A year ago, I was spent. While the funding slowdown impacted the business, my fatigue was really what was holding us back. Revenue lagged, and my energy was worse. 😳
For nine years, I spent every day, every week, every month, every year focused on building, growing and improving our Startup Selling Coaching Program.
🏃♂️ Relentless Forward Progress. That’s my mantra. ⛰
Karan Jain and NayaOne were one of our coaching clients, and over the summer, he asked me – “How do we get more Scott?”
I laughed it off, and told him that I had a job with my business, that I was focused on running SalesQualia.
He persisted, so we set up custom engagement in which I was working with the team daily, listening to sales calls, running standups and pipeline reviews through the end of year.
I kind of liked it – getting back into the day-to-day of leading a sales team and working on gnarly sales opps with the biggest banks & FIs in the world.
🙀 In fact, I had FOMO that all I could do was coach and review, not jump on the calls, run discovery, and lead the demos.
In December, he asked me again – “How do we get more Scott?”
I had a choice – I could keep to my deliberate strategy I set nearly a decade ago – focus on the coaching business. Find more ways to grow and scale it. Avoid work travel. Play it safe.
Or I could look at the opportunity to be emergent, to deviate from my plan. I had to admit to myself and my wife, and to Karan, that I was having fun. The team was stellar. The product was even better.
The size of the market opportunity was enormous, and damn, it would be fun to start over like the early days at Blend Labs back in 2013 and grow the company to become the industry standard.
🔥 Now taking in a primary role there, leading the GTM team, opening up the US market, and working as part of a superstar team every day has given me energy and enthusiasm again. 🔥
Yes, have a plan. Focus. Find a routine. Do the work.
But every once in a while, it’s worth listening to that little voice that tells you that maybe, just maybe, this new opportunity is worth taking.
I’m glad I did.
I even had my first Colin this week in London when the team sang Happy Birthday. 🎂
