In this episode of the Free Agent Podcast, host Beau Billington sits down with longtime partners Michael Plomner and Ari Billauer—co-founders of RPS Consultants and two of the most experienced customer success and operations leaders in SaaS. With over 20 years working side-by-side across startups and publicly traded companies, Michael and Ari break down how customer success can evolve from a reactive support function into a predictable, growth-driving engine.

They share their origin story, why they left corporate roles to build a two-person fractional leadership model, and how they help SaaS companies reduce churn, scale post-sales operations, and build customer experiences that actually drive revenue. From incentive structures and ownership models to the common mistakes early-stage companies make, this episode delivers tactical insights for founders, CROs, CS leaders, and anyone building in SaaS.