 |
The Operations Room: A Podcast for COOsAuthor: 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 wasnt 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, Bessemer, TCV, MCC, Notion and Oxx. Brandon Mensinga is the former COO of Signal AI and Trint. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy Language: en Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
Listen Now...
94. The BizOps Anti-Playbook
Episode 94
Wednesday, 4 March, 2026
In this episode we discuss: The BizzOps Anti-Playbook. We are joined by Vessela Clewley, Strategy & Biz Ops Executive.Love The Operations Room? Please support us by rating and reviewing it here.We chat about the following with Vessela Clewley:What does it really take to step into leadership for the first time — and why do so many people underestimate the shift?How do you build confidence as a leader when you don’t yet feel “ready”?What’s the difference between managing tasks and truly leading people?How can organisations better support first-time managers before they burn out?What unspoken pressures do women in leadership roles carry — and how can we address them more openly?References https://www.linkedin.com/in/vessclewley/https://sbohub.substack.com/https://sbohub.gumroad.com/l/TheSBOAntiPlaybookBiography Vessela is an accomplished fCOO with a Strategy & BizOps background. She brings the power of US-style Strategy & Business Operations to Europe.She has an illustrious career spanning Hopin, WeWork, Uber and other start ups. She has won global awards by the likes of WeWork & McKinsey, relaunched products like UberExec, and negotiated 7-figure deals for Hopin on walks in Regents park.She is known for bringing a strategic, analytical, systems-driven approach to building companies. Her approach brings clarity, breaks down silos, and unlocks revenue growth. She puts company over functions; analytics over ego; and outcomes over optics.Vessela typically partners with Seed–Series B founders who value analytical decision-making and high-velocity execution.To learn more about Beth and Brandon or to find out about sponsorship opportunities click here. Summary00:00 – Introduction & framing the conversation~06:20 – The reality of becoming a first-time manager~13:45 – Imposter syndrome & self-doubt~20:30 – The responsibility shift~28:10 – Feedback, difficult conversations & growth~35:50 – Building confidence through action~44:15 – The gendered expectations in leadership~52:00 – Creating supportive environments for new leaders~59:40 – Advice to aspiring leadersThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
