Customer success from the Ground Up Podcast

Mike Marshall & Deborah Knight

This is the Customer Success from the Ground Up Podcast hosted by Mike Marshall and Deborah Knight. We hear over and over again from people in our network that are early CS hires or are new promoted into CS leader roles: "I got promoted / hired as first CS hire / handed 50 accounts… and there was just nothing written down anywhere." No playbook. No guide. No one to call. CS from the Ground Up is for those people. Real conversations about building customer success from scratch — what to prioritise, how to handle the hard stuff, what good actually looks like when nobody's told you.

  1. Oct 25

    Personality, People and Leading CS Teams | with Shira Shimoni, Head of Client Success at Decima Digital

    In this episode, Mike and Deborah are joined by Shira Shimoni, Head of Client Success at Decima Digital, to explore how personality shapes customer success from the hiring process right through to leadership. Shira shares her journey from the nonprofit sector into CS at Magento (later acquired by Adobe), and the lessons she has carried into building and leading high-performing teams. We dig into what to really look for when hiring CSMs, why likability and chemistry matter more than most things on a CV, how to coach people through weaknesses rather than move them on, and what it actually means to lead a CS team in an early-stage company. Shira also shares her five leadership buckets that keep her focused amid the noise. Whether you are an IC thinking about stepping into leadership or a CS leader looking to get more from your team, this one is packed with practical insight and honest reflection. Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:25 - Meet Shira Shimoni: from nonprofit to CS at Magento and Adobe05:12 - This week’s Reddit post: personality types, texting relationships and minimum human communication07:04 - Why CS is about common sense and genuine human connection12:06 - Handing over to Deb: the icebreaker13:09 - First gig stories (Poison, Coolio Shaker and sneaking out)15:00 - How Shira aligned her skills and personality to the account manager role17:49 - What Shira looks for when hiring: likability and chemistry first19:21 - Building a team around what you need, not just the customer21:20 - Coaching underperformers: giving people a chance to turn it around24:35 - Spotting personality traits in the interview process30:22 - Asking “where do you see yourself in three years” and why it matters33:26 - Career development in early-stage companies35:28 - Shira’s five leadership buckets38:03 - The one leadership skill that surprised Shira: disarming people in escalations41:39 - Closing advice: be yourself, everybody else is taken Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  2. Oct 12

    Revenue Confidence: Why CSMs Need Commercial Skills More Than Ever | Anika Zubair, Customer Success Pro

    In this episode, Mike and Deborah are joined by Anika Zubair, founder of the Customer Success Pro, a training and enablement organisation helping CSMs and CS teams become more commercially confident and revenue ready. Anika brings 15 years of B2B SaaS experience, from SDR to VP of Customer Success, and she is one of the most recognised voices in the CS world when it comes to bridging the gap between customer success and commercial skills. We kick off with a Reddit post from a CSM who has just joined a startup mid-renewal season and is feeling the pressure to level up fast. Anika, Mike, and Deborah unpack why this is such a common experience, and what to do about it. In this conversation we cover: Why commercial and revenue skills are now essential for CSMs, not optional extrasThe key difference between selling to a prospect versus reselling to an existing customerHow to handle the most uncomfortable CS conversations: value objections, price increases, and renewal pushbackWhy CSMs avoid the renewal conversation and how to change that with one simple techniqueStakeholder mapping in CS: why one contact is never enoughWhat CS leaders need to do differently to fight for budget, headcount, and enablement investmentWhy your CS team almost certainly controls more revenue than your sales team, and how to use that fact Whether you are a CSM looking to build confidence in commercial conversations, or a CS leader trying to equip your team in a tougher economic environment, this episode is packed with practical advice. Subscribe to the Customer Success from the Ground Up podcast for more conversations with people who have built CS from scratch. 00:24 Meet Anika Zubair, founder of the Customer Success Pro01:40 How the CSM role has changed and why commercial skills now matter04:55 Selling to a prospect vs reselling to an existing customer06:24 Anika’s background: from real estate to SDR to VP of CS08:32 Reddit review: CSM overwhelmed mid-renewal season10:05 The two forces reshaping CS: AI and the economy13:11 Handling at-risk renewals: levers, glimmers of hope, and empathy16:41 The three reasons customers buy software18:19 Icebreaker: Anika’s podcast playlist and switching off from CS21:54 The biggest skill gap: handling difficult conversations with confidence24:04 Value amnesia and how to reframe the conversation28:49 Why CS commercial training is different from sales training30:50 Setting the agenda and getting buy-in on the renewal upfront33:21 Money is not a dirty word: own the renewal conversation35:32 Stakeholder mapping and why one contact puts accounts at risk38:09 Commercial skills as confidence and attitude, not just knowledge41:40 What CS leaders need to focus on beyond AI fluency44:17 Fight for your team’s enablement budget like you fight for revenue47:07 Why outsourcing training is not a failure48:01 Your CS team controls more revenue than your sales team Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  3. Oct 1

    Delivering revenue whilst driving customer satisfaction in a Startup | Jonathan Rivers, CS Leader

    In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike and Deborah are joined by Jonathan Rivers, a Customer Success leader with extensive experience building and scaling CS functions at early stage companies, including a role where he joined with just one trial customer and grew the team to 25 to 30 people. The conversation digs into one of the most common tensions in startup CS: the pressure to drive expansion revenue while still proving the value of what the customer already bought. Jonathan shares how heavy discounting in year one creates a trap at renewal, why land and expand is sometimes overused as a strategy, how to remind customers of the value they are getting without it feeling transactional, and why cross-selling into a new business unit is often closer to a brand new sale than an expansion. We also cover the internal pressure that comes when product teams release new features and expect CS to sell them, why customer satisfaction alone is never enough to guarantee a renewal, and how to build playbooks for different customer segments when you simply do not have the time to treat every account the same. Plus our Reddit segment this week: a health tech startup asks how to approach customers with expansion potential into other providers within the same practice. If you are navigating growth at an early stage company, this one will resonate. Timestamps(00:00) Introductions(01:00) Jonathan's background and career journey into CS(03:00) The tension between customer satisfaction and revenue growth at startups(05:32) Reddit: how do you approach customers with expansion potential?(07:00) Understanding the incumbent and the cost of change(09:00) Using advocacy and referrals to drive expansion(10:27) Upsell vs cross-sell and what early stage startups actually have to offer(12:41) Icebreaker: favourite or most hated subject at school(16:02) Where the tension between satisfaction and growth comes from(20:00) Internal pressure when product releases features that do not sell(21:00) Why customer satisfaction is not enough on its own(24:00) Proving value and staying close to what customers actually need(27:00) The regulatory tech example: when customers like a product but do not need it(30:00) You cannot upsell what they are not already getting value from(31:44) Why land and expand is sometimes overused(36:00) Heavy discounting and the renewal trap(38:00) Reminding customers what they paid and what they got(40:00) The challenge of getting customers to pay full price at renewal(41:30) Cross-selling into a new business unit is a new sale(43:00) Multiple playbooks for different customer segments(45:36) Wrap up Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  4. Sep 7

    Building CS From Scratch at an Analytics Scale-Up | James Mair, HublSoft

    In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike and Deborah are joined by James Mair, Head of Customer Success at HublSoft, an analytics scale-up serving enterprise IT customers. James joined HublSoft as the founding CS hire in 2018 with no playbook, no team and a portfolio to grow. Seven years on, he has built the function from the ground up and has a lot of hard-won lessons to share. This episode covers the full arc of what that journey actually looks like. How to build a health scoring model that evolves as you learn more about your customers. Why James restructured onboarding entirely to make it more consultative and strategic. The structural mistakes he made early on, including hiring specialists too soon, segmenting the team by vertical, and holding onto customer relationships too long rather than letting his team develop. How to know whether something is a learning curve problem or a structural problem, and why that distinction matters enormously for when to act. What James now looks for when hiring, and why tenacity and adaptability matter more than a CS background. Plus the Reddit segment this week covers a question every CS leader faces: who should own the health scoring formula? If you are building CS from scratch or navigating the messy middle of a growing CS function, this one is essential listening. (01:05) James's background — founding CS hire at HublSoft in 2018(04:59) Reddit: who should own the customer health scoring formula?(10:28) Why qualitative measures matter as much as quantitative ones(11:22) Icebreaker — end of summer, Bon Jovi and music festivals(13:00) James's career journey into customer success(15:00) What HublSoft does and who their customers are(17:00) How James restructured onboarding to be more consultative and strategic(20:00) Moving from productivity metrics to genuine business value(24:50) Validating customer outcomes as part of the consulting engagement(25:24) Structural mistakes — what didn't go to plan(27:00) Why generalists beat specialists at early stage(28:18) The hardest transition: cutting the apron strings and letting the team own relationships(30:25) How to know when something is a learning curve problem vs a structural problem(31:45) Will vs skill — when to give it time and when to act fast(32:07) What James now looks for when hiring(34:32) Other pivots — the danger of replicating what works across different customers(38:45) How AI will drive scale efficiencies in onboarding and consulting(40:14) Wrap up — frank conversations about value and making decisions fast Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  5. Jul 6

    Agents, Automation and AI in CS | Natasha Evans, VP of Customer Growth at Hook

    In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike and Deborah are joined by Natasha Evans, VP of Customer Growth at Hook, an AI-powered platform built to elevate customer success and account management teams. Tash has 12 years in CS across LinkedIn, SalesLoft and now Hook, and brings a sharp, practical view on how startups and scale-ups should actually be thinking about AI agents and automation in their CS motions. We cover what agents really are versus automations, why most teams get it wrong by building before they know what good looks like, the importance of keeping a human in the loop, and how to start small, test, and iterate rather than trying to automate everything at once. We also dig into the Reddit segment this week, where a team's AI chatbot started giving bad answers because of messy, duplicate documentation. If you are thinking about bringing AI into your CS function, this episode will save you from some expensive mistakes. (00:00) Introductions(02:27) Tash's background and what Hook does(05:10) Today's topic: AI agents and automation in CS(06:13) Reddit: AI chatbots going wrong due to messy documentation(10:39) Human in the loop as the right starting point(12:07) Icebreaker(14:00) Automations vs agents: what is the difference?(17:43) How automations and agents work together(18:23) When to use each one(20:45) How agents get triggered in practice(22:46) Agents vs traditional tech touch(25:41) Where to start: jobs to be done first, automation second(28:43) Building new vs unravelling what already exists(29:13) Getting CSM and customer buy-in(31:05) Should agents send emails or should CSMs?(33:33) Cultural differences in accepting AI-led CS(36:30) Tash's whoops moment at Hook(38:17) Keeping the human in the loop(42:32) Impact at Hook: NRR and efficiency(44:43) Don't build for the sake of it(46:08) Wrap up Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  6. Jun 26

    Hiring for Customer Success at Startups | Rohan Tailor, ABR Talent

    In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike and Deborah are joined by Rohan Tailor, Principal Consultant at ABR Talent, one of the UK's leading customer success recruitment agencies. Rohan brings a recruiter's view on hiring for CS at early-stage startups, covering what founders consistently get wrong, why the word "toxic" gets thrown around too easily, and why cultural fit can matter just as much as technical skill. We also dig into the real difference between a £50K and a £60K CSM, how AI is changing both sides of the hiring process, and what candidates can do to genuinely stand out once they're in a process. Plus our usual Reddit segment, this week looking at a candidate who left a "toxic" startup CS role and asking what they should do next. Whether you're hiring your first CSM or thinking about your next move, this one is full of practical advice. (00:00) Introductions(03:22) Reddit: I got let go from a toxic CS job, what now?(05:46) Why "toxic" is often the wrong word — it's about fit(09:48) AI skills and startup vs established business expectations(11:49) Icebreaker(29:30) The shift toward digital and scaled CS motions(31:12) Where CS and account management are converging(33:01) Advice for candidates who've fallen out of love with CS(35:21) The real difference between a £50K and £60K CSM(38:00) AI in the hiring process — wins and watch-outs(40:25) Do hiring managers give candidates honest feedback?(42:34) Cultural fit and why it's critically important(43:50) Wrap up Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  7. Jun 13

    How Jamie Levy Built CS at Shopify Plus and Why She's Allergic to Playbooks - Jamie Levy, CS Leader and Consultant

    In this episode of Customer Success from the Ground Up, Mike and Deborah are joined by Jamie Levy, a customer experience leader and accidental consultant based in Los Angeles, who has built CS programs at Shopify, Magento and Simpro Group. Jamie shares why she is allergic to playbooks, why QBRs should be outlawed, and what she believes is the single most powerful thing a CSM can do in any customer conversation. We also dig into how Jamie built the Embassy team at Shopify Plus, why she created an event called Unboxed to get customers talking to each other, and how the concept of the Alter Ego can help CSMs show up with confidence even when they are not feeling it. Plus — our Reddit segment this week covers a team who stopped running QBRs completely and watched their renewal rate climb from 87% to 91%. If you are building CS from scratch, leading a team, or just trying to get better at the human side of customer success, this one is for you. (00:00) Introductions (03:20) Reddit: We stopped running QBRs and renewals went up( 05:17) Why QBRs should be outlawed (09:28) Why playbooks are a dirty word (11:08) The "this meeting will be successful if..." tip (12:32) Icebreaker (14:12) Jamie's accidental career into CS (16:04) 350 accounts on day two — sink or swim (17:32) What makes a great CSM (18:20) Why unhappy customers are the best conversations (20:30) Building the Embassy team at Shopify Plus(22:10) Creating Unboxed — customers talking to customers (25:09) The power of saying less (26:38) Keeping the customer hat on across your org (30:00) The Alter Ego concept (32:33) Jamie's mini formula for CS (34:41) Why AI will never replace great CS (35:34) Wrap up Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

  8. May 15

    The Podcast for CS Leaders Who Are Figuring It Out Without a Playbook — Mike & Deb Introduce Themselves

    Before the guests, before the frameworks, before the Reddit escalations — this is where it all starts. In this episode, your hosts put themselves in the hot seat. Mike Marshall and Deborah Knight interview each other: where they came from, how they got into customer success, what they love about it, and — most importantly — why they decided to build this podcast. Because here's the honest answer to that last question: People kept asking for help. Early CS hires landing in startups with no structure. Experienced leaders stepping into companies where the CEO was doing CS on gut feel. People who were good at their jobs but had no one to ask, no playbook to follow, no community of people who'd been through the same thing. That gap is what Customer Success from the Ground Up is for. In this episode you'll hear: Mike's story — from sales disillusionment at Adobe to finding his home in CS, leading teams across EMEA, and why building a community of 100+ CS leaders eventually led to this podcast Deb's story — from the drinks industry to financial services to scaling Perkbox from £5m to £28m, building CS from scratch in global markets, and founding KaptivCX Why they're doing this together — and why one host with corporate scale-up experience and one with early-stage startup experience makes for a better show than either could do alone What great customer success actually means — including Deb's favourite framework from her Perkbox days: the power of nudge, and why CS is ultimately a human psychology problem disguised as a business process Who this podcast is for — founders thinking about when to invest in CS, early CS hires building from nothing, and experienced leaders stepping into a startup world for the first time This is the episode to send someone when they ask what the show is about. And if you've arrived here first — welcome. You're in the right place. 0:00 Welcome — Why we started Customer Success from the Ground Up1:23 Meet Mike Marshall — 10 years in CS, Adobe, WalkMe and why CS felt like home3:18 Deb grills Mike — from skateboarder to CS leader6:00 Mike's light bulb moment — leaving sales and finding his home in CS8:30 Why this podcast exists — the early CS hire with nobody to ask11:30 Mike grills Deb — travel dreams, Japan and Patagonia13:16 Deb's career journey — drinks industry to Perkbox to founding KaptivCX16:12 What keeps Deb motivated — CS as a people psychology problem18:15 Who this podcast is for — founders, early CS hires and everyone figuring it out Subscribe now to the Customer Success from the Ground Up Newsletter to receive valuable insights, resources and upcoming event invites: https://csfromthegroundup.beehiiv.com/p/customer-success-from-the-ground-up-newsletter KaptiveCX Customer Success Consultancy: www.kaptivecx.com

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This is the Customer Success from the Ground Up Podcast hosted by Mike Marshall and Deborah Knight. We hear over and over again from people in our network that are early CS hires or are new promoted into CS leader roles: "I got promoted / hired as first CS hire / handed 50 accounts… and there was just nothing written down anywhere." No playbook. No guide. No one to call. CS from the Ground Up is for those people. Real conversations about building customer success from scratch — what to prioritise, how to handle the hard stuff, what good actually looks like when nobody's told you.

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