Stop Copying Outlier Startups | What Early GTM Really Looks Like vs. VC Perspectives with Stefan Ross

In this episode of In the Trenches, Stefan Ross (early operator at Pigment and Celonis) joins Navin to unpack what actually happens when you’re an operator building revenue without a playbook.Stefan has been on the ground at Celonis and Pigment, navigating first GTM hires, early ICP bets, partnerships, and the messy reality between founder ambition and operator execution.We talk about what operators see that board decks miss, why comparison to outliers breaks decision-making, how partnerships actually work (and when they don’t), and what GTM teams should push back on harder.Chapters00:33 – The disconnect between VC's and operators07:49 – First principles for early startup hires13:58 – The most common mistakes founders make22:59 – How to crack the partnerships motion in a startup (Pigment & Celonis case studies)34:25 – Must-have operational habits for sales37:41 – Leveraging AI in business operations48:22 – Advice for sales🎧 Subscribe to the show for more operator-led GTM stories🔔 Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday, 8:30AM CET