Eligibility

To join the StartOps Community Slack, you should be:

• In a supply chain role - E.g. product design, manufacturing, inventory planning, warehousing, or freight and shipping logistics.

• Working or seeking a job at a consumer goods brand - This includes D2C, retail, and omnichannel brands, as well as aggregators. The group may not be a good fit for very small (<$10M revenue) or very large (>$500M revenue) brands. Vendors (i.e. anyone who is selling a service to our core member demographic) may not join the community, even if they are also affiliated with a brand.

• Manager-level or above - You should have 3+ years of experience in your field. Most members are Director-level or above.

If you are not sure if you're whether you're eligible, feel free to apply anyway, or contact us at admissions@startops.network.

All applications are reviewed privately, and decisions are made by a team of 5 community member volunteers.

Expectations

• Give back in proportion to what you take. If you're getting lots of value from the community, please consider how you can return equal or greater value.

• Exercise respect and discretion, always - All information shared in StartOps should be treated as confidential. Never disclose material non-public information about any company (your own or others). Don't use the platform to start rumors, for competitive intelligence, or for other sum-zero activities.

• Keep raising the bar - The value of our community is the sum of our members. If you know killer operations people who would benefit from joining, please invite them to apply!

If you encounter violations of this policy, please report it by emailing admin@startops.network.

Solicitation and vendor policy

Our top priority is to keep this community safe for open discussion. Using the community in any way to solicit members for paid services is strictly prohibited. This behavior, if reported, may result in immediate and permanent removal.

If you have been solicited by a member, please report it (including the original message) by contacting us at admin@startops.network.

Examples of prohibited behavior include:

• Contacting a member with the direct or indirect intent of getting them to use or pay for a product or service.

• Contacting a member with the intent of making a referral to a product or service in which you have a commercial interest (e.g. via an affiliate program, equity investment, or channel sales partnership).

• Using information gained about a member via the platform to enhance a solicitation delivered via email, LinkedIn, or other channels. ("I saw on StartOps that you...")

Pursuant to this policy, individuals at companies that market to D2C ecommerce are not allowed on the network. If you transition from an operating role to a sales or BD role at a vendor, please proactively let us know so we can decide upon the best course of action.

There is only one exception to this policy: Members who join as D2C operators, but then who go on to start their own startups, may remain in the group — provided that they abide by the non-solicitation guidelines above.

While selling via the platform is prohibited, there is no prohibition against offering to buy services (e.g. if one member wishes to hire another on a fractional basis). Any such transaction must be initiated by the prospective buyer of the services, not the seller.