Podcasts about GTM

Harry explains how he “AI'd the company” from the inside out, then took the same playbook to clients - covering stakeholder buy-in, resource orchestration, and end-to-end GTM flows that keep messaging in sync with the website. Concrete, tool-level detail and repeatable patterns.

Boring Problems, Big Wins, Community‑Driven AI Adoption AI is not overhyped, it is under-implemented. Ken Roden and Erin Mills chat with Sheena Miles on how to move from tool obsession to behavior change, her three stage framework, and the practical KPIs that prove progress before revenue shows up. We also talk AI policy that unlocks safe experimentation, community as an accelerator, and Sheena demos how she spins up n8n workflows from a prompt. Chapter markers 00:00, Cold open and disclaimer 01:00, Is AI overhyped, what is really failing 03:20, Early indicators versus lagging revenue, set better goals 04:20, Exec view, target 3 percent faster time to market 06:00, Avoid AI slop, find repetitive, boring work 07:00, Guest intro 09:00, Real state of adoption, dual speed orgs and siloed champions 10:45, Teach concepts, not tools 12:00, Policy, security review, AI council 14:00, Behavior beats features 15:30, Community for accountability and shared assets 17:30, Live n8n demo, import a skeleton workflow and adapt 35:00, AI first versus AI native, embed into workflows 36:30, Influence without authority, solve a champion's boring problem 38:00, Inclusion and usage gaps, why it matters to the business 40:00, Skills that matter now, prompting, rapid testing, communicating thought process 43:00, Why to be optimistic 45:00, Lightning round 48:00, Host debrief and takeaways Key takeaways Hype versus reality, most failures are vague goals and tool-first rollouts, not AI itself. • Measure what you can now, speed to market, cycle time, sprint throughput, ticket deflection, before revenue. • Framework, Activate, Amplify, Accelerate, start small, spread what works, then institutionalize. • Policy unlocks velocity, simple rules for data and tool vetting plus a cross functional council. • Behavior over features, learn inputs and outputs so skills transfer across tools. • Community compounds, accountability and shared templates speed learning. • Start with boring problems, compliance questionnaires, asset generation, ticket clustering, call insights. • AI first versus AI native, move from sidecar to embedded with human review gates. • Inclusion is a business lever, close usage gaps or accept a productivity gap. Sheena's three stage framework Activate, prove value safely • Define the problem, validate AI fit, run a small pilot. • Track accuracy thresholds and time saved. • Example, auto draft responses to repetitive compliance questionnaires from a vetted knowledge base. Amplify, spread what works • Connect adjacent teams, add light governance, share patterns. • Run cross team pilots and publish playbooks. • Example, connect support tickets, payments, compliance, partner success to detect issues proactively. Accelerate, institutionalize • Assign ownership, embed training, integrate tools, set ROI guardrails. • Roll out across channels and systems with quality gates. • Example, ad copy system owned by demand gen, content as QA, used across paid, email, social. Hot Takes from Sheena “Policy enables speed if you write it to unblock safe experiments.” “Stop memorizing tool steps, learn the concepts so they transfer.” “Solve the boring problem first, that is where AI pays for itself.” “If NRR belongs to someone, it belongs to everyone.” Resources & Links Sheena Miles on LinkedIn Women Defining AI, podcast and community n8n About FutureCraft Stay tuned for more insightful episodes from the FutureCraft podcast, where we continue to explore the evolving intersection of AI and GTM. Take advantage of the full episode for in-depth discussions and much more. To listen to the full episode and stay updated on future episodes, visit our website, https://www.futurecraftai.media/ Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered advice. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are our own and do not represent those of any company or business we currently work for/with or have worked for/with in the past. Music: Far Away - MK2

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Sam Jacobs, Founder and CEO of Pavilion, the global community for GTM leaders. Sam shares how getting fired multiple times as a CRO led him to build a business rooted in belonging — one that monetized members first, prioritized intimacy over growth, and turned a Slack group into a multimillion-dollar company. He and CJ unpack the mechanics of community: the tradeoffs between exclusivity and expansion, why venture capital doesn't always fit human-centered businesses, and how Pavilion balances pricing, curation, and access. They also explore the evolution of the GTM function — from the myth of the plug-and-play VP of Sales to how AI is reshaping RevOps, forecasting, and leadership. Finally, Sam reflects on building durable value beyond personal brand and what it really takes to scale trust as a product.—LINKS:Sam Jacobs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samfjacobs/Company: https://www.joinpavilion.com/CJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:E120: What does the future of tech look like when it costs $0 to switch software?https://www.youtube.com/live/Cpw2pkq-FXI?si=-0y0tcLTIlIbkmyOCFOs: Want to Outmaneuver Your Competitors? Here's the Jedi Mind Trickhttps://youtu.be/Yte_fe1xF90?si=hVfgdd0Fg0PQuuoSThe Gross Margin Episode with Sarah Wang of a16zhttps://youtu.be/72aP5ohBxvE—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:03:05 Sponsors – Mercury, RightRev, and Tipalti00:06:50 Pavilion, Community, and Go-to-Market Leadership00:10:28 Career Tenure and Executive Turnover00:12:55 Compensation Structure and Equity Negotiation00:14:31 Building Wealth Through Equity00:16:30 Sponsors – Aleph, Fidelity Private Shares, and Metronome00:19:36 Managing Wealth, Lifestyle, and Longevity in Leadership00:22:58 Founding Pavilion to Empower Operators00:25:13 Taking Roles for Learning, Titles, and Leverage00:28:47 Contrarian Executives, Team Dynamics, and Leadership Lessons00:30:36 What Makes a Great VP of Sales00:33:23 Revenue, Profitability, and Misaligned Incentives00:35:08 Quota Setting, Forecasting, and Spreadsheet Pitfalls00:39:07 AI in Sales and the Myth of the AI SDR00:40:32 The Future of Playbooks in the Age of AI00:43:38 The Dangers of AI and the Need for Humans in the Loop00:45:27 Monetizing Pavilion – Memberships, Sponsors, and Pricing Strategy00:49:30 Building Higher-Margin Community Businesses00:57:46 Building a Personal Brand with Long-Term Value01:01:52 Closing Credits and Outro—SPONSORS:Mercury is business banking built for builders, giving founders and finance pros a financial stack that actually works together. From sending wires to tracking balances and approving payments, Mercury makes it simple to scale without friction. Join the 200,000+ entrepreneurs who trust Mercury and apply online in minutes at https://www.mercury.comRightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.Tipalti automates the entire payables process—from onboarding suppliers to executing global payouts—helping finance teams save time, eliminate costly errors, and scale confidently across 200+ countries and 120 currencies. More than 5,000 businesses already trust Tipalti to manage payments with built-in security and tax compliance. Visit https://www.tipalti.com/runthenumbers to learn more.Aleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runFidelity Private Shares is the all-in-one equity management platform that keeps your cap table clean, your data room organized, and your equity story clear—so you never risk losing a fundraising round over messy records. Schedule a demo at https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com and mention Mostly Metrics to get 20% off.Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com#RunTheNumbersPodcast #Finance #CommunityBuilding #Leadership #GoToMarket This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

A CMO Confidential Interview with Mike Walrath, Chairman and CEO of Yext, Inc., formerly CEO of Right Media, and SVP at Yahoo! Mike discusses what he believes is the collapse of the marketing funnel, the need to understand how AI consumes data while judgement stays with consumers, and how an "influence marketing" mindset is emerging. Key topics include: why CMOs will need to be both great brand strategists as well as scientists, the need to constantly distribute information and "tend it like a garden," and why Reddit is great for training AI, but not as important in building brand influence. Tune in to hear a story about why you shouldn't let ChatGPT talk in an unsupervised forum and why Land Rover should send me a polo shirt. This week, Mike Linton sits down with Mike Walrath, Chairman & CEO of @yext (and founder of WGI Group), to unpack why the classic awareness–consideration–conversion funnel is collapsing—and what CMOs must do next. From zero-click discovery and AI agents “front-ending” consumers to why structured first-party data now beats pretty websites, Walrath maps the new rules for brand, distribution, and measurement in an AI-led marketplace.We cover: how consideration gets outsourced to AI, why marketers will “market to agents” (without controlling the ad copy), the coming arms race in citations and data distribution, and what organizational fixes boards and CMOs should make now. If you own brand, growth, or P&L accountability, this is a playbook for the next chapter.**Sponsor — @typefaceai Typeface helps the world's biggest brands move from brief to fully personalized campaigns in hours, not months. With its agentic AI marketing platform, one idea scales into thousands of on-brand variations across ads, email, and video—integrated with your MarTech stack and secured for the enterprise. See how brands like ASICS and Microsoft are transforming marketing: typeface.ai/cmo.Highlights* Why “zero-click” compresses awareness and consideration inside AI experiences—and how to win the AI bake-off.* The end of marketer-controlled ad copy; influence shifts to data quality, recency, and distribution.* Memory and context change everything: agents know the consumer—and your brand—better than you think.* Brand matters more, not less; without brand salience you won't make the answer set.* From content to data: make every spec, price, menu, inventory, policy, and promo machine-readable and syndicated.* Citations, not vibes: first-party sites and listings dominate AI references; keep them fresh and authoritative.* Org design: hire the data athletes, upgrade infrastructure, and instrument real conversion milestones (tests, visits, units).New episodes every Tuesday on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. If you find this useful, please like, subscribe, and share with your team.**Guests**Mike Walrath — Chairman & CEO, Yext; Founder, WGI Group.Host: Mike Linton — former CMO of Best Buy, eBay, Farmers Insurance; former CRO, Ancestry.CMO Confidential,marketing,CMO,chief marketing officer,AI marketing,agentic AI,marketing funnel,zero click,search,SEO,GenAI,LLM,brand strategy,performance marketing,Yext,Mike Walrath,Mike Linton,customer journey,personalization,content at scale,structured data,citations,data strategy,MarTech,go to market,GTM,board strategy,enterprise marketing,retail,automotive marketing,restaurants,media,advertising,Typeface sponsor,Typeface AI,typeface.ai/cmoSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Biggest GTM Mistake (Spoiler Alert: Stop Chasing CAC!!!)Mark Roberge shares how AI is transforming sales, customer success, and go-to-market strategy. The former HubSpot CRO, now co-founder of Stage 2 Capital and senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, Mark Roberge breaks down the 4 phases of AI evolution that will redefine how companies sell, serve, and scale. From agentic AI to LTV-driven growth, this is a masterclass on what the next era of go-to-market looks like.Mark Roberge helped take HubSpot from $0 to $100M and literally wrote The Sales Acceleration Formula. Now, he's turning his attention to the AI transformation sweeping every GTM function. In this episode, Mark explains why it's time to stop obsessing over CAC and start optimizing for LTV—the customers who actually succeed—and how AI can make that possible at scale.He also shares bold predictions about the future of work, the death of departments, and why capitalism itself may need to evolve for the AI era.Timestamps0:00 – Preview & Introduction1:19 – Meet Mark Roberge: Co-Founder, Stage 2 Capital2:45 – The Early Days of AI in GTM6:33 – What's Slowing Down AI Adoption8:00 – Why Most AI Startups Are Still Too Iterative12:00 – The "Agentic" Shift: From Co-Pilots to Autonomous Agents14:15 – The 4 Phases of AI Go-to-Market Evolution20:35 – Managing Your Agents: The New CRO Skillset26:00 – Deciding the ICP: It's Not CAC29:35 – How AI Breaks Down Department Silos35:40 – Can Capitalism Survive the AI Era?46:00 – The Science of Scaling: Mark's Next Big Book---What You'll Learn* Why CAC is the wrong north star metric for GTM leaders* How to use AI to identify and retain high-LTV customers* The 4 phases of AI transformation in go-to-market* How agentic AI will redefine the roles of CROs, CSMs, and RevOps* Why AI will blur departmental boundaries and change the structure of business* How capitalism and work culture must evolve in the AI era---Check out the Key Takeaways & Transcripts: ⁠https://www.gainsight.com/presents/series/unchurned/⁠---Where to Find Mark:LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/markroberge/Where to Find Josh: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jschachter/⁠---Resources mentioned:* Stage 2 Capital Blog – Go-to-Market AI Case Studies: https://www.stage2.capital * The Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge

In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Erik Huberman, founder and CEO of Hawke Media, to unpack why the old marketing playbook is broken—and what actually scales in 2025. Erik shares how AI has collapsed the product moat, making distribution, brand, and go-to-market the real advantages. He explains the “vibe” behind breakout brands (think Liquid Death) and why software companies must now win on trust, positioning, and partnerships rather than feature lists. We dig into Hawke Media's early differentiation—“your outsourced CMO,” month-to-month flexibility, and a la carte services—and how credibility compounds through consistent standards, client communication, and third-party validation (PR as trust, not awareness). Erik also breaks down the myths of ROAS, how to measure what matters across sales cycles, and a pragmatic framework for investing in founders with an unfair advantage. Finally, he offers founder operating principles: build the company you want to run, avoid burnout and bad debt, and let culture be the brand customers experience. If you lead growth, run a services firm, or invest in SaaS, this is a tactical masterclass in cutting through noise and turning credibility into compounding results.TakeawaysAI shrinks product moats; distribution and GTM become the edge.90% should be scalable, repeatable marketing; 10% creative bets to stand out.Brand “vibe” creates defensibility—even for software—by signaling trust and values.Positioning that travels (“your outsourced CMO”) fuels word-of-mouth and referrals.PR is a **trust*asset more than awareness—turn third-party moments into ads.ROAS often lies; anchor to sales cycle, lifetime value, and full-funnel ROI.Think in “half-lives”: run long enough to see conversions, then optimize and wait again.Relationships and communication keep clients through dips; performance alone isn't enough.Niche vs. breadth: define ICP and messaging; teams can specialize without shrinking TAM.Use the Rule of 40 to balance profit and growth when setting spend.Investors should seek unfair advantages: embedded founders, ecosystem ties, real GTM.Founder principle: build for yourself; avoid debt/burnout—your ambition sets the ceiling.Chapters00:00 Intro and guest setup Erik Huberman and the new moat in an AI world04:20 Distribution, partnerships, and GTM as the unfair advantage08:05 Brand “vibe” and positioning that actually travels11:45 How Hawke Media stood out the outsourced CMO model21:30 The awareness → nurture → trust framework34:40 The ROAS trap and what to measure instead44:05 Spend strategy, Rule of 40, and scaling channels47:00 Sales-cycle “half-lives” and realistic ramp timelines48:45 Make-it-work mindset for leaders and marketers52:50 Investor lens embedded founders and unfair advantages58:21 Final takeaways and closeErik Huberman's Social Media Links:https://www.instagram.com/erikhubermanhttps://x.com/ErikHubermanhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/Erik Huberman's Websites:https://erikhuberman.com/https://hawkemedia.com/Resources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

Sidney Waterfall has led agencies, advised high-growth teams, and now runs marketing in-house at OpenBrand. In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we unpack how focusing on process, not outcomes, builds momentum, clarity, and GTM efficiency that actually lasts.Sidney shares how her team runs PR without an agency, uses proprietary data to earn credibility, and measures what truly moves the business forward. From pipeline coverage to process discipline, she offers a refreshingly honest take on what modern marketing leadership really looks like.Here's what we cover:Why “process over outcomes” is the mindset every marketing leader needsHow OpenBrand built long-term PR credibility through data, not hypeObsessing over inputs instead of chasing metricsPartnering with finance to tie marketing to business outcomesThe frameworks Sidney uses to track rolling pipeline coverage and GTM efficiencyRedefining pipeline sources to align sales and marketing around shared successHow to build a team culture that learns from what doesn't workWhat Sidney learned moving from consulting to in-house leadershipKey Links:Guest: Sidney Waterfall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidneywaterfall/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

When marketing meets finance, the data gets real.In this episode, George Samaras, Head of Marketing Operations at Ataccama, joins Adam Kaiser to zoom in on what happens when marketing ops reports directly to the CFO.George explains how being part of the finance org reshaped his view of marketing metrics, moving from campaign performance to pipeline impact and revenue accountability. He also outlines how Ataccama's RevOps model unites marketing, sales, and customer success around one shared source of truth for better GTM visibility.You'll hear how he's helping bridge the gap between creative strategy and financial outcomes, what he's learned about efficiency from the finance lens, and why marketers need to start thinking in terms of dollars, not just engagement.In this conversation, you'll learn:How sitting under finance changes the way marketing ops measures successWhy marketers should frame results around revenue generation or cost savingsHow RevOps alignment improves data visibility and decision-makingWhy financial fluency is becoming a must-have skill for modern marketersJump into the conversation:(00:00) Introducing George Samaras(01:03) Why marketing ops now reports to finance at Ataccama(03:57) How financial alignment changes marketing measurement(05:49) Evaluating MQLs, pipeline, and event ROI(07:14) How AI and SEO shifts are impacting acquisition strategy(08:14) Attribution challenges and in-house solutions using Salesforce and 6sense(10:02) Lessons from sitting under the CFO's org(11:17) How finance influences marketing budgets and ROI analysis(13:30) Why marketing ops needs to think like finance(14:51) Acting as “Switzerland” between marketing and finance(16:35) How shared data builds credibility for marketing(18:17) The most unrealistic request George has ever received

2026 is closer than you think. Are you ready for what's next? Learn the 6 strategies top marketers say will separate leading brands from the rest. Get real-world tactics for perception, positioning, brand, demand generation, GTM alignment, and metrics that matter.And don't forget! You can crush your marketing strategy with just a few minutes a week by signing up for the StrategyCast Newsletter. You'll receive weekly bursts of marketing tips, clips, resources, and a whole lot more. Visit https://strategycast.com/ for more details.==Let's Break It Down==05:09 "Marketing Insights for 2025-2026"08:23 "Connecting Dots to Impact"13:50 "Humor & Boldness in B2B"17:39 "Inconsistency Threatens Brand Integrity"18:45 "Consistency with Creative Freedom"24:55 "The Funnel Is Dead"26:58 "Awareness: Key to Marketing Funnels"31:03 "Go-to-Market vs. Sales Strategy"35:20 "Aligned Metrics for Pipeline Success"37:07 RevOps: The Glue for Alignment==Where You Can Find Us==Website: https://strategycast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strategy_cast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strategycast==Leave a Review==Hey there, StrategyCast fans!If you've found our tips and tricks on marketing strategies helpful in growing your business, we'd be thrilled if you could take a moment to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback not only supports us but also helps others discover how they can elevate their business game!

Implentio automates workflows between e-commerce merchants and their third-party logistics providers, starting with invoice reconciliation. The platform tackles a problem every scaled e-commerce brand faces: thousands of rows of billing data in CSVs paired with six-figure invoices that nobody has time to validate. In this episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Jason Bang, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Implentio, to explore how two decades running operations—from analyst to COO—led him to build what operations teams have never had: tools as sophisticated as what marketing has been using for years. Topics Discussed: The margin erosion hidden in 3PL invoicing and why operations teams can't afford to audit complex billing  Founder-led growth in tight-knit industry networks where everyone goes to the same trade shows  Partnership GTM with fractional CFOs, software providers, and 3PLs themselves  Building a personal brand as an anti-social-media operations leader  Why operations teams are creative problem solvers trapped in spreadsheets  The roadmap toward AI-powered operational intelligence that eliminates manual data work GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Industry networks unlock faster GTM than traditional outbound: Implentio's first customers came from Jason's 20-year operations network—direct texts to brand founders, warm intros to ops teams, relationships from the same trade shows and conferences. His approach eliminated typical B2B sales cycles by going straight to decision makers who already trusted him. For founders with deep industry tenure, exhausting warm networks before building cold outbound infrastructure delivers conversion velocity and cycle time advantages that justify founder time investment despite limited scale. Partner with companies who own your ICP's budget allocation: Implentio partnered with fractional CFOs who control purchasing decisions and immediately understand ROI. Jason explained their appeal: "They see the numbers, they understand the numbers. So I show them an ROI and they're like, boom, no brainer." The framework: identify which third parties influence or control budget decisions in your category, then build rev-share referral programs. Mapping your buyer's external advisors and service providers can shortcut enterprise sales cycles. Turn industry incumbents into distribution partners by solving their client problems: Despite addressing 3PL billing issues, Implentio positioned 3PLs as partners rather than adversaries. Jason's philosophy: "I'm not a 3PL adversary. I actually love 3PLs. I think they serve an important need." Implentio offers 3PLs a value-add service for their merchant clients while gaining direct customer access. The framework works when you solve what incumbents are contractually responsible for but operationally struggle to deliver, without competing for their core revenue. Pre-qualify partnership ROI using your own customer economics: Implentio learned that partner enthusiasm doesn't correlate with lead quality. Jason's example: "That $50 million brand might have $1,000 AOV. And so the number of transactions and shipments they're doing, there's just not enough there for there to be a good ROI on our solution." Implentio now evaluates partner customer lists against specific transaction volume thresholds before investing in relationships. Document minimum viable customer criteria and require partners to verify their portfolio meets those thresholds to prevent pipeline pollution. Subject matter expertise scales through teaching, not content production: Jason built Implentio's founder brand despite having no Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, using one principle: "Knowledge is only good if you transfer it and you pass it on." He prioritizes teaching operations concepts over polished content, measuring success by whether someone learns something valuable regardless of conversion. His insight: "If I can teach somebody something, that's a win for me. Even if they don't sign up for my platform." Sophisticated buyers assess expertise through insight depth, not posting frequency. Wedge entry with acute universal pain, then expand horizontally: Jason's long-term vision is "COO in a box"—comprehensive operational intelligence spanning supply chain, fulfillment, and customer service. But Implentio launched with 3PL invoice reconciliation because every scaled e-commerce brand outsources fulfillment and struggles with billing validation. The wedge criteria: universal problem (every target customer has it), acute pain (directly impacts margin), and immediate ROI (quantifiable savings exceed platform cost). Once embedded in the finance workflow, Implentio can expand into adjacent operational data problems without re-selling the value of centralized ops intelligence. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

The dental industry is chronically supply-constrained: 97% of dentists report staffing as their primary volume limiter, 95% cite extreme recruiting difficulty, yet 75% of hygienists prioritize schedule flexibility above all else. This structural mismatch created the opportunity for Toothio—a labor marketplace connecting dental professionals seeking flexible work with practices facing critical staffing shortages. In this episode, we sat down with Ian Prendergast, Co-Founder and CEO of Toothio, to unpack how he applied labor marketplace principles from hospitality and light industrial verticals to dental, why DSO enterprise customers emerged as the true ICP only after launch, and how being an industry outsider enabled business model innovation that insiders missed. Topics Discussed: How a single golf course conversation with a dentist exposed the 97% staffing crisis and validated the market opportunity Translating labor marketplace GTM from Qwick (hospitality staffing) and Steady Install (light industrial) into dental The supply-demand structural imbalance: dental growing 10.5% CAGR, 40% workforce departure in 2020, insufficient pipeline Supply-first marketplace development and why quality/reliability required deep supply pools before demand acquisition The ICP evolution from private practices (faster sales cycles, lower risk validation) to DSO enterprise (higher volume, stickier retention) Building credibility as outsider founders through strategic SME hires, advisors, and embedding in industry associations The enterprise motion: hiring CCO and SVP Sales with dental Rolodexs to access top-10 DSO decision-makers Quantifying previously unmeasured costs: 100%+ recruiting cost increases, industry-leading turnover rates, $1,560+ daily production loss per unstaffed hygienist Leveraging AI agentic systems to eliminate geographic marketplace constraints for national expansion The moat-building roadmap: layering SaaS and RCM software over the distribution channel to increase switching costs GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Supply depth before demand scale prevents unit economics collapse: Ian's experience across three labor marketplaces reinforced one principle: excess supply is recoverable, excess demand is catastrophic. With too much demand and insufficient supply, you're "spending a bunch of money to acquire these demand users, but you're not able to fulfill the supply side. So now they're churning out at a high clip, they're going somewhere else. And now it drives up your CAC across the marketplace and reduces your lifetime value." In two-sided marketplaces, founders must resist investor pressure to show demand-side revenue before supply reliability is proven—the temporary revenue bump destroys long-term unit economics. ICP clarity requires live market data, not pre-launch assumptions: Toothio launched targeting private practices (shorter sales cycles, lower barriers, faster learning) before discovering DSOs were the actual ICP through usage cohorts showing materially higher volume and retention. Ian was explicit: "Once we got into it, we realized...the true ICP is going to be our group practices." The tactical framework: establish presence across plausible segments, instrument everything, collect 1-2 quarters of behavioral data, then redirect resources to wherever retention and expansion metrics are strongest. This data-driven ICP discovery prevents premature optimization around the wrong customer profile. Hire senior enterprise operators when you have validation plus clear TAM: Toothio broke conventional early-stage wisdom by hiring a Chief Commercial Officer and SVP Sales—roles typically considered "top-heavy"—because Ian had validated product-market fit and identified a concentrated enterprise opportunity (hundreds of DSOs). The result: "Next thing you know, we're in front of five or six of the top eight or ten DSOs in the country." The decision framework: if you have (1) proven unit economics, (2) clear product-market fit signals, and (3) an enterprise TAM with established relationship networks, senior hires with category Rolodexs can compress multi-year enterprise sales cycles into quarters. Without all three conditions, follow conventional wisdom and stay lean. Outsider economic analysis creates differentiated value propositions: Ian's non-dental background enabled him to "look at the dental office P&L and the core drivers of production with a completely neutral lens and realize that there was a lot of waste." He quantified what insiders hadn't: recruiting costs up 100%+ in five years, dental turnover among the highest of any U.S. industry, and the compounding cost of cancelled patient days (immediate production loss + 20% patient churn × $10-15K lifetime values). This economic framing repositioned Toothio from "staffing vendor" to strategic finance partner. The pattern: outsiders should weaponize their fresh perspective by conducting rigorous economic impact analysis that category incumbents haven't done, then speak to buyers in CFO language rather than operational features. Industry association involvement is enterprise distribution, not brand marketing: Ian credited local and national dental association sponsorships as "the catalyst to get us on the radar of some of the bigger orgs early" because associations created credibility signals plus network effects at scale. In relationship-driven B2B categories with strong professional associations (dental, legal, accounting, healthcare), sponsorship generates repeated exposure to concentrated decision-maker populations and warm introduction paths that cold outbound can't replicate. Founders should map the association landscape in year one, treat it as a primary distribution channel with measurable pipeline contribution, and staff it with team members who can build genuine relationships—not just write checks. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

En el capítulo de hoy os contamos qué nos ha parecido el número 118 de la revista GTM, y reseñamos los siguientes cómics de Panini: El Gran Gaea-Tima #2, Spider-Man de Erik Larsen, El pacificador se esfuerza mucho, Superman de Byrne, Daredevil de Bruebaker, Salaryman Z #1 y Thunder3 #6. Esperamos que os mole. Enlaces: https://linktr.ee/reservademana

The hardest part of transformation is knowing what to let go of.Dan O'Connell, now leading Front as CEO and formerly on the board at Dialpad, joins Joubin Mirzadegan to explore the delicate balance between legacy and innovation as he leads a decade old company through the AI revolution.He also reflects on why courage and control can coexist in leadership, and what it means to “make decisions that give you energy.”Guest: Dan O'Connell, CEO of Front​Connect with Dan O'ConnellXLinkedIn​Connect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Why you should listenDiscover why targeting companies posting job ads on LinkedIn crushes cold outreach, and how Andy positions himself to connect directly with decision-makers actively looking for his expertise (no complex funnels required).Learn how podcasting opens doors. Andy shares how it gets him in front of impossible-to-reach prospects, plus the truth about why most consultants quit after two episodes.Get Andy's exact visibility playbook including how to leverage awards and PR for massive LinkedIn engagement, why offline networking is making a comeback, and the AI-powered intent data strategy that identifies which accounts are actively searching for solutions like yours right now.Most consultants hit the same wall. Their personal network dries up. Cold outreach feels like screaming into the void. Every marketing guru pushes complex funnels and expensive ad campaigns that don't work for high-ticket consulting.In this episode, Andy Culligan breaks down how he built his fractional CMO practice serving $10M-$50M SaaS companies without cold outreach at scale or massive marketing budgets.We explore why SaaS companies get stuck at key revenue milestones and what changes in their go-to-market approach. Andy shares his team's MarTech stack and how they've automated client operations using AI agents that analyze contracts and recommend pricing to prevent churn.If you're selling high-ticket services and tired of tactics that don't work for consultants, this delivers the blueprint.About Andy CulliganAndy is a fractional CMO, and CEO / Co-Founder at purple path, a GTM partner for B2B SaaS companies.Andy describes himself as a sales person stuck in a marketer's body, and excels in aligning marketing and sales teams to drive revenue growth.With over a decade of experience in SaaS martech, Andy has built and lead teams to success, making him the go-to CMO resource at a fraction of the cost.Resources and LinksPurplepath.ioAndy's LinkedIn profilegrowth path PodcastApollo.ioClayBomboraLeadfeederRiversidePrevious episode: 645 - How to Build AI Automations That Actually Make You Money with Jason AlbertiCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

On this episode of Embracing Erosion, Devon sits down with Jason Oakley. Jason is an experienced product marketer, coach, and entrepreneur, recently recognized as a top 100 product marketing influencer. He's the founder of Productive PMM, where he provides tools, coaching, and inspiration to help founding and solo PMMs deliver meaningful impact without burning out. He's also the cofounder of DemoDash, an interactive demo agency focused exclusively on Navattic customers, helping SaaS companies turn product demos into one of their most effective go-to-market assets.In their conversation, they discussed what Jason is hearing from PMMs navigating leaner teams and tighter budgets, how interactive demos are evolving as a GTM advantage, the systems and frameworks he's built through Productive PMM to help solo PMMs scale without burning out, and much more. Enjoy the conversation!

Send us a textIn this conversation, we sit down with Jim Darragh, five-time exit leader and former CEO of Totalmobile, to unpack how simple differentiation, coachable teams, and predictable go-to-market motion drive repeatable growth.​​Filled with humour, Jim shares how clarity was the through-line from his rugby start in IT distribution to leading a £100m SaaS transformation.​We unpack how alignment turns strategy into scale, tracking Jim's path from hands-on sales to five exits, and Totalmobile's transformation. Clear differentiation, coachable teams, and a predictable go-to-market form a simple system that wins on purpose.You'll hear:​How to create a “customer vortex” that pulls in the next buyer​Why Predictability x Repeatability = Scalability​How to hire for coachability, not just experience​Why culture powers the engineAnd why simplicity mattersThe conversation lands with three crisp takeaways: Define your differentiators and say no to everything elseAssemble the right people and make them a real teamBuild operating rhythms that make growth forecastable​If you're scaling a B2B tech company or sharpening your GTM focus, this one's a field guide to clarity and growth.Subscribe and why not share with an aspiring leader who needs clarity (don't we all!)We would love you to follow us on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/company/amplified-group/

In this episode of Partnerships Unraveled, we sit down with Nihil Morjaria, Chief Revenue Officer at usecure — a UK-based cybersecurity vendor that has built its go-to-market strategy around managed service providers (MSPs) and distribution partners. Nihil unpacks how usecure pivoted from a direct sales model to becoming a channel-first organization, scaling to over 1,800 billing partners without compromising depth of enablement. From rebuilding their product and licensing model for MSP scalability to embedding automation and self-serve onboarding technology, Nihil shares a playbook that's turned strategic alignment into measurable growth.Channel professionals will gain a blueprint for what it really means to build a partner-centric organization. Nihil dives into the key elements that make vendors channel-friendly from flexible billing and multi-tenancy to product simplicity and marketing enablement. He also highlights one of today's most overlooked growth opportunities: compliance-as-a-service. Offering practical advice and real-world frameworks, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to evolve faster and scale smarter in the channel.Tune in for a refreshing, hands-on perspective on GTM transformation, MSP enablement at scale, and the growing importance of human risk management in evolving compliance needs._________________________Learn more about Channext

Originally aired on the Predictable Revenue Podcast, this conversation flips the old sales playbook on its head.Adem Manderovic (Closed Circuit Selling) and George Coudounaris (The B2B Playbook) join Collin Stewart to unpack a new sales paradigm built around one principle — catalog the market, not “book more meetings.”They explain how the Closed Circuit Selling framework replaces outdated outbound with validated, permission-based outreach that unites Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success under one rhythm.Tune in and learn:+ Why cataloging the market gives you timing signals that drive predictable growth+ The exact questions to validate fit, timing, and permission to follow up+ How to align Sales & Marketing around validated accounts instead of vanity metricsIf you're a B2B marketer or sales leader stuck in “meetings-booked” chaos, this is your blueprint for a smarter, more efficient GTM motion.-----------------------------------------------------

Catherine (Space and Time) breaks down why blockchains alone can't power complex apps—and how a verifiable, decentralized database with ZK proofs closes the gap for enterprises, devs, and AI agents. We cover: what SxT is, how its patented ZK approach offloads compute to a single node and proves correctness on-chain, why institutional adoption is sticky, and marketing tactics that actually work in Web3 (what to outsource vs keep in-house). She also shares the Indonesia education rollout (UGM + Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison/IOH), token-powered payments, and what she'd do with unlimited community budget.Key timestamps (YouTube format)[00:00:00] Opening clip: From “future of money” to “verifiable data for smart contracts” [00:01:00] Live at Token2049: who Catherine is and what we cover [00:02:00] Origin story: joining Space and Time to solve crypto's database gap [00:03:00] Mission: empower devs/enterprises/AI agents with verifiable data [00:04:00] Why chains ≠ databases: limits, complexity, and enterprise SLAs [00:05:00] The core innovation: patented ZK proofs for database compute [00:05:45] How it works (plain English): single-node compute, on-chain verification [00:06:30] Catherine's background: technical marketing roots → Web3 [00:07:00] Founder tip: what to outsource vs keep internal (PR, events, community) [00:08:00] Campaigns that win: enterprise/institutional stories beat gimmicks [00:09:00] Example: Microsoft Fabric integration momentum[00:10:00] Listening to the market: community as your feedback engine [00:11:00] Indonesia rollout: IOH partnership and 100k+ students onboarding [00:12:00] UGM framework: verifiable diplomas/records; SXT as payment rail [00:13:00] Longevity question: decentralization and community node operators [00:15:00] If starting today: what they'd build vs leverage in the ecosystem [00:16:00] Why institutional demand is slow but sticky (and good for cycles) [00:17:00] Competing for attention vs building fundamentals and partnerships [00:18:00] What Space and Time needs now: builders to ship with verifiable data [00:19:00] Who they admire: Chainlink's dual GTM (community + enterprise) [00:20:00] Unlimited budget thought experiment: country leads and community depth [00:20:45] Advice to community managers: shared values, inclusion, tight feedback loops [00:21:30] Close: links, how to try SxT, and why this matters for Web3 buildersConnecthttps://www.spaceandtime.io/https://twitter.com/SpaceandTimeDBhttps://discord.gg/spaceandtimeDB https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinehdaly/https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-and-time-db/DisclaimerNothing mentioned in this podcast is investment advice and please do your own research. Finally, it would mean a lot if you can leave a review of this podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and share this podcast with a friend.Be a guest on the podcast or contact us - https://www.web3pod.xyz/

“Lágrimas en Píxel, Rojo y Fuego”, de César Seijo, es un viaje hacia el lado más oscuro de la nostalgia, donde el juego termina… pero la pesadilla no. En colaboración con el autor, el podcast El Vuelo del Cometa y la revista de videojuegos GTM, hoy os traemos un verdadero descenso al infierno de los 16 bits. - Narración: Juan Carlos Albarracín - Locución Sintonía: Antonio Runa - Música: Epidemic Sound, con licencia - Imagen: Pixabay, con licencia https://pixabay.com/es/illustrations/mario-dibujos-animados-arte-8158697/ Los Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja es un podcast semanal de audio-relatos de misterio, ciencia ficción y terror. Cada viernes, a las 10 de la noche, traemos un nuevo programa. Alternamos entre episodios gratuitos para todos nuestros oyentes y episodios exclusivos para nuestros fans. ¡Si te gusta nuestro contenido suscríbete! Y si te encanta considera hacerte fan desde el botón azul APOYAR y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo. Tu aporte es de mucha ayuda para el mantenimiento de este podcast. ¡Gracias por ello! Mi nombre es Juan Carlos. Dirijo este podcast y también soy locutor y narrador de audiolibros, con estudio propio. Si crees que mi voz encajaría con tu proyecto o negocio contacta conmigo y hablamos. :) Contacto profesional: info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com www.locucioneshablandoclaro.com También estoy en X y en Bluesky: @VengadorT Y en Instagram: juancarlos_locutor CONVOCATORIA ABIERTA – Los Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja. ¿Eres escritor o escritora y te gustaría escuchar uno de tus relatos narrado en el podcast Cuentos de la Casa de la Bruja? Estoy abriendo la puerta a autores emergentes que quieran compartir relatos originales dentro del tono del programa: historias de terror y ciencia ficción con atmósferas inquietantes, elementos fantásticos, oscuros o insólitos, y una cuidada calidad literaria. ¿QUÉ TIPO DE RELATOS BUSCO? • Relatos de terror y ciencia ficción • Con una extensión de entre 3.000 y 4.000 palabras • Con una narrativa sólida, buen uso del lenguaje y que se presten a ser narrados en voz • Textos originales e inéditos (o que al menos no estén vinculados a compromisos editoriales) ¿CÓMO PARTICIPAR? Puedes enviar tu relato en formato Word o PDF a info@locucioneshablandoclaro.com con el asunto: Relato para el podcast. Acompáñalo, si quieres, de una pequeña nota biográfica para que pueda presentarte adecuadamente. IMPORTANTE: La recepción de un relato no garantiza su publicación. La selección dependerá de criterios narrativos, temáticos y de estilo, siempre con el objetivo de mantener la atmósfera y el nivel que caracterizan al podcast. ¡No se trata de emitir juicios definitivos sobre ningún autor o texto! Yo no soy crítico literario, ni pretendo serlo. Se trata de encontrar aquellos textos que mejor encajen con el universo del programa. Si tu relato es elegido me pondré en contacto contigo. En caso contrario agradeceré igual tu confianza y el gesto de compartir tu trabajo. Gracias por hacer crecer esta casa con tu obra. ¡Espero leerte! Juan Carlos “Corman” Albarracín Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

This week on New Wave Weekly:

What happens when an Atlassian marketing veteran who decorates cakes and rides motorcycles decides the traditional marketing funnel is completely broken? You get Ashley Faus, Head of Lifecycle Marketing Portfolio at Atlassian, author of "Human-Centered Marketing," and today's guest on FutureCraft. Ashley has spent 8+ years at Atlassian revolutionizing how B2B marketers think about customer journeys, replacing linear funnels with her "content playground" framework where audiences can go up, down, and sideways through your content—just like kids on an actual playground. In this episode, we get into: Why ChatGPT 5 might be getting worse for marketing professionals (and what to use instead) Erin's live demo of Gemini's deep research for account-based marketing that analyzes hundreds of sources Ashley's content playground framework that treats audiences like humans, not funnel steps How trust becomes your only defensible moat when AI can fake everything else Why organizational silos are killing your customer experience (and how to fix them) The "18-month rule" for career evolution in an AI-accelerated world Whether you're a CMO fighting for budget, a product marketer drowning in requests, or a lifecycle specialist trying to prove ROI, Ashley breaks down how to keep humans at the center while leveraging AI as your creative co-pilot.  

#299 Drive | This episode is from Drive 2025, our 2 day in-person event for B2B marketers in Burlington, VT. Our first speaker was Sangram Vajre, Co-founder and CEO of GTM Partners and expert in GTM strategy. He shared a great session on building a repeatable GTM Operating System for sustainable growth, offering insight from 100 companies on what separates teams that scale from those that stall.Head over to exitfive.com/drive to join the waitlist for Drive 2026 and be the first to know when tickets go on sale.Timestamps(00:00) - – Intro from Dave (02:51) - – Sangram's background + setup (04:51) - – What GTM really means (11:46) - – The 3 stages of GTM maturity (12:11) - – Why NRR is the key metric (20:51) - – The “boring marketing” advantage (27:42) - – How to say no and prioritize (29:42) - – Why GTM alignment beats tactics (33:42) - – Building your GTM Operating System (36:02) - – Q&A: GTM alignment, discovery, growth Send guest pitches and ideas to hi@exitfive.comJoin the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***This episode of the Exit Five podcast is brought to you by our friends at Paramark. You've heard it before – every B2B marketer's top pain point is marketing attribution. It's complicated, messy, and too often leads to fights with your CRO over whose lead deserves credit.That's where Paramark steps in. Their platform makes it simple to understand what's driving results (and what isn't) with tools like marketing mix modeling and incremental testing. No more relying on outdated click attribution or chasing UTM links. Instead, Paramark gives you actionable insights across channels, campaigns, and geographies to help you grow.Paramark's founder & CEO Pranav has been in your shoes as a B2B marketer. He's so passionate about solving this problem, he's offering listeners a free brand assessment. Pranav will personally analyze your brand's performance and share his insights—an opportunity you don't want to miss.Slots are limited, so act fast. Head to paramark.com/brand-consult to claim your spot. Trust us, this is worth your time.***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more

In this episode of The SaaS Revolution Show, recorded live at SaaStock Europe, Jonathan Chemouny (GTM Europe, ElevenLabs) and Alex Theuma (Founder & CEO, SaaStock) take you behind the scenes of one of the world's fastest-growing AI startups. You'll hear how ElevenLabs builds go-to-market like a startup within a startup: - Why moving fast is their key differentiator - Their mindset and approach to experimentation and pipeline growth - How removing “distractions” like job titles fosters team alignment - Why assembling a high-performing team begins with the hiring process - What's working in their current GTM motion and how they use their own tech to drive it - Jonathan's personal AI stack and what's next for ElevenLabs' GTM engine

Season five kicks off with the announcement nobody asked for but everyone needed: We're Not Marketers is throwing an event, and it's nothing like the stale hotel ballroom marathons you're used to. Eric, Zach, and Gab break down why they're risking it all to create a three-day PMM experience that's equal parts tactical workshop, adventure vacation, and therapy session for product marketers who are tired of pretending B2B has to be boring. Get the juicy details on how they infiltrated Drive 2025, why they're limiting attendance to 150 people, and what happens when three solopreneurs decide confidence beats certainty. → Why three solopreneurs with zero event planning experience think they can beat PMA→ The real reason behind the fake mustaches at Drive (hint: it's not just for laughs)→ The "sitting makes you stupid" theory: Why ballroom marathons kill creativity→ How wearing a Halloween costume to a B2B event makes you more yourself, not less→ Most PMMs need a recharge and haven't had one in yearsIf you've ever wondered why PMM events feel like eating cardboard while someone reads you PowerPoint slides, this episode will either inspire you or make you think we've completely lost it.Timestamped00:00 - Season 5 Intro: Two Years of We're Not Marketers 02:15 - The Big Announcement: We're Throwing an Event 04:30 - Why PMM Events Are Broken (And Why We're Fixing Them) 08:45 - The Mustache Origin Story: From Highline to Drive 12:20 - Behind the Scenes: How We Decided to Commit to the Bit 15:20 - Analysis Paralysis vs. Bold Action: Our Decision-Making Process 18:50 - The 150-Person Formula: In-House, Fractional, and CMOs 22:15 - Why Events Should Feel Like Vacations, Not Work 26:40 - The Fractional PMM Problem: Gatekeeping in B2B Events 29:30 - What Makes a Great Event: Lessons from Highline and Drive 32:10 - The Ryan Holiday Moment That Validated Everything 35:45 - Our Event Philosophy: Shipping Over Theory 38:20 - Why We're Taking the Risk (Even If It Fails) 42:00 - What Attendees Are Asking For: Tactical, Fun, and RealSHOW NOTES:Courage Is Calling" by Ryan HolidayHighline ConferenceDrive ConferenceWe're Not Marketers Event WaitlistHosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Join Daniel Saks, CEO & Co-Founder of Landbase, in conversation with Gary Fowler, as they explore how Agentic AI is revolutionizing the way companies generate demand, build relationships, and drive growth. Discover how the next evolution of AI — systems that act intelligently on our behalf — is reshaping go-to-market strategy and redefining the future of work.

Molly George has spent her career inside B2B tech and on the agency side. Today she is the CEO and founder of Kickstand, a PR and research firm helping brands win in an AI-shaped search world.In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we unpack why PR is having a comeback in B2B, how AI search is changing the playbook, and what modern comms leaders are doing to show up in the consideration set. We also get into Molly's founder story, the power of setbacks, and practical ways to make PR work alongside demand, content, and product marketing.Here's what we cover:PR's real job in B2B and why quick wins are the wrong expectationAI search and brand visibility: how citations shape considerationOwned vs earned in 2025: your site, plus offsite owned profiles like G2, AWS, WikipediaPress releases today: when they help train models and when wires waste budgetFormatting for LLMs: structure, subheads, and consistent boilerplates across propertiesUsing query data to guide narratives, pitches, and thought leadershipReddit for B2B: participate with value, not a megaphoneBudget shifts: why teams are moving dollars from classic SEO to brand and PRStarting an agency while employed, finding the tipping point, and trusting your gutKey Links:Guest: Molly George: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-george-kickstand/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/Kickstand: https://meetkickstand.com/Kickstand Research Report on AI and GTM: https://meetkickstand.com/landing/the-zero-click-era-is-here-are-you-ready-to-show-up/––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

In a world where anyone can generate a “perfect” email with AI, does perfection even matter? According to Christopher Gannon, founder of Captivate Talent, what truly matters are the fundamentals: relationships, brand, and aesthetics. In this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast, hosted by Joran from Reditus, Chris breaks down how startups should think about hiring go-to-market (GTM) talent, structuring teams, leveraging AI, and expanding into the US. This article summarizes their conversation into clear, actionable insights every founder should know.Key Timestamps(00:00) The Perfect Email Myth: Why Human Connection Still Wins(00:55) Meet the Masters of B2B SaaS Growth(01:31) Why Headcount Won't Scale Your SaaS Revenue(01:51) From Filling Seats to Building a GTM Powerhouse(02:10) The Birth of Captivate Talent: A Founder's Bold Pivot(03:33) The $1M ARR Question: When to Hire Your First GTM Pro(03:50) The Founder's Dilemma: Sell It Yourself or Hire Early?(04:58) The Brutal Truth About Early-Stage Onboarding(05:39) Who Comes First—Sales or Marketing? The Real Answer(05:54) Never Outsource Your Superpower(07:20) Overhiring vs. Underhiring: The Startup Goldilocks Problem(08:16) The Rolodex Trap: Why Big Titles Burn Startups(09:22) Forget Titles—Hire for 12-Month Outcomes Instead(10:15) Inside the Ideal GTM Team Structure for SaaS Growth(11:08) The Secret Weapon: Your Customer Call Library(11:39) AI Is Taking Over GTM (But Here's the Catch)(12:11) Beyond ChatGPT: How to Spot True AI Fluency(13:48) Reditus Break: The Affiliate Engine Powering B2B SaaS(14:11) How to Measure Real AI Impact in Your Workflows(15:06) “At the Table or on the Menu?” AI Skills That Protect Your Career(15:44) The Truth About GTM Hiring in a Post-Layoff World(16:24) Why Relationships Beat Perfect AI Emails Every Time(17:44) The Costly Mistake: Hiring an SDR for US Expansion(18:10) The Founder-Led Playbook for Cracking the US Market(19:09) The Full-Stack Expansion Model Every SaaS Needs(20:22) Stop “Testing” the US with One Hire—Here's Why(22:08) PLG vs. Enterprise: When Remote Expansion Stops Working(23:33) Why Big Logos Abroad Don't Impress US Buyers(24:24) US to Europe: How to Win with Local Talent and Presence(25:29) The Hidden Legal Maze of US Hiring(26:26) The Real Cost of US Expansion (and Cultural Fit)(28:34) The Culture Clash: Vacations, Burnout, and Commitment(29:21) Burn the Boats: The Only Way to Win in the US(30:12) The Future of GTM: How AI Is Rewriting Hiring Rules(31:16) From 0 to $10K MRR: Discipline Over Everything(32:47) From $10K to $10M ARR: Hire Ahead and Pay for Talent(36:49) Connect with Christopher Gannon and Captivate Talent

In this episode, we're joined by Jakob Lilholm, Co-founder & CEO at Formalize, the Danish-based compliance SaaS that went from a single-point whistleblowing tool to a multi-product GRC platform used by 8,000+ customers across ~80 countries. Jakob shares how his team timed EU regulatory tailwinds, built whistleblowing software, and then layered products on top, shifting from high-volume transactional sales to a focused, consultative motion for regulated industries. Fresh off announcing a €30M Series B, Jakob walks through the internal rewiring it took: carving out an innovation pod with its own OKRs, resisting flattering false positives from the existing base, and proving platform demand with new-logo sales first, going from ~€100k ARR on the platform to >50% of company revenue in a year.  Here are some of the key questions we address: When do you expand from a point solution to a platform? We discuss the timing model Formalize used (EU roadmap + S-curve “next wave” before the first peaks). What's the right ICP for a platform? Why did they end up narrowing their ICP and say “not yet” to others? How do you avoid false positives when you already have thousands of customers? Jakob explains why he decided to validate platform fit with new logos first. What org design supports a second act like this? How do you shift GTM, pricing, and messaging? What is the process moving from low ACV sales to higher-ACV, consultative deals without breaking the engine? Which metrics matter in the first year of a platform bet? How do you prove value creation, track conversion quality, and know when to re-inject the core team?

In this OnBase Podcast episode, host Chris Moody sits down with Brynna Self to unpack how Hexagon SIG moved from “running ads to accounts” to a true account-based GTM—and what changed when they adopted Demandbase as their shared sales–marketing system of record. Brynna details the journey from agency days to client-side leadership, why data discipline beats “order-taking,” and how a North America pilot became the blueprint for global rollout. They cover what actually fixes sales–marketing silos (hint: shared facts beat opinions), why clean CRM + intent + journey data created pull from sales, and how one-to-one onboarding for reps, weekly pipeline rituals, and regional frameworks turned ABM from theory into closed-won outcomesKey takeawaysData-driven transformation is the foundation of growthHexagon's marketing evolution began with a cultural shift toward analytics and measurable outcomes. By implementing KPIs and attribution models, Brynna's team moved from intuition-based decisions to data-backed strategy, aligning every initiative to revenue impact.Sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiableBrynna emphasized that ABM success depends on equal partnership between sales and marketing. Breaking the “order-taker” mindset and fostering collaboration built the trust required for true go-to-market alignment.Demandbase became the catalyst for ABM maturityTransitioning from Terminus to Demandbase allowed Hexagon to unify data, surface actionable insights, and bridge communication gaps between sales and marketing. The platform became the single source of truth for their account strategy.Start small, prove value, then scaleLaunching with a North America pilot allowed the team to test, refine, and validate their ABM approach before expanding globally. The result was a 53% increase in web visits and an 80% rise in closed-won opportunities, setting a model for global rollout.Data transparency builds adoptionBy personalizing reports and dashboards for each salesperson, Brynna's team achieved over 90% adoption. Showing tangible, account-level insights built credibility and helped sales see marketing as a strategic partner.ABM success is globally adaptableWhile each region has unique challenges, the ABM framework proved scalable across geographies. Success came from combining consistent methodology with localized execution.Clean data powers the future of AI in marketingBrynna's closing insight underscored that AI can only enhance ABM if the data foundation is clean, accurate, and consistent across systems.Quotes“We need each other. Sales and marketing can't be order-takers; we're partners driving growth.”Tech RecommendationsConsensusDemandbase Resource RecommendationsNewsletter:The Marketing Operations Leader by Darrell AlfonsoThe Marketing Operations Strategist with Sara McNamara by Sarah McNamaraBlog:Niel Patel: Author: Neil Patel | Co Founder of NP Digital & Owner of UbersuggestShout-outsSarah McNamara - Founding Revenue Operations & GTM Strategy Lead. VectorDarrell Alfonso - VP of Marketing Ops and Martech,Foundever.Neil Patel - Co-Founder at Neil Patel DigitalMaureen Mack - Northam Marketing Director,Hexagon.Mallory Hilderbrand  - Senior Manager, Global Campaign Operations,Hexagon.About the GuestBrynna Self is a seasoned growth and marketing executive with 20 years of experience driving global digital strategy, demand generation, and account-based marketing. As Director of Global Digital Marketing at Hexagon's Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, she leads initiatives that align marketing, sales and customer success to create stronger go-to-market execution. Recognized for advancing ABM adoption, AI-powered analytics, and data-driven decision-making, she has delivered measurable growth across the software, manufacturing and e-commerce sectors. Brynna holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Maryland.Connect with Brynna.

We've all had those weeks where the pipeline, the budget, and the inbox gang up on us. Here's a quick, visual method to cut through noise, regain focus, and turn activity into outcomes: the focus map plus a six-step execution template. It's simple, fast, and friendly for time-poor sales pros.  How does a focus map work, and why does it beat a long to-do list? A focus map gets everything out of your head and onto one page around a single, central goal—so you can see priorities at a glance. Instead of scrolling endless tasks, draw a small circle in the centre of a page for your key focus (e.g., "Time Management," "Client Follow-Up," "Planning"). Radiate related sub-topics as circled "planets": prioritisation, block time, Quadrant Two focus, weekly goals. This simple visual cues the brain to spot what moves the needle first and what's just distraction. In 2025's noisy, Slack-popping world, mapping beats lists because you see interdependencies, not just items. It's a low-tech cognitive offload that scales across roles—from B2B SDRs to enterprise AEs—in Japan, the US, or Europe alike.  Do now: Grab a blank page, pick one central outcome, and sketch 6–8 sub-topics in 3 minutes. What's the six-step template I should run on each sub-topic? Use this repeatable mini-playbook: (1) Area of focus, (2) My current attitude, (3) Why it matters, (4) Specific actions, (5) Desired results, (6) Impact on vision. Walk a single sub-topic (say, "Prioritisation") through all six prompts to turn fuzzy intent into daily behaviour. This prevents feel-good plans that never reach your calendar. The key is specificity: "Block 90 minutes at 9:00 for top-value tasks, phone on Do Not Disturb" beats "be more organised." Leaders can cascade the same template in pipeline reviews or weekly one-on-ones to connect tasks to strategy and help teams self-coach.  Do now: Copy the six prompts onto a sticky note and keep it next to today's focus map. Can you show a concrete sales example for time management? Yes—prioritisation in practice looks like: organise, calendarise, and execute the top-value items first, every day.Start by acknowledging the usual blocker: "I never get around to it." Then translate to action: buy or open your organiser, maintain a rolling to-do list, and block time in your calendar for the highest-value, highest-priority items before anything else. Desired result: your best time goes to tasks with the greatest impact (e.g., discovery calls with ICP accounts, proposal updates due this week). Vision impact: consistency compounds—your effectiveness rises, and so does your contribution to team revenue. This is classic Quadrant Two discipline (important but not urgent) adapted for post-pandemic hybrid work.  Do now: Book tomorrow's first 90 minutes for your top two revenue drivers and guard it like gold. How should I prioritise when markets differ (Japan vs US vs Europe) or company size varies? Anchor priorities to value drivers that don't care about borders: ICP fit, deal stage risk, and time-to-impact. In Japan (often relationship-led and consensus-driven), prioritise follow-up and multi-stakeholder alignment; in the US (speed + experimentation), prioritise high-velocity outreach and fast iteration; in Europe (privacy/regulatory sensitivities), prioritise compliant messaging and local context. Startups should weight pipeline creation and early GTM proof; multinationals should weight cross-functional alignment, forecasting hygiene, and large-account expansion. The focus map adapts: the central circle stays constant ("Close Q4 revenue"), while the "planets" change by market and motion (ABM research vs channel enablement vs security reviews).  Do now: Label each sub-topic with the market or motion it best serves (e.g., "JP enterprise," "US SMB," "EU regulated"). How do I turn focus maps into weekly cadence without burning out? Run a lightweight loop: Monday map, daily 90-minute deep-work block, Friday review—then iterate. On Monday, pick one central theme (e.g., "Client Follow-Up") and 6–8 sub-topics. Each morning, choose one sub-topic and run the six-step template; protect a single 90-minute block to execute. On Friday, review outcomes vs. desired results, retire what's done, and promote what worked. Leaders can add a shared "focus wall" for visibility and coaching. This cadence blends time-blocking (Cal Newport), Eisenhower Quadrants, and sales hygiene—without heavy software. As of 2025, hybrid teams using this approach report better handoffs, cleaner CRM notes, and fewer "busy but not productive" days.  Do now: Schedule next week's Monday-Friday 09:00–10:30 focus block in your calendar. What are the red flags and watch-outs that kill focus? Beware "activity inflation," tool thrashing, and priority drift. Activity inflation = doing more low-value tasks to feel productive. Tool thrashing = bouncing between apps without finishing work. Priority drift = letting other people's urgencies displace your high-value commitments. Countermeasures: (1) Tie each sub-topic to a KPI (meetings booked, qualified pipeline, cycle time), (2) pre-decide your top two daily outcomes before opening email, (3) make your Friday review public to your manager or team to add gentle social accountability. Keep the map hand-drawn or one-page digital; if it takes longer to maintain than to act, you've over-engineered it.  Do now: Add KPI labels beside three sub-topics and delete one low-value "busywork" task today. Is there a quick checklist I can copy for my team? Use this one-pager and recycle it weekly. Central focus (one phrase): ____________________ Planets (6–8 sub-topics): ____________________ Six Steps per sub-topic: Area of focus → 2) My attitude → 3) Why it matters → 4) Specific actions → 5) Desired results → 6) Impact on vision Time block: 90 minutes daily, device on Do Not Disturb KPIs: meetings booked, pipeline $, cycle time, win rate Friday review: what shipped, what's next, what to drop This blends visual clarity (map) with behavioural clarity (six steps), making it easy for sales managers to coach and for reps to self-manage under pressure.  Do now: Print this checklist for the team stand-up and agree on one shared KPI for the week. Conclusion Focus maps + a six-step template turn overwhelm into action. They help you see what matters, schedule it, and ship it—fast. Start with one central goal, map the "planets," and run one sub-topic per day through the six prompts. That's how you get better results when time is tight.  Optional FAQs What's the difference between a focus map and mind map? A focus map is smaller and execution-oriented: one central outcome and 6–8 sub-topics you'll actually schedule this week.  How many sub-topics are ideal? Six to eight forces trade-offs; more invites sprawl and context switching.  How quickly should I see results? Usually within two weeks once you're blocking 90 minutes daily for the top-value tasks.  Next Steps for Leaders Run a 30-minute "Monday Map" with your team; pick one shared KPI. Make the 90-minute deep-work block part of your sales playbook. Review focus maps in pipeline meetings; coach actions, not anecdotes.    About the Author Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). A Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg delivers globally across leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He is the author of Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, Japan Presentations Mastery, Japan Leadership Mastery, and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training; his works are also available in Japanese. 

Before AI became a buzzword, a few true believers were already building.Since early 2022, Mati Staniszewski and his team at ElevenLabs have been among them, working to create voices that “actually represent emotions.”He shares with Joubin Mirzadegan how voice AI is transforming diverse fields, from delivering personalized healthcare for different age groups to amplifying creativity in filmmaking.Guest: Mati Staniszewski, co-founder and CEO of ElevenLabsConnect with Mati StaniszewskiXLinkedIn​Connect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.com​​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

What happens when early-stage founders realise their go-to-market strategy just isn't working? Do they double down on outdated advice or take a fresh look at how modern buyers actually engage?  In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I sit down with Richard Lowry, founder of Springboard IQ, to unpack how he's helping startups rebuild broken GTM strategies in just seven days through a crowdsourced, operator-led model that challenges everything we think we know about growth. Richard explains how Springboard IQ brings together six active operators to co-create a go-to-market blueprint that's fast, focused, and grounded in the realities of today's market. This approach delivers practical strategy and design rather than execution, giving founders clarity on where to focus their time and energy. As Richard puts it, founders should save their passion for the demo because that's where it really matters. The conversation explores why technical founders often mis-hire sales talent, why relying on outdated accelerator advice can derail growth, and why many teams hit a “GTM wall” long before real scale begins. We also discuss why the future of GTM might look very different from the digital-first strategies of the past. As inboxes flood with automated outreach and AI-generated content, Richard believes human-led activation through curated events, community experiences, and even spontaneous moments of connection will define the next era of startup growth. It's a conversation that blends practical lessons, honest stories (including one involving a soup kitchen in Lisbon), and a call to bring the human element back to how we sell, connect, and grow. So, could a crowdsourcing strategy from active operators be the smarter way for startups to go to market? And in an era of AI-saturated noise, will the next big differentiator simply be showing up in person? I'd love to hear your thoughts after you listen.

Guy spent 2 years and $4M building Snyk to $100K ARR. Thousands of developers loved the product. They just wouldn't pay.Then he figured out the problem: he had product-user fit, but not product-buyer fit. Developers loved Snyk. Security teams (the actual buyers) didn't care about it. The distance between user and buyer was killing him.So Guy spent a year building governance features, reporting, and enterprise capabilities—all the stuff developers didn't care about but security teams needed to write checks. Four months later, Snyk hit $650K ARR. A year after that, $4.5M. Then $19M. Today it's over $300M ARR.This episode breaks down the brutal reality of PLG when your user isn't your buyer, why Guy thinks the worst outcome for a founder is getting stuck (not failing), and how he's now raising $125M for his next company Tessl.If you're building PLG, selling to enterprise, or wondering why your users love you but won't pay—this is required listening.Why You Should Listen:Learn why thousands of users loving your product means nothing if they won't payDiscover the difference between product-user fit and product-buyer fitUnderstand why the worst outcome isn't failure—it's getting stuck in the grey zoneMaster the art of anchoring in the future instead of just filling today's gapsKeywords:startup podcast, startup podcast for founders, product market fit, PLG strategy, product-user fit vs product-buyer fit, developer tools, security startup, enterprise sales, bottoms-up GTM, Snyk founderChapters:(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:37) The first start up :Blaze.io"(00:06:16) The Beginning & Concept of Skyk(00:15:27) Why use Snyk(00:23:41) The Product Led Growth for Snyk(00:33:08) Raising for Snyk(00:38:58) The Beginning & Concept of TESL(00:46:39) Raising for TESL(00:48:52) Finding PMF(00:49:26) One Piece of AdviceSend me a message to let me know what you think!

A lot of B2B SaaS startups drown in vanity metrics while missing the core metrics that actually drive revenue growth. This tutorial walks you through the exact marketing trended funnel dashboard I've used with various clients to build proper measurement infrastructure and track the metrics that actually move the needle for your business in the early stages of GTM growth.This systematic approach to marketing measurement has helped clients identify where they're overspending, where to scale down budgets, and where to scale up to influence pipeline generation - against performance. Some clients have discovered 2-3x more qualified opportunities simply by analysing their data through this tracking approach.In this video, you'll discover:- The core funnel metrics every B2B SaaS startup should track.- Critical conversion rates that reveal where your funnel is performing well or not.- Which vanity metrics to avoid early on.- Why optimising too early can harm growth.- How to implement this measurement infrastructure using Google Sheets and your CRM.Perfect for B2B SaaS founders who need to understand which GTM channels actually work, and aspiring marketers who want to learn the systematic measurement approach that separates strategic marketers from tactical executors. This video focuses on building marketing infrastructure, not isolating and understanding "feel-good" metrics.

The gang is back with a spicy opener: Brit calls out Dave for dismissing her “AI-assisted” doc as work slop, while Sam argues lowbrow culture now imitates machines and highbrow culture resists them. We break down OpenAI's early, hallucination-prone Atlas browser and debate whether it's a real agent platform, just memory capture, or total $$$ burn. Sora hype is cooling as TPUs rise—with Jessica noting how The Information's TPU scoop even nudged NVIDIA to move faster. OpenAI's compute could approach ~$45B/year at ~3 GW, forcing new financing models and tough research vs GTM trade-offs—Sam calls it Pascal's Wager for Big Tech. We close on AWS outages, crypto leverage swings, and why “swag is dead,” replaced by bespoke gifting as the new status move. Just another week of your favorite Technology podcast with the Morins and Lessins.Chapters:00:38 — Gang is back: notes on last episode and Yasso bars01:20 — Revisiting last week's “AI Work Slop”: Brit vs. Dave 03:49 — Culture vs. LLMs: highbrow resists, lowbrow imitates07:16 — Bot etiquette: Bot joining Zoom calls and writing thank you letters12:16 — OpenAI Atlas: early tests, hallucinations & agency potential17:29 — Sora hype cools: the consumer AI novelty cycle19:47 — The TPU plot twist: NVIDIA gets pushed to move faster22:40 — $45B compute future: Pascal's Wager for Big Tech29:05 — AWS outages: one-offs vs systemic risk33:29 — The X Game: Mr.Beast, “manual slop,” and the screenshot era43:38 — Swag is dead: bespoke gifting = new status flex53:43 — Sports, socials & 2026 predictionsWe're also on ↓X: https://twitter.com/moreorlesspodInstagram: https://instagram.com/moreorlessYouTube: https://youtu.be/VDYdIoHe4XAConnect with us here:1) Sam Lessin: https://x.com/lessin2) Dave Morin: https://x.com/davemorin3) Jessica Lessin: https://x.com/Jessicalessin4) Brit Morin: https://x.com/brit

We sit down with Jeff Perry, CRO at Carta, to explore how growth leaders redefine success when capital tightens, buyers get smarter, and AI reshapes cost structures.  We unpack how growth has changed, why IPO-ready now means post-IPO durable, and how Carta scaled from a cap table tool to an ERP-like platform for private capital while staying efficient and customer-first. Jeff shares concrete tactics for moving upmarket, using AI wisely, and building teams that perform under pressure.• redefining fast growth and IPO readiness in private markets• evolving from SMB velocity to enterprise endurance• expanding from cap tables to fund admin and private credit• measuring meetings as a leading productivity indicator• using curated events and customer proofs over vanity metrics• aligning sales, marketing and product around shared pipeline• adding K-1 tax and LP data products to deepen value• AI as a force for 10x productivity, not headcount cuts• disciplined acquisitions to accelerate the CFO ERP vision• leadership choices: pausing sales, saying no when not readyIPO dreams used to hinge on hitting 100 million ARR. That world is gone.  Jeff takes us from Carta's earliest days digitizing stock certificates to building a networked platform that now powers cap tables, fund administration, LP data, and private credit—an evolving ERP for the office of the private capital CFO.We dig into the hard pivots after the 2021 surge: why “more capacity” stopped working, how meetings per AE became a reliable leading indicator, and where curated events and customer-led storytelling outperform saturated digital tactics. Jeff explains the move upmarket into venture and private equity, the new enterprise seller profile it requires, and the partnership with marketing to identify real switching intent. He also shares how acquisitions like Accelex and Sirvatus support an end-to-end vision across funds, LPs, and loan servicing.AI looms large throughout. Jeff contrasts application-layer SaaS with AI-native companies carrying heavy compute costs, and why that bifurcation changes CAC, payback, and headcount plans. Rather than using AI to cut roles, he shows how Carta uses it to 10x productivity—accelerating RFPs, territory coverage, and performance workflows—while standardizing experiments so wins become reusable process. Along the way, we unpack bold leadership choices: pausing sales to protect implementation quality, and walking away from a marquee IPO transition when the product wasn't ready.If you care about efficient growth, enterprise GTM, and building products that compound value across a connected market, this conversation delivers practical playbooks and memorable lessons on performing under pressure. Follow, share with a teammate, and leave a quick review to help more operators find the show.Jeff Perry: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-perry-380233/Jeff is a proven revenue superstar, whose career journey spans Oracle and DocuSign.  Under his leadership as CRO at Carta, Carta's annual recurring revenue scaled from approximately $20 million ARR to $450 million ARR. Jeff attended Santa Clara University where he received a B.S. in Political Science and where he also played NCAA baseball.Website: https://www.position2.com/podcast/Rajiv Parikh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajivparikh/Sandeep Parikh: https://www.instagram.com/sandeepparikh/Email us with any feedback for the show: sparkofages.podcast@position2.com

In this RevOps Hero episode, Chris Strom interviews five marketing leaders live at Dreamforce to unpack why top teams still invest in in-person events — and exactly how they plan, execute, and measure them. We cover pre-event planning and process, on-site actions (booth, breakouts, side events), post-event follow-up, and how these leaders run attribution that ties events to pipeline and revenue.You'll learn:How in-person accelerates trust (and thus deal velocity)What to do leading up to the event (lists, invites, cadences, creative, logistics)On-site tactics that actually convert (meetings, scans, activations)Post-event follow-up that doesn't feel spammySimple, workable attribution (lead source + campaign influence) and realistic ROI targetsGuests:Ann-Marie Fleming (Traction Complete), Laura Sweet (Riva), Rachel Kim (Mutiny), Milissa Holland (Spaulding Ridge), Aishling Finnegan (Copado)Subscribe for more RevOps and GTM breakdowns.

ZayZoon pioneered the earned wage access category a decade ago and has become the leading embedded provider through partnerships with over 300 payroll companies. With over $50 million raised and a team of 200, ZayZoon now serves 15,000+ businesses across the US. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, I sat down with Tate Hackert, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ZayZoon, to unpack their B2B2C distribution strategy, the economics of three-sided marketplaces, and how they're expanding from earned wage access into the connected workplace. Topics Discussed: Building for two years without revenue while signing payroll distribution partners Why embedded B2B2C distribution beats direct sales for hourly workforce products Engineering three-way marketplace economics that align payroll, employer, and employee incentives The November 2017 trade show that killed their Canadian market strategy Educating three distinct buyer personas in a category creation motion Product expansion strategy: when to stay focused vs. when to launch adjacent products Positioning shift from "financial wellness" to recruitment/retention/productivity outcomes The underwriting advantage of payroll-integrated repayment for reducing loss rates Building 300+ payroll partnerships through relationship-driven GTM GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Solve distribution economics before product-market fit: ZayZoon spent 2014-2016 building product and signing payroll partners before generating first revenue in 2016. The insight: "Why would we go and try to sign up business by business...Let's sign up the payroll company because they're this umbrella organization." For B2B2C models, solve the distribution layer first—even if it delays revenue. Your bottleneck is partner adoption curves, not product readiness. Structure three-way economics where everyone wins big: ZayZoon discovered payroll companies had "this gold mine of employees that they hadn't yet monetized" and built a model where they pay payroll partners "a really hefty revenue share" while keeping enough margin for ZayZoon and keeping the service low-cost for employees. In platform businesses, the unit economics must be compelling enough that each party actively sells for you, not just tolerates you. Map your value prop to your buyer's actual job metrics: ZayZoon's breakthrough came from reframing earned wage access as solving recruitment, retention, and productivity—the metrics small business owners are measured on. Tate explained the unlock: "It's free for me, and it's deployed seamlessly through the HCM provider that I already use. Yeah, turn it on." Your features matter less than your impact on the specific KPIs in your buyer's quarterly review. Kill underperforming markets immediately, even after years of investment: After building in Canada from 2014-2017, one US trade show in November 2017 generated "more signed business than we had done in the previous couple of years in Canada." They put Canada "on life support" by January 2018. Resource reallocation speed matters more than sunk cost. When signal clarity emerges, move capital and team within weeks, not quarters. High-touch relationship GTM beats automation until you hit scale: Tate's core partnership advice: "Pick up the phone...be gritty as hell. Those first hundred customers that you do, be gritty." He emphasized personal outreach builds "pattern recognition and learnings that you receive from being ultra curious." For partnerships specifically, bring "humility, transparency and the expectation that you're building a ten year plus relationship, not being transactional." Automation scales what works—but relationship GTM discovers what works.   //   Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM  

According to the GTM Performance Gap Report, 98% of leaders say their GTM strategy is active, but only 10% see it driving results. So how can organizations bridge this gap and turn strategy into meaningful execution that drives outcomes? Riley Rogers: Hi, and welcome to the Winland Podcast. I’m your host, Riley Rogers. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic is Becky Payne, Vice President of Sales and Success Digital Enablement at Sage. Thank you so much for joining us today. Becky, we are super excited to have you. As we kind of get things kicked off, I’d love it if you could just start by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your role. Becky Payne: Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for having me on the Win-Win podcast today. A little bit about me and my background. I’ve been at Sage for seven years. I’ve been in corporate America for almost 17, and what I can tell you is. When you really get under the hood of go-to market, that’s really what makes an organization home, right? And so my experience and my background is a lot of understanding the channel, a lot of understanding how go-to market works in real life, which is a phrase I like to use quite a bit. As well as then understanding how that connects into our strategy as we think about where we need to drive transformation to get to our ultimate outcomes along the way. My role at Sage is very unique. I sit in our routes to revenue organization, and so I get the privilege of enabling our go-to-market teams to drive the revenue that they need to and the various motions and go-to-market aspects of what they do every day. RR: Amazing. First of all, I love the Routes to Revenue team. That is the best team name. Based on what you’ve said here, it seems like we’ve got a lot to dig into. As you mentioned, you’ve got a pretty extensive experience in both channel and sales enablement, so can you walk us through how you journeyed into sales enablement, and now that you’re here, how that background influences your strategy today? BP: Well, I think my experience is probably a little bit of a unique one, but I’m happy to share it. So prior to this role, I actually served as our chief of staff or business executive in the North America space, and prior to that actually for our global partners and Alliance leader. So I have spent a significant amount of time in both of those spaces, and what I was able to identify is that. We had the most brilliant pieces of technology out there. We had the most brilliant strategies out there, but we didn’t have a great way of connecting those into the workforce every day to get them to drive the outcomes that the business really needed to see. So coming into this role, first of all, I think I have the best role at Sage, so I love to brag about what my team does. But what we get to do is we get to connect in with solving real world problems. We get to work with these sellers and these channel partners every single day to be able to deliver incremental value into what they do directly in relation to the customers, but also then how we make them operationally efficient in their day-to-day activities to be able to execute on that go-to-market strategy. RR: It seems like we got the exact right person to talk about the strategy and execution gap. I think you mentioned everything that I hope to cover, so super excited to dig into how you’re making that all this happen. Before we get into kind of the fix it strategies, I’d love to start with where we are today. So as you’re looking across the go-to-market stage and seeing some of the obstacles that pretty much every team is encountering in their day-to-day, what are some of the top challenges to sales success that you’re seeing? And then how are you addressing those challenges for both internal reps and channel partners? BP: Well, I don’t know that we have enough time today to get into all the details, but, but when you really think about it, it’s common in a lot of places, right? Yes, we might be in the high tech world, but a lot of what we’re experiencing is what is happening across the globe today. So if you think about it, a lot of our, both internal sellers, as well as our channel executives and partners, actually are experiencing information overload. And quite honestly, they’re not able to make the understanding of where that information overload then meets the relevance. Impact driver for what they’re dealing with every day. You know, a lot of our colleagues are flooded with content tools, data galore. We have a very, very data rich infrastructure here, which is amazing. However, the challenge isn’t access. To that, right? It’s really the precision and the action that they’re taking on that. We also have a bit of a previous history in having some consistency gaps when you think about that, right? So both direct teams and our channel partner teams that are out there selling and they’re engaging with these customers. Until recently, we didn’t really have a global blueprint. We didn’t really have a ton of global sales place, so we had a, a large inconsistency in how things were showing up, which their format, how we were measuring those outcomes and those impacts couldn’t be aligned on the day-to-day basis. We also are seeing a ton of pace of change. I mean, every organization is experiencing not only the AI transformation and AI change, but overall as a team at Sage, we experienced a significant amount of transformation in the last 24 months. So we’re kind of embracing that as we see a lot of the challenges as we embrace the AI transformation that’s on our doorstep. RR: You called out a couple things that I think most teams are gonna resonate with. Information overload, crazy pace of change, consistency issues across your channels. There’s a lot of noise out there, which makes it really difficult to create enduring, trusted relationships that drive the results you’re looking for. So from your perspective, what are some of the key building blocks behind a strong, effective partnership with your channel teams? BP: All right. This is one that goes a little bit like near and dear to my heart, right? What we have such a great ecosystem around us at Sage and such a great channel partner team, both internally and with our partners directly, is the clarity of the purpose. And the incremental value that they add to Sage. A lot of times our managing director of North America, Mark Hickman, he references the one plus one equals three equation, and that’s generally how we feel with our partner ecosystem. We have the best partnerships and those best partnerships start when both sides are really clear on the outcome and the impact that we mutually drive together. And what we’re able to see is when we do that in a very cohesive, consistent, and aligned strategic way from the leaders all the way down to the front line, we’re able to see incremental value driven through with and to our partners as well as back into Sage when you think about that bigger ecosystem play. RR: Okay, so we’ve covered a little bit of the philosophy of alignment, outcome, shared outcomes. I’d like to talk a little bit about the execution piece, so how you’re bringing that strategy to life with technology. Can you walk us through how an enablement platform helps you better equip both the internal and the partner side of the house? BP: Yes, this is where I nerd out just slightly ’cause this is absolutely what I love. So when you think about it, it does absolutely start with a unified go-to-market motion, which we have been able to deliver over the past year with my partner in crime, Mark Jackson. But we also have now, literally a couple weeks ago, launched our global unified enablement platform, which happens to be Highspot. And what we were able to learn from that is when you take a consistent blueprint and go to market mission, right, and then you add that. The best platform that we can. Not only can we surface insights and leverage some of the AI technologies that Highspot is offering, but we also have an ability to have mutually shared documents, mutually, you know, shared Digital Sales Rooms. Things that allow us to go to market together in an effective way that we’ve never had before. We really feel like this is a game changing strategy for us and really is a way for us to bring our blueprint, right, and that kind of strategy to life in the day-to-day execution. Some of the genomics aspects of your platform bring visibility into some of these sales plays and other items that we’ve never had before. We can now go in and we can see what partners are engaging with us, who within those partners are engaging at a different way, allow us to provide reporting to senior leaders, but also at those frontline sellers. So they’re going into their weekly strategic team meetings with these partners with a strategy that’s very clear. They’ve got content they can reference. They have points of which they can then articulate what is or is not working in sales plays and other things, and we’ve never had that capability before. RR: Well, that’s absolutely what I love to hear that the platform is becoming such a game changer for you guys, and you’re already seeing that difference between before and after. One thing I’d like to double click into what you said there was that you’re starting to dig into Highspot AI capabilities. So can you share how you’re building some of those features into your enablement strategy and then where you’re eventually hoping to go with them? BP: The future’s endless, right? Endless possibilities is where we’re hoping to go. But if you think about something like Sage, we are a global business. We do, you know, a significant amount of business across the world, but we also have, oh gosh, 160 ish products across the world. So when you think about how vast our content repository is, when you think about how much information is actually out there for both our internal sellers as well as our channel teams, we really need to think about smart ways to drive the right visibility at the right time for that, thinking about how to get the right information in their hands in a very short amount of time. You know, the name of the game for us is how do you drive the adoption? Drive adoption in a way that makes it make sense for how they’re using it in their everyday world. So things like the, you know, copilot plus features that has been game changing in and of itself. We cannot wait to get started with some of the content agents. I have a very, very lean team, and when you think about that, investing in places that are operationally supporting things is not likely what we’re to make our next investment, right? This is all about how do I drive the efficiency of my team as well in the background to then enable all of these sellers and these channel partners to do more with what they have. RR: Yeah. As somebody who also sits in the content world and deals with all of the wonderful governance tasks that come with that, I have to say I’m quite excited too, right there with you. Can I ask what it is about the platform that makes you such an advocate and really love to know? BP: Okay. This is, um, I must confess, I love the platform for a couple of different reasons, to be honest with you. First and foremost, I feel like it is one of the most dynamic. Adaptable platforms that I’ve seen where we have ideas, where we have, you know, thoughts for improvements, where we wanna take advantage of beta programs that you guys are offering. Everything is on the table with you guys, and it feels like a true open partnership when we’re having these discussions. It’s one of the only consistent conversations that I’m in where you guys are asking, okay, what is your strategy, Becky? What is Sage’s strategy? What do we need to help you achieve? And that becomes a really meaningful way for us to adapt what our strategic objectives are. Via your platform, and then mutually come up with ways to help us drive that adoption and the success moving forward. And a little bit of a shameless plug, I think I have one of the best account teams at Highspot. If there’s ever a crazy idea that we have, if there’s ever a way for us to try to bring something to life so I can try to get the feedback directly from our sellers, that has been the best thing with Matthew and Ed and Omar. It just becomes a real dynamic partnership in seeing how much value we can mutually drive through this platform. RR: It always makes us so happy to hear that. It really does feel like a true partnership, and I will certainly have to take that feedback back to your team. I’m sure they’ll be happy to hear it, but I’m sure they already know just how successful you’re feeling because looking at the data, you and your teams have achieved a really impressive 87% recurring usage rate, which is huge. So what are some of your best practices for driving that adoption? BP: This one kind of goes back to basics, to be honest with you. So we really started with what matters most, right? So we decided as a strategic team, you know, working on the Sage account and then ultimately within the leadership team at Sage, what is it that we needed to drive value out of this platform, right? We went out to a global RFP when we did this to define our global enablement platform. And so we really stuck to what those outcomes were that we were trying to get. First and foremost, when you think about the basics of adoption is. Old school is best when it comes to this consistent drum beep of updates. Consistent visibility of metrics, consistent visibility of good wind stories. There is nothing better than that ground up swell when people start talking to their peers about how much better their life is because they’re using this platform or something like that. There’s also been a significant amount of leadership visibility. This was a major investment for Sage, and we wanted to make sure that our leaders all the way down, we’re seeing the goodness. We’ve gone to the kind of executive level to bring visibility into. What’s out there, what’s happening, and also getting them licenses. Kinda giving them some quizzes along the way, making sure that they’re using it, making sure that they’re seeing the value in what it can provide back to these sellers and these partners, as well as making sure that we’re doing. I’ll call it the flare around some of these announcements. You guys do a great job of consistently releasing features. We also then try to do a great job of bringing visibility into that so it keeps things fresh and new and users wanting to come back to the platform. RR: I think you’re 100% right to say, you know. Bring it back to basics because no matter the size of the organization you’re at, nine times out of 10, word of mouth is gonna do far more for you than even the most well-planned launch. That trust from your users is huge. So fantastic advice. In addition to adoption, I know that for leaders like yourself, it’s a great metric. It’s a good indicator, but it’s not the end all, be all that you’re looking at. So aside from adoption, what other metrics are you using to measure and optimize your enablement strategy? BP: Woo. This is a great one. Adoption is absolutely key, but we’re also looking at new ways to get feedback around the productivity, the efficiency, and honestly with this platform, the efficacy that it can deliver for our internal sellers through their go-to market motions. So things like, what does the revenue per head look like? Or, you know, how long are they spending? What’s the metrics it takes? For them to be able to get the content that they’re looking for. How many times are they researching, you know, to get the same outcome that they need. There’s also a lot to be said for when we’re in different offices or if different sellers and partners, you know, we have the chance to get in front of them. We’re often asking the question, you know, what do you like about it? What could you change? What would you do differently? And we’re really open to that feedback to help us refine where our strategy is going to go so that the end user feels heard. There is no better way to know where you need to go or what you need to do to drive the consumption overall and the kind of value outta that tool than hearing people that need to use it every single day, hear where they have some feedback and some improvements on. RR: So knowing you’re keeping that close pulse on your teams, how they’re engaging with the platform, the value they’re seeing, the things they’d like to see improve. I’d be curious to know kind of where things are today. So since you’ve launched Highspot, what key results have you achieved? What wins have you seen or. Any achievements that you’re particularly proud of you’d like to share? BP: Yes, absolutely. So again, I think the genomics aspect of this makes it incredibly valuable. We are also just weeks away from our sales kickoff for North America, and as part of that we are going to do an AI pitch perfect aspect with the AI role play that is in the platform. And so we will then be doing a leaderboard for the various segments. Across the business in North America to see who is already able to find the materials that they need for their AI pitch perfect aspect, but then also see how they engage with the AI agent to be able to do their role play and get a leaderboard going. So that’s what we’re probably most excited about for that one. And we kind of got the idea after the Cloudy Carly role play that you guys actually had at Spark. So we shamelessly borrowed a couple of those ideas and we’re really excited to see how we can bring that to life at Sko. RR: Amazing couple things there. One, thank you for taking the time to chat with us when you have SKO just around the corner. Appreciate that. And two, I will have to check back in with you because I would love to hear how that’s going. Last question for you to close this out. What is one piece of advice that you’d share for other leaders like yourself that are looking to close the gap between strategy and execution? BP: I think the biggest piece of advice would just be to get started. I think if we go back to the basics and we think in Inc. And you really think about where we need to take a transformation, a large organization like Sage, and you connect what they do every day into that strategy, it’s just to get started, right? I mean, there’s a thousand ways you can do things. Not all of them are gonna work out. But the longer you sit there and you look at it on paper, the longer it’s gonna take for you to have that impact. So when you get started and you get people excited and bought along on that journey of what you’re doing, magic can happen. RR: I think that’s perfect advice to close with. You know that don’t boil the ocean philosophy. Just get started. Something is better than nothing. Progress is better than planning on planning on planning. Perfect. Becky, thank you so much for joining us. It has been an absolute pleasure. BP: Thank you so much for having me. Can’t wait for the next one. RR: To our audience, thank you for listening to this episode of the Win-Win podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for our insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

Saneel is the Head of Special Projects at the Ritual Foundation, where he broadly runs ecosystem, strategy, and GTM for the Ritual Chain. Prior to this, he was on the Founding Team of Ritual Labs, Alkimiya, and on the Investment teams at Dragonfly and Polychain. He also did ML/AI at large logistics companies before entering crypto. He is also a Partner at Accomplice. In this conversation, we discuss:- Recap of the 10/10 market crash - The current L1 landscape  - L1 consolidation and why most chains won't survive - AI and crypto - How AI powers on-chain decision-making - Becoming the sovereign execution layer for AI - Bringing options trading to crypto - The importance of having a “bid” - Infernet  Ritual Foundation X: @ritualfndWebsite: ritualfoundation.orgDiscord: discord.gg/ritual-netSaneel Sreeni X: @sanlsrniLinkedIn: Saneel S.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------This episode is brought to you by PrimeXBT.PrimeXBT offers a robust trading system for both beginners and professional traders that demand highly reliable market data and performance. Traders of all experience levels can easily design and customize layouts and widgets to best fit their trading style. PrimeXBT is always offering innovative products and professional trading conditions to all customers.  PrimeXBT is running an exclusive promotion for listeners of the podcast. After making your first deposit, 50% of that first deposit will be credited to your account as a bonus that can be used as additional collateral to open positions. Code: CRYPTONEWS50 This promotion is available for a month after activation. Click the link below: PrimeXBT x CRYPTONEWS50FollowApple PodcastsSpotifyAmazon MusicRSS FeedSee All

Fresh from MAICON, where we spent time both teaching and learning, we also recorded a special edition of AI Answers just for you. In this episode, Mike Kaput joins Paul Roetzer live from the conference to tackle questions submitted by MAICON attendees. From hands-on use cases to the future of AI in marketing and business, our hosts dive into the biggest themes shaping AI adoption today. Show Notes: Access the show notes and show links here Timestamps: 00:00:00 — Intro 00:05:19 — Question #1: Is “AI-first” in marketing really just about efficiency and content or can it actually create new, unique customer experiences? 00:07:49 — Question #2: How should B2B companies rethink their GTM playbooks? 00:11:12 — Question #3: What are the consequences of the “progress at all costs” mindset the AI labs have?  00:16:42 — Question #4: How far away are we from “autonomous” marketing? 00:20:31 — Question #5: Which AI-powered marketing tactic has surprised you by under-delivering, and what lessons did you learn? 00:21:46 — Question #6: What's the most compelling early AI use case you've seen that helped leadership finally “get it,” i.e. enough to greenlight investment? 00:23:37 — Question #7: What's your best guess about the impact of the ability to purchase, checkout, and pay for goods right within ChatGPT on Direct-to-Consumer brands?  00:25:13 — Question #8: What's the one change that has shocked you the most about AI and what impact does it have for marketers today and tomorrow? 00:27:31 — Question #9: Are companies overinvesting in “secure” in-house AI builds when frontier models already have strong privacy and safety standards? 00:30:24 — Question #10: How do you see AI being used in the non-profit sector? 00:33:36 — Question #11:What is it going to take for education institutions to actually start integrating AI? 00:36:47 — Question #12: How does the average (or above average) marketer stay on top of everything happening in AI? 00:38:04 — Question #13: What signs tell you an organization is ready to move from isolated AI pilots to scaled adoption?   This episode is brought to you by Google Cloud:  Google Cloud is the new way to the cloud, providing AI, infrastructure, developer, data, security, and collaboration tools built for today and tomorrow. Google Cloud offers a powerful, fully integrated and optimized AI stack with its own planet-scale infrastructure, custom-built chips, generative AI models and development platform, as well as AI-powered applications, to help organizations transform. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted technology partner. Learn more about Google Cloud here: https://cloud.google.com/   Visit our website Receive our weekly newsletter Join our community: Slack LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Looking for content and resources? Register for a free webinar Come to our next Marketing AI Conference Enroll in our AI Academy 

In this comprehensive session, SaaStr CEO and Founder Jason Lemkin dives into the latest trends and developments in AI, particularly in the go-to-market (GTM) sector. The session outlines how innovative AI tools are transforming businesses, from AI SDRs and BDRs to forward-deployed engineers. Leaders in the industry are pushing the boundaries, showing higher growth rates and superior marketing efficiency. We also discuss the importance of hands-on deployment and training of AI tools to achieve success, and analyze the current and future impact of AI on B2B companies. Tune in for detailed insights and learn how to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of AI. --------------------- 

This episode is Sponsored in part by Salesforce:

 Connect data, automate busywork and empower teams like nobody's business with the one platform that grows with you, every step of the way. Learn how Salesforce works for Startups at salesforce.com/smb.   --------------------- This episode is Sponsored in part by Intercom:
 Fin is the #1 AI Agent for resolving complex queries like refunds, transaction disputes, and technical troubleshooting—all with speed and reliability. See how Fin can deliver the highest resolution rates and highest-quality customer experience at fin.ai/saastr.  --------------------- If you're serious about B2B and AI, you need to be in London this December.   SaaStr AI London is bringing together more than 2,000 leaders and founders for two days of practical advice on scaling into the new year.    We'll have speakers flying in from OpenAI, Wiz, Clay, Intercom, and all your favorite SaaS companies, including yours truly with Harry Stebbings for a live 20VC podcast. It'll be fun, and it's all in the heart of London.    Don't miss out: get your tickets with my exclusive discount by going to podcast.saastrlondon.com   ---------------------   Hey everybody, the biggest B2B + AI event of the year will be back - SaaStr AI in the SF Bay Area, aka the SaaStr Annual, will be back in May 2026.    With 68% VP-level and above, 36% CEOs and founders and a growing 25% AI-first professional, this is the very best of the best S-tier attendees and decision makers that come to SaaStr each year.     But here's the reality, folks: the longer you wait, the higher ticket prices can get. Early bird tickets are available now, but once they're gone, you'll pay hundreds more so don't wait.    Lock in your spot today by going to podcast.saastrannual.com to get my exclusive discount SaaStr AI SF 2026. We'll see you there.

When it comes to product positioning, clarity isn't just a communication tool—it's a strategic advantage. In this episode, I sit down with Anthony Pierri, co-founder of FletchPMM, a product marketing consultancy that's helped over 400 B2B software startups discover and sharpen their positioning. We explore how founders can unlearn generic marketing advice, clarify their message, and activate their strategy through one often-overlooked asset: their homepage.Anthony brings practical frameworks, real-world stories, and a refreshing candor to a space that's often muddled with jargon. This is a must-listen for any founder, PMM, or GTM leader tired of being misunderstood—and ready to focus.FletchPMM is a product marketing consultancy that helps B2B tech startups nail their positioning and bring it to life through a purpose-built homepage. Alongside co-founder Rob Kaminski, he's helped more than 400 companies craft focused, champion-centered messaging that converts.Key TakeawaysClarity wins: Positioning isn't about vision—it's about specificity, segmentation, and telling your champion's story.Unlearn the fluff: Ditch the vague benefits and generic promises. Customers need to know what you do and how it helps them.Focus = traction: Trying to be everything to everyone dilutes your impact. Specialization creates memorability and repeatability.Your homepage is your positioning: It's the one asset every stakeholder sees—customers, investors, your team. Make it count.Position for the champion, not the budget holder: Focus your messaging on the person closest to the problem—not the executive who cuts the check.Additional InsightsPositioning is pattern recognition: Anthony shares how lessons from church leadership and freelancing helped him recognize early signs of positioning misalignment—even before he had the language for it.Inbound scale comes from consistency, not creativity: With over 500 companies served, Fletch's success has come from delivering one service, the same way, every time—not by chasing new ideas or tactics.Founders often confuse luck with repeatability: Anthony reveals how many early startup wins come from personal networks—and how this masks the real need for scalable positioning and segment focus.Mispositioning starts with the homepage: Anthony critiques vague, benefits-only messaging like “Make Yes Work”—demonstrating how the lack of a clear product reference point derails understanding and action.Repositioning is an organizational act: Referencing Klaviyo and Meta, Anthony shows how homepage messaging isn't just about marketing—it forces internal alignment by making strategic bets visible to every team member.Episode Highlights00:00 – Episode RecapAnthony Pierri shares how a seemingly minor contradiction in a church's mission statement became his first exposure to a positioning problem—planting the seed for a career built around clarity.01:30 – Guest Introduction: Anthony PierriBarry introduces Anthony, co-founder of FletchPMM, a consultancy that's helped 400+ B2B software startups craft focused, conversion-driving homepages.05:09 – The Real Cost of Doing EverythingWhy trying to serve every persona or use case is the quickest way to stall traction—and how narrowing your focus builds momentum.07:14 – Specialization is a Strategic AdvantageAnthony explains how one service, delivered one way, to one segment unlocked a scalable, inbound engine for Fletch.11:42 – Sales...

Most companies still hire salespeople wrong in 2025.They rely on resumes, gut feeling, and vague interviews instead of testing real skills. In this episode, Raul and Toni explain why that approach fails and how to replace it with a system that actually works.They break down a practical process to identify what you really need, define the skills that matter, and test candidates in realistic scenarios. No fluff, no guesswork, just a repeatable way to hire people who can actually sell.This episode is brought to you by ZoomInfo, the Go-To-Market Intelligence Platform. ZoomInfo gives you high-quality B2B data and sales intelligence on in-market buyers across companies of all sizes, powered by AI-driven automation with integrated outreach tools to help your GTM teams build pipeline and close deals faster. Check them out at zoominfo.com/revenue-formula Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (01:41) - Hiring is Broken (07:09) - Basics of Effective Hiring (12:35) - The Myth of the Perfect Candidate (14:20) - Understand your Needs and Context (16:56) - Time Pressure in Hiring (22:02) - The Three Step Solution (29:10) - Assessing Candidates: Interpretation (30:16) - Assessing Candidates: Talking (31:21) - Assessing Candidates: Showing (32:53) - Assessing Candidates: Doing (36:53) - Iterating on the Process (39:57) - Roleplaying in Sales Hiring (43:33) - Hiring Sales Leaders (46:00) - Final Thoughts and Takeaways

Calico is building an agentic AI system for apparel sourcing and production—automating the "messy middle" of manufacturing that has operated on emails, Excel, and WhatsApp for decades. As a founder who previously built and exited apparel brands, Kathleen Chan experienced the pain firsthand: opening a Shopify store takes minutes, but actually producing inventory requires staying up until 2am managing factory communications. In this episode, she shares how Calico is creating a new category during the 2025 tariff crisis, when sourcing directors are rewriting playbooks that haven't changed in 50 years. Topics Discussed: How Calico functions as an AI co-pilot for sourcing directors and production managers Creating a category when no budget line exists for agentic AI systems Leveraging the 2025 tariff environment as an adoption catalyst Why six months of paid acquisition produced high signups but zero quality customers Sequencing GTM tactics from unscalable one-to-ones to conferences to content Building authenticity in a market saturated with AI slop and generic LinkedIn content Hiring early evangelists who maintain conviction through the startup zigzag GTM Lessons For B2B Founders: Match GTM motion to how your market transacts, not what scales: Calico tested paid acquisition for six months before realizing relationship-building converted better despite being unscalable. In apparel manufacturing, decades-long supplier relationships can't turn on and off overnight—the buying motion reflects this reality. Kathleen's approach: early-stage requires one-to-one dinners and networking to answer nuanced questions; mid-stage shifts to conferences for broader reach; late-stage deploys LinkedIn content once the market understands your category. The sequencing matters because each stage builds on the previous one's trust foundation. Brutally audit customer quality, not conversion metrics: Calico's paid acquisition drove signups and "conversions by marketing sense," creating a false signal of product-market fit. After six months, the math revealed these customers cost more to acquire than those from relationship channels and had lower quality. Kathleen's lesson: vanity metrics provide a "weird little dopamine hit" that masks broken unit economics. For B2B founders in complex sales cycles, track cost-per-quality-customer, not cost-per-signup. Use macro disruption to collapse sales cycles: The 2025 tariff crisis created an "impossible challenge" for Calico's ICP—sourcing directors forced to rewrite playbooks built over decades while tariffs changed via tweet. Rather than fighting the chaos, Calico positioned itself as the solution to this specific moment, anchoring customer conversations on tariff-driven urgency. This transformed education from abstract ("here's what agentic AI can do") to concrete ("here's how we solve your tariff problem today"). B2B founders should identify trigger events that make the status quo untenable. Create category clarity by defining what you're not: In a market where "AI could mean things to many different people," Calico differentiated by explicitly stating what their system cannot do. Kathleen prioritized "dispelling the notions of what we are and what we aren't" over overselling capabilities. This matters because sophisticated buyers—especially in industries with low tech adoption—need to understand boundaries before they'll trust promises. The tactic builds credibility in noisy markets where everyone claims AI magic. Hire evangelists who outlast founder doubt: Calico's most impactful GTM decision was bringing on early team members who could evangelize value through the inevitable "zigzaggy" early stage—when "it's exciting one day and the worst day ever the next." These people interface directly with customers regardless of whether the founder is having doubts or frustrations. Kathleen's insight: in B2B relationship-driven sales, your early GTM hires' conviction directly determines whether customers stick through product evolution. Hire for authentic belief, not just skills. Deprioritize content in high-noise environments: Calico deliberately delays LinkedIn content until later stages because "folks are a little bit more muted to all the LinkedIn content coming at them." With AI making content easier than ever to create, Kathleen sees audiences questioning whether to take it seriously and whether AI-generated content has less value than human-generated. Her approach: authenticity trumps quantity. For B2B founders, this means investing in formats that can't be easily faked (video, in-person) before scaling written content. // Sponsors: Front Lines — We help B2B tech companies launch, manage, and grow podcasts that drive demand, awareness, and thought leadership. www.FrontLines.io The Global Talent Co. — We help tech startups find, vet, hire, pay, and retain amazing marketing talent that costs 50-70% less than the US & Europe. www.GlobalTalent.co // Don't Miss: New Podcast Series — How I Hire Senior GTM leaders share the tactical hiring frameworks they use to build winning revenue teams. Hosted by Andy Mowat, who scaled 4 unicorns from $10M to $100M+ ARR and launched Whispered to help executives find their next role. Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/show/53yCHlPfLSMFimtv0riPyM

What's product-market fit like when you give people the power to do what they never thought was possible?On this rerun of Grit from April 2024, Victor Riparbelli, co-founder and CEO of Synthesia, shares how his platform gave billions a new way to create video without cameras, and explores a future where video and audio replace text as the primary way to share knowledge and content.Guests: Victor Riparbelli, CEO and co-founder of Synthesia and Josh Coyne, Partner at Kleiner PerkinsConnect with Victor RiparbelliX: https://x.com/vriparbelliLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorriparbelli/​Connect with Josh CoyneX: https://x.com/josh_coyneLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuacoyne/​Connect with JoubinX: https://x.com/JoubinmirLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/Email: grit@kleinerperkins.com​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins:https://www.kleinerperkins.com/

In this weeks' Scale Your Sales Podcast episode, my guest is Michelle Kim.   She is a marketing leader with 20+ years scaling growth at FlutterFlow, Pantastic, Amplitude, and Okta (through IPO). She excel at building high-performance teams, driving demand, and shaping categories also to advisor for startups across stages. Board Member at Women in Revenue and leader at GTM Leader Society, fostering connection and thought leadership among executives.   In today's episode of Scale Your Sales podcast, Michelle shares her expertise in scaling organizations through rapid change and the evolving world of AI. She discusses why curiosity and strategic questioning are essential for modern leaders and how adaptability, customer focus, and seamless buyer experiences drive success. This insightful conversation offers practical guidance for leaders looking to inspire growth and thrive through change.   Welcome to Scale Your Sales Podcast, Michelle Kim.     Timestamps: 00:00 The Superpower of Good Questions 04:13 Custom Strategies Over Playbooks 06:45 Curiosity: Key to Success 10:16 Customer Understanding Drives Success 12:56 Informed Buyers Shape First Calls 18:32 Metrics-Driven Funnel Optimization 22:33 Change Brings Discomfort, Opportunity 24:26 Amplifying Teams and Outcomes 27:15 Ask Better Questions for Answers   https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellejeankim/ https://x.com/michellejeank     Janice B Gordon is the award-winning Customer Growth Expert and Scale Your Sales Framework founder. She is by LinkedIn Sales 15 Innovating Sales Influencers to Follow 2021, the Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Customer Experience Nov 2020 and 150 Women B2B Thought Leaders You Should Follow in 2021. Janice helps companies worldwide to reimagine revenue growth thought customer experience and sales.   Book Janice to speak virtually at your next event: https://janicebgordon.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/janice-b-gordon/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceBGordon   Scale Your Sales Podcast: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast   More on the blog: https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/blog   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janicebgordon   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScaleYourSales   And more! Visit our podcast website https://scaleyoursales.co.uk/podcast/ to watch or listen.

Make your product irresistible, and everything else will follow.That's the philosophy of Grant Lee, co-founder and CEO of Gamma, an AI design platform with an 'anti-PowerPoint approach', used by over 50M people.This week on Grit, he also shares why enduring businesses aren't one person shows, and how their deliberate hiring process shapes and strengthens company culture.Connect with Grant LeeXLinkedInConnect with JoubinXLinkedInEmail: grit@kleinerperkins.comLearn more about Kleiner Perkins

On this episode of GTM Live, Carolyn and Amber sit down with Steve Armenti, CEO & Founder of Twelfth Agency and former demand gen leader at Google.Steve shares his journey from corporate marketing to building a thriving agency, and dive into why most revenue teams miss the real story in their data, how to flip the script on pipeline analysis by studying rejection instead of just conversion, and the critical role of sales + marketing alignment in fixing the “pipeline black box.”You'll hear practical examples from Steve's experiences as an in-house demand gen leader and now running his ABX agency, insights into what's working for growth-stage SaaS companies right now, and a fresh perspective on building GTM systems that actually deliver results.If you're a CMO, CRO, or RevOps leader looking for new ways to diagnose what's holding back your pipeline, this episode is a must-listen.Key Topics Covered:Lessons from demand gen on identifying what works vs. what doesn'tABM → ABX: creating account-based experiences that align sales + marketingThe “messy middle” handoff between sales and marketing, and why it breaks most funnelsFlipping the script: studying disqualification rates instead of obsessing over MQL → SQL conversionPractical examples of diagnosing rejection data and what it revealedThe underestimated importance of data hygiene, UTMs, and ops rolesWhy improving what you already have often beats chasing new volume