Background & Early Path

1. Before joining QC Growth, you served in the Army and were studying cybersecurity. Can you tell us about that period of your life and what you were focused on learning?‍

Before joining QC Growth, I was serving in the Army National Guard while also studying cybersecurity and AI/technical systems. That period of my life was focused on discipline, structure, and learning how complex systems work, both in a military environment and in the digital world. I was especially interested in networking, security fundamentals, infrastructure, and the way different technologies connect behind the scenes. I spent a lot of time working on various cybersecurity certifications to keep leveling up in the cyber world. I do strongly believe that even though at the tim I thought I was just getting some certifications to pad up my resume, all of that studying was essential for what I’m doing now. I might not use the cyber tools I was learning about, but the mindset it installed in me is what I'm able to leverage today at QC Growth.

Looking back, that season gave me a strong foundation for how I approach work today. The Army taught me accountability, resilience, and how to stay calm under pressure, while cybersecurity trained me to think critically, identify weak points, and solve problems from multiple angles. Those two experiences ended up shaping the way I now approach GTM systems, automation, and revenue infrastructure.

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2. What motivated you to pursue cybersecurity and technical systems in the first place?
   
   

I’ve always been technically inclined. As far back as I can remember, I would be taking electronics apart and coding as far back as middle school. I have a natural curiosity and passion for anything tech. It’s what I live and breathe. I find excitement in knowing how all these complex things like the internet and networking work. I find even more joy when I can understand how these things work and then be able to build something using that knowledge.

I specifically went into cybersecurity because I saw just how vulnerable the digital space is. A tech pirate that is savvy enough to understand the basics can break into a lot of poorly engineered systems and be able to exploit that for their own benefit, so I want to be the person that can save regular folks from attacks like that and from being exploited online. Cybersecurity and technical systems reward people who like understanding how things work at a deep level, and I’ve always been motivated by the challenge of building solutions that are both secure and scalable. Cybersecurity really rewards people who enjoy understanding things at a deep level, and that challenge is what originally pulled me in.

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3. How did you first come across QC Growth, and what made you interested in joining as a GTM Engineer Intern?
   
   

This is one of my favorite stories. I had the pleasure of going through basic training with Nick Tarsi, a GTM Lead at QC Growth, who was one of my battle buddies back in 2025. Since we were both in the National Guard, we returned home after training, and one day Nick called me to tell me that QC Growth was growing and looking for young, hungry interns to join the team as GTM Engineers.

I immediately said yes. Within that same week, I ended up on a call with Luke and Jake, and things moved quickly from there. What interested me most was the opportunity to combine my technical background with a fast moving startup environment. I didn’t fully know what Revenue Engineering would become for me yet, but I knew I wanted to be around smart people, learn quickly, and build real systems that had a direct impact on the business.

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4. When you started the internship, what were you hoping to learn or get exposure to?
   
   

When I started the internship, I wanted exposure to how startups actually run behind the scenes. I wanted to understand the systems, processes, and infrastructure that make execution possible. I was especially interested in learning how automation, data, outbound infrastructure, and process design all come together to support growth.

I also wanted to become more operationally sharp. Coming from a cybersecurity and military background, I had experience thinking through systems and solving technical problems, but QC Growth gave me a chance to apply that mindset in a business context. I wanted to learn how startups acquire customers, how GTM motions are built, and how technology can be used to make those motions faster, cleaner, and more scalable.

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Military Mindset → Startup Systems

5. Your Army background is very different from the startup world on the surface. What lessons from the military have carried over into your work today?
   
   

The biggest lesson is that execution matters more than perfect conditions. The military teaches you to stay calm, solve problems with limited information, and be dependable under pressure. Those lessons translate directly into startup environments, where speed, adaptability, and ownership are critical.

In both environments, you rarely have perfect clarity before you need to act. You have to assess the situation, make the best decision with the information available, and keep moving. That mindset has helped me tremendously at QC Growth, especially when building systems, troubleshooting workflows, or working through ambiguous client problems

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6. How has military discipline influenced the way you approach problem solving and building systems?
   
   

It’s made me very process oriented and consistent. I tend to think in terms of structure, repeatability, and contingency planning, which helps when building systems that need to be reliable, scalable, and clear for other people to use.

It has also taught me the importance of accountability. When you are responsible for a system, a campaign, or a workflow, you have to own the outcome. That means thinking ahead, documenting clearly, checking your work, and making sure that what you build can hold up when other people depend on it.

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7. Startups often move fast and operate with a lot of ambiguity. How did your background help you adapt to that environment?
   
   

My background helped because I was already comfortable operating in environments where you do not always have complete information. Instead of waiting for perfect clarity, I learned to make strong decisions with what is available, iterate quickly, and improve systems as new information comes in.

That has been especially valuable in a startup environment. Things change quickly, client needs evolve, tools break, workflows shift, and priorities can move fast. My background helped me stay level headed in those moments and focus on solving the problem instead of getting overwhelmed by the ambiguity.

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8. Are there any leadership lessons from the Army that shape how you work with teams today?
   
   

One of the biggest is that good leadership is about accountability and clarity. People do their best work when expectations are clear, ownership is defined, and the team knows they can rely on each other.

That lesson carries into how I work with teams today. Whether we are launching a campaign, building a workflow, or solving a client problem, communication matters. Clear handoffs, defined responsibilities, and trust between teammates make a huge difference in how well a team can execute.

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From Intern → Revenue Engineering Lead

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9. You joined QC Growth as a GTM Engineer Intern and now lead Revenue Engineering. What did that progression look like?
   
   

To be honest, the progression took time. I remember being extremely nervous at first, afraid that if I clicked the wrong button, I might accidentally break an entire system. Like most things, it started slow and small, then grew over time. Early on, I worked on projects like pulling lead lists, running them against do-not-contact lists, enriching leads in Clay, and launching campaigns in Heyreach.

As I became more comfortable with the tools and better understood our internal systems, I started taking on more responsibility. Over time, the work evolved from supporting core GTM workflows to designing infrastructure, automations, data flows, and operational processes that help both our team and our clients move faster. That progression came from gradually taking ownership of more complex systems and higher impact problems.

10. What were some of the first systems or projects you built that helped you grow into the role?
    
    

At first, a lot of my growth came from experimenting in Clay. I spent time going through different enrichments, testing formulas, learning how data moved through the platform, and figuring out how to turn messy inputs into clean, usable outputs. Over time, as I understood the fundamentals better, I began taking on more operational work, including lead scoring, Zapier and n8n automations, CSV standardization, data formatting, and internal workflow improvements.

Those early projects taught me that I could build almost anything if I understood the problem clearly enough. The tools were right in front of me. The key was learning how to visualize the end state, break the problem into steps, and figure out how to make the system work. That mindset has become a major part of how I operate today.

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11. What does “Revenue Engineering” actually mean in practice at QC Growth?
    
    

Well it’s a bit challenging to define exactly what I do, I think we all just do a bit of everything. That’s what I love about our team. We are the engine that makes QC run. We work closely with the client leads to understand the ICP of the client. From there we build very solid lead lists, enrich contacts, and get all the data presented to the client. Once they approve it, we launch campaigns on linkedin and email using our lead lists. On top of launching campaigns for clients, there’s a lot of internal work that goes done as well. Operationally speaking, each client has its own systems that need to be well maintained and built out. That includes automations, outbound infrastructure, data flows, reporting, integrations, and internal processes that help the team operate more effectively and help startups scale in a more structured way.

But it goes beyond campaign execution. A major part of Revenue Engineering is building and maintaining the internal systems that allow us to operate efficiently. That includes automations, outbound infrastructure, data flows, reporting systems, integrations, QA processes, and repeatable workflows. The goal is to create systems that make growth more structured, measurable, and scalable.

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12. What are some of the most complex or interesting problems you’ve solved working with startups?

Some of the most interesting problems involve turning messy, manual workflows into repeatable, scalable systems. Startups often have strong momentum, but their infrastructure can be fragmented. The challenge is designing solutions that bring clarity, efficiency, and better data without slowing the team down.

I enjoy problems where there is no obvious playbook. Whether it is finding a very specific audience, enriching incomplete data, connecting tools that do not naturally speak to each other, or automating a tedious workflow, the fun part is figuring out how to move from a messy problem to a clean system. That is where Revenue Engineering becomes really valuable.

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Learning the Craft

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13. What technical skills or tools did you develop the most during your time at QC Growth?

‍The biggest skill I have developed is problem solving. When a client has a strong campaign idea and needs a very niche, hyper targeted lead list, I enjoy the challenge of figuring out how to get that data. Sometimes that means scraping websites, searching through public databases, running Claygent workflows, enriching contacts, or combining multiple sources to create a clean final output.

I have also sharpened my ability to think through systems. Since joining QC Growth, I have become much stronger at breaking down complex problems, identifying the right tools, and building workflows that actually solve the issue. Clay, Heyreach, Zapier, n8n, enrichment tools, APIs, and scraping tools have all become part of my toolkit, but the biggest growth has been in how I approach problems mentally.

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14. What’s something about building GTM systems that people often underestimate?

‍People often underestimate how much detail goes into building strong GTM systems. From the outside, it may look like clicking a few buttons in Clay or launching a simple outbound campaign, but the backend work is much more involved. The quality of the list, the structure of the data, the enrichment logic, the targeting criteria, the campaign setup, and the automation behind the scenes all matter.

The small details are usually what determine whether a workflow actually works. A bad field, a messy CSV, a poor filter, or a weak ICP definition can throw off the entire process. Great GTM systems require careful thinking, QA, iteration, and a lot of backend work that most people never see.

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How did teaching yourself cybersecurity influence how you approach automation, infrastructure, and data?

Teaching myself cybersecurity trained me to think outside the box. In cybersecurity, you are constantly looking for the door that other people missed. You learn to think about systems from different angles, identify weak points, and understand how one small vulnerability can affect the entire environment.

That mindset translates directly into Revenue Engineering. When I build automations or data workflows, I am always thinking about where things might break, where the logic might fail, and how the system can be made stronger. Cybersecurity taught me to be curious, skeptical, and detail oriented, which are all valuable traits when building technical GTM infrastructure.

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15. Was there a moment where you felt like you leveled up as an operator?

‍There have been a few moments where I felt like I leveled up. The first was when I started working in n8n and realized how much could be automated if you understood the logic behind the workflow. Another was when I built a fully interactive website for a client’s customer base. I also had a major growth moment when I helped take a client’s HubSpot from a largely anonymized user base to enriched, actionable data.

Those moments showed me that Revenue Engineering is not just about using tools. It is about connecting systems, solving business problems, and creating leverage. Each project helped me build more confidence and made me realize that I could take on increasingly complex operational and technical challenges.

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Working with the QC Growth Team

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17. What’s been most valuable about working closely with the QC Growth team while learning these skills?

‍Having such a strong team around me has been invaluable. The GTM world can feel overwhelming at times, especially when you are learning new tools, managing client expectations, and trying to build systems that actually work. Being able to hop on a call with someone more experienced and talk through a workflow has helped me grow much faster.

What I appreciate most is that the team elevates each other. Everyone brings different strengths, and that makes it easier to solve complex problems together. I have learned a lot from watching how others think through strategy, operations, messaging, data, and execution.

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18. What’s unique about how QC Growth approaches building GTM systems for startups?

‍We really really hammer down the clients ICP. We cannot do the great work we do without taking hours to study the ICP and get on the same wavelength as the founders. That's step 1 for us. Our campaigns and lead lists are at the absolute highest level of quality because we understand who we need to go after. We double, triple, quadruple check our lists before we do anything else with them. If one little detail in these lists is off, we pull them again. We leave no room for error. We run a quality > quantity operation here.

18. What’s something you’ve learned from working directly with founders and early-stage companies?

‍The biggest thing I have learned is that speed matters. The startup world moves incredibly fast, especially in AI and technology. Every day, there seems to be a new product, company, workflow, or market shift. If you have a strong idea but take too long to execute, someone else may build it, ship it, and capture the opportunity before you do.

At the same time, I have learned that speed alone is not enough. Startups also need to stand out. In crowded markets, it is not enough to simply have a good product. Founders need clear positioning, strong execution, and systems that allow them to move quickly without creating chaos behind the scenes.

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Building Systems for Startups

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20. Early-stage startups often don’t have mature systems in place. What’s your approach to building the foundation for growth?‍

My approach is to start with clarity before complexity. Before building systems, you need to understand the ICP, the motion, the current workflow, and the biggest operational bottlenecks. Once that is clear, I try to build systems that are simple, repeatable, and strong enough to support the company as it grows.

I also believe early stage systems should be practical, not over engineered. A startup does not always need the most complex tech stack on day one. What they need is clean data, organized processes, clear ownership, reliable automation, and a foundation that can scale without breaking as the team grows.

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21. What mistakes do startups commonly make when trying to scale their revenue infrastructure?

‍One common mistake is moving too quickly without setting realistic expectations. Startups may raise a seed round, hire a founding GTM leader or AE, and expect immediate results. 20 qualified meetings in the first month or $1 million in closed deals in the first year. From what I have seen, it usually does not work that way. GTM takes time, sales cycles take time, and infrastructure needs to be built properly.

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Another mistake is getting overly ambitious before the team has the bandwidth to support that growth. It is one thing to generate meetings. It is another thing to manage the pipeline, follow up properly, handle sales calls, and keep operations organized. Startups need to make sure they have the capacity to support the demand they are trying to create.

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22. What’s your philosophy on automation vs human workflow in GTM?

‍I am a strong believer in automation, especially for repetitive, manual, and operationally heavy tasks. I would much rather invest time upfront building infrastructure that allows processes to run automatically in the background than spend hours manually updating spreadsheets, moving data, or repeating the same task over and over again.

That said, automation should support human judgment, not replace it entirely. The best GTM systems use automation to remove tedious work so the team can focus on higher value tasks like strategy, messaging, client communication, QA, and decision making. Automation gives us leverage, but it works best when paired with thoughtful oversight.

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Looking Forward

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23. What excites you most about the future of Revenue Engineering and GTM systems?
    
    

What excites me most right now is the direction things are moving with MCP servers, APIs, and deeper tool connectivity. In GTM, we use a wide range of tools that each serve a specific purpose, but the real power comes when those tools can connect, share data, and operate as part of one larger system.

I think the next era of Revenue Engineering will be about orchestration. It will not just be about having great tools. It will be about making those tools work together intelligently. When outbound platforms, CRMs, enrichment tools, scraping tools, reporting systems, and AI agents can all speak the same language, GTM systems become much more powerful.

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24. Where do you want to continue growing technically and professionally?
    
    

Technically, I want to keep my finger on the pulse of the GTM world. That means staying current on new tools, new workflows, Clay and Heyreach updates, automation platforms, APIs, and emerging ways to build better systems. I want to keep sharpening my technical skill set so my workflows stay modern and effective.

Professionally, I want to continue expanding my network and building a portfolio that showcases the systems and workflows I have created. I believe I have built some very valuable things for our business and operations, but I have not yet taken the time to package and display that work. That is one of the next steps I want to focus on.

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25. If someone with a similar background (military or cybersecurity) was considering working in startups, what advice would you give them?
    
    

My advice would be: do not be afraid to network. Talk to as many people as you can, make your skill set known, and keep building projects that show what you are capable of. There are so many opportunities available, but people need to know who you are and what you can do.

I would also tell them not to underestimate how transferable their background is. Military experience teaches discipline, ownership, and adaptability. Cybersecurity teaches problem solving, technical thinking, and attention to detail. Those skills are incredibly valuable in startups. Sometimes you are only one conversation away from the right opportunity, but you have to put yourself in position for that conversation to happen.

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Quick Hits 

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• Favorite GTM tool right now
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‍Clay is my daily playground and there's nothing I love more than spending hours tinkering with Clay formulas, but tools like Zenrows and Phantombuster have also started to be quite valuable for our recent campaigns.

• One system you wish every startup had from day one

Every startup should have a clear understanding of its market, ICP, and customer fit from day one. Beyond that, I think every startup should have a decently organized CRM, a reliable calendar setup, clean data practices, and a basic operational foundation that can support outbound activity without creating unnecessary chaos.

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• Biggest lesson learned working with founders
  
  

The best founders care deeply about speed, but the strongest ones also understand the value of good systems. Moving fast is important, but moving fast with structure is what creates sustainable growth.

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• Skill you’re currently obsessed with learning
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‍Automation. I am constantly thinking about how to automate repetitive workflows, connect tools, and create systems that save time while improving accuracy. My mindset is simple: automate anything and everything that does not require deep human judgment.

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