$300k to $8M Revenue in 3 Years with Hyper-Focused RevOps

Overview

Cleanship Solutions began as a lean, fast-moving marine services startup operating in the early stages of the maritime decarbonisation boom. Over the course of three years, from 2017-2018, we scaled revenue from $300,000 to over $8 million, built a team of 50+, and became a recognised brand in the sustainability space — all while maintaining a highly efficient and tech-driven growth model.

This case study unpacks the strategic GTM and RevOps systems we used to achieve that growth — from automation and event-led acquisition, to narrative-driven demand generation and sales enablement.

Challenge

Cleanship entered a fragmented market dominated by legacy players with slow commercial cycles and traditional sales approaches. We were bootstrapped, unknown, and competing with incumbents who had decades-long client relationships.

Our challenge was to:

• Punch above our weight without traditional marketing budgets

• Create commercial velocity in a compliance-driven industry

• Build credibility and pipeline at scale with a lean team

Approach

We knew we couldn't outspend the competition, so we had to out-think and out-operate them. That meant:

1. Narrative-Led Positioning

• Crafted a sharp, insight-led value proposition that reframed compliance as competitive advantage

• Positioned Cleanship as a bold, agile partner rather than just a service provider

2. Sales Automation at Scale

• Built full-funnel sales workflows in HubSpot

• Created a reusable, data-led lead magnet study that could be automatically customised and deployed for cold outreach in minutes

• Automated outreach cadences, follow-ups, proposal flows, and handover

• Created a self-serve quotation engine that shortened sales cycles dramatically

3. Event Growth Hacking

• Reverse-engineered event sponsorships with microsites, outbound triggers, and post-event sequencing

• Set up “micro-booths” near venues and intercepted traffic without paying full exhibitor rates

• Repurposed every event into a 4-week content and lead gen machine

4. 100x GTM ROI Model

• Every marketing action was tied to commercial outcomes

• Achieved ~100x return on GTM activities by focusing only on what moved the pipeline

• Rapid A/B testing of messages, collateral, and sales assets — cut what didn’t convert

Results

• Revenue Growth: From $300k to $8M+ in 3 years

• Team: Grown from 3 founders to over 50 employees

• Client Wins: Secured long-term contracts with some of the world’s largest shipping companies

• Lead Velocity: Increased inbound + outbound qualified leads 10x

• Efficiency: Closed deals 40% faster than traditional players

Key Takeaway

We didn’t grow Cleanship by following the marine sales playbook — we threw it out. By combining a challenger narrative, RevOps precision, and creative execution, we scaled fast, earned trust, and outperformed companies 10x our size.

This exact playbook — adapted and evolved — now powers much of what we do at VALO.