Scott Britton

"OKRs are great, but I don't believe they're a replacement for a Key Performance Indicator." Amos Schwartzfarb, former managing Director of Techstars Austin and author of Sell More Faster and Levers, talks about goal vs. measurement on Tech Scenes Unplugged. #venturebacked #vcbacked #venturecapital #leadership #ceo #founder #operatingsystem #peakOS #foundermode #okrs #kpis

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"When you're validating the work to be done, you're also validating who you should be hiring to do it." Amos Schwartzfarb, executive coach, former managing Director of Techstars Austin and author of Sell More Faster and Levers, talks about getting roles right held on Tech Scenes Unplugged. #venturebacked #vcbacked #venturecapital #leadership #ceo #founder #operatingsystem #peakOS #foundermode #techstars

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Norwegians call it “Helt Texas.” I call it business as usual in most growth-stage companies. Every growth-stage founder/ CEO hits the same wall. Fighting fires, working ad hoc, taking things as they come. It all comes to bite you in the butt as your company scales. Most growth-stage companies I know (50MNOK - 300MNOK) resist putting an operational model in place. They think they're staying scrappy and agile. But here's what actually happens as you grow: → Teams hold different views of what matters most  → Decisions get made in Slack threads and forgotten  → Good people leave because they don't know what's going on  → Customers experience the internal chaos as inconsistency This is what Norwegians would call "Helt Texas." (crazy) The best-run companies I've worked with all have the same thing in common. They use a simple system that keeps everyone aligned without constant ad-hoc coordination. The basic framework looks like this: • Weekly leadership meeting. Same day, same time. • Quarterly all-hands. 1x/ quarter • Regular team meetings that cascade information up and down. • Space for informal connection (yes, this matters too). It's not complicated, but you do have to do it. Everyone thinks that go-to-market means how you show up on the outside. I take a more holistic view - How you show up on the outside is a direct reflection of how you work on the inside. i.e. The company that operates in chaos will project chaos to the market. So how do you make that chaos a little more manageable? That's the topic of this week's newsletter: https://lnkd.in/eWNU2cFk

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💯 to this quote from Rob Snyder: "Serious founders don’t rely on discovery interviews. Serious founders don’t just whiteboard, brainstorm, theorize. They become their potential customer. Do you really think you can build a product people actually want, and actually value, that fits into their world so perfectly they rip it out of your hands… just by interviewing them? No! Go in-person. Do the work yourself. Get a firsthand view. If you’re not willing to do that, look in the mirror: Are you really serious about building something that serves customers? Or are you just in this to serve yourself?" #startups #entrepreneur

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Growth doesn’t always mean progress. Sometimes, it just masks the flaws a little longer. In tech I've seen it in every category of business. I’ve seen it as a builder, a fractional exec, and many times as the mentor guiding start-ups in the Houston ecosystem. Startups hit a spike. Users show up. Investors get hyped. And suddenly, everyone talks about “scale.” But here’s what often goes unsaid: Scaling a product that’s not built on solid ground? That’s just speeding towards entropy. Because: → A feature roadmap isn’t a product strategy → Revenue bumps don’t prove product-market fit → More headcount won’t fix fundamental misalignment What I’ve learned (and had to unlearn): Some startups don’t fail because they move slow. They fail because they move fast in the wrong direction. That’s where fractional CTOs and CPOs become game changers. Not by building faster, but by asking the tough questions early: ✅ What are we really scaling...value or volume? ✅ Do we have clarity, or just velocity? ✅ Are we solving a core problem or just chasing attention? If any of those questions make you uncomfortable, good. That’s usually where the real work begins. Don’t let your growth be a smokescreen. Ask the hard questions. 👋 If you’re new to my page, I’m Ram. I work with founders and growing tech companies to help them build, scale, and operate smarter by placing high-impact fractional CTOs and CPOs exactly where they’re needed most. Recently, I had the chance to speak on Masala Radio about leadership, growth, and what it really takes to build a tech product. Here’s a short clip from that conversation.

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🚀 Every.io partners with Capital Factory The Texas startup ecosystem is thriving, and I'm excited to announce Every.io's partnership with Capital Factory to support their growing community of entrepreneurs. Through this collaboration: - Every's back office platform integrates with multiple CF's incubation programs. - We'll be bringing workshops, office hours, and constant founder back-office support. - Our team will support the CF community at upcoming events. - We will reduce the barrier of entry and provide special offers on formation, banking, payroll, accounting, taxes, and much more. These founders need the back-office infrastructure that scales with them. Want to learn more about what we offer? Chat with us here: https://lnkd.in/ggjPP43x Looking forward to supporting thousands of companies annually across Capital Factory's communities. #CapitalFactory #TexasStartups #Austin #BuildWithEvery

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🚨 The most overlooked part of the fundraising process? 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. Too often I meet founders who dive into fundraising without a clear roadmap—wasting time, losing momentum, and missing out on great investors. That’s why I’ve broken down my 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 into six focused, actionable modules. 🎯 One of the most powerful is the 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽 & 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 module (1h 30min), where you’ll learn: - How to build a fundraising timeline and project tracker - How to set your valuation and decide how much to raise - When to start your fundraise - How to craft a compelling fundraising story - What materials you must have ready before you pitch You’ll get templates, examples, and a full toolkit to do this right. 💥 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲. Curious? Say hi in the comments—I’ll message you the full thing.

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🧹 Want to Know if an Exec Will Succeed in a Startup? Give Them the Mop Test. Last night, I joined a dinner organized by Paul English (Co-Founder and CTO of KAYAK) and Brian Kalma—a gathering of curious builders talking shop about the state of tech and why we’re all still obsessed with the process of building. Paul shared a story that really stuck with me. He had once recruited a brilliant CTO—a true "crack coder". But the moment Paul really knew this person was the right fit didn’t come from a product being shipped. It came from a mop. The night before a huge investor pitch, the team had worked late into the night. Everyone finally went home exhausted. The product was still in rough shape. And the office? Total mess. Not exactly the backdrop for a high-stakes meeting. When Paul showed up the next morning, the CTO was already there—with a mop. He got there early to clean the space, saying: “We’ve got to win this demo.” The best part ... the office didn't have a mop. HE BROUGHT IN HIS OWN! That CTO eventually helped sell the company and made millions in the exit. But the moment Paul knew he was the real deal? It wasn’t the tech. It was that moment—with the mop. Startups are messy. There are no clean lanes. No clear roles. No one’s handing you a to-do list. The best execs in a startup don’t just do their job—they chase whatever the moment needs. If the floor’s dirty, they clean it. If there’s no mop, they go find one. I’ve seen the same in corporate. The best entrepreneurs inside big orgs were always the ones frustrated by being boxed into a narrow role. And the ones who loved the box? Rarely thrived in the chaos of a startup. ✅So next time you’re hiring an exec for your startup, don’t just look at the resume. Ask yourself: When the floor’s dirty, will they show up early—with a mop? Thanks again Paul English and Brian Kalma for the invite and the inspiration. Great to hang out with Caroline Strzalka, Jordan F., Olga Bartnicki , and Eliana Berger had share stories and lessons learned! #startups #leadership #executivehiring #moptest #founders #teamculture #entrepreneurship

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CoCreator Selected for the National HWP Accelerator! We’re proud to announce that CoCreator—the builders of Hakim, the world’s first AI growth partner for small business owners—has been selected to join the 2025 Hispanic Wealth Project (HWP) Accelerator, a national initiative powered by NAHREP, in partnership with KeyBank, Airbnb, and the San Diego Foundation. The HWP Accelerator is one of the most impactful programs for Latino founders in the U.S., offering mentorship, leadership development, business education, and access to strategic networks. It’s a holistic program that uplifts both the founder and the business—exactly what we believe in at CoCreator. This opportunity will help us take Hakim to the next level. 🔹 Hakim is an AI growth partner that will support entrepreneurs like a strategist, mentor, and CFO—providing real-time insights, emotional intelligence, and financial automation to help small business owners scale sustainably. Being part of the HWP Accelerator is not just an honor—it’s a milestone in our mission to democratize access to high-level mentorship and financial intelligence for underserved entrepreneurs. We’re grateful to the HWP team and partners for believing in the power of inclusive innovation. This wonderful program is starting on June 25th #HWPAccelerator #CoCreatorAI #HakimAI #LatinoFounders Hispanic Wealth Project #SmallBusinessSupport #AIForGood #LatinxTech #EmotionalIntelligence #NAHREP #KeyBank #Airbnb #SanDiegoFoundation #GrowthPartner

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The ability to clone your best customers, projects, donors, volunteers, and more is at the core of effective local marketing. This approach alone can equip any business, nonprofit, or even community to transform their efforts, grow their impact, and become more profitable. Warning, this episode runs long at just over 8 minutes ;)

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