focal podcast

If you don’t enforce the bar, you lower it.This episode tackles the uncomfortable line between being humane and looking out for employees while also being a high-performing organization - and what a real culture reset looks like when you’ve let it slip.Our guest is Cat Noone who went through such a major reset herself with the company she co-founded, Stark - which is trusted by over 50,000+ companies and >$10M raised from Uncork and us at focal.In Today's Episode We Discuss:01:46 - How being hell-bent on mission while avoiding "bro culture" backfired03:54 - The early warning signs that performance was drifting at Stark04:14 - Why I stopped doing reference checks and paid the price08:38 - How the lowest performer sets your company's bar, not the best09:17 - When busy work replaces real productivity in remote teams12:32 - You can't have shitty input AND shitty output - pick one15:01 - Why founder insecurity about being "employee friendly" kills companies18:28 - The brutal emotional cost of firing people you've worked with from day one25:00 - How to communicate layoffs to survivors and rebuild momentum29:39 - Why urgency beats speed for maintaining quality standards33:38 - Demo Thursdays as quality control checkpoints, not show and tell37:06 - The four-day work week experiment and why Fridays aren't free40:01 - Why most startup principles are worthless wallpaper44:12 - If you're going to cut deep, cut deeper - don't play it safe45:58 - Move fast and break things is an excuse to ship shit48:34 - Get an executive coach before you think you need one

 Stop pitching the end state. Sell the smallest step that proves you can provide value.This episode dives in on how to decouple a north‑star company vision from a scrappy, testable product pitch that customers can adopt today. You’ll learn how to use positioning as your lever - choose sharper category language, cut scope to true table stakes, and listen for unsolicited buy signals- to move from zero traction to real pull. On top, you’ll learn what the slowest, costliest way to validate an idea is; how to identify table stakes; and the signals that tell you when to broaden your ICP. In Today’s Episode We Discuss:01:35 - From “Stripe for Support” to reality: what we missed03:48 - API‑first exposes every seam; validation speed plummets07:59 - The worst enterprise pitch: “engineers, please write more code”11:23 - Name your category—or wear Zendesk/Intercom’s handcuffs16:06 - Set true table stakes; timebox the MVP ruthlessly21:02 - Buy‑now signals: users volunteer payment without a hard sell23:49 - Ethical pre‑selling: describe the future, then sprint to it25:12 - Turn case studies into copy—speak customers’ exact language27:38 - Vertical → use case → market: DevTools → Technical Support → B2B30:54 - Outrun feature spreadsheets with a customer collaboration thesis40:41 - What collaboration means: Slack escalations, issue trackers, shared context47:15 - Map features to FRT, CSAT, retention—not “shiny UI” claims50:34 - Homepage discipline: kill vanity metrics and shortcut bragging52:21 - 70/30 rule: discovery + founder conviction against higher‑order shifts

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 learn how to nail the first meeting, architect modular demos, multi‑thread like a pro, and turn proposals into “Champion Empowerment” decks that actually close. We also cover ROI modeling, executive sponsorship, outbound strategy, and the exact behaviors that separate A‑players from everyone else.Our guest is Greg Costigan leads the sales team at Performica and has built and led GTM organizations at Box, Zuora, Zenefits, LearnUp, Hone, and MindGym. He’s closed complex enterprise deals, championed award‑winning programs (e.g., Pinterest’s Brandon Hall–recognized L&D initiative), and specializes in taking startups from founder‑led sales to scalable processes.In Today’s Episode We Discuss:01:33 - Sales process is a science—ditch gut feel for repeatable rigor.04:51 - Stop skipping steps—credibility beats the ‘one‑call close’ myth.07:01 - First meeting playbook: GGGA, pre-read, ruthless prep.10:57 - Lead with a hypothesis—change the buyer’s frame (Challenger).13:32 - First-call exceptionalism: come in hot and create momentum.14:51 - Yes, demo on call one—and land a clean close.19:44 - Multi-thread fast: champion texting, exec sponsors, rule of threes.22:19 - Demo excellence: send agenda early, close BANT/MEDDICC gaps.23:59 - Modular demos: tailor admin, user, integrations to stakeholders.27:51 - End every demo with a scoping or proposal—never ambiguity.34:14 - Turn proposals into a Champion Empowerment deck that sells itself.36:54 - No exec sponsor? You’re at risk—fix it before forecasting.38:20 - Build a simple ROI model—finance will ask, be ready.54:49 - Outbound isn’t dead—SDRs matter more than ever.

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, SurveyMonkey, Asana, etc - Matt Harmon (ex‑Box, Asana, SurveyMonkey). We discuss the real signals for enterprise readiness, why security/compliance readiness matters, and why “we’ll build it if you buy it” kills confidence. We also compare playbooks for existing vs. new categories, the land→expand reality, and how to balance self‑serve revenue with enterprise ambitions.In Today's Episode We Discuss:1:42 Why the “go upmarket” conversation starts early4:53 Company readiness: security, compliance, SEs, forecasting shifts10:57 Signals it’s curiosity-only vs. a real enterprise opportunity16:45 “Is it someone’s KPI?” and the need for true pain/need18:36 Existing category = one path to buy (ripping/replacing)22:52 New category upmarket: shared services & proving uniqueness28:28 Land→expand and product-led reality33:08 Don’t force a model—map the customer journey first37:57 Positioning and intellectual honesty at ~$1M ARR40:00 Category creation vs. innovating in an existing one45:07 Why not to fear SMB/self-serve revenue47:15 Don’t over-index on “sell to pain” for new categories50:15 Founder advice: embrace ambiguity and EQ52:25 What great VCs do: back leaders who can hire leaders

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, bootstrapping to real revenue, then raising at scale - without losing the plot. Expect frank takes on titles, burn, investor selection, and the moral weight of taking other people’s money.Duncan Weatherston is the co-founder and CEO of Smile Digital Health, a leading healthcare data platform company. He and his team bootstrapped to ~$10M ARR before raising a $20M Series A, and are now well past $50M in ARR.01:40 - Why start with co-founders vs going solo in healthcare SaaS06:27 - How to vet co-founders: proof of execution over chemistry06:58 - The #1 mistake: trusting claims without validating capability09:39 - Early-stage stars rarely scale—how roles must evolve12:25 - Title inflation trap: why early VP labels backfire later12:47 - Be mercenary with misfits: fairness to the team > feelings16:56 - Create IC ladders: don’t “promote” top engineers into management18:27 - Founder vesting: avoid dead equity with 5–6 year schedules19:46 - Why they bootstrapped first: expertise, low burn, paying customers22:40 - Would he raise earlier today? Services-led product tradeoffs25:47 - The $20M decision: buyouts, tailwinds, and scaling delivery34:04 - Taking VC creates a moral obligation—here’s what that means36:56 - 2021 mistake: “spend aggressively” and adapting too slowly45:59 - The do-over: fix org design, roles, and accountability sooner46:25 - Popular advice he rejects: don’t contort your playbook to fads48:41 - PMF obsession: identify your repeatable sales unit before scaling51:03 - Best investor advice: hire actual A-players, not just roles

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 identifying false product-market fit that saved Arc from the fate of their now-struggling competitors.Basile Senesi is the Chief Revenue Officer at Arc, the financial operating system for growth companies. He's built multiple YC companies including Phonebox (raised $500M+), is a prolific angel investor, and owns Chateau Pavo winery in Sonoma.In Today's Episode We Discuss:02:17 - How Arc originated $100M in loans then killed the product07:25 - The warning signs that made them abandon massive revenue growth10:49 - Why unit economics matter more than investor expectations14:16 - How to convince investors to kill your fastest-growing product16:38 - Pivoting from lending to cash management during market chaos19:05 - Why do the hard thing first in fintech22:14 - Everything is a funnel: validating ideas without building27:34 - Building operating models before you have revenue34:50 - Why startups need pessimistic salespeople37:00 - How to know when you're building the wrong business40:14 - Not all revenue is created equal in venture43:11 - Hire for the long haul, not the next milestone46:54 - Tactics equal strategy in early-stage startups50:49 - Learning what not to do is your competitive advantage

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 investor used to de-risk his leap into entrepreneurship - including his 3-point checklist that allowed him to say no to Apollo. Don shares hard-won lessons about finding product-market fit, recruiting world-class talent, and why it took 190 rejections to get to his first 10 customers.Don Muir is the co-founder and CEO of Arc, a zero-asset commercial bank powered by AI that offers intelligent capital management and private credit to ambitious businesses. To date, Arc has raised over $180M in debt and equity.In Today's Episode We Discuss:01:30 - Why I chose debt over equity and existing markets over new ones04:10 - The bottoms-up approach to finding your unique right to win08:44 - From crowdfunding communities to non-dilutive capital: 4 pivots to product-market fit11:42 - Execution over innovation: Why first-time founders shouldn't reinvent the wheel14:14 - The 3-point checklist before rejecting Apollo's offer16:26 - Getting 10 CEO signatures with just a Stanford email address21:49 - 190 rejections, then 10 straight wins: The LOI breakthrough moment23:29 - Finding fast-moving waters: When to pivot vs. persevere25:28 - The Stanford.edu email hack that opened CEO doors32:25 - Why technical co-founder pedigree is overrated (but VCs disagree)38:07 - How one $100k check turned hundreds of "no's" into "yes's"42:32 - The sleepless nights that forced the Apollo phone call45:59 - When your biggest rejection becomes your largest partner49:41 - Why the "safe path" is actually the riskiest choice52:55 - The venture capital myth: Why most startups don't need VC money

Anis Bennaceur, Co-founder & CEO of Attention, shares invaluable insights from his journey as a second-time founder. He reveals the 'Triangle of Talent,' why most startups fail in hiring, and how to spot candidates with founder-like qualities. Anis highlights innovative interview techniques, including the midnight email test and the anti-selling strategy to filter out non-committed candidates. The discussion emphasizes that true stars can't be trained and why work-life balance might hinder startup success.

Russ Thau, a seasoned revenue leader with experience at companies like Intercom and Box, shares insights on improving sales rep productivity. He emphasizes that time management is crucial and discusses the importance of preparation and follow-up in sales calls. Thau reveals valuable strategies for scaling revenue and hiring effective sales teams, stressing that reps are human beings, not just metrics. He also tackles the pitfalls of conversion rates and offers a framework for founders to enhance their sales processes.

What got you here won't get you there - the brutal truth about scaling from $1M to $50M in revenue.If you keep doing what you were doing to get to $1M ARR, you won’t get to $3M ARR. What got you to $3M won’t get you to $10M, what got you to $10M won’t get you to $20M, and so on. The hard truth about rocket ship startup growth is that you have to reinvent yourself at every major revenue milestone you reach. But unfortunately, most founders can't do it. They cling to what worked, scale what's broken, and wonder why growth stalls.In this episode, I sit down with Russ Thau, a former founder and seasoned revenue leader specializing in scaling companies from $1M to $50M in revenue, to discuss what you have to do when on the Sales side to reach $50M+ in revenue as fast as possible.Russ has has scaled revenue from single digit millions to $150M+ and two IPOs at companies such as Intercom, Box,  and Envoy, and he's also advised companies like Airtable and LaunchDarkly since they were sub-$1M in revenue.In Today's Episode We Discuss:02:02 - Why being a good salesperson is actually bad for getting to $1M revenue04:31 - The counterintuitive shift from "do everything" to "go extremely narrow" at $1M07:34 - How to identify role model customers that create herd momentum11:16 - The dangerous TAM trap: why you DON'T need a billion-dollar market early on16:48 - When to stop narrowing and start widening your ICP at $3M+20:33 - The "premature scaling" mistake that kills momentum at $3M27:54 - Why the bowling pin strategy beats boiling the ocean from $3M to $10M32:01 - When "good chaos" signals it's time to implement real processes38:22 - The 5 critical metrics every revenue leader needs at $10M44:08 - How Box bet the entire company on enterprise at $20M (and won)50:52 - The 3 types of startup employees - and why nobody spans all three54:08 - Where to find entrepreneurial salespeople (hint: failed startups)1:01:08 - When to start "sprinkling in" process-oriented people vs entrepreneurs1:04:59 - The founder-to-sales-leader handoff: optimal timing and structure1:11:30 - Why agility beats everything else in startup revenue growth