Cedar Operations vs ThinkRevOps: Which Operations Partner is Right for Your Business?
Comparing Cedar Operations and ThinkRevOps: full business operations vs revenue-focused consulting. Service scope, pricing, ideal clients, and which partner fits your growth stage.
Cedar Operations vs ThinkRevOps: Which Operations Partner is Right for Your Business?
You need operational help. Revenue is growing but operations are breaking. You've heard of RevOps consultants like ThinkRevOps. You've heard of fractional COOs like Cedar Operations.
Which one do you actually need?
The short answer: It depends on what's broken.
The long answer: Here's the complete comparison to help you decide.
The Quick Comparison
| Factor |
Cedar Operations |
ThinkRevOps |
| Focus |
Full business operations |
Revenue operations (sales-centric) |
| Scope |
All departments + workflows |
Sales, marketing, customer success |
| Approach |
Fractional COO + implementation |
Revenue process consulting |
| Ideal client |
$500K-$10M businesses |
B2B SaaS with sales teams |
| Hands-on level |
Deep implementation |
Advisory + strategic |
| Departments served |
Operations, Finance, HR, Tech, Sales |
Sales, Marketing, CS only |
| Technology focus |
Automation across all functions |
CRM + sales tech stack |
TL;DR:
- Choose Cedar Operations if you need comprehensive business operations beyond just sales/revenue
- Choose ThinkRevOps if your only problem is sales operations and revenue process alignment
Understanding the Core Difference
What Cedar Operations Does
Cedar Operations provides fractional COO services—strategic operations leadership across your entire business.
The Cedar approach:
Assess entire business operations
↓
Design systems + workflows for all departments
↓
Implement technology + automation everywhere
↓
Train teams + document processes
↓
Ongoing optimization across the business
Departments we optimize:
- Sales operations (CRM, pipeline, forecasting)
- Marketing operations (automation, attribution, lead flow)
- Customer success operations (onboarding, retention, expansion)
- Finance operations (billing, AR/AP, reporting)
- HR operations (hiring, onboarding, performance)
- Project/delivery operations (workflow, capacity, quality)
- IT/systems operations (tech stack, security, integrations)
Philosophy: Revenue is important, but it's just one piece. You can't scale revenue if finance is broken, delivery is chaotic, HR can't hire fast enough, or technology doesn't talk to each other.
What ThinkRevOps Does
ThinkRevOps provides revenue operations consulting—specialized expertise in sales process optimization and revenue team alignment.
The ThinkRevOps approach:
Assess revenue team operations
↓
Design sales process + GTM strategy
↓
Implement CRM + sales tech stack
↓
Align sales, marketing, CS metrics
↓
Optimize for revenue growth
Departments they optimize:
- Sales operations (primary focus)
- Marketing operations (as it relates to sales)
- Customer success operations (renewals, expansion)
Philosophy: Revenue is the engine. Align and optimize the revenue-generating functions first, and the business grows.
Head-to-Head: Service Scope
Cedar Operations: Full Business Operations
What we fix:
Sales & Revenue:
- CRM implementation and optimization
- Sales process design and automation
- Pipeline management and forecasting
- Lead routing and assignment
- Sales team performance systems
Finance & Accounting:
- Accounts receivable/payable automation
- Billing and invoicing workflows
- Financial reporting dashboards
- Budget tracking systems
- Vendor and expense management
HR & People Operations:
- Hiring process and ATS implementation
- Employee onboarding automation
- Performance management systems
- Documentation and training programs
- Contractor and vendor management
Project Delivery & Operations:
- Client onboarding workflows
- Project management systems
- Capacity planning and resource allocation
- Quality control processes
- Client communication automation
Technology & Systems:
- Tech stack audit and rationalization
- Cross-platform integrations
- Security and compliance systems
- Automation across all tools
- Data flow and reporting infrastructure
Verdict: Cedar is comprehensive. If operations are broken in multiple areas—not just sales—you need this breadth.
ThinkRevOps: Revenue Operations Focus
What they fix:
Sales Operations:
- CRM strategy and implementation (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Sales process design and optimization
- Territory planning and quota setting
- Compensation plan design
- Sales analytics and forecasting
Marketing Operations:
- Lead scoring and qualification
- Attribution modeling
- Marketing automation (as it feeds sales)
- Campaign ROI tracking
- Lead handoff processes
Customer Success Operations:
- Renewal and expansion processes
- Customer health scoring
- Upsell/cross-sell workflows
- Churn prevention strategies
Revenue Technology:
- CRM selection and implementation
- Sales engagement tools (Outreach, SalesLoft)
- Revenue intelligence platforms
- Sales analytics tools
Verdict: ThinkRevOps is deep in revenue functions. If sales operations is your only problem, this focus is valuable.
Head-to-Head: Operational Approach
Cedar Operations: Hands-On Implementation
How we work:
Phase 1: Discovery (2-4 weeks)
- Audit all business operations (not just revenue)
- Interview teams across departments
- Map current workflows and pain points
- Identify bottlenecks across the business
- Assess entire technology stack
Phase 2: Design (2-4 weeks)
- Prioritize operational improvements
- Design new processes and workflows
- Select tools and technology
- Create implementation roadmap
- Define success metrics
Phase 3: Implementation (3-6 months)
- Build and configure systems ourselves
- Implement automation and integrations
- Train teams on new processes
- Document standard operating procedures
- Run pilot programs and iterate
Phase 4: Optimization (Ongoing)
- Monitor KPIs across all departments
- Continuous process improvement
- Scale systems as you grow
- Ongoing team training
- Strategic operations leadership
Engagement model:
- 10-20 hours per week (fractional COO)
- Hands-on implementation, not just advisory
- Direct access to tools and systems
- Working sessions with your team
- One-time buildout: up to $5,000 + monthly maintenance
Verdict: Cedar is in the weeds with you. We build and implement, not just advise.
ThinkRevOps: Strategic Consulting
How they work:
Phase 1: Revenue Operations Assessment
- Audit current revenue processes
- Analyze sales, marketing, CS alignment
- Review CRM and sales tech stack
- Identify revenue bottlenecks
- Benchmark against best practices
Phase 2: Strategy Design
- Design revenue operations framework
- Create GTM strategy and playbooks
- Define metrics and reporting structure
- Recommend technology and tools
- Build implementation roadmap
Phase 3: Implementation Support
- Guide internal team or implementation partners
- Provide expertise and best practices
- Review and approve configurations
- Train revenue leaders
- Advise on vendor selection
Phase 4: Ongoing Advisory
- Quarterly business reviews
- Revenue operations coaching
- Process optimization recommendations
- Strategic guidance on revenue growth
Engagement model:
- Project-based or advisory retainer
- Higher-level strategic focus
- Works through your team or partners
- Expertise without hands-on execution
- Typical engagement: $15,000-50,000+
Verdict: ThinkRevOps provides expert guidance. You implement (or hire someone to), they advise.
Head-to-Head: Technology Stack
Cedar Operations: Cross-Platform Automation
Our technology expertise:
CRM & Sales:
- HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce
- Implementation, optimization, automation
- Custom workflows and integrations
Marketing:
- Email platforms (Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign)
- Marketing automation end-to-end
- Attribution and analytics setup
Finance:
- QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks integration
- Bill.com, Melio AP automation
- Stripe, PayPal billing automation
- Custom financial dashboards
Project Management:
- Asana, Monday, ClickUp implementation
- Client portal setup
- Workflow automation
HR & People:
- Gusto, Rippling, BambooHR
- ATS implementation (Greenhouse, Lever)
- Onboarding automation
Automation Platforms:
- Zapier, Make, n8n expertise
- Custom integration development
- Cross-platform data flow
Focus: Making all your tools talk to each other. Data flows everywhere automatically.
Verdict: Cedar handles your entire tech stack, not just revenue tools.
ThinkRevOps: Revenue Technology Stack
Their technology expertise:
CRM Platforms:
- Salesforce (primary expertise)
- HubSpot
- Deep CRM configuration and optimization
Sales Engagement:
- Outreach, SalesLoft
- Groove, Apollo
- Sales automation platforms
Revenue Intelligence:
- Clari, Gong, Chorus
- Revenue forecasting platforms
- Conversation intelligence
Marketing Automation:
- Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot
- As it relates to sales handoff
- Lead routing and scoring
CS Platforms:
- Gainsight, ChurnZero
- Customer health monitoring
- Expansion tracking
Focus: Deep expertise in revenue-specific tools. Best-in-class sales tech implementation.
Verdict: ThinkRevOps knows revenue technology deeply. Less breadth, more depth in sales tools.
Head-to-Head: Ideal Client Profile
Cedar Operations: Small-Medium Businesses with Operational Chaos
You're a perfect fit for Cedar if:
Company Profile:
- Revenue: $500K - $10M (our sweet spot)
- Team size: 5-50 employees
- Business model: Service, SaaS, e-commerce, agencies
- Stage: Post-product-market-fit, scaling
Operational Symptoms:
- Founder is the bottleneck for everything
- Operations are breaking as you grow
- Multiple departments have issues (not just sales)
- Technology doesn't talk to each other
- No documented processes or systems
- Manual work eating your team's time
- Can't hire fast enough / onboarding is chaotic
- Finance operations are messy
- Client delivery is inconsistent
Mental State:
- "We're growing but operations are falling apart"
- "I need someone to run the business while I focus on growth"
- "We need systems across the entire company"
- "Manual processes are killing us in every department"
Budget Reality:
- Can't afford full-time COO ($200K+)
- Need hands-on implementation, not just strategy
- Want fractional executive at fractional cost
ThinkRevOps: B2B SaaS with Sales-Specific Challenges
You're a perfect fit for ThinkRevOps if:
Company Profile:
- Business model: B2B SaaS primarily
- Stage: Scaling with established sales team
- Team: Separate sales, marketing, CS functions
- GTM: Complex sales process with multiple stakeholders
Operational Symptoms:
- Sales and marketing aren't aligned
- CRM is a mess or underutilized
- Can't forecast revenue accurately
- Lead handoff process is broken
- Sales team doesn't trust marketing leads
- Customer success isn't driving expansion
- Revenue operations person left (need replacement strategy)
Mental State:
- "Revenue teams are siloed and pointing fingers"
- "We need to fix our sales process and CRM"
- "Marketing and sales need to work from the same playbook"
- "We need a revenue operations framework"
Budget Reality:
- Can afford specialized consulting
- Have or will hire implementation resources
- Need expert guidance on revenue best practices
The Key Difference
Cedar Operations: Broad operational problems across multiple departments
ThinkRevOps: Deep revenue operations challenges in sales-focused companies
When to Choose Cedar Operations
Choose Cedar if your answer is "yes" to three or more of these:
1. Multiple Departments Are Struggling
It's not just sales. Finance is manual. HR can't keep up with hiring. Project delivery is inconsistent. Client onboarding is chaotic.
Why Cedar: We fix operations across the entire business, not just revenue.
2. You Need Hands-On Implementation
You don't want another consultant who gives you a slide deck and leaves. You need someone to actually build and implement systems.
Why Cedar: We're in your tools configuring workflows, building automations, and training your team.
3. Your Business Isn't Pure B2B SaaS
You're a service business, e-commerce company, agency, or hybrid model. Revenue operations advice doesn't fully fit your model.
Why Cedar: We work with diverse business models and adapt operations to your specific needs.
4. Technology is a Disaster
You have 15 tools that don't talk to each other. Data lives in spreadsheets. You're not sure what you're paying for or if you need it.
Why Cedar: We audit, rationalize, integrate, and automate your entire tech stack.
5. You Can't Afford Full-Time Executive Salary
You need COO-level strategic thinking but your budget is $5K-15K/month, not $20K+/month for full-time.
Why Cedar: Fractional COO services give you executive leadership at a fraction of the cost.
6. Founder Needs to Focus on Growth, Not Operations
The founder is drowning in operational details instead of selling, fundraising, or building product.
Why Cedar: We become your operational leader so the founder can focus on CEO work.
When to Choose ThinkRevOps
Choose ThinkRevOps if:
1. Revenue Operations is Your Only Problem
Sales, marketing, and customer success aren't aligned. That's the core issue. Everything else is working fine.
Why ThinkRevOps: Deep expertise in revenue alignment is their specialty.
2. You're B2B SaaS with Complex Sales
Your sales process is sophisticated. You need someone who's built revenue operations at scale for similar companies.
Why ThinkRevOps: They understand complex B2B SaaS revenue models deeply.
3. You Have Implementation Resources
You have an internal ops team or will hire one. You need strategic direction, not hands-on building.
Why ThinkRevOps: They provide expert guidance and your team executes.
4. CRM/Salesforce is Central to Your Issue
Salesforce is a mess, or you're implementing Salesforce and need it done right.
Why ThinkRevOps: Deep Salesforce expertise is their strength.
5. Budget for Specialized Consulting
You can invest $15K-50K+ in consulting fees for revenue operations strategy.
Why ThinkRevOps: Their specialized expertise commands premium pricing.
The Comparison Table
| Aspect |
Cedar Operations |
ThinkRevOps |
| Service Type |
Fractional COO |
Revenue Operations Consulting |
| Operational Scope |
All business functions |
Sales/Marketing/CS only |
| Implementation Level |
Hands-on building |
Strategic advisory |
| Technology Breadth |
Full tech stack |
Revenue tools focus |
| Ideal Revenue Range |
$500K - $10M |
$5M+ (typically) |
| Business Model Fit |
Any (service, SaaS, e-commerce) |
B2B SaaS primarily |
| Engagement Hours |
10-20 hours/week ongoing |
Project-based or advisory |
| Investment |
Up to $5K buildout + monthly maintenance |
$15,000+ (projects vary) |
| Who Implements |
Cedar team (hands-on) |
Your team or partners |
| Finance Operations |
✅ Core service |
❌ Not their focus |
| HR Operations |
✅ Core service |
❌ Not their focus |
| Project/Delivery Ops |
✅ Core service |
❌ Not their focus |
| Sales Operations |
✅ Included |
✅ Primary focus |
| Marketing Operations |
✅ Included |
✅ As relates to sales |
| Customer Success Ops |
✅ Included |
✅ Renewals/expansion |
| Tech Stack Integration |
✅ Entire stack |
⚠️ Revenue tools only |
| Process Documentation |
✅ Full SOPs |
⚠️ Revenue processes |
| Automation Expertise |
✅ Cross-platform |
⚠️ CRM/sales tools |
| Best For |
Comprehensive operations |
Revenue alignment only |
Can You Use Both?
Short answer: Probably not simultaneously. They overlap in the revenue operations space.
Exception: If you're a larger company ($20M+), you might engage:
- ThinkRevOps for specialized revenue operations strategy
- Cedar Operations for broader operational infrastructure
But for most small-medium businesses ($500K-$10M), you need one or the other, not both.
The Hybrid Alternative: Cedar's Full-Business Approach
Here's what makes Cedar different: We do RevOps AND everything else.
Cedar's revenue operations capabilities:
- CRM implementation and optimization
- Sales process design and automation
- Marketing automation and attribution
- Customer success workflow optimization
- Revenue forecasting and analytics
PLUS everything ThinkRevOps doesn't touch:
- Finance operations and automation
- HR operations and hiring systems
- Project delivery and client operations
- Cross-departmental workflow optimization
- Full tech stack integration
- Process documentation across the business
The Cedar advantage: You get revenue operations PLUS the operational infrastructure to support sustainable growth across your entire business.
Pricing Reality Check
Cedar Operations Investment
Simple, transparent pricing:
- One-time buildout fee: Up to $5,000 for initial systems implementation
- Monthly maintenance: Ongoing fee based on scale and complexity
What you get:
- Hands-on implementation and building
- Operations across all departments
- Technology integration and automation
- Process documentation and training
- Ongoing optimization
No hourly billing, no project fees, no surprise charges.
ThinkRevOps Investment
Typical engagement:
- Project fees: $15,000 - $50,000+
- Advisory retainer: $10,000 - $25,000/month
- Engagement length: 3-6 months (project) or ongoing
- Total investment: Variable based on scope
What you get:
- Revenue operations strategy and framework
- Expert consulting and advisory
- Best practices from B2B SaaS leaders
- Strategic guidance (your team implements)
- Specialized Salesforce/CRM expertise
ROI: Companies expect revenue growth from:
- Better sales conversion
- Improved forecasting accuracy
- Marketing/sales alignment
- Higher customer retention
- Optimized sales process
The Comparison
For similar budget ($60K-100K annually):
Cedar: Full business operations, hands-on implementation, fractional COO leadership
ThinkRevOps: Revenue operations strategy, expert advisory, you implement or hire implementers
Different value propositions for different needs.
Real-World Scenarios: Which Partner Fits?
Scenario 1: Growing Service Business
Company: Marketing agency, $2M revenue, 15 employees
Problems:
- Founder in every client project
- No standardized delivery process
- Client onboarding takes 3 weeks
- Hiring process is chaotic
- Finance is all manual (invoicing, collections)
- Project management is a mess
- Sales is working but not the biggest issue
Right choice: Cedar Operations
Why: This isn't a revenue operations problem. It's a full business operations problem. They need systems across delivery, finance, HR, and project management—not just sales optimization.
Scenario 2: B2B SaaS with Sales Team
Company: B2B SaaS, $8M ARR, 40 employees
Problems:
- Sales and marketing constantly fighting
- Salesforce is configured poorly
- Can't forecast revenue accurately
- Lead handoff process is broken
- Customer success isn't driving expansion
- Finance, HR, delivery are fine
Right choice: ThinkRevOps
Why: This is a textbook revenue operations problem. Sales, marketing, and CS need alignment. Salesforce needs expertise. Other departments are working fine.
Scenario 3: E-commerce Business Scaling
Company: D2C e-commerce, $5M revenue, 20 employees
Problems:
- Operations are manual across the board
- Inventory management is chaotic
- Customer service workflow is broken
- Finance can't keep up with transactions
- Marketing automation exists but is disconnected
- Hiring and onboarding is ad-hoc
- Tech stack is 12 tools that don't integrate
Right choice: Cedar Operations
Why: E-commerce operations are fundamentally different from B2B SaaS. They need operational systems across inventory, fulfillment, customer service, finance, and marketing—not sales process optimization.
Scenario 4: SaaS Company Post-Series A
Company: B2B SaaS, $12M ARR, 60 employees
Problems:
- Scaling revenue team rapidly
- Need sophisticated revenue operations
- Salesforce implementation is strategic priority
- Have internal ops team but need senior guidance
- Finance, HR, legal already have dedicated leadership
Right choice: ThinkRevOps
Why: At this scale with dedicated functions, specialized revenue operations consulting makes sense. They have resources to implement; they need expert strategic guidance.
Making Your Decision
Ask yourself these questions:
1. What's actually broken?
- Just revenue operations? → Consider ThinkRevOps
- Multiple departments? → Choose Cedar Operations
2. What's your business model?
- B2B SaaS with complex sales? → Both could work
- Service, e-commerce, agency, or hybrid? → Cedar Operations
3. What's your implementation capacity?
- Have internal team to execute? → ThinkRevOps (advisory)
- Need hands-on building? → Cedar Operations
4. What's your budget?
- $15K+/month for consulting? → Either could work
- $5K-15K/month for fractional exec? → Cedar Operations
5. How broad is the operational pain?
- Revenue team only? → ThinkRevOps
- Across the entire business? → Cedar Operations
6. What's your company size?
- Under $10M revenue? → Cedar Operations
- Over $10M with dedicated functions? → Consider both
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between Cedar Operations and ThinkRevOps?
Cedar Operations provides fractional COO services across all business operations (finance, HR, delivery, technology, AND revenue), while ThinkRevOps specializes exclusively in revenue operations consulting for sales, marketing, and customer success alignment. Cedar is hands-on implementation across your entire business; ThinkRevOps is specialized revenue operations strategy and advisory.
Which is better for small businesses under $5M in revenue?
Cedar Operations is typically better for businesses under $5M because small companies have operational challenges across multiple departments—not just sales. At this stage, you need systems for finance, hiring, client delivery, technology integration, AND sales operations. Cedar's comprehensive approach and hands-on implementation fits the needs and budget of growing small businesses.
Can Cedar Operations handle revenue operations like ThinkRevOps does?
Yes. Cedar Operations includes full revenue operations capabilities—CRM implementation, sales process design, marketing automation, customer success workflows, and revenue analytics. The difference is Cedar ALSO handles finance operations, HR systems, project delivery, and technology integration across your entire business, while ThinkRevOps focuses only on revenue functions.
Is ThinkRevOps only for B2B SaaS companies?
ThinkRevOps primarily serves B2B SaaS companies with complex sales processes and established revenue teams. Their expertise is built around SaaS revenue models, Salesforce implementations, and enterprise sales operations. If you're a service business, e-commerce company, or agency, Cedar Operations' broader operational approach typically fits better.
Which service is more hands-on with implementation?
Cedar Operations is significantly more hands-on. Cedar works as your fractional COO, directly building systems, configuring tools, creating automations, and implementing processes. ThinkRevOps provides expert consulting and strategic guidance—you implement (or hire implementation partners) while they advise. If you need someone to build, choose Cedar; if you need strategic direction only, consider ThinkRevOps.
How much does each service cost?
Cedar Operations uses simple pricing: a one-time buildout fee (up to $5,000) plus monthly maintenance based on scale. ThinkRevOps engagements vary but typically start at $15,000+ for projects or $10,000-$25,000/month for advisory retainers. Cedar provides hands-on implementation at a lower cost; ThinkRevOps is specialized consulting at premium pricing.
Can I use both Cedar Operations and ThinkRevOps together?
For most small-medium businesses ($500K-$10M), you wouldn't need both simultaneously—they overlap in revenue operations and would compete for budget. The exception is larger companies ($20M+) that might use ThinkRevOps for specialized revenue strategy and Cedar for broader operational infrastructure. For most companies, choose one based on whether you need comprehensive operations (Cedar) or revenue-only consulting (ThinkRevOps).
The Bottom Line
Cedar Operations and ThinkRevOps are fundamentally different solutions:
ThinkRevOps = Revenue operations consulting for B2B SaaS companies with sales-specific challenges
Cedar Operations = Fractional COO for growing businesses with operational challenges across the entire company
Choose ThinkRevOps if:
- Your only problem is revenue operations
- You're B2B SaaS with complex sales
- You have resources to implement
- Budget allows for specialized consulting
Choose Cedar Operations if:
- Operations are broken in multiple departments
- You need hands-on implementation, not just strategy
- You're not pure B2B SaaS or under $10M revenue
- You need fractional COO leadership across the business
- Founder needs to focus on growth, not operations
The honest truth: Most small-medium businesses need Cedar's comprehensive approach. Revenue operations matters, but you can't scale revenue if finance is manual, hiring is chaotic, delivery is inconsistent, and technology doesn't integrate.
ThinkRevOps solves one important problem very well. Cedar Operations solves the entire operational picture.
Which one do you need?
Ready to build operational infrastructure across your entire business? Cedar Operations provides fractional COO services and hands-on implementation for growing companies. Let's discuss your operations →
Related reading:
CEDAR OPERATIONS