Case study
From ecosystem partner to independent competitor
How an enterprise cloud services firm built its own products and recurring revenue, and the operating rhythm that held it together.
Company
Stark & Wayne. Enterprise cloud platforms, software, professional services and managed services.
Period
June 2016 to March 2023
Location
New York, NY
My role
[TITLE SEQUENCE TO CONFIRM]
2 → 200+
Customers
320%
Growth in annual recurring revenue
$30M+
Forecasted partner ARR converted to owned recurring revenue
$4M
Largest direct enterprise agreements I closed
The situation
The company worked as a partner to a larger platform vendor. Over my time there it grew from 2 customers to more than 200, and moved from selling through a partner to owning its products and its recurring revenue.
What I led
The pivot
I led the move from vendor partner to competitor, converting $30M+ in forecasted partner ARR into owned recurring revenue through proprietary products, integration services and managed services.
Enterprise sales
I closed direct enterprise agreements up to $4M and expanded strategic accounts through executive-level engagement.
The operating rhythm
I established weekly and monthly business reviews, KPI reporting, sales qualification and pricing.
Contracts
I standardized master service agreements and statements of work.
The product portfolio
I directed 10+ infrastructure products from market discovery and roadmap through release, pricing, enterprise adoption and integration contracts.
What the team owned
[TEAM AND PARTNER CONTRIBUTIONS TO BE SUPPLIED]
What was left in place
- A weekly and monthly review cadence with KPI reporting
- Sales qualification and pricing standards
- Standard master service agreements and statements of work
- A portfolio of 10+ infrastructure products with owned recurring revenue
Why it matters for the next role
This is the work a President, COO or General Manager does in a software and services business: one operating rhythm across sales, product, delivery and finance, with pricing and contracts the whole company works from.