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Is your tech stack running your team instead of the other way around? Jalil, founder of Mountainise and Revenue Operations expert, joins Chelsey to break down what’s actually holding back digital transformation in today’s businesses.

Expect to unpack MarTech, RevOps, BizTech, and other buzzbuzzy words into simple, actionable steps your business can take to Do. Tech. Adoption. Right.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why most companies overbuild their tech stacks and undertrain their teams
• The real cost of siloed systems and misaligned departments
• How to simplify your biztech approach and align sales, marketing, and CS
• What digital transformation should really look like in 2025

Whether you're in RevOps, marketing, or executive leadership, this one’s a must-listen if your tools are multiplying and your outcomes aren’t.

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

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Can strong relationships really help your business grow? Kelly Gindlesperger says yes. She has built an entire career (and wrote a children’s book) on that belief.

In this episode of the Growth Department podcast, Chelsey sits down with Kelly, a partnerships leader at a fast-growing tech company, author, and all-around super-connector. They talk about how authentic partnerships fuel business growth, what most founders get wrong about collaboration, and why generosity is the ultimate growth strategy.

You’ll learn:

• How to grow your business through strategic partnerships
• Where to start if you’re a founder or startup with no dedicated partnerships lead
• How to vet potential tech or channel partners
• Red flags to watch for when collaborating with other companies
• How strong personal relationships shape Kelly’s parenting, leadership style, and career
• What writing a children’s book with her daughter taught her about creativity and meaningful work

If you’re a founder, business leader, partnerships manager, or someone who wants to grow by building real relationships, this episode is for you.

Resources Mentioned:
– Kelly & Bailey's book Meet Me In My Dreams (available on Amazon, Audible, and Kindle)
– Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !

Send us a text

What really happens in the first year of launching a startup?

In this episode of The Growth Department, Chelsey sits down with Marcus Rien, a CFO and CPA turned tech founder and the brains behind Waves CPAs. We'll unpack the messy, high-stakes, and deeply rewarding reality of going from corporate life to taking the entrepreneurial leap.

Waves CPAs is a tech-driven platform helping businesses find fractional finance talent AND helping entrepreneurial CPAs build flexible, meaningful careers. Marcus shares how his background in corporate finance and accounting led to spotting a major gap in the market, and why solving it required launching a startup of his own.

They dive into:

• What to expect in your first year as a founder
• How to grow a marketplace business from scratch
• The value of fractional CFOs and controllers for small and midsize businesses
• Why perfection kills momentum (and what to focus on instead)
• Lessons from sales, moonlighting, bootstrapping, and burnout
• Why the future of CPA work is flexible, remote, and founder-led
• Plus: How golf, springboard diving, and startup life actually overlap

Whether you're a CPA considering entrepreneurship, a founder building your first platform, or a business owner wondering if fractional finance support is right for you, this episode is packed with real-world insights you won't find in a startup playbook.

About Marcus Rien:
Marcus is the founder of Waves CPAs, a marketplace connecting companies with experienced, independent CPAs for fractional finance work. He's also a scratch golfer, former controller, and lifelong learner with a legacy brick outside U.S. Bank Stadium that reads: Belief Inspires Success.

Resources Mentioned:

• Connect with Marcus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusrien
• Learn more about Waves CPAs: https://www.wavescpas.com

Stay in the know with all-things Growth Department:

Website | LinkedIn | TikTok | YouTube | X

Each week, we interview founders, business leaders, and experts in their field about how to grow a business and the personal growth that comes with the journey. #LetsGrow !