OpFocus is 15! Almost old enough to drive a car down a strategic roadmap, our team is proud of and inspired by the journey that brought us here.

For Salesforce partners, especially ones that began in the early days of Salesforce (looking at you, Classic v1.0), the journey to 15 was an adventurous one. From our first logo, office space and first team members to now, there have been plenty of meaningful and entertaining experiences along the way.

If you’re reading this, we’re positive you have a story with our team. Below are some of our favorite moments over the past 15 years with you, our community of fellow RevOps warriors.

David’s first year

OpFocus began humbly with our first client, Orchestria, a SaaS organization located in New York, and a friend of David Carnes. At the time, there were only five members of OpFocus, who worked out of a small condo in the residential community of Winchester, MA. The team’s small size didn’t stop them from providing excellent service to clients, many applauding the creativity and expertise OpFocus offered.

As with our office, the OpFocus logo has come a long way. Our initial logo may have been cutting edge in 2008, but in 2014, OpFocus unlocked our next chapter (get it?) with the three concentric rings logo that everyone knows and loves today.

Going remote

Our team was always able to operate remotely, but in early March of 2020, before COVID shut down in-person activities in the US, we decided to become a 100% distributed team. We did this to ensure we could hire and retain the best talent, wherever they are, empower our experts to make their schedules work for them, and better allocate resources to the incredible experiences that the team couldn’t stop talking about (more on that later regarding team offsites!) You might say that we were even one step ahead of COVID when the tech industry and broader professional community embarked on its biggest experiment of working from home.

The customers of OpFocus

We’ve partnered with close to a thousand SaaS organizations over the years, and we want to share a few of their stories.

Sisense

Sisense is our most recent case study and one of the coolest, fastest-growing companies we’ve helped during their incredible growth. Engagements with their team have included implementing Salesforce CPQ and conducting a complete audit of the Sisense tech stack/processes to develop a strategic roadmap. Sisense created the leading AI-driven platform for infusing analytics everywhere, embedding in customer and employee applications and workflows.

• OpFocus helped accelerate the development of a concrete timeline and action plan that aligned strategy to prioritized execution.
• Having a credible, third-party expert offer recommendations based on their experiences with similar companies eliminated a lot of potential roadblocks. 
• OpFocus identified governance and change management as critical missing parts of Sisense’s operations.
• Sisense now has a greater ability to plan and understand what the timeline does and doesn’t encompass, so that they can prepare their fast-growing team for the next milestone.

“OpFocus helped accelerate the development of a concrete timeline and action plan, so we can be confident in our data, scale our systems, and be ready for the next stage of growth.”

Mike Sitter, VP of Business Operations, Sisense

Friends of OpFocus

Sometimes clients, sometimes partners, always friends of OpFocus, these individuals are what makes OpFocus special to us. 

Karene Sean-Hines, Executive Director and Alix Sean-Hines, VP of Marketing and Strategy at Pi-TaP

How did you first connect with OpFocus?

Karene first met David at a Salesforce Saturday in Boston, where she made a pitch for a way to create opportunities for the youth and adults in the urban areas around Boston. David approached Karene after her pitch and asked what he could do to help her mission. 

What impact has David and OpFocus had on your organization’s development?

David has always been there at the critical points of Pi-TaP’s progression. David taught Salesforce classes for members of Pi-TaP and was there to cheer on Karene when she received the Golden Hoodie at Dreamforce. He helped transition Pi-TaP from an in-person, twice-a-week program to an entirely virtual offering. Alix notes how impactful it was when David donated a set of laptops they could offer participants to make this remote program possible. She raves about how much David has done for herself and Pi-TaP. Her relationship with David is exceptionally favorable. David now serves on the Pi-TaP board.

“David is one of those incredible people who not only says that he cares but follows it up with actions and concrete resources.” 

Karene Sean-Hines, Executive Director of Pi-Tap

Peter Howe, Practice Lead at the Invado Group

How did you first connect with OpFocus?

Peter first met David and the OpFocus team in 2008 during an engagement with Bright Horizons Family Solutions. A mutual friend introduced the two of them, and they met at the Weston Inn. At this time, OpFocus ran out of David’s attic. 

“Quite honestly, without exaggeration, I credit him with fueling the fire. He’s been a mentor, and he’s been someone I look up to; he’s the statue of liberty to me.”

Peter Howe, Practice Lead at Invado group

What has your relationship with OpFocus been?

David has been there for each step of Peter’s career progression. Peter views him as someone to bounce ideas off of and someone that’s always there. He recounts one time when he called David. At this time, David was in Europe, where it was 2 am. Where most people would say to pick the topic up in the morning, David helped him find a solution there on the spot. 

“What it’s meant, it’s much more than the services they provide, it’s the positive things they do for companies that I find very important, and I think that gets lost… We never turn our backs on each other. And that’s been foundational.”

Peter Howe, Practice Lead at Invado group

Has there been a moment that stands out where you’ve brought the team in to solve an issue?

During one of the first interactions, the Bright Horizons team wanted to take a dirty database and turn all leads into contacts. The team was dead set on doing this, even though Peter was skeptical. The OpFocus team was able to make it work “the best way it could work with the client’s specifications.” David, Astrid, and Duncan were very clear about the ramifications where other consultants would only serve as order takers. 

Grant Wilson, CEO & Managing Partner at Force Management

Grant recounts the good fortune to work with OpFocus for years. The OpFocus team not only helped him implement his methodology into a customer’s Salesforce environment, but also built specialized reporting and forecasting capabilities. Grant’s gone on to recommend several customers to the OpFocus team with great confidence. He’s confident in the great work, character, and integrity OpFocus provides.

How did you first connect with OpFocus?

A business acquaintance introduced us. We had a chance to get together and talked about what we wanted to do and how we wanted to help our customers. As you know, David is a tremendous listener. And he thinks about how to solve the problem. We just seemed to hit it off quickly because it was about solving the problem and not trying to sell something. 

What has your relationship been with OpFocus?

Grant talks about the difference between working with OpFocus compared with other vendors. He mentions how OpFocus is special in that the team takes the time to understand his current process and issues as well as the future state his team wants. Then they work together to find the best solution based on this information and what his team can do at the time.

“We’ve worked with maybe 6-7 other vendors, and it’s not that they don’t do a good job, but OpFocus stands out. They’re focused on making sure that it’s exactly right and focused on making sure it’s going to work inside our environment. They’re not looking to burn up our wallets, and they’re trying to find where we’re going to find the most value for the effort they’re going to put in. It’s a very trustworthy relationship.”

Grant Wilson, CEO of Force MAnagement

Mike DiPietro, Marketing Advisor and Consultant at Pemi Consulting

How did you first connect with OpFocus?

In 2008, Mike joined a small company where every single person in the company had superuser privileges in Salesforce. That was a sign that much work was needed. After reaching out to David, Astrid became the account manager for Mike’s company. With the help of OpFocus, they also moved away from leads and developed an account-centric approach. Talk about being ahead of the industry with ABM!

What has your relationship with OpFocus been like?

The partnership Mike developed was with David, Astrid, and MJ. After becoming a marketing advisor consulting to JMI Equity, he introduced OpFocus to multiple portfolio companies. He’s remained in touch with everyone as partners as well as friends. He’s known David and Astrid for 15 years now.

What’s a story about OpFocus that stands out to you?

Mike introduced OpFocus to one of his clients, who wanted to move to a pure ABM approach. They wanted to be cutting edge and implement the SiriusDecision’s Demand Unit Waterfall. Opfocus took on this challenging project and a few years later, the client was a showcase account for SiriusDecisions. 

“I’ve always appreciated OpFocus’ willingness to push Salesforce; they know it so well and what it can do. So they’re willing to say, let’s try to make it fit into what companies need rather than just treat it as it is out of the box.” Mike talks about the creativity the team brings and how impactful that is in problem-solving.

The people at OpFocus

People as our core value

People have always been at the heart of OpFocus.

OpFocus is more than just a set of services to help SaaS companies grow. We are here after all this time because of the people we share our story with each day we’re in business. There’s a reason our company hit 15, and it is all because of the people.

Team Off-sites

To build relationships within our team and demonstrate how much we value every member, OpFocus has gone on several work retreats throughout the years. These included trips to Bermuda, Iceland, Miami, and local getaways in the New England area. 

Bermuda

Iceland

Baseball Games at Fenway

OpFocus team reserved time at Fenway Park. During this outing, we invited some of our closest customers to join us in the outfield. Customers received a custom embroidered hat and baseball glove and spent time on the field throwing the ball around. It was a great time, and afterward, the group attended that night’s RedSox game.

Stories from our leaders

Astrid Domenico

The first week working at OpFocus:

The first week Astrid worked for OpFocus was during the week of Dreamforce. The team was only five people at the time, and it was the perfect way to meet the team and spend time with one another. She recounts each team member at that time and what an ideal event like Dreamforce was to meet everyone. Almost all members of this initial team have stayed in touch with OpFocus.

“It might be the best first week of anyone working at OpFocus.”

Astrid Domenico, CEO at OpFocus

What was the culture like back then, how has it grown and evolved?

We grew in fits, with significant additions to the team at a time. It’s hard to do this organically, and there have been times we have more projects than people. As. the company continued to grow, it maintained a rock-solid culture with people at its core. As Astrid stresses, you can’t fake a culture of caring, and this has remained consistent for all 15 years.

“We continue to be driven by helping clients in real, meaningful ways.”

Astrid Domenico, CEO at OpFocus

Why do you think OpFocus has been as successful as it’s been?

People are the reason OpFocus has been as successful as it’s been. A considerable aspect of this has been their drive. Members of OpFocus are all driven to improve and push themselves to get better each year. People are the reason OpFocus has been as successful as it’s been. 

“He (David) finds common ground that’s very meaningful to you.”

• Astrid Dominico

How we came up with our values:

Instead of a small group of us running around and delivering on projects, we started to think of ourselves as a company that will grow. I had come from the YMCA, which had core values, so I know they are something you can rally behind. We thought about how we worked then and how we aspired to work, we started to plan for the future. 

MJ Kahn

How you met David:

They met in 2005 at Toastmasters during a speech contest. David gave a speech called “My Blackberry, my Crackberry,” which MJ volunteered to record. 

Around 2008, MJ decided to learn Salesforce, starting with Apex. The instructor for this class ended up being David Carnes. Through their discussion, David mentioned OpFocus and that he was hiring developers. MJ eventually joined the team as a contractor. 

“Networking works!”

MJ Kahn, Director of Development at OpFocus

The first time MJ met the rest of the team was in “Edleton Route,” where she presented on Apex to the rest of the group. She recounts a time at the resort where the team went on such a long “forced march” that some employees received tick bites. 

Where does OpFocus go from here?

Fifteen years may seem like a long time, but for OpFocus, it’s only the beginning. Moving forward, we’ll continue building on what’s made us so successful. Bringing on and developing our team of consultants and cultivating long-term relationships supporting our clients’ mission. As the SaaS community evolves, so will we, and we’ll continue expanding our services to make it easier for RevOps leaders to crush their growth goals. 

If you’re an ambitious Salesforce or RevOps leader who’s looking to join a group of like-minded Trailblazers, take a look at our open positions. We’re always looking for RevOps and Salesforce rockstars to join our team!