Kristi Faltorusso

“Figure it out.” It’s a phrase that sounds empowering on the surface. But most of the time, it’s not empowerment. It’s leadership abandonment. And founders and CEOs need to hear this. I’ve seen this happen over and over again in early-stage companies. In fact, it happened to me more than once earlier in my Customer Success career. A founder or CEO pulls you aside and says something like: "Kristi, this is a big opportunity. You've never done this before, but I believe in you. Go figure it...

The fastest way to stall your career is to sweat the small stuff. It sounds simple. Almost cliché. But figuring this out completely changed my career trajectory and my overall happiness at work. Early in my career, everything seemed to bother me. Not the big things. The small, daily annoyances. Someone talking over me in meetings Being asked to do something I had already completed Not being given opportunities, I clearly believed I deserved Coworkers not understanding why we needed to do...

Most Series A & B founders believe they’re “investing in Customer Success” when they promote a strong individual contributor into a leadership role. On paper, it makes sense. They know the product. They know the customers. They’ve proven themselves. They’re gritty. They execute. So you elevate them to Head of CS and tell them to build. And then you step back and say, “Go figure it out.” Here’s the problem. Building a Customer Success function is not the same as being great at Customer...