Introduction
Pivotal early lessons of today's best startups.
Welcome to the focal podcast where we go deep with some of today's best founders and operators on ONE crucial lessons from their early days.
This podcast is not the usual "highlight reel" startup podcast that goes one inch deep across 20+ topics. Rather, we ask the questions you’d ask if you were sitting across from them. No fluff, just the real, actionable insights you’d get if these founders were mentoring you 1on1.
We cover topics including:
- What worked and why.
- Costly mistakes and how they fixed them.
- Frameworks that truly made a difference.
- Tactics to move faster.
- What they wish they’d known sooner.
- And much more!
"Only a fool learns from their own mistakes. The wise learn from the mistakes of others."
Latest Episode
The Science of First Call Exceptionalism | Why SDRs Matter More Than Ever| How Champion Empowerment Determines Close Rates | The Rule of Threes That Closes Enterprise Deals | Greg Costigan, Sales Leader at Box, Zuora & Zenefits
You have to be so much better than the incumbent if you want to have even the slightest change.This episode is a tactical masterclass on early-stage B2B sales. You’ll ...
Latest Episodes
The Science of First Call Exceptionalism | Why SDRs Matter More Than Ever| How Champion Empowerment Determines Close Rates | The Rule of Threes That Closes Enterprise Deals | Greg Costigan, Sales Leader at Box, Zuora & Zenefits
You have to be so much better than the incumbent if you want to have even the slightest change.This episode is a tactical masterclass on early-stage B2B sales. You’ll ...
Why Going Up Market Too Early Kills Startups | Why New Categories Cannot Do Traditional Sales | Why "Sell to Pain" is Terrible Advice for New Categories | The Hidden Truth About Box, Asana & HubSpot's Growth | Matt Harmon, GTM Advisor & Former Box/Asana
Moving upmarket, the right wayWhen should a startup go from SMB to enterprise - and when should you not?I break this down with a former revenue leader at Box, SurveyMo...
Building Without VCs Until $10M ARR | Why Most Popular Startup Advice is Dead Wrong | Why Titles Will Kill Your Startup | The $20M Series A That Changed Everything | How to Survive Burning $2M/Month When Markets Crash | Duncan Weatherston, CEO of Smile Di
Bootstrapping to $10M ARR was easier than raising the first $20M.This episode is a masterclass in founder decision-making: choosing (and parting with) co-founders, boo...
Why Demand ≠ Product Market Fit | How to Kill Your Golden Goose Before It Kills You | Why Pessimistic Founders Win | The $100M Pivot That Defined Arc's Future | Basile Senesi, Chief Revenue Officer at Arc
When every YC batchmate wanted their product and investors threw money at them, Arc made the unthinkable decision - abandon the business. Learn the framework for ident...
Why I Turned Down Apollo to Build a $100M+ Fintech | How 200 Rejections Led to 10 LOIs in 8 Weeks | Why Non-Dilutive Capital Is the Future | The 3-Point Checklist Before Quitting Your Dream Job | Don Muir, Founder & CEO of ARC
Don Muir turned down his dream job at Apollo to build the AI-powered bank Arc.This episode goes through the exact playbook the former BCG consultant and private equity...