Proving Value with Kateryna Ostapenko
In this episode, Neal Travis is joined by Kateryna Ostapenko, VP of Operations at BLEND, to explore how support teams can demonstrate their value to the business — and why many people leave support roles before they’ve truly unlocked their potential. From internal career growth to shifting the narrative around cost centers, Kateryna offers practical, blunt, and empowering advice for support professionals and leaders alike.
Key Topics Discussed
1. Support as a Career — Not Just a Stepping Stone
Kateryna shares her own journey from support rep to VP, and why people often leave the profession too soon:
“Sometimes it’s better for you to be the best support rep in that industry than go into product and not deliver there at all.”
She explains how stigma, low pay, burnout, and lack of respect are all real — but solvable — barriers to growth.
Support is a place to build business acumen, not escape from it.
2. The Mindset Shift: How to Think Like a Business Partner
Support reps need to connect every ticket to the business bottom line:
“Business doesn’t owe it to you to notice your impact. It’s on you to communicate it.”
Kateryna breaks down her three-part mindset: revenue, efficiency, and visibility — and how these frame daily support work.
Communicating value is just as important as creating it.
3. Reframing the ‘Cost Center’ Narrative
Kateryna challenges the idea that support should defend itself with slogans:
“By saying we’re not a cost center, we’re reinforcing the belief we’re trying to dismiss.”
Instead, she urges support leaders to speak in the language of profit, revenue, and customer impact — not defensiveness.
Stop being defensive. Start being strategic.
4. Building Influence Through Data, Not Noise
Frustrated that your feedback isn’t heard? Kateryna offers this advice:
“You can’t be more vocal than leadership. You need to show them data.”
She outlines how her team uses metrics, internal dashboards, and proactive ownership to surface issues — and get them fixed.
Solutions that are easy to green-light are the ones that get prioritized.
5. Creating Growth in Small Teams
Even with limited headcount, Kateryna finds ways to grow people and functions internally:
“We didn’t have 40 hours for a knowledge manager, so we created hybrid roles that made it work.”
From onboarding to LMS systems to internal training, support leads many key initiatives at BLEND — often better than any other team could.
Support is often the first and best place to build scalable processes.
Memorable Quotes
“Not every business needs excellent support — the business defines what excellence is.”
“Track every opportunity to upsell, to cross-sell, to save time. Prove you’re profitable.”
“Be friends with product. Be friends with data. Be too useful to ignore.”
“You don’t change the narrative by yelling louder — you change it by showing results.”
Takeaways
Support can be a long-term career — if you stay long enough to grow
Value isn’t assumed — it must be proven through impact, efficiency, and revenue
Reframe internal conversations around business outcomes, not reputation
Use data to validate what matters — and make your team indispensable
Start where you are — even small teams can lead innovation
