⚙️ Ops Playbook #25

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Good Morning Operators ⚙️

Thanks to everyone who showed interest in getting their website roasted!

For those who have no idea what I’m talking about, Greg Isenberg’s design agency at Meet Dispatch has kindly offered to roast a few people’s landing pages and design assets.

If you still want to sign up, reply to this email with your name, company name, and website (It’s free).

Expect more details soon!

While you review your website for typos, here are today’s topics:

• Borderless leadership → Don’t be afraid to hire executives abroad. Talent lives everywhere
  

• Change your pricing every 3 months → You probably set your price once and then never revisited. Let’s change that
  

• Re-stack rank your projects → Please don’t take on another project during the quarter. If you do, eliminate one other project from your roadmap
  

• Staying silent during press interviews [Premium Members Only] → Silence is golden. Let’s make sure you are too

Let’s jump in.

^{Together With Opszen}
Want to hire my team as your fractional COO?

Is this you every day thinking about all the HR, compliance, and finance-related work you need to do?

Can’t find someone reliable who can handle all of this for you?

Tired of trying to:

• HR → Figure out how to send offers, process reimbursements, run payroll

• Compliance → Update your cap table, stay compliant in states you have employees, manage state registrations

• Finance → run payroll, build out financial projections, figure out vendor payments

I can help! We can take on these tasks (and more).

I’ve attached a Notion document for you to review. I’ve listed out everything we can do and pricing. My goal is to be as transparent as possible here.

Unfortunately, we can only take on 2 new clients for the rest of this quarter.

Schedule a call now if you want to work with my team (and me) to scale your business.

Operators Library

• Want to break into hard tech (or any industry)? Become the ‘just-figure-it-out’ person. Be someone who can plug the holes between funding rounds or hiring sprees and hand off the function once a pro is brought in (Just get it done)
  
  

• 3% credit card fees can be brutal. Have you ever added the credit card fee to your purchase price to off-balance the cost? To me, I wouldn’t bake in the fees without understanding your customer’s appetite to buy (Upcharge might be the move)
  
  

• A16Z mapped out what AI x Productivity tools are out there. The old version of productivity tools: manually do everything. The new version of productivity tools: the tools do the organizing AND act (Preview AI Mind Map)
  
  

• OpenAI's new text-to-video tool, Sora, broke everyone’s mind on X. This thread does a great job explaining how OpenAI powers Sora (Sora is going to break video)
  
  

• Struggling to find a group of operators just like yourself? (Check out The Ops Spot)*
  

P.S. To get featured in this section, share the newsletter 10 times using this referral link, and I'll include you in a future issue. 

1. Borderless leadership

Partnered Insight from Shepherd*

Whenever people hear about hiring talent abroad, they think of outsourcing only their junior admin tasks.

That has always confused me.

At the end of the day, outsourcing is to help grow your company by hiring the best talent you can find at a reasonable cost.

At Firstbase.io, besides the CEO and COO (me), all our executives (ya, I said executives) lived outside the US. This included a group of people like:

• CTO → Exited his startup with a sale to Visa for $1.7B

• Head of Product → Helped Loft (valued at $2B+) scale their operations

• Head of People → Hired over 200 people in less than 3 years

Why would we hire abroad instead of only focusing on the US?

In hundreds of interviews, we found that skill set and culture match were the most important aspects we valued in someone. Not how far away they lived away from us.

Arguably, the operational and technical talent was just as good in the Philippines and South America as in the US.

If you aren't sure which positions to start sourcing, Shepherd has a list of positions you could potentially hire.

From that list, I would recommend hiring for operations-heavy roles such as Head of Customer Success, Operations Lead, and HR Manager.

Of course, hiring an executive abroad will require a bit more legwork. Especially when compared to your average contracted worker.

Try to focus on:

• Classify Workers Correctly: Avoid misclassification by understanding the nature of contractor agreements and ensuring compliance with tax laws.

• Obtain Work Visas/Permits: Secure necessary visas or permits for employees working abroad to avoid fines and immigration penalties.

• Pay Talent Accurately: Ensure global payroll compliance, using third-party providers like Deel for international employees to avoid penalties.

• Provide Statutory Benefits: Offer mandatory paid vacations, sick leave, and other statutory benefits to comply with local laws.

• Avoid Permanent Establishment Risks: Mitigate tax liabilities by managing the business presence to avoid triggering permanent establishment status.

• Partner for Compliance: Try to leverage Employer of Record solutions for compliant international hiring and operations.

A little legal compliance shouldn't stop you from looking for that ONE person who can 10x your business.

2. Change your price package every 3 months

Insight from Patrick Campbell

Standing still on pricing is the equivalent of moving backward. Think of your pricing strategy not as a set-it-and-forget-it dial but as a Swiss Army knife, versatile and adaptable to the changing landscapes of the market.

Why every three months?

These days, data is collected at a breakneck speed, consumer behaviors shift, and market dynamics twist and turn with the wind. Adjusting your pricing quarterly allows you to stay nimble, responsive, and, most importantly, competitive.

This doesn't necessarily mean hiking up your prices. You simply need to reevaluate your pricing.

Are you offering more than your competitors? Is there a feature or service that's now more valuable because of changes in the market or consumer preferences?

Flexibility in pricing comes in many forms—adding value where your customers will notice it and adjusting your offerings to match their needs.

Here are a few strategies to consider:

• Packaging and Bundling: Sometimes, it's not about changing the price but changing how you package your product. Bundling products or services can create perceived value, making the price more palatable or even a bargain in the eyes of your customers.

• Market Positioning: Going upmarket or downmarket requires not just a change in pricing but a strategic adjustment in how you present your product. Upmarket might mean adding premium features or services, while downmarket could involve simplifying your offerings to appeal to a broader audience.

• Add-ons and Upsells: These are your best friends in the quest for increased revenue without the backlash of raising prices. You can increase the overall cart value and customer satisfaction by offering additional, complementary products or services.

• Discounting Strategy: Not all discounts are created equal. Tactical discounting, such as seasonal offers, volume discounts, or loyalty rewards, can boost sales without devaluing your product in the long term.

At the heart of price flexibility lies the psychological dance with your customers. It's about perception, value, and the art of negotiation without saying a word.

When customers feel they're getting more for their money, or when they perceive a product as premium and worth the investment, they're more likely to part with their hard-earned cash.

Test different strategies on segments of your market to gauge reactions before a full rollout. And always, always communicate the value clearly and confidently—why your product is worth their investment at this new price point or package.

You can navigate your customer marketplace with speed and foresight by treating your pricing strategy as a flexible tool.

When you try this yourself, be sure to keep these points in mind:

• Gather your data: Start with a deep dive into your current pricing model's performance. What's working, and what's not?

• Engage your customer base: Use surveys, feedback forms, and direct conversations to understand their perceptions and values.

• Experiment: Small, controlled tests of new pricing strategies can yield valuable insights without risking your entire customer base.

In the hands of a savvy operator, pricing flexibility can turn the tide of competition and carve out a path to unprecedented success. 

3. Re-Stack ranking your priorities

Insight from Rameel Sheikh

Being picky on what projects to work on during the quarter is all about focusing on what matters.

Having too many things on the roadmap can make things confusing. It's like when your desk is messy and you can't find your homework.

If we try to do everything and chase after all the new, shiny ideas, we lose track of what we need to do in the first place.

Focusing on what customers actually need and what bugs them is key.

However, projects and feature requests in the quarter force you to reprioritize your list. What do you then?

Stack ranking emerges as a critical tool for determining what top initiatives to work on. This technique involves ordering potential features, projects, or initiatives based on their impact.

Here’s how you can install stack ranking in your roadmap planning process:

• What's the Goal: Establish clear, objective criteria for evaluating features. We gotta ask, "Will this help us grow? Do people stick around more? Does it fit with what we're all about?"

• Team Huddle: Get everyone working on the project to throw in their two cents. This way, we ensure we're not missing out on ideas or forgetting what our users want.

• Ranking Session: Each feature or project is evaluated against the defined goals during a ranking session. This can be done through scoring, voting, or discussion until a consensus is reached on priority.

Be sure to limit the number of projects you can have. You must bump a project off the list if you agree to 10 in the quarter.

By stack ranking this way, we keep our eyes on the prize and ensure we do what matters.

4. Silence as a PR weapon

Insight from Edward Bernays

People talk too much during an interview.

Jumping to fill every silence isn't the best way to get your point across.

Guess who would back me up on this? Edward Bernays, the father of public relations.

He was a master at using mind tricks to shape what people think. For Bernays, being quiet wasn't about not talking. It was a clever way to grab everyone's attention.

By taking breaks in the conversation, leaders can make people lean in, eager to hear what comes next.

When leaders talk less and listen more, it shows they value others' opinions and want to really understand them.

This builds trust, making people feel important and listened to, which is key for strong relationships.

Getting the balance right between talking and not talking is crucial. Picking the right times to be quiet means your words pack a bigger punch.

They're clearer, stronger, and leave a lasting impression.

It's all about saying more with less, making what you do say really matter, and connecting more deeply with your audience.

Trust is everything when it comes to dealing with people. Being quiet at the right times shows you're empathetic, patient, and open to hearing all sides. This not only makes you look better to the public but also boosts your reputation as reliable and honest.

These breaks give you a moment to think, show you're confident, and let you steer the conversation.

Here are more reasons why taking a moment to pause during an interview is smart:

• It gives you time to think through what to say next

• You can come back with answers that hit the mark and guide the conversation where you want it to go.

• It lets you influence people without them feeling pushed.

Don't be the person who sparks a new scandal (unless that is your motive).

Silence helps your main points pop.

Something Fun

Feel free to reply with your meme; I might add yours to next week’s edition.

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