EdSales Edge Show

Let’s start with a sitcom—and a truth bomb.

In Seinfeld Season 5, Episode 22 ("The Opposite"), George Costanza hits rock bottom. No job. No love life. No confidence.

So he flips the script.

 “If every instinct I have is wrong, then the opposite must be right.”

And suddenly?

He orders chicken salad instead of tuna.
He tells the girl he’s unemployed and lives with his parents—and she’s into it.
He lands a dream job with the New York Yankees.
The world didn’t change. George did.

Now, let’s talk about education founders.
Because I’ve seen this exact thing play out inside EdSales:

✅ Founders overprepare and never post.
✅ They write decks, not dialogue.
✅ They chase polish—and lose clarity.
✅ They wait for confidence… while their pipeline grows cold.

The instinct? Stay safe.

The result? No visibility. No velocity. No traction.

And here’s the real cost:
When you play it safe, you don’t just lose leads.
You lose communication power.

Because what gets lost in the safe zone is the real signal.
The honesty. The boldness. The message that cuts through the noise and connects with the people who need to hear it most.
Great communication isn’t about having the right words.
It’s about having the right courage—and the clarity to use it.

🎯 In this unique episode of Breaking the Grade that George Constanza would be proud of, I unpack:

✅ Why “safe” messaging is silently killing your lead gen
✅ The moment I stopped editing and started engaging—and what happened next
✅ Why LinkedIn and public speaking work together as a credibility flywheel
✅ What EdTech buyers really want to hear (and it’s not your pitch deck)
✅ The shift that turned my content into calls—and my story into sales
✅ Why speaking your message—clearly and consistently—is the best sales system you’re not using

🔥 This episode is for you if:

📍 You’re stuck overthinking every post or pitch
📍 Your message sounds “right”—but gets no response
📍 You’re playing it safe because you think that’s what “professional” looks like
📍 You want to turn your voice into a lead generation asset—not a liability
📍 You’ve been preparing forever, and it’s time to perform

Here’s what George teaches us—and what I’ve learned from watching our EdSales founders break through:

🧩 You don’t need more confidence to be clear.
💡 You need clarity to earn confidence.

And when you communicate clearly—when you stop hiding behind clever and start showing up with truth—that’s when the magic happens:

📍 The university partner finally calls back.
📍 The K-12 decision-maker forwards your post.
📍 The school district admin replies to your CTA.

Because lead gen doesn’t begin with a tool or a tactic.

It begins with trust—and trust starts with clear, confident communication.
So if you’re still waiting for the moment you feel “ready”?
This episode is your nudge to go opposite.

📤 Know a founder stuck in “refinement mode”?
Send them this episode. They don’t need another pitch deck.
They need permission to show up real—and get results.

#EdTech #EdSales #LeadGeneration #EducationFounders #BreakingTheGrade #FounderMessaging #Seinfeld #GeorgeCostanza #TheOppositeEffect #LinkedInStrategy #EducationLeadership #AuthenticCommunication

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

If you’re trying to grow your education business beyond where you started—this episode is for you.

Because whether you’re moving from one country to another, or just one state to the next…

The real challenge isn’t translation.
It’s trust.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, I sit down with Denise Abulafia—EdTech founder, Penn GSE professor, and the visionary behind Educatina, a platform that scaled to over 6 million students in Latin America and earned traction across vastly different regions.

But here’s what stood out:
She didn’t just grow into new markets—she built credibility at the ground level.
And that credibility? It unlocked consistent inbound leads and sales-ready conversations—before she ever pitched.

We dig into the soft skills that matter more than any pitch deck:
Understanding cultural context.
Listening before selling.
And building the kind of partnerships that open doors and fill your pipeline.

🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ Why early traction often stalls when you move into new regions (even nearby)
✅ How Denise landed high-trust partnerships before she had a product
✅ What she did on vacation that turned into a closed deal
✅ The credibility play that beats credentials every time
✅ Why being underestimated can become your strongest edge
✅ How trust-first founders generate more qualified leads, faster

This is for you if:
📍 You’re growing into a new town, city, state, region, or country
📍 You’re hitting friction with a proven product
📍 You want your next move to be smarter—not just bigger

📤 Then share this with one education founder who’s scaling into new territory—and needs a lead generation strategy rooted in trust.

#EdTech #EdSales #LeadGeneration #EducationLeadership #BreakingTheGrade #GlobalEdTech #FounderLessons

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

LinkedIn builds your credibility — Speaking amplifies it.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, I’m sharing how I went from avoiding stages entirely to speaking at in the last 13 months at Penn GSE, the University of Chicago, SXSW EDU, DC Startup Week, Education Research and Development Institute, XEdu, Institute for the Future of Education in Mexico, EdTech Institute of Chicago, and more. Not because I had the biggest platform—because I had the right message.

Here’s the truth: I wasn’t afraid of the mic or the big audiences.
I was afraid of what it would reveal.

❌ No clear positioning
❌ No resonant offer
❌ No confidence in my message

And that fear slowed everything down.

What changed?

I stopped treating speaking as an “extra”—and started using it as a strategic amplifier for the traction I was already building on LinkedIn.
Because when your message is working, a mic doesn’t just elevate it—it accelerates everything.

🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to layer speaking engagements on top of your LinkedIn efforts to 10x visibility for your education business.
• The mental shift that helped me go from “just a content creator” to a sought-after speaker in education
• My step-by-step playbook: what to do before, during, and after the mic to drive real revenue
• Why small stages often drive faster conversions than big ones—and how to land the right rooms
• The secret to writing a pitch event organizers can’t ignore
• What happens when your message earns not just applause—but repeat invites and sales

This isn’t about getting famous.
 It’s about getting results that compound—and credibility that converts.

📤 Then share this with one education founder who’s ready to use their voice—and own their space.

#EdSales #LeadGeneration #EdTech #BreakingTheGrade #SpeakingStrategy

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

You’re not afraid of hard work.
You’ve put in the hours.
You’ve sent the emails.
You’ve done the demos.
And still—no one’s biting.

That was Ashton Tate.
Founder of The Form Curriculum.
Fitness coach-turned-EdTech founder.
500 cold calls deep… and still stuck.

Then he changed one thing.

He stopped selling—and started listening.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, Ashton shares the real story behind his pivot from “grinding” to getting real results—and how everything shifted when he joined the EdSales Elevation Experience.

This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s the truth about what most education founders get wrong—and what actually builds a system that sells your education business.

🎯 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why 500 cold calls didn’t convert—and what Ashton changed
• The uncomfortable moment when Josh “ripped apart” his messaging
• How Ashton finally booked qualified calls (and hired help to keep up)
• What it takes to go from “nobody’s replying” to overwhelmed with leads
• How the cohort model fast-tracked his confidence, clarity, and conversions

If your inbox is quiet…
If your leads are ghosting you…
If your product is strong but no one’s saying yes—

This is your wake-up call.

You don’t need to do more.
You need to say the right thing—to the right people.

#EdSales #LeadGeneration #EdTech #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

You think your sales process is tough?

Try launching a brand new EdTech company during a global pandemic—while building trust with schools that aren’t exactly raising their hands.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, I sat down with Paul Moch, Founder of Camino 21 and now Vice Provost at Talisis, to break down what it really takes to build a scalable education business that gets acquired.

Paul didn’t just build a product.
He built trust.
He didn’t guess what schools wanted.
He asked.
Listened.
Built backwards from the pain.
And then showed up with the clearest offer on the table.

This isn’t your typical founder journey.
This is the blueprint for education entrepreneurs who are serious about scale.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why education is one of the hardest markets to sell into—and how Paul navigated it anyway
• The “3 steps behind” principle that helped him pre-sell before he even launched
• How urgency, credibility, and real institutional relationships led to acquisition
• What EdTech founders must build first if they want to win schools (and not just survive pitch calls)
• The mindset shift required to go from founder to executive leader—and scale your impact inside a holding company

If you’re tired of selling in circles and ready to build something schools actually want, this is the episode for you.

#EdSales #LeadGeneration #EdTech #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

You’re busy. But you’re not booked.

You’re showing up on LinkedIn.
You’re attending conferences.
You’re tweaking your SEO.
You’re following the playbook everyone told you to run.

And still—your pipeline’s empty.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, Josh Chernikoff breaks down the silent mistake most education founders don’t realize they’re making:

If you’re tired of doing everything “right” and still not closing deals, this episode is your reset.

💡 You’ll learn:

• Why “slow burn” strategies stall growth (and energy)
• What real hunting methods look like—and why they convert faster
• The sales system over 130 EdTech companies have used to create repeatable momentum
• How to stop hoping—and start closing
• When to layer visibility tactics (and when they just waste time)

Busy doesn’t build your business. Hunting does.

This is the episode that will help you stop spinning—and start winning real deals before Fall 2025.

#EdSales #LeadGeneration #EdTech #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

Recorded live at IFE in Monterrey, Mexico, this episode features Beatriz Guillen, Executive Director at The Resource Foundation—a leader focused on strengthening education outcomes across Latin America.

While her work centers on Latin America, the insights she shares here resonate globally—especially for education companies and founders navigating the U.S. market.

This conversation is packed with real-world takeaways for education companies and founders navigating B2G, credibility-building, and early-stage lead generation—especially those working to unlock high-value partnerships and grow in complex markets.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What makes selling into K–12 education markets so difficult—and how to overcome it
• How to build trust and traction with buyers, donors, and decision-makers
• Why clear messaging and credible evidence are essential for lead generation
• How philanthropy and private-sector partnerships can accelerate sales for early-stage education companies
• A strategy for standing out in crowded education markets—even without massive funding

Whether you’re scaling in Latin America, the U.S., or globally—this episode gives you a roadmap for breaking through in education sales.

#EdSales #LeadGeneration #EdTech #BreakingTheGrade #EducationBusiness

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

Too many education founders build something incredible—only to realize they can’t sell it.

They try to figure it out themselves… piecing together advice from free webinars, Twitter threads, and late-night YouTube binges. But without a proven system, the growth stalls—and burnout creeps in.

In this episode of Breaking the Grade, I sit down with Nick Farrenkopf, CEO and founder of Wibly, who went from scrappy solo founder to sales-ready CEO. Nick didn’t come from a sales background—but when he joined the EdSales Elevation Experience, he transformed how he showed up, pitched his product, and positioned Wibly for scale.

💡 If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to grow your education business without a clear roadmap—this episode is your permission to stop guessing and start building a system that works.

🎙️ Tune in to hear:

• Why trying to “learn sales” alone is the fastest path to burnout.
• How Nick shortened his sales pitch from 40 minutes to 2 with the Signature Solution.
• The mindset shift that turned objections into opportunities.
• How cohort learning and peer feedback beat Googling 100% of the time.
• What changed when Nick stopped “showing up on LinkedIn” and started strategically engaging.
• How having a clear message made sales calls (and conversations) easier and more effective.
• Why education founders wait too long to implement a sales system—and what happens when they don’t.

🎯 If your calendar feels empty and your sales feel stuck—don’t just try harder. Try smarter.

#EdTech #EdSales #EducationFounders #LeadGeneration #StartupGrowth #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

You’ve got the vision. The team. The momentum.
So why does it feel like you’re sprinting on a treadmill with no finish line in sight?

Here’s the truth: Most education companies don’t burn out because of a bad idea.
They burn out because they’re trying to scale without a system.

In this live episode of Breaking the Grade, recorded at IFE 2025 in Monterrey (Mexico), I sit down with Sergio Abramovich, CEO of Scala Learning, to unpack how fast-moving education companies can shift from burnout to sustainable growth—without sacrificing mission or momentum.

And trust me—Sergio’s not talking theory. This is real, in-the-trenches wisdom from building EdTech systems that work at scale.

🎙️ In this episode, we break down:

• Why hustle culture is killing your pipeline—and how to build with systems, not just sweat
• How trying to “go global” too fast can backfire (and what to focus on instead)
• Why ROI in your network isn’t about connections—it’s about care and consistency
• What to do when you hit the “founder fog”—and how process brings back clarity
• Why storytelling is your secret weapon in scaling credibility and visibility

Here’s the line that stuck with me:

 “If you burn out, you burn your team out. Then your mission never scales.”

 Let that sink in.

Whether you’re a founder of an education company, a sales leader at an edtech, or someone trying to build trust with education buyers across borders—this one’s your blueprint.

→ Tune in and discover how the right systems build a business that scales without breaking. Sergio will tell you – staying visible, credible, and consistent is your lead generation strategy.

#EdSales #EdTech #EducationMarketing #LeadGeneration #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage

You’ve added decision-makers on LinkedIn.
You’ve liked a few posts, maybe even commented.
You’re showing up… but nothing’s turning into a call, let alone a contract.

Sound familiar?

That’s what I call the LinkedIn illusion—where activity feels like progress, but the results just aren’t showing up in your pipeline.

Here’s the truth: If you're an education company trying to sell into institutions, LinkedIn isn’t about going viral. It’s about using consistency, clarity, and credibility to turn conversations into clients.

🎯 This episode of Breaking the Grade reveals the Connection to Contract Framework—the same system I use with our clients who own successful education businesses that book 12–20 qualified sales calls a month organically.

Absolutely – No paid ads. No funnels. No cold calls. No gimmicks. Just a proven process that builds trust and moves the right people to take action.

And no—it’s not about only posting more. It’s about positioning yourself so the right people stop scrolling, start paying attention, and ultimately raise their hands to talk.

🎙️ Tune in to hear:

• The #1 reason your messaging isn’t converting—and how to fix it.
• Why “value” isn’t enough—education buyers want clarity and consistency.
• How to build trust with your ideal client before they ever hop on a call.
• The power of listening on LinkedIn (and how it leads to real contracts).
• What working closely with dozens of education companies taught me about the long game.
• Why most education companies stall after connecting—and the simple process to convert those connections into real contracts.

You don’t need a new tool. You need a tighter message and a smarter process. And - our six Cs. 

If you’re still wondering whether LinkedIn works for education sales—this is your answer.
This is the method.

#EdSales #EducationMarketing #LeadGeneration #LinkedInStrategy #BreakingTheGrade

Connect with Josh Chernikoff

Founder, Edsales Revenue Machine
Host, Edsales Edge Show

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuachernikoff/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.chernikoff
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadcdc/

📩 Email: [email protected]

Join the Edsales Entourage

Get closer to the conversations, strategies, and operators inside the ecosystem:
👉 https://www.skool.com/entourage