The Journey: #57 New Horizons

I started my career in Advertising and Marketing, focused on digital marketing with a heavy emphasis on SEO. I spent over a decade in Marketing before taking a shot at something completely new: Customer Success.

When I broke in, I came in as an SME and product expert… but if I’m being honest, I had no idea what I was doing. At the time, I didn’t even know what SaaS stood for.

I started my Customer Success career as a CSM, and ten years later I found myself in the CCO seat. I spent the last four years of my career as a Chief Customer Officer, and I loved every minute of it.

Working as a CCO for a Customer Success Platform is a dream.

Working as a CCO for a Customer Success Platform with Dave Blake as the CEO? There was nothing better.

 But even with a fulfilling day job, I had a pull to build.

To build something that was mine.

To build something I could be proud of.

So about two and a half years ago, I started what I thought was a “side hustle.”

I didn’t really know what I was doing. I built a website. A podcast. A newsletter. A consulting business. I wasn’t actively pursuing work, but when people reached out, I said yes.

CS audits.

Coaching.

Hiring support.

Playbook development.

You name it.

This is how I spent every night and every weekend for two and a half years.

All day with one laptop.

All night with another.

I used PTO to get client work done.

I used PTO to travel.

I used PTO to recover when I was completely wiped.

Here’s the part people don’t always want to hear.

For nearly three years, I worked around the clock.

When people ask, “How do you do it all?” That’s how.

Sacrifice.

Tears.

Exhaustion.

For a long time, my husband didn’t get it. He’d ask why I was killing myself. He couldn’t see the vision I had for myself.

But after 2025, he started to get it.

My “little” side business started generating real revenue. Inbound leads increased. The work became impossible to manage on nights and weekends alone.

I found myself at a crossroads.

Stay a full-time operator.

Or take the leap and bet on myself.

So here we are.

I’m excited (and a little terrified) to officially share Act III of my career:

Kristi Faltorusso — CEO & Founder

Consulting. Advisory. Coaching. Education. Enablement. Content creation.

I did it.

I bet on myself.

And in my first month, I already hit my revenue goal. I have a strong pipeline and some incredibly exciting partnerships in motion.

If you’re curious about what I’m building, you can explore my new site. There’s a lot of new content.

You’ll find:

Dozens of Customer Success templates

Free resources

New blog content

A new podcast, After the Close, alongside She’s So Suite

And this is just the beginning.

I’ve got some big announcements coming soon, including new partnerships I can’t wait to share.

Thank you for being part of this journey. Truly.