Author: Michael Schiltz
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TL;DR Founder ego is one of the biggest blockers to building scalable sales systems. This post shares a firsthand account of what happens when a company relies on hustle instead of go-to-market process—and how ego-driven leadership undermines sales teams, rep performance, and long-term growth. Learn how to escape the founder ego trap by building a…
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TL;DR Founder burnout doesn’t come from working hard—it comes from trying to scale without a system.This article breaks down: ✅ Why hiring reps without a GTM engine almost always backfires✅ The 4 essential components of a scalable, founder-free sales process✅ How one founder went from burnout to 3x revenue and 60% close rates✅ What VCs…
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Intro Founder storytelling is paramount, but before I understood good, strategic storytelling, I tried everything else. At Qv21, I built out a Challenger-style sales process—complete with reframes, insight pitches, and structured talk tracks. It worked… sometimes. But too often, the insight fell flat. It felt like I was giving a TED Talk to buyers who…
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People like to buy—but they hate to be sold.That truth is what makes a discovery call fail before they even start. Instead of a conversation, reps run through a checklist. Instead of uncovering motivation, they manufacture pain. And instead of guiding buyers, they push them—right into silence or objections. But it doesn’t have to be…
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Why Do So Many SaaS Go-to-Market Strategies Fail? If you’re a SaaS founder, you’ve probably noticed it’s not the product or the effort that causes most startups to stall—it’s the baggage of bad go-to-market advice. Many “conventional wisdoms” are actually Go-To-Market myths that quietly hold you back. Let’s bust them one by one, with a…
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Why Isn’t My Revenue Growing, Even Though My Team Works Hard? Are you hustling nonstop but still waiting for predictable revenue growth? If every quarter feels like a fresh struggle—random spikes, endless sales cycles, and “spray and pray” marketing—trust me, I’ve been there. My career began in the chaos: chasing unqualified leads, cleaning up after…