Belkins’ Founders Open Up: Confronting Their Mistakes, Wins, and Regrets | Belkins Podcast Episode #21

For 10 years, Belkins’ founders never sat down on camera to talk honestly about what building this company has really cost them.
Michael Maximoff and Vlad Podoliako have spent a decade building together. They took Belkins from zero to one of the world’s leading B2B lead generation agencies, built Folderly, and managed a portfolio of joint investments.

On paper, the story looks perfect. But a portfolio of companies doesn’t show what it feels like to live through it.

To close out one of the hardest years they’ve ever had, Michael and Vlad finally sit down — in person — to break the silence.

This special episode isn’t about “how we scaled an agency.” It’s about what happens to two people when they spend a decade in hardcore mode: carrying a 300-person team, making painful decisions, holding impossible targets, and trying not to lose themselves (or each other) in the process.

They talk about optimism turning into realism, when caring too much starts holding the company back, and why 2025 felt like a loss even with “good numbers.”

If you’ve ever felt the weight of responsibility as a founder, co-founder, agency owner, or someone building ambitious things inside a B2B company, this conversation will hit home.

In this episode, we unpack:

🔹 Co-founder dynamics in real life — how Michael and Vlad actually work together, where they clash, and how they’ve stayed partners through years that didn’t feel like “wins.”

🔹 Naivety, loyalty, and letting go — when believing in people becomes a liability, how many second chances are too many, and what they’ve learned about making hard calls faster.

🔹 The cost of being “#1” — what it really took to build and keep a leading B2B agency while launching a product company in a crowded market.

🔹 Living in “hard-mode entrepreneurship” — why they see business like a video game with one life, bosses, grinding, side quests — and why they still choose to play it this way.

🔹 Seeing a whole year as a “loss” — why Vlad calls 2025 a losing year, why Michael still sees it as a foundation, and how that tension keeps the company moving.

🔹 Identity, ego, and who you become — the versions of themselves they had to let go over the last 10 years, what they miss, and why they still believe this journey is worth it.

If you’re tired of polished “success stories” and want to hear what this life actually feels like from the inside, start here.

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro: Building Belkins & What Success Really Cost Us
07:20 — The "Street MBA": Lessons We Learned the Hard Way
11:55 — Optimism vs. Realism: How Leadership Changes You Over Time
24:03 — Business on Hard Mode: Stress, Pressure, and Staying in the Game
33:47 — One Company, One Bet: Choosing Between Belkins and Folderly
36:29 — Trust, Expectations, and the Realities of Co-Founder Leadership
49:48 — Rapid-Fire: Bootstrapping, VCs, Tools, and Startup Tradeoffs
59:10 — The “Walk-Away” Question — What If It All Collapsed?
01:07:00 — Was 2025 a Failure? Conflict, Perspective, and Resilience
01:17:59 — Good CEO vs. Great CEO — Responsibility, Identity, and What Comes Next

About the Show

What does it really take to grow a B2B business today? We ask the people doing it. The Belkins Podcast dives deep into the strategies, decisions, and behind-the-scenes insights driving real growth at top B2B companies. Each episode features candid conversations with industry heavyweights—CROs, CMOs, founders, and seasoned operators—who've navigated market downturns, scaled teams, and mastered the realities of revenue growth. You'll hear hard truths, unfiltered insights, and actionable tactics directly from leaders who've actually done the work.

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About the Host

Michael Maximoff is the Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Belkins, the #1 ranked B2B appointment-setting agency, recognized by Clutch, G2, and Inc. Over the past decade, Michael has built Belkins into one of the most respected voices in B2B sales and marketing, helping over 1,000 companies across 50+ industries achieve predictable, scalable growth. Known for his straightforward style, Michael hosts the Belkins Podcast to speak directly with top growth leaders and uncover what truly moves the needle today.
Connect with Vlad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chiefdata/
Connect with Michael: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-maximoff/
Check us out: https://belkins.io/