Revenue Engine Masters

In 2011, three co-founders from Missouri walked into Y Combinator with a simple observation: every SaaS help forum had the same unanswered thread. "When will you integrate with X?" Nobody was building the infrastructure to close that loop. They did.Paul Graham told Wade and every YC batch the same thing: be a cockroach. Don't raise money. Survive. Adapt to whatever comes next. Almost nobody listened. Zapier did. Fourteen years, $1.3M raised, bootstrapped to a $5B valuation. Every time a funding opportunity came up, they asked one question: what is actually holding us back right now? The answer was never the balance sheet.Then the SaaSpocalypse arrived. SaaS stocks cratered. Every software company started asking: what part of what we built actually survives this? Wade's answer is specific. Not the 8,500 integrations. The governance layer, the auth infrastructure, the background automation reliability stack.And then Wade, in this episode of Revenue Engine Masters podcast, says something incredible. They built their entire business on drag and drop. It made them. And they're already moving past it. Natural language builders outperform it on activation. They measured it. They called it "yap to zap" and didn't look back. For Wade, this adaptability applies to humans too, not just companies. The best operators today aren't the ones prompting AI and moving on. They're the ones staying in the loop, iterating on context, pushing until the output is actually good. That's the human role now. In the outer loop around it.Paul Graham's advice was about never optimizing for the conditions of today at the expense of your ability to adapt to whatever comes after. Zapier understood that in 2011. They still do.

Barry Dauber's job running GenAI GTM at Databricks is to convince enterprises to move faster on AI. So when he sat down at a VC dinner last year and everyone went around the table sharing what kept them up at night, the room got a surprise when his answer was "AI hype".Barry is not a skeptic. He believes AI is transforming everything, and he has the customer stories to back it up. But he has also watched enough enterprise pilots stall, enough Monday morning messages come in saying the data was not ready, to know that the gap between what AI promises and what organizations can actually deliver is real and wide.In this episode, Barry and Elio work through what that gap looks like from the inside: why most companies are not as ready as they think, what the early GTM lessons from MosaicML taught him about building before the market understood what you were selling, and what it actually takes to move from experiment to production at scale.

Remy Piazza, Principal & CRO at Powerhouse Consulting, started his career at Xerox, the godfather of solution selling. In this episode, we explore why despite AI and evolving tech stacks, selling remains fundamentally human. From mastering discovery to building trust, Remy shares why curiosity and genuine connection will always outperform automation.

Elio interviews SK Ramakuru about what RevOps really is: the “engine” behind selling that turns chaotic people/systems/data into repeatable motion. SK shares his path from Hyderabad, India—where early exposure to big tech sparked his ambitions—into consulting, then a Master’s program in the U.S. that deepened his stats and data skills. An experience of temporarily stepping into a selling role, and struggling badly, cemented a core belief: selling is art, not science. Data can point you toward opportunity, but performance depends on preparation, context, relationships, and understanding customer pain.SK explains his analytical approach: in RevOps, the goal isn’t perfect data—it’s decision-guiding data that drives behavior and feels fair, especially in territory planning. His mental model is: start by trusting nothing, validate assumptions, slice data from multiple angles, and build a clear story that leaders and the field can understand. As MongoDB scaled from ~600 to ~2,500 sellers, he emphasizes designing territories that match the right accounts to the right reps, remain equitable, require minimal additional headcount, and are explainable and auditable.SK and Elio also talk about how AI is changing both how RevOps works and what signals matter. Traditional indicators like website visits and content downloads are less reliable as buyers use answer engines (ChatGPT/Gemini) instead. That forces new time- and revenue-based indicators and stronger foundational data orchestration. SK argues the market is flooded with “AI wrappers”; the winners will orchestrate messy data across systems, not just generate answers.

In this conversation, Alan Gonsenhauser, Founder & CEO of Demand Revenue, explains why most go-to-market engines don’t break in the salesroom — they break long before buyers ever talk to sales. With only about 5% of accounts truly in-market at any given time, companies must stop treating marketing as demand capture and start building brand equity as future pipeline. By the time buyers engage, most of the journey is already complete, and without brand trust and preference, you never make the shortlist.Alan also highlights a fundamental shift in buyer psychology, from FOMO to FOMU — Fear of Messing Up. In today’s risk-averse environment, deals are lost less to price or features and more to decision paralysis, making it critical for GTM teams to focus on de-risking the choice, not just promoting the product.Finally, he reframes the role of AI, noting that it excels at convergent thinking — summarizing the past and increasing productivity — but not at disruptive strategy. The real ROI comes from fixing dirty data, fragmented systems, and back-office workflows, where clean, trustworthy operations quietly reshape revenue performance at scale.

“If you don’t have normalization of the metadata across the application layer, you cannot create the right systems of record to drive your systems of action.”In this episode of Revenue Engine Masters, I sat down with Cliff Simon, founder & CEO of Polaris and one of the most thoughtful operators in the RevOps ecosystem. We went deep on the big shift happening in go-to-market: AI is forcing companies to confront their foundations—metadata, systems of record, systems of action—because bad data now leads to sh*ttier outcomes, faster. Cliff breaks down why AI readiness is no longer a RevOps-only problem, but a company-wide mandate increasingly driven by CIOs, CFOs, and cross-functional leaders trying to decide what to build, what to buy, and how to ensure their teams are actually enabled.We explored how Polaris is helping companies navigate this moment with two offerings—AI Readiness Audits and GTME-as-a-Service—and why the new generation of AI-native GTM operators needs both strategic oversight and architectural guardrails. He also shares how to build frictionless B2B buying experiences, the same way consumers buy: with credibility, simplicity, and trust.We closed by discussing speed vs. quality in building AI systems, the importance of doing work manually before automating it, and how to think about the emerging role of autonomous workflows. A super relevant conversation for anyone building GTM teams in 2025.‍

RevOps isn’t a help desk—it’s a product function.“AI can provide the data, we can automate the workflow, but it can't design the experience that people actually want to use.”Revenue operations is less about managing tools and more about designing experiences people actually want to use.Mollie Bodensteiner, Senior VP of Operations at Engine and former operations leader at Deloitte, explains why most ops teams become their own bottlenecks. She says successful revenue operations requires treating internal stakeholders like customers and that most enterprises over-engineer solutions instead of learning fast.She shares how Engine scaled 70% year-over-year by organizing ops into pod structures—eliminating meeting fatigue and ensuring enablement isn't the last to know. That taught her to prioritize transparency over false promises when managing competing demands.Mollie also walks through her prioritization matrix for deciding what makes the cut, warning that ops leaders who spend months on PowerPoints instead of testing will lose. She recommends hiring for curiosity over hard skills and setting quick wins within the first two weeks of onboarding. Her biggest warning: perfection kills momentum.She predicts AI will separate operators who understand experience design from those who just automate workflows, freeing revenue teams to focus on the necessary instead of the unnecessary work that exhausts analysts before insights happen.

Haris Odobasic, co-founder of Revenue Wizards and author of The RevOps Pendulum, uses Newton’s pendulum as the perfect metaphor for RevOps: when one sphere moves, it transfers energy across all the others — but only if everything is aligned. In the same way, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success must operate on the same plane, connected through shared data, processes, and goals.

With leadership roles at MongoDB, Docker, and Starburst—Javier shares why tech sales, while challenging, is still one of the most rewarding careers, and why humility and curiosity are cultural superpowers. We dive into universal patterns of category-winning companies, the art and science of territory management, and the critical collaboration between sales and ops. Javier also reflects candidly on unconscious bias in hiring and why recruiting should be treated like revenue.

RevOps teams often drown in manual workarounds, not flawed tools. Eugene Berson, Head of Strategy & Operations at Lambda, unpacks go to market systems that shift from friction to flow. Discover his equation-based framework for aligning strategy with execution, optimizing revenue operations metrics, and leveraging AI orchestration agents for growth.

"If your sales team is still choosing an Excel spreadsheet over your CRM, then your CRM is a problem. "—That’s just one of the truth bombs dropped by McKenah Johnson—sales creator, TikTok influencer, and GTM disruptor—on this episode of Revenue Engine Masters. With over 135,000 TikTok followers and deep roots in tech sales, McKenah is helping reshape how we talk about—and execute—modern B2B sales strategies.In this lively and insight-packed conversation, McKenah and host Elio Narciso (Co-founder & CEO of Scalestack) explore how go-to-market execution is evolving. They dig into actionable frameworks like: how to use content to build top-of-funnel momentum, why most CRMs block sales motion instead of enabling it, and how AI SDRs are reclaiming lost pipeline by reactivating closed-lost deals—automatically.You’ll hear how HubSpot boosted McKenah’s productivity, why AI research agents are now must-haves in sales workflows, and what makes a sales message actually stick in the buyer’s mind. Whether you're scaling a revenue ops system or building trust in every deal cycle, this episode is packed with practical, high-leverage strategies that help remove friction and unlock flow.

Roman Gruhn reveals why broken pipelines and stale data push reps into shadow systems—rebuilding CRMs in Excel—and how to refocus on rep needs, nail the build-vs-buy decision, and automate routine enrichment. Packed with real-world war stories and actionable change-management tactics, this episode supercharges your go-to-market execution and revenue growth.Roman Gruhn, VP of Revenue Operations at Multiverse and former RevOps leader at MongoDB and Remote, explains how broken systems and quick fixes slow teams down and break trust. He says RevOps should work like a product, not a help desk, and that its job is to make sales—one of the toughest roles in tech—as smooth as possible.He shares a dashboard story that ran perfectly but saw zero use because it never asked what reps actually needed. That taught him to focus every project on the people who use it. Roman also walks through when to build your own tools and when to buy ready-made ones, warning that quick scripts won’t hold up as you grow. He recommends keeping your goal clear and choosing projects that make the biggest difference.Finally, Roman predicts that computers will take over routine tasks like data updates and routing, freeing RevOps teams to handle strategy, account planning, and working closely with their stakeholders.

In this episode of Revenue Engine Masters, Scalestack’s CEO and co-founder Elio Narciso sits down with Jonathan Moss, EVP of Growth, Strategy & RevOps at Experity and co-founder of the AI Business Network. Together, they discuss the importance of escaping reactive firefighting and moving toward proactive, AI-augmented execution.With two decades of experience spanning telecom giants like Verizon and T-Mobile to healthtech scaleups and AI-native startups, Jonathan brings a unique perspective on orchestrating high-performance GTM systems, revealing how his career path provided unique insights on scaling operations while maintaining innovation and agility. A central theme? Stop duct-taping solutions. Start thinking like a product leader. Jonathan explains how RevOps can—and must—become the orchestrator of go-to-market strategy, using automation and AI not just to improve productivity, but to eliminate the Manual Work Tax that silently bleeds revenue potential.From creating a revenue roadmap, to managing proactive delegation styles, to developing custom GPTs that research personas and update battlecards automatically, Jonathan lays out a clear, tactical vision for what modern GTM operations should look like. If your teams are buried in admin, struggling to get out of reactive mode, or drowning in tech bloat—this episode is your playbook.Whether you’re a CRO, RevOps leader, or sales strategist, you’ll walk away with practical ways to:Shift from reactive to proactive GTM executionBuild alignment through a unified revenue architectureUse AI for research, enrichment, and orchestration—not just outreachRedesign internal systems for scale, not patchworkCreate headspace for strategic, human-only workJonathan also shares why curiosity—not just technical skill—is his secret weapon, how RevOps should think like product managers, and why AI is a leapfrog technology that can help even the most “non-tech” industries reinvent themselves fast.Packed with frameworks, battle-tested lessons, and contagious optimism, this episode captures the essence of what the GTM function must become: automated, intelligent, and deeply human.

What do great sales leaders, product managers, and advisors have in common? According to Chris DeNoia, they all know how to listen first—and prescribe later.In this episode of Revenue Engine Masters, Scalestack’s CEO Elio Narciso sits down with Chris DeNoia, a seasoned sales operator, advisor, and fractional CRO, to explore how product thinking, deep curiosity, and real customer empathy come together to build high-performing revenue teams.Chris shares lessons from his early days launching new products inside UnitedHealthcare—where he unknowingly became a "salesperson" before ever holding a quota-carrying role. From there, he unpacks how understanding customer pain, building true champions, and aligning your go-to-market motion with how buyers actually buy are non-negotiables for today’s GTM leaders.They discuss what most sales teams get wrong about demos, why technology can’t fix bad processes, and how AI should be deployed to enhance decision-making—not just efficiency. Chris also shares his perspective on the evolving role of the CRO, how to hire for empathy, and what it really means to help buyers make confident decisions in a noisy market.If you lead RevOps, SalesOps, or GTM strategy in a growing SaaS company, this episode will reshape the way you think about sales execution, leadership, and customer impact.Tune in for actionable advice on optimizing GTM strategy, improving cross-team alignment, and balancing the speed of a startup with structure of an enterprise,About Scalestack: the first Autonomous Revenue Engine for the enterprise. A modular and composable AI workflow automation platform to help larger sales and marketing teams know who to target, at scale.

In this episode of Revenue Engine Masters by Scalestack, Elio Narciso sits down with Meg Goetsch, VP of Go-To-Market Strategy and Operations at Forter, to explore how high-growth companies can scale their revenue operations while maintaining agility. Meg shares insights on her career journey, from MongoDB to AWS to Forter, and reveals the strategies that have helped her lead teams through transformation.Main Topics Covered:Why ownership is the foundation of great ops leadershipHow to approach your first 90 days with financial and strategic clarityThe evolving role of RevOps—and how reporting lines shape impactBalancing agility and efficiency when scaling revenue teamsWhy clarity in GTM strategy is the true unlock for RevOps successTune in for actionable advice on optimizing GTM strategy, improving cross-team alignment, and balancing the speed of a startup with the structure of an enterprise.🔗  About Scalestack: the first Autonomous Revenue Engine for the enterprise. A modular and composable AI workflow automation platform to help larger sales and marketing teams know who to target, at scaleVisit ⁠⁠www.scalestack.ai⁠⁠ to learn moreIf you find this episode valuable, follow the podcast for more Fireside Chats featuring insights from industry leaders. Don’t forget to share it with your network and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover next!

The Future of RevOps & Go-To-MarketIn this episode of the Revenue Engine Masters Podcast, Elio Narciso, Co-founder and CEO of Scalestack, speaks with Jared Barol, VP of Go-To-Market Strategy and Operations at Copy.ai. They discuss the future of RevOps, Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies, and how AI is reshaping revenue operations.Jared shares insights from his career in startups, enterprise companies like Salesforce, and private equity-backed firms. He explains why alternating between large and small companies builds a well-rounded professional skill set, following a “zigzag career path.”Key Topics Covered:The advantages of working at startups versus enterprises and how switching between them accelerates growth.The Go-To-Market tech stack problem and how AI can reduce inefficiencies.How SaaS evolved to create unnecessary complexity in revenue operations.The role of AI in sales productivity and whether it will replace RevOps functions.The future of sales teams and how AI can improve efficiency and reduce headcount needs.The shift to an apprenticeship model for sales training and why in-person learning matters.Jared explains how technology has failed GTM teams by creating bloated tech stacks, bad data, and inefficient processes. He argues for a leaner, AI-driven approach that prioritizes revenue over tech management.They also discuss how AI and automation will reshape GTM teams, possibly eliminating traditional RevOps roles. Will AI finally simplify sales processes, or will it create new inefficiencies? Jared shares his take on how businesses should rethink hiring, sales planning, and revenue strategies.If you are a RevOps leader, sales strategist, SaaS founder, or GTM operator, this conversation provides insights on future-proofing your revenue engine, reducing tech bloat, and maximizing efficiency.🔗 Learn more about Scalestack:Scalestack is transforming go-to-market operations with cutting-edge AI solutions and tailored data insights. Empower your sales team and unlock new opportunities with Scalestack. Visit ⁠www.scalestack.ai⁠ to explore how we can help you scale.If you find this episode valuable, follow the podcast for more Fireside Chats featuring insights from industry leaders. Don’t forget to share it with your network and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover next!

Mastering Growth at MongoDB from Startup to Nasdaq:  Lessons in Ops, Planning, Strategy and Leadership.  Welcome to the Revenue Engine Masters podcast, hosted by Elio Narciso, Co-Founder and CEO of Scalestack. In this inaugural Fireside Chat, we’re joined by Meghan Gill, SVP of Sales Operations and Strategy at MongoDB. Meghan’s 15-year journey at MongoDB has taken her from being the first go-to-market hire to shaping the company’s evolution into a publicly listed powerhouse on NASDAQ. In this episode, Meghan shares the strategies and lessons that have driven her success at every stage of MongoDB’s growth. She emphasizes the importance of staying "a student of the game," constantly learning, and adapting to remain relevant in a fast-changing industry. Meghan provides actionable insights on building high-performing teams, recruiting for curiosity and drive, and fostering collaboration to break down silos. We dive deep into how MongoDB’s sales planning process aligns strategy, compensation, and data-driven decisions to ensure every team member is ready to hit the ground running from day one of the fiscal year. Meghan also highlights the critical role of technology, explaining how tools like Argos and Scalestack’s AI-powered solutions enable dynamic account management, precise segmentation, and impactful data enrichment. Meghan’s perspective on the future of RevOps is particularly insightful—she explores how AI is reshaping the field by reducing complexity, enhancing existing tools like Slack and Salesforce, and empowering teams with smarter workflows. Her approach to leveraging data, mentorship, and curiosity provides invaluable lessons for RevOps leaders, startup founders, and sales strategists alike. Whether you're focused on scaling your team, streamlining operations, or leveraging AI to drive results, this episode is packed with practical takeaways to help you achieve your goals. Meghan also gives a personal touch by sharing her passion for ultramarathons and how she’s preparing for a 50-mile fundraising race. 🔗 Learn more about Scalestack:Scalestack is transforming go-to-market operations with cutting-edge AI solutions and tailored data insights. Empower your sales team and unlock new opportunities with Scalestack. Visit www.scalestack.io to explore how we can help you scale. If you find this episode valuable, follow the podcast for more Fireside Chats featuring insights from industry leaders. Don’t forget to share it with your network and let us know what topics you'd like us to cover next!

In Episode 6 of Revenue Engine Masters, we sit down with Warren Zenna, CEO and Founder of the CRO Collective. Warren shares his journey from early advertising days to building CRO-ready organizations, emphasizing the critical role of integration in revenue functions. He discusses the common pitfalls in B2B growth strategies and offers practical insights on aligning sales, marketing, and customer success around a seamless customer experience. Whether you’re a CRO or an aspiring leader, this episode offers a fresh perspective on driving sustainable revenue growth.

In this special episode of Revenue Engine Masters, CEO, Elio Narciso sits down and talks about Scalestack - Clay for the enterprise!

Mastering Go-to-Market Operations: How Top RevOps Leaders Drive Efficiency and Growth Through AI, Data Management, and Strategic Trade-offs

One Funnel - Why a unified go-to-market strategy is essential for driving sustainable growth and how you effectively layer in Machine Learning and AI to scaled revenue at a PLG.

3 Actionable Ways RevOps Leaders Can Layer AI Over Custom Code, Workflows and their Stack to Boost Productivity, Increase Velocity and Scale Revenue Growth in 2024 and Beyond

In this episode, James Underhill of MongoDB explains why Sales & RevOps leaders who master AI as a part of their go-to-market strategy will beat the competition.