How to Build a High-Performing Sales Team in a Founder-Led Business: Insights from Nicholas Loise

For many small and midsize business owners, sales can be both the engine and the bottleneck of growth. Founder-led sales will only take a company so far before scalability demands process, structure, and leadership. In this episode, host Josh Elledge speaks with Nicholas Loise, Founder of Sales Performance Team, who shares practical strategies for transitioning from founder-driven selling to building a high-performing, self-sustaining sales organization.

Building a Scalable Sales System

Nicholas Loise explains that most founders struggle with hiring salespeople because they underestimate how different it is to sell for a small business compared to a large enterprise. Without the backing of a big brand, sales success depends on grit, creativity, and adaptability. He emphasizes that before hiring, founders must document their entire sales process—from prospecting and discovery to objection handling and closing—so new hires have a clear roadmap to follow.

Once the playbook is in place, Nicholas recommends hiring two salespeople at once to increase the chances of success, benchmark performance, and encourage healthy collaboration. He also stresses the importance of investing heavily in the first 90 days, creating structured onboarding, shadowing opportunities, and clear milestones to ensure quick ramp-up and retention. Compensation should be simple and transparent, typically a mix of base salary plus commission that motivates results while providing stability during onboarding.

Finally, Nicholas discusses how to maintain oversight without micromanaging. Delegating sales effectively requires trust—but also process. Regular reviews, feedback loops, and continuous updates to your playbook keep the system strong. By using objective assessment tools and focusing on cultural fit, founders can build sales teams that scale sustainably and deliver consistent performance long after they’ve stepped out of the front-line role.

About Nicholas Loise

Nicholas Loise is the Founder of Sales Performance Team and a seasoned sales strategist who helps founder-led businesses build scalable, high-performing sales teams. With decades of experience in sales leadership, Nicholas specializes in designing sales playbooks, recruiting and onboarding top-performing reps, and aligning compensation structures that drive profitable growth.

About Sales Performance Team

Sales Performance Team helps $1M–$25M companies transition from founder-led selling to a system-driven sales organization. The firm provides fractional sales leadership, sales team recruitment, onboarding systems, compensation design, and proven frameworks that help founders replace intuition with strategy—and build a sales team that consistently delivers results.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Sales Performance Team Website
• Nicholas Loise LinkedIn Profile

Key Episode Highlights

• Founders often struggle to hire sales reps because they underestimate how different small-business selling is from enterprise sales.
• Documenting your entire sales process—from prospecting to closing—is essential before stepping out of the role.
• Hiring two salespeople at once improves benchmarking, morale, and retention while reducing hiring risk.
• Strong onboarding within the first 90 days directly impacts sales performance and long-term success.
• Keep compensation plans simple, transparent, and performance-driven to attract and retain top talent.

Conclusion

Building a sales team is not a one-time event—it’s a process of structure, training, and continuous improvement. Nicholas’s insights provide a roadmap for founders who want to free themselves from day-to-day selling while maintaining performance and culture. With a documented playbook, strategic hiring, and strong onboarding, any growing business can turn sales from a bottleneck into a scalable growth engine.

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