In this episode of Go-To-Market with Dr. Amy Cook, Amy sits down with Joe Nicholls, Revenue Operations leader and GTM expert, whose career journey is anything but traditional. From restaurant floors to customer support desks and ultimately into the strategic world of RevOps, Joe’s story is a testament to adaptability, customer-first thinking, and a multitude of breakfast metaphors.
What’s on the menu? A fresh, home-grown discussion of what works, what doesn’t, and why “best practices” sometimes need to be thrown out with the eggshells.
With a background in exercise science and an early career in hospitality, Joe explains how his diverse experience has given him a unique advantage in problem-solving and stakeholder alignment.
Whether you’re new to RevOps or a seasoned leader, this episode will leave you thinking differently about how to structure your teams, choose the right tech stack, and cook up more effective go-to-market strategies (yes, there will be egg metaphors).
Here are some interview highlights:
Amy: Do you think your background, especially the customer service and restaurant work, gives you an advantage in RevOps?
Joe: Absolutely. In restaurants, you solve problems for customers every single day. You’re constantly adjusting to different needs, different personalities, and different constraints—on the fly. That problem-solving mindset directly translates to what I do now. Our stakeholders are essentially our “customers,” and my job is to make things better for them.
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So even though I don’t have 25 years of traditional ops experience, I think having a non-traditional background has helped me come in with a fresh perspective. I don’t default to, “Well, that’s how it’s always been done,” because I don’t have that baggage.
Amy: Speaking of “how it’s always been done,” let’s talk about best practices. They can be helpful, but also limiting. What’s your take?
Joe: Yeah, I’ve definitely butted heads with the term “best practice.” It’s not that I think they’re useless, there’s value in learning from what’s worked. But when someone tries to shut down a new idea with, “That’s not best practice,” I have to push back.
Business is too dynamic. What worked five years ago—or even last year—might not apply now. I look at every situation based on current variables: company goals, tech stack, stakeholder needs, customer experience. It’s kind of like cooking breakfast. You might think over-easy eggs and sourdough toast is the perfect meal, but if the person you’re cooking for wants scrambled eggs on wheat, that changes everything. You adjust. It’s not about perfection—it’s about fit.
Amy: Let’s use that breakfast metaphor. If eggs are people, toast is process, and tech is your seasoning—how do you assemble the right RevOps “meal”?
Joe: I love this metaphor, by the way. When I build or assess a RevOps team, I start by asking: What problem are we trying to solve? And then: What does RevOps exist to do in this business?
For me, it comes down to three pillars: increasing visibility (data), increasing efficiency (process), and increasing focus (strategy). Once I have clarity there, I can look at the team and say, “Okay, we need this experience, this mindset, this adaptability.” I don’t care if someone hasn’t “done it 10 times before.” I care if they can solve this problem in this environment—creatively and collaboratively.
Q: Let’s talk tech. When you’re evaluating tools for your RevOps stack, what’s your decision-making process?
Joe: The tool itself is only part of the equation. I lean heavily on the people behind the tech—are they true partners or just vendors? I want collaboration, responsiveness, shared strategy. If the product is great but the team behind it isn’t, that’s a red flag for me.
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Also, every tool has to serve a purpose that ties back to one of those pillars—visibility, efficiency, or focus. If it doesn’t move the needle on one of those, it’s just noise.
Amy: For others trying to unify their go-to-market approach, what’s your advice?
Joe: Treat your peers in other departments as partners, not subordinates. Don’t try to control what you don’t fully understand. Instead, build trust, share goals, and collaborate on shared outcomes.
