Salesfounders - Startup Sales Strategy, Venture Capital, Entrepreneur, And Sales Development

"Passion is powerful," say's Jason Adams when asked about launching Bex sunglasses  with only $600. 8-years later, Bex is a multi-million dollar brand that sells hats, sunglasses and apparel throughout the world.  This week, Jason joins me to walk through the creation of what started as a passion for design and a belief that he could create a successful business doing something he loved. Well talk about branding, funding, growing pains, competing with major brands like Oakely, and RayBan, leadership, and some of the key lessons that can help you generate sales traction.  Learn more at www.salesfounders.com

"Knowing thyself is the beginning of all wisdom" - Aristotle How well do you know your strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur? Are you aware of your blindspots? Understanding who you are, your natural strengths, and disposition is the only way to truly leverage your potential as both a leader and a founder. On this episode, we explore how you can discover and align with your strengths and how to identify and mitigate your weaknesses. 

What if there was a formula that an entrepreneur could follow to ensure startup success? This week, PrinterLogic CEO, Ryan Wedig shares 7 steps he's followed to transform a tech-founders epiphany into an world-class software company. From messaging and sales strategy, to cap tables and advisors, Ryan explains how PrinterLogic has grown to #141 on the Inc. 5000 list and become a disruptive force in the print management industry.

It's troubling that so many brilliant entrepreneurs cringe at the idea of selling. Selling is merely an exchange between two parties, and whether you realize it or not, you've been selling since the day you were born. When you break it down, the currency of the exchange is value. The good news is that there is a simpler approach to selling. On this episode of Mastery, we explore salesmanship, human nature, and 3 simple models to understand why customers buy.

Eirini Schlosser is the CEO and Founder of Chuz, a mobile app that is being described as the “Spotify of where to go and what to order.” More specifically Chuz is disrupting lifestyle decision making with the mapping of human emotions. On this episode we are going to break down the business model to learn more about how Chuz is disrupting mass-review sites like Yelp and Foursquare with a data-driven solution that adapts to the mood and behavior of its users.  On this episode we discuss: Why Eirini walked from a very successful M&A execution role at Morgan Stanley. Launch strategies, channel partners, and a unique approach to data. Automating your go to market strategy with data. Validation strategy, key pivots and the revenue model. User growth vs revenue and the 5-year plan.  Why Chuz is focused on mapping human emotions Meet Our Guest  Eirini Schlosser is the CEO and Founder of Chuz, a mobile app that curates quality spot content and replaces mass reviews with a data-driven, adaptive software that

Introducing the SalesFounders Mastery series. Each weekly episode takes a step outside of your business to focus on you, the Founder. Join us as we explore the habits, strategies, and mindsets of successful founders and how you can lead your startup to the next level.   The root cause of startup failure, or an individual's failure to succeed can be traced to a disconnect, or an imbalance between disciplines of salesmanship, entrepreneurship, and the organizational focus toward an ultimate objective or purpose. Consequently, at SalesFounders we focus on these 3 disciplines to ensure that our clients have a balanced and sustainable approach to leading their organizations to their ultimate potential. Entrepreneurship - An understanding of the entrepreneurial approach to innovate and validate a solution to a market need and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage amidst adversity and competitive forces.  Salesmanship - An ability to establish rapport, discover the needs of your audience and communicate in a

In spite of the obvious stigmas of entrepreneurship, the reality is that most successful entrepreneurs seek to avoid risk. Moreover, companies that have emerged from their humble garages did so NOT by brute force and good luck, but through disciplined learning and calculated risk.  Dr. Eric Pedersen joins us this week to discuss strategies to mitigate startup uncertainty, and the calculated risks necessary to become a truly scalable organization. If there is even a shred of uncertainty as you think about the future of your company, this is an episode you can’t afford to miss. “Plan the work and work the plan, but be flexible, adaptable and responsive to unexpected events”  - Dr. Eric Pedersen Talking Points 3 consistent traits of successful entrepreneurs. Zero Risk? How to quantify and mitigate the inevitable risks of entrepreneurship. The problem with short-term technology and long-term debt. 5 Risks that pose the greatest threat to your company. Strategies to attract and retain key technical positions.

In 2004, David Williams was asked to help close down a startup that had amassed $2.5 million in debt and still had no product to offer. When David arrived on the scene, what he saw was “the opportunity of a lifetime.” On this episode, we explore the power of Social Capital and how 6 employees and 1 strategic partnership helped David  transform Fishbowl into the leading inventory management solution. Sure, his approach might have “broken a few rules” but the results will compel you to reconsider the way you lead your organization. “No individual has sufficient experience, education, native ability and knowledge to ensure the accumulation of a great fortune, without the cooperation of other people.”  - Napoleon Hill   Talking Points Searching a troubled startup for signs of life. Why Social Capital should be given the highest priority. How to manage relationships with strategic alliances and channel partners. Why a startup needs a 100 year plan (even if you plan on selling in less than 5 years). How to bui

Entrepreneurs need to constantly be thinking about lead sources and profitable strategies to generate customers. In spite of so many overpriced lead strategies, the most powerful and often underutilized lead source is your own expertise. My guest this week is Brian Horn, a best-selling author, investor and entrepreneur who helps professionals leverage their knowledge to gain authority status and national media exposure. On this episode, we explore the strategies of thought leadership and how entrepreneurs can convert their expertise into scalable revenue. Visit https://salesfounders.com/007-thought-leadership-funnel/ for more information.   

What does a venture capitalist look for in a winning startup? How does an entrepreneur know when it's time to scale? In this episode of SalesFounders, we explore the playbook of venture capitalist, Paul Ahlstrom, and take a deeper dive into his book, Nail it Then Scale it. Paul shares 4 key strategies that every startup must understand: What is a minimum feature set? How do I validate my solution? What is my go to market strategy? and Why VC's have no interest in your business plan. Do you know what it takes to build a scalable startup? Join us and find out! Talking Points MINIMUM FEATURE SET Understanding the difference between Minimum Viable Product and Minimum Feature Set Start with the features that solve the customer problem. What is the process to accomplish that. Focus on the feature set that is most compelling to the customer. NAILING THE GO TO MARKET STRATEGY Level 1 - You and your company - what are the things that I can do with my company to go satisfy that customer? Level 2 - Partners - Who are

Entrepreneurs are often fascinated with the idea of disruption. The reason is obvious - it is typically associated with entrepreneurs who have defeated a giant, and/or redefined an industry. The reality is that disruption is arguably the most difficult and risky approach to entrepreneurship.  My guest this week, Andrew Weinreich, is an expert when it comes to the topic of disruption. Andrew founded SixDegrees (the first social networking platform) and is the "father" of social networking. Andrew joins SalesFounders to share his views on innovation and how he has founded multiple companies that all have one thing in common - massive disruption. Andrew Weinreich is a serial entrepreneur, social networking pioneer, and active presence in NYC’s Silicon Alley for 2 decades. To date, he’s founded 7 startups and has been awarded 2 software patents. Since 2013, he has sold 2 businesses, including Xtify to IBM, while advising 5 tech startups. He is currently the co-founder and Chairman of Indicative, a data analytics

In the world of enterprise software, Clint Carlos is an anomaly. Unlike the majority of startups who take on funding, Clint has mastered the art of bootstrapping. In this episode, we discuss mentorship and 2 key lessons that have defined Clint's approach to entrepreneurship. Then Clint also opens the doors to the enterprise SaaS solution Ampt, and shares the system he's used to organically grow Ampt by 3000% in 3 years. "No venture is real until somebody sells something." 2 Key Mentor Lessons: 1. No venture is real, until someone in it sells something.  It’s never too early to try and start selling, whatever it is. 2. You just never know what you can actually get until you ask for it.  You may be able to command a much higher value than originally assessed.  Be bold, and take chances. Approaching Sales: If you look at sales simply as facilitating problem solving and engaging in value exchange to that end, it’ll never be a daunting and foreign thing to you. Funding Strategies:  Getting customers into a 3 yea

"Good systems and processes are the birthplace of scalability."   When is the right time to start thinking about sales?… that is the question.  Or at least it should be the pivotal question of all tech startups.  This week Jeremiah Jones, prolific, engineering-minded entrepreneur and CTO consultant/founder of Techuity, joins SalesFounders to discuss the concept of technical debt and the sales challenges facing tech founders. Technical Debt vs Sales Fledgling tech companies often go one of two ways, the path of over-engineering or under-engineering. Both will lead to failure, but with greater frequency those failures are due to overspending. If you have to go one of two directions, and the search for a “technical co-founder” is stalled, go the route of generating technical debt and building your MVP.  Look to validate your product in the marketplace and make up for it later.   Make all feature requests what the customers want, and not what the engineers want to build. When to start selling Wherever you’re c

What is the difference between startups that succeed vs those that fail? That’s the question of todays podcast. It’s one thing to have a great idea. It’s a completely different thing to systematically prove that your customers agree. There’s a reason that 93% of startups that scale early never reach the 100k per month and  why 74% of prematurely scaled startups will fail. My guest, John Richards, is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building scalable businesses. In this episode, we discuss the signals of premature scaling, the business model canvas, the surprising differences between grad students and undergrads as entrepreneurs, and the single most important ingredient to a successful startup.

What would you ask a Venture Capitalist and author who has raised over $1B and directly invested in more than 125 different companies?  How about, “What can I do to kill my startup?”  In this week’s episode we talk with Paul Ahlstrom, the managing director of Alta Ventures and co-author of Nail It Then Scale It, to discuss his wealth of expertise and the 3 startup pitfalls that will guarantee you fail.   Talk Points: Three pitfalls that will guarantee you fail: Launching your product or service without the specific customer in mind.  Don’t just fall in love with your idea and fail to continually think about exactly where it intersects with the customer’s pain you’re trying to resolve. Going head to head with a market leader for the same customers without being better.  Disruption comes from below, through going after an unserved customer.  Don’t try to innovate and then go after the very same audience as the giants.  It’s much easier to go after non-consumption that consumption.  As that new market grows, it

The most powerful asset to an entrepreneur is a sales perspective – an understanding of the “sales process” and an ability to infuse that perspective into every facet of the business. At SalesFounders, our mission is to help entrepreneurs leverage proven sales strategies to bridge the startup sales gap and generate scalable sales revenue. The SalesFounders Podcast interviews VC’s, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to explore their journey through the sales gap and learn from their experience. Where did they struggle? What did they learn? and how did they ultimately succeed? Whether you’re an early stage startup or an established company with existing sales, Salesfounders will empower you with actionable content that you can implement immediately to enhance your strategy, generate revenue and scale.