Vibescaling Podcast

Patrick Forquer, SVP of Global Revenue at Legora, shares insights from his impressive journey in sales, scaling companies like Braze and leading Legora to a billion-dollar valuation. He highlights why selling AI differs from traditional SaaS, emphasizing the importance of deployment and change management in vertical markets. Patrick discusses the accelerated deal velocity and the need for responsiveness in sales. He also reflects on hiring traits for energetic, organized team players and shares how pilots are vital for demonstrating value in immature markets.

Liam Mulcahy, Operating Partner at Kleiner Perkins, shares insights from his impressive journey in venture capital and sales. He reveals how a creative cardboard cutout earned him a spot at MongoDB, emphasizing the importance of treating interviews like sales deals. Liam discusses the invaluable 'MBA in sales' training he received and how he broke into VC by cold-calling top investors. He also covers effective outreach strategies and underscores that effort is key to career success. A must-listen for those transitioning into venture capital!

Kyle Parrish, a key player in scaling Figma from $2M to $950M ARR, shares insights on go-to-market strategies. He highlights the importance of spotting trends early and emphasizes when to hire a head of sales. Parrish contrasts founder-led sales with early reps and stresses that early customers are often investing in the founder's vision. He warns against the pitfalls of premature revenue growth and advocates for a focus on building community before monetization. With a wealth of experience, Kyle offers great advice for startups navigating the emotional highs and lows.

Brendan Short, a go-to-market operator and writer of The Signal newsletter, shares insights from his extensive B2B SaaS experience. He discusses Vercel's AI SDR and its potential to replace entire sales teams. Brendan explains why founders should be cautious about hiring their first salesperson and advocates for consultative selling as a means to genuinely assist customers. The conversation also covers the importance of LinkedIn for outbound sales, network-led growth strategies, and how personal content can attract both clients and ideal hires.

Timestamps:(00:00) Why We Changed Our Name from T2D3 to VibeScaling(12:00) Why Is Everyone Calling Sales "GTM" Now?(17:00) Is Sales an Art or a Science?(22:30) The Viral Giga Story: What to Look For Before Joining a Startup(33:00) How to Evaluate Startup Equity (Shares Outstanding Explained)(35:00) The AI Tools We're Actually Using Right Now(44:00) "Choose Company Over Title" - Is This Advice Actually Useful?(50:00) Easy Mode vs. Hard Mode: The Stripe 250M ARR Debate(55:00) Nepotism in AI Hiring: Why Who You Know Still Matters(57:00) Thanksgiving Food Power RankingsEpisode Description:In the inaugural episode of "This Week in GTM," Chris and Cailen riff on the tweets they've been texting each other all week and share unfiltered takes on the state of early-stage sales.Discussed in this episode:Why we rebranded from T2D3 to VibeScaling (and why the old name stopped making sense in AI)The "GTM" rebrand of sales: pretentious or practical?How to evaluate a startup before joining: the science of de-risking your next roleWhy you need to know shares outstanding before accepting an offerThe AI tools we're actually using daily: Gemini, Clay, Nerve, Centralize, GammaMaggie from OpenAI's viral advice and why we push back on "choose company over title"Easy mode vs. hard mode: why joining at $250M ARR is fundamentally different than $0-5MWhy PLG sellers are "picking up money off the floor" and some admit their skills are atrophyingThe uncomfortable truth about nepotism in AI hiringWho you know still matters more than being qualifiedHost Links:Cailen DSa - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cailen/Chris Balestras - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/balestras/About VibeScaling Podcast:The VibeScaling podcast interviews GTM leaders and investors at top AI startups and early-stage companies.Every week, host Chris Balestras, partner @ VibeScaling (an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series C AI-natives) sits down with operators from the fastest-growing AI natives and SaaS companies to break down what's actually working in go-to-market today.No fluff, no theory - just honest, tactical insights from people in the trenches building the next generation of AI breakouts.About VibeScaling:VibeScaling is an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series C AI-natives & fast-growing SaaS startups.Where to Find VibeScaling:LinkedIn Company Page -   / vibescaling  YouTube -    / @vibescaling   Newsletter - GTMBA - https://gtmba.beehiiv.com/Website - https://www.vibescaling.ai/

Episode Description:Raph Parker is Head of Revenue at Mandolin, an AI company transforming healthcare operations.Before Mandolin, Raph was the first go-to-market hire at Segment, helping scale the company from seed to its $3.2B acquisition by Twilio. He then served as Chief Growth Officer at New Front Insurance, taking another company from seed to unicorn (with an IPO likely on the horizon). He started his career as a corporate lawyer, then biked around the world for 2 years before stumbling into tech sales.He joined us to talk about the psychology of early-stage selling, how to create social proof when nobody knows you, what to look for in a CEO, and why you should compete at the shallow end of the gene pool.Also, shout out to our awesome sponsors for this episode, Kondo. Think of it like Superhuman for LinkedIn messages - if you're on LinkedIn like I am and your inbox is becoming unwieldy, give it a try for the first month free using this link - it saves me over an hour a day.Discussed in this episode:The three types of founders who start companies - and why you want to find the third bucketWhy "strong ideas, lightly held" is a critical trait in early-stage leadersThe three things you're optimizing for in your career: cash, equity, or career/talent developmentProspect theory for salespeople: how people make decisions on risk vs. reward (and why being rationally beneficial isn't enough)The real motivation behind every buyer: people just want to get promotedHow to use informational asymmetry to "hack" social proof when you only have two customersFlipping the script to start a sales callTurning the intro into something that works in your favor: the "I bet my career on this" framingWhy nobody believes a case study & what to do insteadWhy prospects open up when they realize you talk to way more of their peers than they doPMF in AI is obvious right now - here's what to look for instead"Compete at the shallow end of the gene pool": why the least sexy industries offer the biggest opportunitiesEpisode Highlights:(00:00) From Big Law to BDR: Raph's Unconventional Path into Sales(09:00) How to Evaluate CEOs: The Three Types of Founders(18:00) Prospect Theory: Why Early-Stage Selling is About Risk, Not Features(24:00) Creating Social Proof When You Only Have Two Customers(29:00) The Sales Call Hack: Flipping Informational Asymmetry(33:00) The "Bet My Career On It" Intro That Changes Everything(36:00) Why Nobody Believes Case Studies (And What Prospects Actually Want)(42:00) Hiring Early Sales Reps: The First Class to Greyhound Test(50:00) Distribution vs. Product: Why Great Ideas Fail(58:00) Compete at the Shallow End of the Gene PoolAbout VibeScaling Podcast:The VibeScaling Podcast interviews GTM leaders and investors at top AI startups and early-stage companies. Every week, host ⁠Chris Balestras⁠, partner @ ⁠VibeScaling⁠ (an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series C AI-natives & SaaS startups) sits down with operators from the fastest-growing AI natives and SaaS companies to break down what's actually working in go-to-market today. No fluff, no theory - just honest, tactical insights from people in the trenches building the next generation of AI breakouts.About VibeScaling:⁠VibeScaling⁠ is an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series C AI-natives & fast-growing SaaS startups scaling from 0 to $100M ARR.Where to Find VibeScaling:⁠Website⁠⁠LinkedIn Company Page⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠Newsletter - GTMBA

Episode Description:Todd Busler is the CEO of Champify, a sales intelligence platform helping teams build pipeline through champion and user tracking.Before Champify, Todd was a founding AE at Heap, scaling the company from $300K to $40M in ARR over six years. He started his career as one of the first 10 sellers at Square after working as a sales engineer at SAP, and spent time in venture capital at Unusual Ventures leading go-to-market operations. He joined us to talk all things 0 to 1 sales, how to choose your next GTM opp, the pros/cons of VC vs. operator, and plenty of other topics that touch on the intersection of GTM + AI + startups.Discussed in this episode:How to stand out when applying to hot startupsWhy sales engineers might be the better starting point than BDR roles in the AI eraThe two criteria Todd used to pick every companyLearning from mentors without working for themThe real reasons to transition from operator to VC (and why Todd went back to operating)Why templated SDR cadences are dead and how email is becoming "low-cost advertising"The split in modern sales: nerdy clay users running scaled campaigns vs. reps doing highly personalized creative workWhat curiosity actually means in sales interviews The two flavors of curiosity that predict sales success: understanding the competitive landscape + learning business economicsWhat books/podcasts Chris & Todd are reading/listening toHow to be intentional about "what game you want to play" in your careerEpisode Highlights:(00:00) Standing Out: How to Get Hired at Hot Startups(09:00) Navigating Career Decisions with Intention(18:09) The Transition to Venture Capital at Unusual(26:47) The Future of Sales: AI, Personalization, and Dead Tactics(29:54) Exploring the Path from VC Back to Operating(32:32) The Challenges of 0-1 Sales and Building Pipeline(34:56) Building Champify: Product Insights and GTM Strategy(39:28) Effective Strategies for Booking Meetings in 2025(42:17) Leveraging AI in Modern Sales Organizations(53:58) Personal Growth, Community, and Tribe Mentality in BusinessAbout VibeScaling Podcast:The VibeScaling podcast interviews GTM leaders and investors at top AI startups and early-stage companies. Every week, host Chris Balestras, partner @ VibeScaling (an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series D AI-natives) sits down with operators from the fastest-growing AI natives and SaaS companies to break down what's actually working in go-to-market today. No fluff, no theory - just honest, tactical insights from people in the trenches building the next generation of AI breakouts.About VibeScaling:VibeScaling is an advisory, recruiting, investing, & media firm for seed through series D AI-natives scaling from 0 to $100M ARR.Where to Find VibeScaling:WebsiteLinkedIn Company PageYouTubeNewsletter - GTMBA