I’ve been binge-watching The Pitt and accidentally decided I’m the Dr. Robby of startup operations.
So scrub in.
We’ve got five patients in triage: a founder bottleneck, a revenue leak, some serious CS trauma, acute meetingitis, and one startup that is convinced it is actively dying.
Let’s diagnose them.
The “startup hypochondriac” 😂😂😂😂😂😂 But THIS: clients almost never arrive knowing what the actual operations problem is.
I’ve spent years in ops and so often the thing everyone is loudly trying to fix is just the symptom. “We need more leads.” “The team needs more accountability.” “We need another meeting.” Then you start pulling the thread and discover the actual problem three layers underneath.
Also “Sales has been asked to stay for observation” absolutely killed me 😂 This was such a clever way to explain ops.
Patient Five is the one I recognise. I spent a long stretch sure the company was falling apart and what I had was a company.
The founder cannot do the comparison. You have a sample of one, seen from the inside. So every mess reads as evidence. Ma'am I am happy to say you have a startup is not reassurance, it is information they have no way of getting for themselves.
Katie, this one had me laughing and nodding at the same time. "Ma'am, I am happy to say you have a startup" should be on a coffee mug.
My "leadership lens" is from the communication side: in all five of your patients, a sentence went missing before the system broke. Nobody said who decides. Nobody said what was promised to the customer. Nobody said "this is finished." You're treating the wound. I spend my days fixing the conversation that caused it. Same hospital, different floor.
Patient Three is the one I see most. CS takes the blame for a ball nobody threw them.
Great piece. Restacking. Yes. I'm addicted to The Pitt!!
Way, way BITD in the dotcom era, I was the first attorney hired by the GC after the IPO. I had gotten the first post IPO deal closed and a few weeks later, I got a call from the CEO of that company. I was a bit surprised and aware of his company being represented by counsel, asked him why he was calling me. He answered: “You’re not my first call, but the first one that answered……” 😱
Example 2 jumped out to me because I see often founders screaming "more leads" when the real diagnosis is a revenue leak or broken handoff.
If you don't know where the revenue is leaking more leads into a broken system is more lost revenue. The key is it understand your current system and make sure it is leak proof (or mostly leak proof) before you pour more leads into it.
What a brilliant way to teach this and your experience. I love the whole thing and also love that show so it was entirely relatable. The simple, boring questions can reveal so much inside clunky operations and why someone feels frustrated to the max. Great article Katie!
The “startup hypochondriac” 😂😂😂😂😂😂 But THIS: clients almost never arrive knowing what the actual operations problem is.
I’ve spent years in ops and so often the thing everyone is loudly trying to fix is just the symptom. “We need more leads.” “The team needs more accountability.” “We need another meeting.” Then you start pulling the thread and discover the actual problem three layers underneath.
Also “Sales has been asked to stay for observation” absolutely killed me 😂 This was such a clever way to explain ops.
Patient Five is the one I recognise. I spent a long stretch sure the company was falling apart and what I had was a company.
The founder cannot do the comparison. You have a sample of one, seen from the inside. So every mess reads as evidence. Ma'am I am happy to say you have a startup is not reassurance, it is information they have no way of getting for themselves.
Katie, this one had me laughing and nodding at the same time. "Ma'am, I am happy to say you have a startup" should be on a coffee mug.
My "leadership lens" is from the communication side: in all five of your patients, a sentence went missing before the system broke. Nobody said who decides. Nobody said what was promised to the customer. Nobody said "this is finished." You're treating the wound. I spend my days fixing the conversation that caused it. Same hospital, different floor.
Patient Three is the one I see most. CS takes the blame for a ball nobody threw them.
Great piece. Restacking. Yes. I'm addicted to The Pitt!!
Way, way BITD in the dotcom era, I was the first attorney hired by the GC after the IPO. I had gotten the first post IPO deal closed and a few weeks later, I got a call from the CEO of that company. I was a bit surprised and aware of his company being represented by counsel, asked him why he was calling me. He answered: “You’re not my first call, but the first one that answered……” 😱
Example 2 jumped out to me because I see often founders screaming "more leads" when the real diagnosis is a revenue leak or broken handoff.
If you don't know where the revenue is leaking more leads into a broken system is more lost revenue. The key is it understand your current system and make sure it is leak proof (or mostly leak proof) before you pour more leads into it.
Thanks for sharing these are great examples.
What a brilliant way to teach this and your experience. I love the whole thing and also love that show so it was entirely relatable. The simple, boring questions can reveal so much inside clunky operations and why someone feels frustrated to the max. Great article Katie!
Katie STOP THIS! I LOVE The Pitt!
I’m so addicted now!