Margins and Mandates
Join Jeff Lortz as he explores the critical balance between
profitability and growth mandates. Each episode delivers frameworks,
insights, and real-world strategies from leaders who've
navigated high-stakes business challenges.
AO GROWTH ADVISORS
The podcast where strategy meets execution for ambitious operators
Essential Listening for Operators
Strategic conversations that tackle the real challenges of balancing margins and mandates
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Johan AbadieIn this episode of Margins and Mandates, Jeff reconnects with Johan Abadie, VP of Demand Generation and Revenue Strategy at SalesIntel, for a candid conversation about building pipeline in an era of AI hype, cheap data traps, and shifting buyer expectations.
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Nate Burke
In this episode of Margins and Mandates, Jeff sits down with Nate Burke, CMO at 7 AI, to unpack what it really takes to build and run a marketing organization inside an emerging AI cybersecurity company.
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Steve Martin
In this episode, Jeff sits down with Steve Martin, a seasoned CMO who’s been in the trenches of SaaS, CRM, and PE-backed growth stories for the past two decades. From his early days at Lotus post-IBM acquisition to his recent role leading marketing at Act!, Steve opens up about the evolving challenges of scaling software compan
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Pam Boiros
In this episode of Margins and Mandates, Jeff sits down with Pam Boiros, fractional CMO, marketing strategist, and co-founder of . Pam shares her journey from leading marketing at major HR tech companies to building her consulting practice,
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Michelle Katz
In this episode of Margins and Mandates, host Jeff Lortz sits down with Michelle Katz, founder of From Prospects — a data-driven intelligence platform shaking up the traditional world of legal recruiting and firm research.
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Ryan De La Parra
This is a long , thin type of bread of French origin, that is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust
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Jeff Nulsen
In this episode of Margins and Mandates, Jeff Lortz sits down with Jeff Nulsen, a seasoned marketing executive, to unpack how he helped transform a brand overshadowed by security crises into a thriving, trusted growth engine while serving as CMO at N-Able.
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Margins and Mandates explores how business leaders build resilient, high-performing organizations in demanding markets. Hosted by Jeff Lortz — an experienced CEO, operator, and founder of the Agile Operator playbook — each episode features candid conversations about the strategies, challenges, and decisions that define real leadership. If you’re an executive, founder, or senior operator driving growth and results, this is your playbook for leading under pressure.
In this episode, Jeff reconnects with Norman, a fellow CMO and operator, to unpack the evolving challenges of leading growth in PE-backed technology companies. Their conversation explores:
Life after Acoustic and Mimecast: Norman’s journey from agency leadership to cybersecurity CMO to fractional/consulting roles.
The recurring challenges of PE portfolio companies: Why marketing misalignment, silos, and ICP drift never seem to go away.
The cybersecurity playbook: The constant tension between point solutions, platform plays, acquisitions, and skeptical CISO buyers.
AI and the future of marketing: From the impact of LLMs on discoverability to redefining sales enablement and content placement strategies.
The evolving role of the CMO: Is it dying, or entering a golden age powered by AI-augmented marketing?
Norman also shares how he’s reimagining sales enablement with custom GPTs, what PE firms often miss in the growth equation, and why executives need to stop marketing “inside out” and align with the customer’s lens.
This episode is both a reality check and a roadmap for marketing leaders navigating growth, transformation, and disruption.
Norman Guadagno https://www.techcxo.com/partners/norman-guadagno/
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