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PODCAST

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s

Bethany Ayers & Brandon Mensinga

We are the COO coaches to help you successfully scale in this new world where efficiency is as important as growth. Remember when valuations were 3-10x ARR and money wasn’t free? We do. Each week we share our experiences and bring in scale up experts and operational leaders to help you navigate both the burning operational issues and the larger existential challenges. Beth Ayers is the former COO of Peak AI, NewVoiceMedia and Codilty and has helped raise over $200m from top funds - Softbank,

business management

All Episodes

46:50

37. Which HRIS do I need?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/04/04

In this episode we discuss: Which HRIS do I need? We are joined by Matt Bradburn, Founder & CEO of the People Collective.We chat about the following:What are our views on Rippling? Personio? Factorial? BambooHR? HiBob?What is a good vendor choice for a scaling company of a few hundred people that wants something that is very customisable?What is a good all-in-one vendor choice that is good at employee engagement and for UK companies supports international expansion into the US?What are the

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35:36

36. What does a good COO framework look like?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/03/28

In this episode we discuss: What does a good COO framework look like? We are joined by Simon Wakeman, former COO of TPXimpact and creator of the B3 Framework.We chat about the following:Are investment bets the responsibility of the COO?What is an operating model?What is minimum viable governance? How much process is too much process?How to best manage a risk register to make it usefulWhat is in the “systems” box?How do you structure data teams?What are some practices around cadences?References: B3

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53:44

35. Is wellbeing a complete waste of time?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/03/21

In this episode we discuss: Is wellbeing a complete waste of time? We are joined by Gethin Nadin, cited as one of HR’s Most Influential Thinkers and author of the bestseller “A Work In Progress: Unlocking Wellbeing to Create More Sustainable and Resilient Organisations.”Bethany and I discuss:What is the COO’s role in solving workplace stress?What can a COO do to optimise employees and support their mental health?We chat about the following with Gethin:What is wellbeing? In the context of a company,

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45:06

34. How do you build an organisation to compete with...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/03/14

In this episode we discuss: How do you build an organisation to compete with Google? We are joined by Omid Ashtari, ex-COO of Streebees and President of Citymapper.We chat about the following with Omid:How do you think about organisational structure?How proactive should you be in anticipating organisational challenges?What is the highest impact communication challenge you helped resolve?How do you prevent drift from the customer as the company scales?References:

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47:11

33. How do you scale from 100 employees to IPO?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/03/07

In this episode we discuss: How do you scale from 100 employees to IPO? We are joined by Mark Logan, ex-COO of Skyscanner and currently Chief Entrepreneurial Advisor to the Scottish GovernmentWe chat about the following with Mark:What are the foundations of scale?How do you prevent command and control from creeping in?What goes wrong with organisational alignment over time?Why doesn’t OKR cascading work?What are the three golden processes of an organisation?Why do things break when you scale? What

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01:01:24

32. What can VC and PE backed operators learn from...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/02/29

In this episode we discuss: What can VC and PE backed operators learn from each other? We are joined by Sam Smith, the founder & MD of PepTalks, a training provider for private equity backed CEOs and their management teams.We chat about the following with Sam:What are the types of PE companies?How are company valuations determined?How does the commercial model work between PE companies and LP’s?Can you shift track and move from VC-backed to PE-backed?How does a PE firm structure funds when they

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37:39

31. How do you build a business that is smarter than...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/02/22

In this episode we answer the question: How do you build a business that is smarter than you? Our guest is Jennifer Sundberg, the co-CEO of Board Intelligence and author of Collective Intelligence.We discuss the following with Jennifer:Why is it so hard to get great conversations in business review meetings?How do you get good at asking the right questions?How do you develop the habit of asking good questions in the organisation?How do you create phenomenal meetings?How do you cut through

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46:22

30. Why is hybrid working an inclusivity issue?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/02/15

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Why is hybrid working an inclusivity issue?. We talked with Brian Elliott, he is the co-founder of Future Forum, author of the bestseller How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their LivesWe then discuss the following with Brian:What does the data say on return to work and the push back from employees?What is the connection between inclusivity and remote working?What do you do when the CEO blames missed targets on remote working?Is

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53:18

29. What is it like being COO of a private equity...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/02/08

In this episode we unpack the topic of: What is it like being COO of a private equity backed business? We are joined by Pete Harris, COO of Pipedrive.Bethany and I discuss: When are we at our best? Our worst?What are we passionate about in a business context?What is our why?We then discuss the following with Pete:Why the title COO versus CRO or CCO?How are you being evaluated by your PE investors?How do you motivate employees given you are not founder led?What does a board meeting look like in PE

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44:49

28. Do product leaders make good COO's?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/02/01

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Do product leaders make good COO's? with Martyn Fagg, COO of Tillo and Matt Jones COO at ex-COO at ParentPay.Bethany and I discuss the following:What does a good product leader look like?What does a good product manager look like?We then discuss the following with Martyn and Matt:How did the transition to COO happen?Was picking up the people function challenging?How do you get the people function to be more data-driven?How do you get product development and

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46:36

27. How do you tame a visionary CEO?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/01/25

In this episode we unpack the topic of: How do you tame a visionary CEO? with Rob Liddiard, B2B SaaS Founder (acquired 2022); Reformed Lawyer.Bethany and I discuss the following:Forecasting in 2024Simplifying performance managementSurfacing issues in leadershipDocumenting the processes of the companyWe then discuss the following with Rob:Is the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) just another OKR styled book?How do you tame a visionary founder?What are the components of EOS?What are the two

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47:04

26. The COO Role: Why Would You Ever Want the Job?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/01/18

In this episode we unpack the topic of: The COO Role: Why Would You Ever Want the Job? with Chuck Orzechowski, CEO of the COO Forum.Bethany and I discuss the following:How do you avoid being the dumping ground for things that others don’t want to do?Why would you want the COO job?We then discuss the following with Chuck:What are the most common issues you see across your COO membership?What is the best approach to clarifying decision-making authority with the CEO?Why is “pace of change” a common

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38:20

25. Do COO's have a two year shelf life?

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/01/11

In this episode we ask the unpack the question of: Do COO's have a two year shelf life? We discussed this topic with Casey Woo, CEO @Operators Guild.We discuss the following with Casey:What is the role of the COO?Why does the COO have a two year shelf life?If that is the reality, how should one think about their career?What does this mean for 4 year option grants?What are the key terms every COO should negotiate?Referenceswww.operators-guild.comhttps://summit.operators-guild.com/2024Biography:Casey

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46:28

24. Leadership Transitions: Uncompromising Strategies...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2024/01/04

In this episode we unpack the topic of: Leadership Transitions: Uncompromising Strategies for Success with Andrew Duncan, Talent @ Atomico (ex-UpGroup) and Maddy Cross Partner @ Erevena (ex-Notion Capital)We discuss the following with Maddy and Andrew:Given the average tenure of senior execs in scaleups, what advice would you give execs and what should companies that are hiring consider?How uncompromising do you need to be to get the right leaders in place?What is the difference in leadership skills

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50:00

23. Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/12/28

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy and Embodiment” This is Part 2 in our emotional literacy and embodiment series. Our special guests are returning alumni with Divinia Knowles, Founder of the COO Roundtable and Maddie Fox, a leadership development coach across venture-backed organisations. We are also joined by Pippa Richardson, Somatic Therapist, Educator, Speaker and Clinician.We discuss the following with Pippa, Maddie and Divinia:Our personal

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49:56

22. Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/12/21

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Cracking the Code: Exploring Emotional Literacy and Embodiment” This is Part 1 in our emotional literacy and embodiment series. Our special guests are returning alumni with Divinia Knowles, Founder of the COO Roundtable and Maddie Fox, a leadership development coach across venture-backed organisations.Bethany and I discuss the concept of “reading the room” and “the pause”.We discuss the following with Maddie and Divinia:How far can you push as a challenger

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42:30

21. Transitioning Roles: From COO to CEO

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/12/14

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Transitioning Roles: From COO to CEO". This is Part 2 in our transitioning roles series. Our special guest is John Saroff, CEO of Chartbeat.Bethany and I discuss what a CEO does, and how a COO can build competence in these areas:VisionFundraisingBoard relationshipsSetting the tone for the cultureWe then discuss the following with John:What is the role of a CEO and how does it differ to the COO role?Do you have a COO now? Why not?How does the stress of the CEO

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45:38

20. Transitioning Roles: From COO to Venture Capitalist

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/12/07

In this episode we unpack the topic of: "Transitioning Roles: From COO to Venture Capitalist". This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Our special guest is Cleo Sham, Venture Partner at StrideVC. We discuss the following:Why did you decide to move from operator to investor?How did being an operator inform your role as a VC?Where did you find joy in the COO role? As a VC?Which role is more stressful: COO or VC?When you received critical feedback as a leader, how did you deal with it?How do you carve out

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38:20

19. The Wartime COO

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/11/30

In this episode we discuss: "The Wartime COO”. Our special guest is Huw Slater, COO of Oliva Health, formerly COO of TravelPerk and Bella Riemer, Head of Operations at Joblift. We discuss the following with Huw and Bella:What is a Wartime COO? How does this impact how you operate the business?How do you surface existential threats to the organisation and inject a sense of focus, without scaring folks?What have been some of the worst storms you’ve weathered? Lessons learned?More broadly, what are

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29:15

18. Efficiency Unleashed: NoCode Revolutionising...

The Operations Room: A Podcast for COO’s ·

2023/11/23

In this episode we discuss: "Efficiency Unleashed: NoCode Revolutionising Operations”. Our special guest is Philip Lakin, Co-Founder & CEO of NoCodeOps. He is the ultimate MacGyver and an ambassador for reimagining the future of internal innovation. We discuss the following with Philip:What is NoCode? Why does it matter?What is a tangible example of business impact?Should ops professionals report into the COO or the functional lead?How do you get buy-in to internal operations initiatives?How do

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