Career Path Feedback Request: From BDR to AE to RevOps and Building a Niche Agency in AI Automation

·Apr 20, 2026 12:22 PM·

Hi all, I’d appreciate your feedback on my plan. I’m aiming to start as a BDR, grow into an AE role, and then move into RevOps/GTM. Long term, I want to build a niche agency focused on RevOps, GTM architecture, and AI automation (likely in a vertical like healthtech, martech , etc.). In parallel, I’m building hands-on skills in tools, automation, and GTM systems, and working on small case studies. Do you see any gaps or things you would approach differently?

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8 comments

· Sorted by Oldest

Pat H.
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Stop thinking about your end goal of RevOps, and focus on being a strong BDR. Build a strong relationship with your RevOps team, but don’t try to do something you're not getting paid for, yet.
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Chris S.
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(edited)·
you never know what are you going to end up doing or wanting to do, so my 2 cents would be to just nail the bdr role and take it from there while working on these extra skills you mentioned
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Sebastien V.
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Cosign with the above. I'd say either go all in with BDR for the time being or just look for analyst level ops roles
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Jared R.
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Gijs W. - are you coming at this with zero experience or you have prior experience as a BDR? Regardless, you need to 'win' at whatever you're doing. If that's 'bdr' win at that. You don't HAVE to go from bdr to AE to get into RevOps or run an agency. But you do have to learn a ton and probably should create a track record of success in whatever role you're in.
🙌1
Gijs W.
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Thank you all ! Really appreciate it!
Gijs W.
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Jared R. I have arround 3 years of experience right now selling to SMB market as a AE.
Gijs W.
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Most of the time when I apply for AE roles in more complex sales environments (mid-market or enterprise), companies ask me to start as a BDR again. I’ve noticed it’s quite tough right now to break into SaaS sales roles. The market has changed significantly, the bar has been raised, partly due to AI and increased cost awareness from companies. What’s your perspective on this?
Ross D.
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Gijs W. One thing that guided me into this career was joining as a full sales cycle AE at early stage startups. For many of these companies, RevOps was part of the role. Spending time sorting processes whilst also having a target on my head. It's a tough gig trying to hit target whilst also building a revenue engine but allows you to establish a foundation for what works for you and build everything from the ground up. It's only in the last few years that RevOps has become more prominent that I've been able to move away from having to sell at the same time. But going into startups will help with spotting gaps and wearing many hats which is invaluable experience when it comes to building something people actually use. I've seen many RevOps people put processes and systems in place which theoretically look great, but when it comes to actually using these systems, Sales reps switch off.
👍1

Pat H.
·
·
Stop thinking about your end goal of RevOps, and focus on being a strong BDR. Build a strong relationship with your RevOps team, but don’t try to do something you're not getting paid for, yet.
💯2
Chris S.
·
(edited)·
you never know what are you going to end up doing or wanting to do, so my 2 cents would be to just nail the bdr role and take it from there while working on these extra skills you mentioned
🙌1
Sebastien V.
·
·
Cosign with the above. I'd say either go all in with BDR for the time being or just look for analyst level ops roles
🙌1
Jared R.
·
·
Gijs W. - are you coming at this with zero experience or you have prior experience as a BDR? Regardless, you need to 'win' at whatever you're doing. If that's 'bdr' win at that. You don't HAVE to go from bdr to AE to get into RevOps or run an agency. But you do have to learn a ton and probably should create a track record of success in whatever role you're in.
🙌1
Gijs W.
·
·
Thank you all ! Really appreciate it!
Gijs W.
·
·
Jared R. I have arround 3 years of experience right now selling to SMB market as a AE.
Gijs W.
·
·
Most of the time when I apply for AE roles in more complex sales environments (mid-market or enterprise), companies ask me to start as a BDR again. I’ve noticed it’s quite tough right now to break into SaaS sales roles. The market has changed significantly, the bar has been raised, partly due to AI and increased cost awareness from companies. What’s your perspective on this?
Ross D.
·
·
Gijs W. One thing that guided me into this career was joining as a full sales cycle AE at early stage startups. For many of these companies, RevOps was part of the role. Spending time sorting processes whilst also having a target on my head. It's a tough gig trying to hit target whilst also building a revenue engine but allows you to establish a foundation for what works for you and build everything from the ground up. It's only in the last few years that RevOps has become more prominent that I've been able to move away from having to sell at the same time. But going into startups will help with spotting gaps and wearing many hats which is invaluable experience when it comes to building something people actually use. I've seen many RevOps people put processes and systems in place which theoretically look great, but when it comes to actually using these systems, Sales reps switch off.
👍1