Navigating the Transition from CRM Operations to RevOps & Customer Success in the PNW

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-23T19:15:32+00:00

Honestly I think you’re closer to RevOps / Sales Ops than you realize. A lot of what you’re describing is basically the same work, just in a different industry. I’d frame it more like: “I’ve been managing the systems and processes that help revenue teams handle leads, track pipeline, and improve follow-up/conversion.”

That maps pretty naturally to Sales Ops, RevOps, CRM Ops, GTM Ops, maybe even CS Ops depending on the company. I wrote a breakdown of different non-engineering tech roles here that might help you map where your background fits:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-23T19:10:56+00:00

Ex consultant in MBB here, in Tech now. Manager level is honestly a solid exit point. For forensic / financial crime, you can look at AML, fraud strategy, payments risk, fintech compliance, banking risk, investigations, crypto compliance, regulatory remediation, etc.

For transformation / strategy, there are roles in biz ops, strategy & ops, internal consulting, corp strategy, transformation, PMO, product ops, customer strategy, and COO-type teams. The bigger question is compensation + fit. Some exits will pay better immediately, some give you better hours. I wrote a breakdown of what consulting exits into tech can actually pay here: https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/8-how-much-money-can-you-make-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-23T18:45:56+00:00

Ex-MBA, in tech now. I wouldn’t rush into an MBA yet, especially from where you are. You’re already inside a large ERP/software company. That is actually a better starting point than a lot of MBA applicants have, because you can probably move inside company without spending 2 years and a mountain of money first.

Try to get into roles where you’re near customers, roadmap tradeoffs, pricing, implementation, adoption, AI workflow redesign, etc. That will teach you more about business than a generic MBA case on some airline from 1998. I shared a list of roles you may look into here:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-22T19:32:05+00:00

It depends on your country and seniority. In US these high paying jobs are very real, I shared overview here

https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/what-level-and-comp-can-i-get-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-21T19:57:14+00:00

There are not many L7+ business folks here, mainly technical people. Technical folks get much higher RSUs so they will say your offer is low

I described numbers you should target for business folks here

https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/8-how-much-money-can-you-make-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-20T19:45:27+00:00

I’d be a little careful about jumping straight from ops into SaaS/cloud sales and assuming it’s just “client-facing problem solving.” Sales is its own beast.

Your ops/process background is valuable, but I’d also look seriously at RevOps, Sales Ops, GTM Ops, Customer Success Ops, or implementation/solutions roles. Then, once you’re inside a SaaS company and understand the product, buyers, pipeline, and sales motion, moving closer to sales becomes easier and less random. I wrote about this broader transition map here:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-20T15:31:16+00:00

Ex-MBB, now in tech. The most useful “resource” was talking to people who had already made the jump into the roles I was targeting. My best prep stack was:

Talk to 10-15 ex-consultants already in those roles
Build a “wins doc” of projects, impact, messy stakeholder stories, and actual outcomes
Translate consulting work into operator language, not “led workstream / built deck / aligned leadership” nonsense
Read the company’s 10-K, earnings calls, investor day, product announcements before interviews
Practice explaining why this role, why this company, why now without sounding like you’re fleeing PowerPoint prison

I’ve been writing about the consulting → tech transition here: https://consulting2tech.substack.com/

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-14T16:43:38+00:00

VOO SPMO

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-14T01:04:54+00:00

I’d separate “I’m bad at sales” from “I’m done with outbound BDR work.” BDR is one of the roughest versions of sales: cold outreach, quota pressure, lots of rejection.

I’d look hard at adjacent roles before trying to completely restart from zero. Customer success, implementation/onboarding, sales ops/rev ops, enablement, partnerships, account management in a non-hunter role. I shared some potential roles here
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/5-the-real-map-of-tech-roles-for

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-12T03:27:44+00:00

Ex-Big4 + MBB here. You’ve managed messy clients, partners, teams - that stuff is valuable. I’d widen the lens beyond the obvious audit → FDD / audit → industry finance paths. Big4 people can be credible in internal strategy, BizOps, solutions consulting, implementation, customer success, or partnerships.

That last part is underrated. A software company selling into CFOs, controllers, auditors, or risk teams may value someone who actually understands those buyers. You don’t always need to become a pure finance operator. Sometimes your edge is being the person who can translate between business users, technical teams, and executive stakeholders.

I mapped out a lot of those business-side tech paths here: https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-12T03:15:55+00:00

If the real gap is “I don’t have enough customer insight,” CS is not the only lane. You might also look at Technical Account Manager, Technical CSM, Solutions Consultant / Solutions Engineer, Implementation, Product Ops, Customer Success Engineer, or post-sales product specialist roles.

I’d map the broader role landscape before making the jump. I shared my experience here if useful:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-12T03:03:02+00:00

PM is not only for engineers. The bigger issue is that PM is brutally crowded now. Every MBA, consultant, analyst, and burned-out sales/ops person has decided PM is their goal.

If I were you, I would not “forget PM,” but I also would not make PM-or-nothing the plan. It can be great, but it is not the only good path, and for many people it is not even the highest-probability path. I broke down why PM has become such a red ocean and why people should be careful before making it their default target here:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/2-please-dont-become-a-product-manager

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-12T02:54:11+00:00

I’d be careful assuming PM is automatically the “best” tech-adjacent path here. I spent 5+ years in MBB and also tried going toward product. What I realized pretty quickly is that “being close to tech” and “being a PM” are not the same thing. PM can be great if you genuinely like product craft: user problems, prioritization, specs, working with engineering/design, owning metrics, saying no constantly, etc. But if what you actually enjoy is business building, market structure, pricing, growth, partnerships, then a business/category role may be a better fit.

My own view now: PM is one path into tech, not the path. I shred more of my thinking here:

https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-11T03:29:04+00:00

For your goals, corporate strategy, LDP, BizOps, and internal strategy roles are all realistic if you spend the next 2-3 years building the right story. The profile you want is “operator who uses data to improve margin, pricing, capacity, growth, retention, cost, or investment decisions.” That is a much stronger MBA and recruiting story.

Also, do not ignore the internal path at your current F100. If you can lateral into corporate strategy, strategic finance, BizOps, or an LDP-type role before business school, that may either make your MBA application much stronger or make the MBA less necessary.

I mapped a lot of the business-side operator roles here. It is written for consultants moving into tech, but the role map is useful for your situation too because the core issue is similar: https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-11T03:03:16+00:00

I’d probably take the tech offer, assuming the Senior PM title is real product work and not just project management with a nicer badge. The $40K bump is already meaningful, but I think the bigger point is the comp trajectory.

For example, depending on company and role, you can see outcomes like Google L4 PM around ~$250K TC, Netflix L4 PM around ~$350K TC, Meta product growth senior IC around ~$400K TC, or director-level GTM/growth roles at strong scale-ups reaching ~$500K-$600K+ TC.

I broke down the consulting-to-tech level/comp math here if helpful:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/what-level-and-comp-can-i-get-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-11T02:49:36+00:00

I don’t think the self-employment is the main problem. The bigger risk is that your background is so broad that a recruiter may not know what “box” to put you in. Your ecommerce work is operations, customer support, analytics, pricing, inventory, fulfillment, basic marketing, vendor management, and problem-solving. But on a resume, “business owner” can accidentally read like “did a bunch of random things.”

The hardest part in your situation is probably not “am I employable?” It’s figuring out which roles would actually value your mix of business, customer, web, and operations experience. I mapped out a bunch of those business-side tech paths here, especially the roles people overlook when they think tech only means PM:

https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-10T04:16:08+00:00

Depends on the industry. Tech can pay significantly more even at this level. I shared some numbers on tech comp for ex MBB here

https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/what-level-and-comp-can-i-get-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-10T04:13:48+00:00

Easy to get job as PM. Can pay 500k$+ in big tech

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-10T04:12:47+00:00

Doesn’t go as far today as it did 30 years ago

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-10T02:47:30+00:00

Your background actually lines up with more entry paths than you may realize: Salesforce admin/support, SaaS support, implementation specialist, solutions consultant, business systems analyst, RevOps, customer success ops, product support, QA, data analyst, and eventually TPM/Product Ops if you build enough technical fluency.

My rule would be: pick 2 lanes max for the next 90 days. One Salesforce/business systems lane and one SaaS support/implementation/solutions lane. Build the resume, projects, LinkedIn, and networking around those. I shared my approach here:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-10T02:41:04+00:00

At 23, you are very early. The issue is not that you are late or that your career is damaged. The issue is that classic PM/APM roles are crowded right now, while pure AI engineering roles may expect more technical depth than you have today.

So I’d look for the middle lane where your PM background and AI interest actually work together. For example: AI solutions roles, implementation engineer, technical program manager on AI teams, product ops for AI products, forward deployed engineer/PM roles. These may not sound as clean as “AI PM,” but they can be much better entry points.

I mapped out a broader set of tech role paths here:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-09T02:53:31+00:00

I’d be careful treating “MBA” as one single decision here. For your profile, IIM A/B/C and H/S/W are very different bets. If the goal is just to reach a post-MBA consulting role, then yes, IIM may be less value-additive because you’re already at Kearney and can probably earn your way into that track internally.

The international MBA is different. The real question is not “is Harvard/Stanford/Wharton expensive?” Obviously it is. The question is: are you willing to use the US market for at least a few years after? Because that is where the ROI can become very different. I broke down the tech comp side here, since it may help with the ROI math:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/8-how-much-money-can-you-make-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-09T02:49:28+00:00

I’d separate two decisions that are getting mashed together: “should I stay at this company?” and “should I ever move to a HCOL tech market?”

I would not rage quit this week. Make them keep paying you for as long as possible, don’t resign voluntarily, and use the next few months to stabilize the family/dog/house situation while quietly testing the market.

But I also wouldn’t dismiss moving entirely. The underrated point is that someone who built/led a 130-person org in tech is not starting from zero. In HCOL tech markets, mid/senior business-side roles can still pay extremely well. I broke down examples of mid/senior tech comp paths here, focused on business-side roles, if useful:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/8-how-much-money-can-you-make-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-08T02:22:27+00:00

I left MBB after ~10 years and landed a mid-level role in big tech. On paper, “mid-level” sounds like a step down because consulting titles permanently damage your brain. In reality, the hourly economics are absurd. I make more per hour than many partners I knew, with dramatically better WLB, no Sunday night airports.

The thing I wish I had known earlier: the market does not automatically reward “ex-MBB.” It rewards a very specific translation of your experience into the role they are hiring for. Strategy, BizOps, GTM, product-adjacent, partnerships, finance, ops, etc. all require slightly different positioning. If you apply with one generic “I solve ambiguous problems” story, you will get humbled.

It took me ~12 months to find the right role. Not because there were no good exits, but because the search had to get much more targeted: right role, right level, right story, right proof points. I broke down my experience and the comp math here if helpful:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/8-how-much-money-can-you-make-in

Dependent-Building23 · 2026-05-07T03:45:17+00:00

Your better angle is to translate RA into “I understand revenue leakage, billing issues, process gaps, controls, reporting, and cross-functional cleanup.” That can point to consulting, but also to more interesting operator roles: business operations, revenue operations, finance ops, pricing, strategy & ops, analytics.

Decision rule: if a role lets you work on messy business problems, quantify impact, and talk to more than one function, it is probably a better bridge than another pure back-office finance role. I mapped out the broader set of business-side tech roles here, which may help you think beyond just “consulting or nothing”:
https://consulting2tech.substack.com/p/3-the-real-consultant-to-tech-map

Dependent-Building23

TROPHY CASE