Field notes
Where growth spend leaks, and what I find.
Notes from opening real accounts: the manifesto that named the gap, the proof stories behind it, and teardowns of teams doing it right. When it’s worth your five minutes, it goes out to the list.
From the gRO playbook
The full library, on applygro.
My essays above name the problem. This is the whole gRO catalog — the model, the economics, pricing, scaling, and the calls founders get wrong — every piece a deeper read over on the company site.
The model
The modelOperator-Led Growth: a new model for B2B and B2COverviewThe OLG hubFundamentalsStop pouring money into a leaky bucketvs consultantConsultants sell decks. Operators ship.CadenceFriday is when the work happensAlignmentThree teams. Three roadmaps. Zero alignment.AI + judgment80% AI. 100% judgment.OutputOne operator vs. a five-person teamThe manualOne operator, five marketers of output
AI & the new GTM
Where the money leaks
BenchmarkThe real cost of growthCACFive CAC inflaters most founders missPaybackHow fast should CAC pay back?ROIThe four-lever sequence that lifts ROIPipelineThe four levers that move pipeline mathForecastThe forecast your CFO actually wantsAnalyticsYour dashboard is lying to youAttributionWhy GA4 breaks for long sales cycles
Retention & demand
Pricing & packaging
Scaling & strategy
ScalingProve the curve. Then staff it.StrategyWhat changes from $1M to $10M ARRFrameworkFive pillars in execution orderEfficiencyThe SaaS efficiency resetRiskWhy startups actually die in 2026PMFProduct-market fit isn't a finish lineMotionPLG vs. marketing-led growthSprintThe 100-hour, one-lever growth sprintActivationWhy 80% of SaaS signups go inactive
Fractional CMO decisions
Consultants & agency alternatives
ConsultantWhat an operator-led consultant deliversDemand genAdvisors vs. operators — when each fitsGrowthWhat growth marketing actually meansPaid mediaAccount managers vs. operatorsAlternativeWhy agencies fail B2B SaaSAlternativeFour alternatives for $1M–$10M B2BOutsourcingOperator vs. agency vs. freelancer
Channels & diagnostics
The field notes
Where growth spend leaks. No cadence theater.
One operator’s notes on what I find when I open an account. When it’s worth your five minutes, you get it.