Who Is Hello Operator For?

If you're an executive in a B2B company backed by private equity, venture capital, or growth equity (or think you might be someday) this newsletter is for you.

Things are different inside an investor-backed business. You’re on the clock from day one. You’re not just managing your team. You’re managing your CEO and your board, too. Growth isn’t optional. Data-driven management is table-stakes. And almost every decision you make will get double-judged: once in the moment, and again during the exit process.

But there’s a reason you said yes to this opportunity. This kind of role, in this kind of environment, is a rare chance to prove you can help a business win when it really counts. To show you can build the kind of team people want to be a part of. To earn the kind of credibility and track record that compounds over time. And if you get it right? You leave with a result and story you can leverage forever—and potentially life-changing upside.

I’m Paul Stansik. I’m an operating partner at a tech-focused private equity firm. It’s my job to work directly with the CEOs and leadership teams across our portfolio to help them set their strategy, hit their numbers, and manage through the unique kind of pressure that comes with operating in an investor-backed environment.

My role gives me a front-row seat to what separates the great operators from everyone else. This is where I share what seems to work. The tools, frameworks, and hard-earned lessons from inside the world of investor-backed businesses.

I’m glad you’re here. Thanks for reading.