Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM

Project Manager

I help Heads of CS become VPs and get a seat at the Executive Table | Customer-Led Growth Advisor | 2X Top 25 CS Influencer | Top 50 CS Influencer | Top 50 Women Leaders in CS | Top 100 CS Strategist | Investor

Why do some CS leaders command executive respect, while others, despite strong results, keep fighting to be heard?

I've been in Tech for 20+ years and been through two exits as VP Client Services. Here's what I've learned:

✨ EVERYTHING has changed.

The speed. The AI transformation. The business models. The way we need to lead.

I see CS leaders working until midnight, delivering great results... and still getting told "we need to cut CS headcount."

Sound familiar?

The old playbooks stopped working.

AI is reshaping how we work, how we go to market, how we serve customers. Your 2023 playbook is irrelevant.

Today, you need SYSTEMS.

Here's what I know from coaching hundreds of CS leaders:

Those who break through have mastered The Modern CS Growth System, 4 pillars of executive impact:

💡 Modern Management & Change Leadership - Lead in the AI era  
💡 AI Fluency, Automation & Autonomy - Transform operations, pricing, GTM
💡 Business & Customer Economics - Speak profitability, not just retention  
💡 Repeatable Customer Revenue & Team Systems - Build scalable frameworks, not heroic firefighting  

This is a systematic approach to demonstrating executive-level impact in the language your fellow executives understand.

👉👉 This is what CS Business Leaders master. Not pieces. The whole system.

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WHO I WORK WITH

CS leaders who've built a department but aren't getting traction:

✔  You deliver strong results, but executives still see CS as a cost center
✔  You're excluded from strategic decisions where your insights would be valuable
✔  You’re told "do more with less" instead of getting resources
✔  You know modern CS should look different, but you're stuck in outdated frameworks

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HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

⚡️ CS BUSINESS LEADERSHIP ACCELERATOR - Master the 4 pillars and build the Modern CS Growth System specific to your goals/challenges through executive peer community + project-based frameworks + personalized coaching.  

🔗 https://go.stepupxchange.com/csbl-accelerator

📬 NEWSLETTER:  I publish a weekly newsletter on modern CS strategies

📧 DM me and I'll share which resources fit you

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RESULTS

✅ Become an award-winning executive
✅ Reposition your team as a strategic revenue driver
✅ Transition from firefighting to repeatable, scalable systems
✅ Innovate with AI to drive profitable customer revenue growth

The modern CS leaders who succeed aren't keeping up with change: They're leading it. 

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📬 Newsletter: janyoungcx.com/#newsletter  
📧 DM me: discuss your challenges  
🎯 Follow for daily insights

Founding Member

RevRoom is a trusted space where curious revenue leaders are collaborating on the future of B2B Go to Market alignment and GTM-Led-Growth.

We were all asked the same question independently. We all gave the same answer.

When ChurnZero asked a group of CS leaders for our 2026 predictions, we didn't compare notes beforehand. 

We had limited space and were told to be specific.

Yet, a clear pattern emerged across the board.
🔸  AI was the theme throughout.
🔸  We didn't talk about playbooks. We talked about Systems. 
🔸  We didn't just talk about CS + AI. We talked about Revenue & Profitability.

A huge thank you to ChurnZero for asking me to contribute alongside such incredible leaders. 

Here is the reality I see coming for our industry:

“Customer success is the frontline of survival for both traditional SaaS and AI-first startups, shifting the mission from simple adoption to high-precision Value Engineering.

To win, leaders are replacing generalists with specialized GTM squads, using Forward-Deployed CSMs and Consumption Leads for high-touch growth, while AI CS Ops and Program Managers architect the data-driven systems that power scaled, touch-free renewals and expansions.

As AI agents automate the routine, the human CSM role will become elevated, requiring the deep EQ and business acumen necessary to turn experimental AI budgets into the predictable, profitable revenue our boards now demand.”

📌  The consensus is clear: 
AI is forcing us to restructure our teams, our roles, and our unit economics to survive in a new market model.


🚨  But there is one trend I think is still flying under the radar:  Agentic Suggestion.

👉  Right now, we prompt AI. By the end of 2026, AI will prompt us.

We are moving toward systems that understand our goals and suggest work, anticipating needs before we even articulate them. 

This will require massive Change Leadership, not just for our teams, but for ourselves.


📌  I’m digging into these trends and How to Take Action in my newsletter this Saturday, AND I have some live events on these themes in the next two weeks.

Get the Insights: 
👉 Read the ChurnZero 2026 Forecast: https://lnkd.in/gEj3Bvu2 
👉 Get my Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gBrhN3As

📆  If you are ready to build the system that supports this future, join my StepUpXchange NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass and learn about the Modern CS Growth System on Jan 20th:  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

📆  If you’re really serious, join the StepUpXchange VIP Inner Circle. You’ll get an exclusive invite to Fireside Focus on Jan 15 that is usually reserved for members of the CS Business Leadership Accelerator. 

📢 This will be an intimate conversation with Ralphie (Ralphette) White, VP CS of Deepgram.  Ralphie is one of the leaders who has been at the forefront of the AI + CS [r]evolution. If you don't want to miss out...
https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

I’m a high-performance revenue and GTM executive who steps in when growth stalls, forecasts lose credibility, and leadership stops trusting the number. I’ve built and led revenue engines to $100M+ across SaaS, AI, Cloud, and Data by turning complexity into clarity and driving disciplined, predictable execution across Sales, CS, Marketing, Partnerships, and Product. I care deeply about accountability and clarity so high-performing teams can win together without chaos.

What I’ve done:
•  Scaled organizations from $10M → $100M+ ARR by designing enterprise-grade, repeatable GTM systems.
•  Built and led global Sales, Customer Success, RevOps, and Partner teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
•  Reengineered revenue engines to deliver 3×–5× pipeline expansion through tighter ICPs, stronger qualification, and deal discipline.
•  Drove GTM execution that produced consistent triple-digit YoY revenue growth through key scale stages.
•  Lifted win rates and deal quality while restoring forecast integrity leadership could confidently run the business against.
•  Built partner and channel motions that unlocked new markets and durable enterprise expansion.

How I lead:
•  I step in when revenue becomes unpredictable: bloated pipeline, stalled enterprise deals, missed handoffs, and leadership flying blind. I clarify the revenue strategy, raise execution standards, and rebuild trust in the number.
•  I align Product, Marketing, Sales, CS, and Partners around what actually closes, ensuring global consistency without slowing teams down. Expectations are clear, accountability is shared, and performance holds across regions, not just one strong quarter.
•  I guide organizations through inflection points where the business needs to grow up fast, new ICPs, new markets, new motions, new leadership layers without losing momentum.

Where I do my best work:
Growth-stage environments where ambition is high, almost there is no longer acceptable, and leadership values truth over optimism. I’m most effective where global execution needs to scale quarter after quarter, not just in pockets.

What’s next:
I’m exploring CRO and VP/SVP of Sales roles where I own revenue outcomes, scale global GTM teams, and build durable growth engines inside ambitious SaaS, AI, and data-driven companies. If your revenue engine looks fine on the surface but doesn’t feel dependable underneath, that’s usually where I create the most value.

Terri Pembleton

I'm sitting here in Chicago, a life long Bears fan counting down to the big Bears game, it’s impossible not to feel that familiar mix of hope, nerves, excitement and this could be the day. The kind of day where a city collectively decides that no matter what the record says, today is about possibility.

What is it about comebacks that we love so much? Comebacks never start from perfect conditions, they start when the story looks bad on the scoreboard. The magic is in refusing to believe the current score is the final word, whether it’s 3rd and long, down three touchdowns, or staring at a pipeline that looks a little too thin for comfort.
That’s where the quiet decision happens-stay in it one more play, or meeting. Most people tap out before the turning point shows up. The people who win are the ones who hang around long enough to meet it.

Every Bears fan in Chicago has lived some version of -Don’t leave yet, this drive could change everything or This is Our year. That same energy applies everywhere else in work and life. 

-Down on quota? What do I need to change or improve?
-Tough quarter behind you? New  quarter  and new chances.
-Feeling like you’re trailing? You only need one real meeting to flip the momentum.

So as Chicago gets loud for the big Bears game, it’s not just about football. It’s a reminder that you can be down and still be dangerous. You can be behind and still be building a comeback. You can look “done” to everyone else and still be one meeting away from changing the story.

Watching the Chicago Bears, whether you like them or not. It reminds you of team work, believing in yourself and you can get knocked down and still come back. You are never really out unless you decide you’re out. That hope, drive and not giving up is the heartbeat of every true comeback either on the field and in real life. I’m not sure what’s to happen on Sunday. But today is as good a day as any for the Bears, for Chicago, and for you to prove that you are never out of the game.

Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest, til your Good gets Better, your Better gets Best! Chicago is ready! Bear Down! It's Chicago! 🏈❤️

Revenue Executive | VP of Sales | Scaling AI SaaS 10M → $100M | Enterprise GTM Builder | 3 Exits

The best teams I’ve led weren’t defined by logos or a standout quarter.
They were defined by something quieter but far more powerful. Trust.
Trust changes speed. When people feel safe, they take smarter risks. When they feel respected, they surface problems early. That shows up in execution, decision quality, and momentum.
The healthiest teams don’t dodge hard conversations. They have them early and directly.
Trust turns tension into progress, not damage.
That’s not culture fluff. That’s a competitive advantage.

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Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM

Terri Pembleton

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taplio

The Battle

Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM

Terri Pembleton

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

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