manager at ATS Automation Products Division. Former Product Line Lead at Clearpath Robotics (self-driving vehicles). Started as a project engineer and rose through program management to executive leadership. P.Eng., MBA. He has built automation systems on four continents and applies that systems thinking to revenue growth. Sponsored by Virtual CausewayTraditional demand gen is breaking. Virtual Causeway helps revenue teams shift from demand creation to demand positioning. Instead of chasing form fills, they engineer where and how your brand appears when buyers are actively researching. The result: fewer cold outreach motions, more high-intent conversations, and revenue teams spending time with people who actually want to buy. Learn more at virtualcauseway.com and mention the show for a special rate. Subscribe to Revenue Problem SolversWeekly conversations with revenue leaders solving the problems most teams overlook. New episodes every week. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere you listen. Hosted by Karl Ortmanns

    41 min
  7. Product-Market Fit vs Go-To-Market Fit and When You’re Actually Ready to Scale with Mark Roberge

    23 JAN

    Product-Market Fit vs Go-To-Market Fit and When You’re Actually Ready to Scale with Mark Roberge

    When should a company actually scale? Most founders give the same answer:“When we have product-market fit.” In this episode of Revenue Problem Solvers, I sit down with Mark Roberge, co-founder of Stage 2 Capital, and author of the new book The Science of Scaling, to break down why that answer is necessary, but not sufficient. Mark breaks down a mistake he sees repeatedly as companies grow: confusing product-market fit with go-to-market fit, and trying to scale before the foundation is ready. We cover: What product-market fit really means and why it’s a leading indicator of retention Why usage and behavior are better early signals than revenue The difference between product-market fit and go-to-market fit Why going after too broad of a TAM early can crush a startup How focus, sequencing, and discipline drive sustainable growth When it actually makes sense to hire sales and commit to revenue targets This episode is for founders, operators, and revenue leaders who want to scale intentionally, not accidentally. If you’re navigating the transition from early traction to real growth, this conversation will help you understand what needs to come first and why. To pre-order the Science of Scaling book, with 100% of proceeds will be donated to McLean Hospital to support mental health, please visit www.scienceofscaling.io to purchase your copy. Follow Mark at - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markroberge/ Thank you to the great team at Virtual Causeway for sponsoring this episode! Learn more about them at www.virtualcauseway.com and don't forget to mention the show for a special rate. Follow Revenue Problem Solvers for honest, operator-level conversations about diagnosing and solving revenue challenges.

    45 min

  8. 16 JAN

    How to Win in a Crowded SaaS Market When Everyone Looks the Same with Emeric Ernoult

    How do you build a durable SaaS business when your market is crowded, noisy, and full of lookalike competitors? In this episode of Revenue Problem Solvers, I sit down with Emeric Ernoult, co-founder and CEO of Agorapulse, to unpack what it takes to grow in one of the most competitive SaaS categories: social media management. Instead of chasing trends or shortcuts, Emeric and his team focused on clarity, discipline, and customer understanding. This allowed him to build a profitable, long-lasting business as a result. We cover: Why most companies struggle in crowded markets How positioning and focus matter more than features The tradeoffs founders face when scaling Common GTM and revenue mistakes that slow growth How to identify revenue problems early, before they become hard to fix This conversation is for founders, operators, and revenue leaders who want to see the real problems clearly, so the right solutions become obvious. Thank you to the great team at Virtual Causeway for sponsoring this episode! Learn more about them at www.virtualcauseway.com and mention the show for a special rate. 🎧 Follow #RevenueProblemSolversPodcast for honest, operator-level conversations about diagnosing and solving revenue challenges.

    52 min
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About

Revenue Problem Solvers delivers candid conversations with top business & revenue leaders who've mastered the art of growth. Each episode uncovers real-world challenges, practical solutions, and proven strategies that drive measurable results. No fluff or theory—just actionable insights from those who've successfully navigated revenue roadblocks. Listen as industry veterans share their playbooks for breaking through plateaus, optimizing sales processes, & creating sustainable revenue engines. Turn your toughest business challenges into opportunities with insights you can implement immediately

Information

  • Creator
    Operationalize
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Operationalize
  • Show Website
    Revenue Problem Solvers