47 min
42. Is it possible to pivot to profitability? The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s
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- Management
In this episode, we discuss: Is it possible to pivot to profitability? We are joined by Libby Penn, she is the COO of Improbable.
We chat about the following:
What's the COO's role in the pivot to profitabilityWhat are the right bets to make in a business?How should we balance profitability and growth?What is the importance of well-documented data?What is realistic in terms of profitability?Who is responsible for capturing data?
References:
LinkedIn
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
Biography:
Libby Penn has experience in various business development and operations roles across a number of high-growth technology businesses on SaaS and enterprise models, B2B and B2C, in both the UK and the US. This has given her an in-depth insight into the complexities that come with the role as COO.
Summary:
Gender roles and microaggressions in the workplace. 0:05Bethany Ayres discusses the challenges of being a woman in leadership positions, including societal expectations and performative ally ship.Bethany launches a series of free webinars to support first-time female executives and aspiring executives, focusing on topics such as taking a seat at the table and choosing the right life partner.Brandon and Bethany discuss the challenges of navigating gender roles and microaggressions in their personal and professional lives.Bethany shares an example of a leadership team meeting where a male colleague's swearing and apologies towards her created an uncomfortable work environment.Pivoting to profitability for a B2B SaaS company. 4:55Bethany: Analyzes company's strategy, identifies unprofitable areas for cuts.Bethany: Looks at lease and office expirations, considers cost-cutting measures.Bethany and Brandon discuss strategies for improving profitability, including renegotiating cloud contracts, focusing on profitable channels, and optimizing GTM motions.They also discuss the importance of tracking data properly to make informed decisions about spend and identify areas for improvement.Brandon and Bethany discuss partner strategy, testing, and doubling down on successful partnerships.They emphasize the importance of hiring quality people who are well-respected within the partner company.Pivoting to profitability, focusing on market strategy, operations efficiency, and automation. 12:42Brandon and Bethany discuss the importance of qualitative analysis to validate data-driven insights for profitability.Brandon and Bethany discuss the importance of operational efficiency and automation in a company's shift to profitability.Balancing growth and profitability for startups. 15:55Libby highlights the importance of balancing risk and innovation in investments.Libby emphasizes product development as key to profitability, while Bethany focuses on balancing growth and profitability.Data analysis, product development, and customer focus in tech companies.a...
In this episode, we discuss: Is it possible to pivot to profitability? We are joined by Libby Penn, she is the COO of Improbable.
We chat about the following:
What's the COO's role in the pivot to profitabilityWhat are the right bets to make in a business?How should we balance profitability and growth?What is the importance of well-documented data?What is realistic in terms of profitability?Who is responsible for capturing data?
References:
LinkedIn
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
Biography:
Libby Penn has experience in various business development and operations roles across a number of high-growth technology businesses on SaaS and enterprise models, B2B and B2C, in both the UK and the US. This has given her an in-depth insight into the complexities that come with the role as COO.
Summary:
Gender roles and microaggressions in the workplace. 0:05Bethany Ayres discusses the challenges of being a woman in leadership positions, including societal expectations and performative ally ship.Bethany launches a series of free webinars to support first-time female executives and aspiring executives, focusing on topics such as taking a seat at the table and choosing the right life partner.Brandon and Bethany discuss the challenges of navigating gender roles and microaggressions in their personal and professional lives.Bethany shares an example of a leadership team meeting where a male colleague's swearing and apologies towards her created an uncomfortable work environment.Pivoting to profitability for a B2B SaaS company. 4:55Bethany: Analyzes company's strategy, identifies unprofitable areas for cuts.Bethany: Looks at lease and office expirations, considers cost-cutting measures.Bethany and Brandon discuss strategies for improving profitability, including renegotiating cloud contracts, focusing on profitable channels, and optimizing GTM motions.They also discuss the importance of tracking data properly to make informed decisions about spend and identify areas for improvement.Brandon and Bethany discuss partner strategy, testing, and doubling down on successful partnerships.They emphasize the importance of hiring quality people who are well-respected within the partner company.Pivoting to profitability, focusing on market strategy, operations efficiency, and automation. 12:42Brandon and Bethany discuss the importance of qualitative analysis to validate data-driven insights for profitability.Brandon and Bethany discuss the importance of operational efficiency and automation in a company's shift to profitability.Balancing growth and profitability for startups. 15:55Libby highlights the importance of balancing risk and innovation in investments.Libby emphasizes product development as key to profitability, while Bethany focuses on balancing growth and profitability.Data analysis, product development, and customer focus in tech companies.a...
47 min