Skip to main content
Sales For Founders

Sales For Founders

By Louis Nicholls

Learn to sell, find your first paying customers and grow a successful business.

An interview series for (technical) founders who are fed up of building products nobody wants to buy...

Your host, Louis Nicholls, interviews the best founders and salespeople out there. You'll learn how they found their first customers and grew successful businesses.

With a focus on actionable insights from every area of sales.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Overcast Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

How to write cold emails that get results! - with Laura Lopuch

Sales For FoundersSep 19, 2019

00:00
51:25
Getting a deal with Uber, and then another, and another with Daniel Zarick of Arrows

Getting a deal with Uber, and then another, and another with Daniel Zarick of Arrows

Welcome to Sales for Founders, the podcast for founders who want to go from hating sales to making sales.

Today, Brendan is speaking with Daniel Zarick. Daniel is the co-founder of Arrows, a collaborative onboarding tool for high-touch customers. Before that he ran an app design studio and was the 2nd product manager at Twilio. You can follow Daniel on Twitter at @danielzarick.


We're talking SaaS onboarding in some detail, as well as early-stage sales. Daniel shares a particularly great (and swipeable) sales tactic from his Twilio days, along with insights into customer onboarding. And he shares a big win for Arrows.


And please feel free to ask us a question that we can tackle in an upcoming podcast, or say hi to us over on Twitter at @louisnicholls_ and @brendanmcadams.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sales-for-founders/message

Jun 29, 202149:23
Hey... Sales can be fun! Perspectives on Founder Sales with Ben Orenstein of Tuple

Hey... Sales can be fun! Perspectives on Founder Sales with Ben Orenstein of Tuple

We're pleased to have Ben Orenstein in as our guest this week. Ben is the co-founder of Tuple, a pairing application for development teams, and he has deep experience as a tech founder.


 In this quick and lively episode, we cover several common sales challenges for founders, like:


- Dealing with customers, behavior change, and getting things done.

- How to think about enterprise accounts, testing pricing, and establishing minimum thresholds.

- Discovering the 'fun' in being a technical founder that sells.

- How to think about hiring for that ideal sales replacement for the selling founder.


Ben is also the co-host of The Art of Product podcast, and you can find him on Twitter.


Jun 24, 202130:16
Sales Chat #4 - Optimizing that first sales call
Jun 17, 202149:36
Sales Chat #3: Brendan and Louis get into how to prepare for an important first sales call
May 27, 202130:34
SaaS sales and the struggle to gain meaningful customer adoption with Joe Valenti, founder of BrokrBindr

SaaS sales and the struggle to gain meaningful customer adoption with Joe Valenti, founder of BrokrBindr

Welcome to Sales for Founders, the podcast for founders who want to go from hating sales to making sales.

We have Brendan McAdams at the microphone today for a conversation with Joe Valenti, founder of BrokrBindr, a SaaS application that automates the various functions and processes in the operation of a mortgage broker business.

We're talking SaaS sales today, and particularly about:

... early-stage sales,

... the challenges of onboarding,

... how to think about product adoption and engagement,

... and buyer psychology.

You're sure to hear some familiar patterns in this episode, along with a few ideas on how to compress the sales onboarding process.

And please feel free to ask us a question that we can tackle in an upcoming podcast, or say hi to us over on Twitter at @louisnicholls_ and @brendanmcadams.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sales-for-founders/message

May 19, 202146:56
Sales Chat #2: Why's a sales process so important? — with cohost Brendan McAdams
May 06, 202127:14
Sales chat #1: Is sales sleazy? — with cohost Brendan McAdams
Apr 22, 202143:12
Lessons from 20+ years of sales success — with Brendan McAdams, cofounder of Expertscape

Lessons from 20+ years of sales success — with Brendan McAdams, cofounder of Expertscape

Welcome to Sales for Founders, the podcast for founders who want to go from hating sales to making sales.

This week, your host Louis is talking to sales expert Brendan McAdams.

Brendan is the cofounder of Expertscape. He also has over two decades of experience working as a salesperson. And — last but not least — he recently released a book and runs live trainings on how to get better at sales.

In this episode, we talk about…

 - ... how did Brendan make the first sales for Expertscape?

 - ... what qualities does a founder need to become “good enough” at sales?

 - ... how has sales changed over the past few decades?

… and much, much more!

You can find Brendan on Twitter.

And don’t forget to check out the totally free fundamentals of sales course at SalesForFounders.com

Dec 14, 202041:17
3 ideas to build your own business that lasts - with Alex Hillman, author of The Tiny MBA

3 ideas to build your own business that lasts - with Alex Hillman, author of The Tiny MBA

In this episode of the podcast, your host Louis Nicholls sits down with founder, author and all-round-business-expert Alex Hillman.


Alex has decades of experience helping people build successful businesses. From running his coworking community Indy Hall, to his course, 30x500, where he and Amy Hoy have coached hundreds of founders.


Now, Alex has distilled all of that experience and knowledge into his new book, The Tiny MBA. It's full of 100 short ideas to build your own business that lasts.


I was lucky enough to read a prelaunch copy, and it's easily the best value per word of any business book I've ever read.


Today on the podcast, Alex is going to walk us through three of my favourite ideas in the book.


You can find Alex on Twitter at @alexhillman, check out his writing at StackingTheBricks.com, and - of course - grab your copy of the Tiny MBA at Tiny.MBA

Aug 14, 202057:45
Listener Questions #1 - Sales Mindset, Cold Outreach, Positioning and More!
Jul 05, 202035:23
From struggling with first sales to a $2m ARR business - with Nick Davies, cofounder and CEO of Dentally

From struggling with first sales to a $2m ARR business - with Nick Davies, cofounder and CEO of Dentally

In this episode of the podcast, your host Louis Nicholls sits down with Nick Davies, cofounder and CEO of Dentally.

Nick and his cofounder James cofounded Dentally - a B2B SaaS product for dental practices - straight out of university. And, although they're now running a successful business with 18 employees and millions of dollars in revenue, finding the first 100 customers for Dentally wasn't easy.

In today's episode, we'll dive into...

  • how Dentally found their first customers
  • how they struggled with - and overcame - slow initial growth to make it to where they are today
  • and how they’re handling sales during the COVID19 pandemic - when all of their customers’ businesses as closed!

If you have a question for Nick, reach him at nick[at]dentallyDOTco

Nick's favourite source of sales tips for founders with $10k MRR+ is over at the excellent Close blog

But check out our recent episode with Close team-member and sales specialist James Urie first!

--------------------

Finally, make sure to head over to SalesForFounders.com and sign up for actionable, free advice and templates on how to get good enough at sales to grow your own business.

May 27, 202052:17
Zero to 5-figure MRR in just a few months by doing outbound sales - with Frank Breckner, founder of Finalytic

Zero to 5-figure MRR in just a few months by doing outbound sales - with Frank Breckner, founder of Finalytic

In this episode of the Sales for Founders podcast, your host Louis Nicholls sits down with a Sales for Founders course alumnus... Frank Breckner.

Frank was previously the cofounder of a VC-backed startup, Lavanda, and is now working on multiple new projects.

A few months ago, Frank started work on a new business, Finalytic. And he's already grown it to 5 figures in MRR by doing outbound sales.

In today's episode, we'll dive into...

  • how Frank made Finalytic's first sales (and came up with the idea)
  • how he's handling sales in an industry devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • how Frank launched yet another SaaS tool, Growth-Hacking.io and grew it from nothing to $2k+ MRR in less than a week

... and much more!

You can find Frank on LinkedIn - or shoot him an email at frank@growth-hacking.io. 

And don't forget - you get 50% off of your very own Growth-Hacking.io account with discount code "S4F".

Finally, make sure to head over to SalesForFounders.com and sign up for actionable, free advice and templates on how to get good enough at sales to grow your own business.

May 15, 202059:17
How to switch from outbound sales to inbound marketing - with Baird Hall, founder of Wavve and Zubtitle

How to switch from outbound sales to inbound marketing - with Baird Hall, founder of Wavve and Zubtitle

In this episode of the Sales for Founders podcast, your host Louis Nicholls sits down with Baird Hall.

Baird is a founder of two bootstrapped SaaS businesses: Waave.co and Zubtitle.

We dive into the story of how Baird used sales to grow both companies from zero to $50k+ MRR in just a few short years.

Including...

  • a real, inside look at what it took to make Wavve's first, tenth, and 50th sale
  • why most cold outreach fails, and how to make sure yours works
  • when (and how) to transition from outbound sales to inbound marketing

... and much more!

You can find Baird on Twitter at @BairdHall - or check out some of his amazing writing on entrepreneurship, sales and marketing at Lofi Ventures.


Finally, make sure to head over to SalesForFounders.com and sign up for actionable, free advice and templates on how to get good enough at sales to grow your own business.

May 01, 202048:04
What founders can learn from a sales leader - with Kristen Habacht, Global Head of EDR Sales at Atlassian
Nov 29, 201951:20
[Office Hours] "I have my first few paying customers, now what?" - with Pat Walls, founder of Pigeon

[Office Hours] "I have my first few paying customers, now what?" - with Pat Walls, founder of Pigeon

This week I'm releasing a test episode for a new, shorter format of episodes - office hours.

For this test episode, I'm talking to Pat Walls, founder of StarterStory.com, about his new project, Pigeon

If all goes well, I'll record and publish regular office hours episodes each Friday (alongside the normal expert interviews). We'll follow 3-4 founders who are facing the same challenges as you, growing their businesses from $0-$10k in MRR. I'll check in with each founder once a month, to hear how their business is growing and help them solve their biggest sales and growth challenges.

If you'd like to be one of those 3-4 founders, head over to SalesForFounders.com and get your email on the earlybird waitlist. Invites go out on Wednesday the 20th of November, 2019.  

I'd love to hear your feedback on the episode (sorry for the sound quality) and what can be improved via email, or hit me up on Twitter.

You can also find Pat on Twitter @thepatwalls.

Thanks for listening!

Nov 18, 201927:19
Turning a struggling startup into a $50k/month agency business - with Andrew Askins, cofounder and CEO of Krit.com

Turning a struggling startup into a $50k/month agency business - with Andrew Askins, cofounder and CEO of Krit.com

This week, your host Louis Nicholls sits down with Andrew Askins. 

Andrew is the cofounder and CEO of Krit - a technical agency that helps non-technical founders turn ideas into functioning products.

In a new format for the show, Andrew will walk us through his sales journey - from a failed startup attempt to a successful digital agency doing over $50k in monthly revenue.

If you’ve ever considered consulting, freelancing or even setting up your own agency, this episode is packed with great advice. We talk about cold emails, productising client qualification, and how the sales process has changed over time - from outbound to a more reliable, inbound approach.

You can find Andrew on Twitter, and don't forget to check out the Krit blog for some super useful insights into early stage product development. 

Nov 09, 201957:21
Sales tips from a successful, full-time salesperson - with James Urie, Close.com
Oct 30, 201944:55
What an early-stage founder needs to know about SEO and content marketing - with Nat Eliason, founder of Growth Machine

What an early-stage founder needs to know about SEO and content marketing - with Nat Eliason, founder of Growth Machine

In this episode of the Sales for Founders podcast, your host Louis Nicholls talks to Nat Eliason.

Nat is the founder of Growth Machine and cofounder of Cup & Leaf tea.

He's also an expert on search-focussed content marketing. So we take a break from talking about outbound sales, and focus on what early-stage founders need to know about SEO-related content marketing instead.

Covering listener questions and topics like...

- When to make your first sales hire

- How SEO and creating content can help you find a product idea to work on

- What to do if you aren't a great copywriter

- ... and much more!


You can find Nat at NatEliason.com or on Twitter at @NatEliason.

Oct 23, 201945:33
How to turn customer conversations into a profitable product - with Rob Fitzpatrick, author of 'The Mom Test'
Sep 25, 201953:22
How to write cold emails that get results! - with Laura Lopuch
Sep 19, 201951:25
1 year, $150k in revenue... and still no landing page! - with Jeremy Thiessen

1 year, $150k in revenue... and still no landing page! - with Jeremy Thiessen

This week, Louis interviews serial founder Jeremy Thiessen.

Jeremy has a golden rule for entrepreneurship after some bad luck with his first startup... Don't build anything until you've sold it first!

In fact, Jeremy has grown his latest company, Rogue Technologies, to over $150k in revenue in under a year. And it *still* doesn't have a landing page!

Listen in to hear Jeremy's thoughts on...

  • why you should sell before building
  • why a 10minute landing page isn't what it seems
  • why his first startup failed
  • and much more!

If you want to get in touch with Jeremy or find out more about Rogue Technologies, you can reach him at jeremy@roguetechteam.com --> he made an email address specially for the show! 

Aug 12, 201953:20
Live S4F Office Hours #1: Gabriel Perez from Peerfeedback.io
Jul 12, 201936:36
Would a referral program work for your business? - with Manuel Frigerio of ReferralHero
Jun 26, 201955:38
How to grow faster by doing things that don't scale - with Corey Haines of Baremetrics
Jun 14, 201948:07
Bonus Episode: Why niching is a great way to start a bootstrapped business - with Tyler Tringas of Earnest Capital
Jun 03, 201950:50
How to close 7-figure deals as a technical founder with no sales experience - with Stephanie Hurlburt of Binomial.info
May 15, 201901:05:04
Taking a productised service from 0 to $10k MR in a few short months (plus, copywriting tips!) - with Dani Mancini of Scribly.io

Taking a productised service from 0 to $10k MR in a few short months (plus, copywriting tips!) - with Dani Mancini of Scribly.io

This week, your host Louis Nicholls interviews Dani Mancini.

Dani is an expert copywriter and the solo founder of Scribly.io - a productised copywriting service which she grew from nothing to tens of thousands of dollars revenue in just a few months.

There’s a load of great, actionable advice in today’s interview.

  • We talk about finding your first customers
  • About how to deal with burnout and the stress of being a founder
  • And you’ll get some awesome copywriting tips to improve your emails and landing pages

You can find Dani on Twitter @dani_scribly and check out her blog on copywriting.

Finally, don't forget you get an exclusive 25% discount off all copywriting services as an S4F listener... just mention the Sales For Founders podcast when you get in touch with the Scribly.io team. 

------

PS: The next Sales For Founders course opens soon. If you're fed up of not running your own profitable business, head over to SalesForFounders.com and sign up to get your exclusive earlybird discount and spot on the waitlist NOW!

May 07, 201955:18
How to close your first deals and do follow-ups properly - with Mark Fershteyn of Recapped.io
Apr 25, 201938:58
Bootstrapping to a 6-figure business by aligning yourself with the customer - with Lynne Tye of Key:Values

Bootstrapping to a 6-figure business by aligning yourself with the customer - with Lynne Tye of Key:Values

Lynne Tye, founder of KeyValues.com shares how she learned sales on the job - and grew her project into a profitable 6-figure business helping developers find engineering teams that share their values.

You can find Lynne on Twitter (@lynnetye) or search for her recent episode of the Indie Hackers podcast, where she talks more about the non-sales side of Key:Values.

Apr 15, 201952:41