How to Streamline Business Operations for Growth

I led RevOps at Rapid7 on its path to $1B ARR. It was the hardest thing I've ever done and I made A LOT of mistakes. Here's what I'd do differently: 1. Focus on product mix economics earlier. I'd put more emphasis on profitability metrics from day one. At $1B ARR, product mix dramatically impacts margins. I'd design compensation structures earlier to incentivize high-margin product sales and expansions where it made sense. Different products had different margin profiles – this should have been reflected more explicitly in our GTM strategy from the start. 2. Streamline the tech stack. We had too many point solutions. Beyond just cost, this fragmentation made it harder to get a unified view of customer health and product adoption patterns. I'd consolidate earlier around core platforms that drive real value and adoption. 3. Invest more in cross-functional culture. When you're operating across multiple product lines with different margins and GTM motions, you need strong cultural alignment to prevent silos. Culture keeps teams collaborative when competing priorities emerge. Fortunately (and mostly due to the phenomenal folks I worked with), we also got a lot of things right: 1. We built a strong data foundation first. Our success started with unifying data across marketing, sales, and CS. This wasn't just about reporting – it enabled us to forecast accurately, map customer journeys, and understand revenue patterns across different product lines and segments. 2. We invested heavily in forecasting excellence. As a public company, forecast accuracy was oxygen. Every 1% improvement in forecast accuracy translated to millions in optimized resource allocation. When leadership could trust our numbers within 2-3%, they could confidently deploy capital to fuel growth – whether that meant expanding sales capacity in high-performing regions or investing in customer success for products with the best expansion metrics. 3. We prioritized process over tools. We systemized key processes (lead routing, territory planning, forecasting) before choosing tools. When you're operating at scale, bad processes become exponentially costly. Good ones become competitive advantages. 4. We alligned resources across GTM. Resource planning across marketing, sales, and CS created operational clarity. But more importantly, it helped us maintain healthy ratios between hunters, farmers, and support teams as different products scaled at different rates. My biggest learning: Revenue operations at $1B is an exercise in managing complexity and success comes from building systems flexible enough to support different GTM motions while maintaining a consistent customer experience. Most importantly, none of this works without great teams—from the leadership team making strategic decisions to the RevOps professionals executing day-to-day—all working in harmony.

Scaling isn’t just about growth—it’s about building systems that can grow. Too often, founders focus on product and marketing—but skip the systems that hold everything together. Here’s what I’ve learned: If you don’t build scalable systems early, growth only creates more chaos. Here are a few lessons that helped me avoid burnout and bottlenecks as we scaled: 1. Standardize early It’s tempting to stay flexible. But a simple system now saves stress later. Set clear workflows for support, ops, and feedback from day one. 2. Build tools into your product We embedded feedback and support directly into the product. It made automation easier and reduced the load on the team. 3. Automate what repeats We use AI to tag issues, prioritize bugs, and speed up support. Less time on repeat tasks = more time for strategy. 4. Move conversations to shared spaces Slack channels help the team see, learn from, and align around customer issues in real time. Everyone stays closer to the work. 5. Document once, scale forever Every solved problem is a chance to prevent the next one. Loom + AI = future-proof process library. Bottom line: Smart systems > smart people doing repetitive tasks. Set your ops up to scale, and growth won’t break you. What’s one system you wish you had built sooner? Let’s trade ideas. --- Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Kevin Henrikson for more. Weekly frameworks on AI, startups, leadership, and scaling. Join 1700+ subscribers today: https://lnkd.in/gstGkhJF

In the SEAL Teams, excess weight can jeopardize a mission. In business, unnecessary procedures can kill growth. 5 ways to streamline your operations: 1. Spot inefficiencies ↳ Identify redundant tasks ↳ Eliminate outdated workflows ↳ Cut unnecessary bureaucracy 2. Optimize, don't just expand ↳ Master core processes ↳ Leverage technology ↳ Cultivate a skilled team 3. Empower your team ↳ Create a culture of continuous improvement ↳ Encourage process streamlining ↳ Value employee input 4. Define your "minimum force requirement" ↳ Optimize existing resources ↳ Invest in efficiency-enhancing tools ↳ Avoid reflexive hiring 5. Foster strategic growth ↳ Focus on fluidity and speed ↳ Enhance overall effectiveness ↳ Maintain agility in a competitive landscape As a former SEAL, I've seen how the unnecessary can cripple both missions and businesses. The key? Ruthlessly eliminate what doesn't add value. What's weighing down your business? Share your thoughts in the comments. 👇