Calling Operator with Laura Nicol Ep 53. Savannah Black on Range, Hypergrowth & ADHD
Laura Nicol dials into Savannah Black.
For Savannah, being a startup operator is about making the company work in the real world. All the forward planning, mission, and vision stuff is important. That’s the on-paper part. But being an operator is about making it actually work. You can see it in action at Crypto Tax Calculator: four roles, three promotions, each adding new layers of context. Today, she’s Chief of Staff to CEO Shane Brunette at Crypto Tax Calculator.
We get into:
- Savannah's late ADHD diagnosis
- Working with energy management cycles, hyperfocus windows and stimulation requirements
- What broke (and what didn’t) during Crypto Tax Calculator's hypergrowth from 20 to 60 people
- The Maker vs Manager schedule that protects deep work (remote-first culture)
- Why chaos isn't something we need to fix: "It's where innovation comes from"
- "Narrate everything": Learning how to avoid communication breakdowns at scale
- Her prioritisation stack: "[Eisenhower Matrix] I will ignore what's urgent till the cows come home"
Also mentioned:
Guest ideas?
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A note from your host, Laura:
My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons.
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