Greg Barrette

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” (Simon Sinek) #Marketing

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Most teams can’t predict their cloud costs. Not because the math is hard but because the model is missing.

They’re tracking totals when they should be tracking units.

If you can’t tell me what one user, one API call, or one transaction costs, every forecast you make is just a guess.

And when the business scales, guesses compound.

Forecasts drift. Budgets blow up. Confidence evaporates.

The fix isn’t another dashboard or budget review.

It’s building predictability from the ground up ... unit by unit, model by model.

When you can see cost at the atomic level, you can finally plan with precision, forecast with confidence, and scale without flinching.

That’s what the Predictability Framework is built for.

It maps the journey from basic visibility → intelligent forecasting → true strategic predictability.

If your cloud costs still feel like a moving target, this is where you start.

#FinOps #AI #Cloud

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

If you think pricing an AI agent is “just picking a plan,” you’re about to learn the hard way.

Too many teams launch with smart-looking models that turn unprofitable fast.

The reality is one power user, a few extra API calls, a surprise storage spike ... and suddenly your “profitable launch” is a margin nightmare.

Most companies skip the boring part: tracking costs at the unit level.

Smart teams don’t start with pricing, they start with cost and usage behavior.

Because if you don’t understand how costs scale, it doesn’t matter which model you choose.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

1. Pay-Per-Use

* Aligns costs with demand
* Best for variable workloads
* Revenue looks good, profits? Not always

2. Subscription

* Predictable revenue, easy budgeting
* Works for steady usage
* Power users will quietly ruin your day

3. Performance-Based

* Costs tied to real outcomes
* ROI-focused clients love it
* Hard to measure, but worth it if you track the right metrics

4. Hybrid

* Mix and match for flexibility
* Handles complex use cases
* Maximum control, maximum headaches

And here’s the part most skip: metrics.

✔️ Cost per API call
✔️ Cost per inference
✔️ Cost per interaction
✔️ Storage and transfer fees

No tracking = guessing = profits getting crushed.

AI agent pricing isn’t magic. It’s math, discipline, and ruthless clarity.

Get those numbers right, and suddenly scaling isn’t terrifying ... it’s profitable.

#FinOps #AI #Cloud

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Picture this. You kick off a digital transformation. You move more workloads to the cloud.

Buzzwords everywhere. Consultants in matching polos. Dashboards that look like NASA flight control panels.

Six months in, the CFO strolls in. “So ... ROI?”

You glance at the team. Nobody makes eye contact. You silently curse the invention of dashboards.

Now imagine this with FinOps:

You finally see the true cost of every migration choice. Catch budget overruns before they turn into a horror show. Fund the stuff that actually moves the needle. Punt the stuff that doesn’t.

Suddenly, you’re not guessing anymore. You know what works. What's worth it. You can bet on the projects that actually matter.

With FinOps, the companies winning right now are ruthless with capital. ARR alone won’t save you. Margins and leverage will.

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

AI changed software economics.

If you don’t know the cost of every model inference, you’re risking margins and investor confidence.

Stop guessing. Understand your usage and price for profit ... or watch margins slip away.

#PricingStrategy #SaaS #Cloud #AI #FinOps

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

You’ll know the Cloud Cost Loop is working when:

👉 Engineers raise costs before finance
👉 PMs flag spend pre-launch
👉 Surprise bills vanish

This is how culture drives growth in the AI era.

#AI #Cloud #FinOps

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Every top AI company runs the same meeting.

Every. Single. One.

It’s short. It’s simple.

And it saves millions.

Are you running it yet?

#AI #Cloud #FinOps

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Your AI cloud bill is lying to you.

It wants you to think costs are “just high this month.” They’re not. They’re out of control because your teams aren’t talking.

Runaway OpenAI and AWS costs aren’t accidents. They’re what happens when teams don’t align.

Most monthly cloud cost meetings? Status updates disguised as decisions. Slides are shown. Nods happen. Action doesn’t. Meanwhile, your bill climbs.

The teams that win? Radical simplicity: one person from each key team, same room, same numbers, decisions on the spot.

Not everyone. Just the right people. Each with skin in the game.

If your monthly cloud cost meeting could be skipped (or ignored) you’re already behind. Your competitors? They’re building AI at a fraction of your cost.

So, are your meetings actually moving the needle ... or just moving slides?

#AI #Cloud #FinOps

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Finance doesn't care that you saved 25% on EC2.

They care that you can prove control, protect margins, and fund growth.

Most pitches to finance miss this completely.

Here’s where they fail.

#FinOps #Cloud #CloudCostOptimization

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Cloud savings don’t matter.

What matters: what those savings enable — more runway, more investment, more growth.

If finance can’t repeat your story in the boardroom, you’re telling the wrong one.

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

AI scales costs faster than it scales revenue.

Inferencing. Storage. Bandwidth. Every product decision has a price.

Ignore unit economics, and you’re scaling toward collapse.

Track them early, and you scale toward dominance.

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Most CEOs say they care about profitability.

But they’re ignoring one of their biggest levers: cloud cost.

Knowing what it costs per user or token isn’t optional — it’s how you protect margin.

I made a FinOps checklist to help. Useful for anyone in engineering, product, or finance.

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Incredible news! 🚀

I'm thrilled to share that @CloudZeroInc has secured $32M in Series B funding to expand our cloud cost intelligence platform!

https://t.co/bE3NKKF3fa

#Cloud #Efficiency #FinOps

[CloudZero @CloudZeroInc]

🎉 Exciting news! 🚀 We're thrilled to announce that CloudZero has secured $32 million in Series B funding to expand our cloud cost intelligence platform!

https://t.co/0SItKHhLWk

#Cloud #Efficiency #SaaS

[CloudZero @CloudZeroInc]

We're here at #AWSSummit New York! Stop by booth 244 to meet our team and experience our cloud cost intelligence platform firsthand. #Cloud #FinOps

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Struggling to realize ROI on your SaaS retargeting campaigns?

Chances are you’re casting too wide of a net.

Try limiting your retargeting audience to contacts who visit a webpage that signals legitimate buyer intent.

Select your pricing page, for example.

#Marketing

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Content is not king.

Your content is worthless if nobody is reading it.

The promotion of your content is just as important as its creation.

That’s why content marketing is king.

The best content marketing teams are equally strong creators and promoters.

#Marketing

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Want to strengthen the alignment between #marketing and #sales?

Here’s an oldie but goodie workflow for your marketing automation platform.

Notify your sales reps via email and Slack when their prospects visit your pricing page.

Those visits are a strong sign of buyer intent.

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

There are no silver bullets to generating quality website traffic.

Buckle up and invest in content marketing for long-term success.

It remains the most reliable way to build a trustworthy brand.

Don’t overthink it.

#Marketing

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Don’t overlook technical #SEO.

The most common problem (still) is website speed.

Every second counts when it comes to page ranking.

#Marketing

[Greg Barrette @GregBarrette]

Want to improve your churn rate?

Intent data is not just for generating new pipeline.

Best practice is to monitor the intent of your customers too.

Don’t you want to know if they’re researching a competitor?

#Marketing