Key Takeaways
I didn’t begin with a five-year plan, a signature framework, or a billion-dollar vision. I began with: “Hey, I’m alone in Marketing Ops. If anyone else is out there, I’d love to talk.”
That simple ask in a blog post and an empty Slack channel was the spark that ignited our community!
Today, MarketingOps.com connects thousands of MOps and RevOps professionals in peer-driven conversations, workshops, and events. But back in 2019, the site I wanted didn’t even belong to us.
Today, I’ll tell you how I made that journey from isolation to a leader in professional networking. Keep reading for the full back story…
It began with a single blog post inviting people to talk about MarketingOps. In it, I invited anyone struggling with martech stacks or campaign logic to reach out – and within hours, a handful of replies streamed in.
So, I set up an empty Slack channel that evening, pasted the invite link in the comments, and watched as those first few practitioners joined, introduced themselves, and started troubleshooting each other’s toughest problems.
That raw, unfiltered back-and-forth proved two things: people needed this space, and real community always begins with genuine human connection.
That’s where the idea of MarketingOps.com originated from. I knew the founder who ran that domain and assumed he owned it, but I was mistaken!
When I first asked the founder, “What happened to MarketingOps.com?”, I was told that the domain was leased by the brand they worked for, never owned!
So I reached out to the domain’s real owner and invested $20,000 of my own money. No business model, no sponsorship deck, no monetization plan!
Yes, that’s a crazy amount to spend on one domain, but I invested not because it was a sound “startup bet”. It just felt like the right thing to do for fellow practitioners who needed connection because-
One core realization drove me on: you don’t build a community for scale – you build it because you care enough to solve the same problem over and over. MarTech.org reported in 2024 that community-led initiatives are increasingly critical for B2B brands looking to establish authentic practitioner trust in fragmented markets.
With the domain secured, my next challenge was understanding what real networking should look like. Early on, I realized that a niche role like Marketing Ops (RevOps and GTM Ops, too) would thrive only on authentic professional networking that is:
That clarity gave rise to the next question: how do I turn candid Slack threads into consistent growth and impact? The answer was SPACES.
As the community grew, I realized we needed more than ad-hoc conversations if we wanted this to last. I drew from my experience at Mavenlink, where I gained in-depth knowledge of community-building techniques while transitioning from a Marketing Ops role to Head of Community.
One of the most valuable tools I had discovered along the way was the SPACES model, a framework that outlines six core outcomes a community can drive – Support, Product, Acquisition, Content & Contribution, Engagement, and Success.
So, I tried to fit it into MarketingOps.com…and it clicked! Here is how I applied the SPACES model as a compass for our growth:
This framework continues to ensure that every activity, live or virtual, drives genuine engagement and value. It gives us structure without stifling the organic, peer-driven energy that made the community special in the first place.
Fast-forward to today, and MarketingOps.com has become the go-to hub for MOps and the broader GTM Ops practitioners worldwide:
Our thriving community stands as evidence that practitioners, when given the right platform and support, can turn isolation into collective expertise.
So, what can you learn from my journey? Below, I’ve distilled my experience with Marketingops into a few guiding principles for genuine professional networking:
Long story short- Real networking isn’t about the next badge or the biggest following. It’s about solving the same problem side-by-side until you all get better together!
The real proof of what we’ve built isn’t in our metrics. It’s in the voices of the people who make up this community.
I just wanted to take a moment to say that I’ve been part of this community for many years, and it has been an absolute privilege to watch it grow and witness the impact it has had on its members. Seeing professionals support each other, troubleshoot challenges, and celebrate wins together has been incredibly rewarding. — Melissa Canavan
“The Marketing Ops Slack Community has helped me tremendously with troubleshooting technical items within my Marketing Tech Stack via: SalesForce, Pardot, Hubspot, and more. I’m grateful for how active this community is and how helpful everyone is.” — Lindsay Bran
“I joined the channel to explore whether I liked marketing operations as a career. From day one, I was consuming the Slack content and the podcast religiously. Today, I’ve landed a Marketing Operations Specialist role. This community was a big part of that journey.” — Rahul Gowda
“I landed my dream job from acting on a job post Mike had re-shared on an opportunity that was exactly what I was looking for. I was not connected with any of the people and Megaport and had not heard of them, so if it was not for the reposting of Mike, I never would have been connected to this job opportunity.” — Juliet Crema
These stories are why we do what we do – turning professional networking into a platform for genuine growth, collaboration, and shared wins.
If you’re tired of endless LinkedIn scrolling and transactional meet-and-greets, I’ve got news: professional networking can be different!
At MarketingOps, we make it community-driven, framework-backed, and practitioner-first. Here’s how you can plug into MarketingOps.com and start making real progress today-
Everything in Pro, plus:
When you join as Pro or Pro+, you’re getting more than resources. You’re tapping into a living network of experts who’ve been where you are and are committed to helping you level up faster!
I built this community to squash isolation. Now, I’m humbled every day by the professionals who show up, share bravely, and lift each other higher.
What is the SPACES model in community networking? The SPACES model is a community-led framework that focuses on six core outcomes: Support, Product, Acquisition, Content, Engagement, and Success. It helps organizations transition from informal chat groups to structured ecosystems that provide measurable value to both members and the brand.
Why is Marketing Ops isolation a common problem? Many MO Pros work as a ‘team of one’ within marketing departments, often lacking peers who understand the specific technical complexities of MarTech stacks and attribution. Community networking bridges this gap by providing a safe space for practitioners to troubleshoot campaign logic and share playbooks with those in identical roles.
How can I join the MarketingOps.com Slack community? You can join by becoming a Pro or Pro+ member at MarketingOps.com, which gives you access to an invite-only Slack channel of over 3,500 active professionals. Members use this space for real-time troubleshooting, sharing templates, and connecting with industry veterans for career guidance.
Mike Rizzo, is the Community-led Founder of MO Pros and MarketingOps.com. With his extensive background in marketing Mike helped build, launch, manage and optimize Mavenlink's first-ever user community and Client Advisory Board programs. He is the founder of MO Pros - The Community for Marketing Operations Pros that is growing with an average of 110 new members every month. He is also the co-host of the podcast called Ops Cast by MO Pros. As the founder of MarketingOps.com, Mike is taking a community-led approach to building resources that are purpose-built for MO Pros.
MOps-Apalooza is designed to bring the Marketing Ops community together for two days of learning, networking, and practical conversations. This year, attendees can participate through one of two experiences: the MO Pro Member Experience or the Invited Guest (Free) Experience. While both tracks come together throughout the event for keynote
A while ago, Mike Rizzo asked a pointed question on LinkedIn: are Marketing Operations professionals actually seeing ROI from their AI investments? The poll got tons of responses. At least 91% of people wanted to see how companies were measuring AI ROI but only 6% of those people were willing
Everyone wants proof of AI ROI. Almost no one can show it. Here’s why the gap isn’t about AI investment, and what MOps teams need to fix for marketing attribution first.
