Send us a text

Laura Erdem is a Sales Manager - Americas at DreamData and a social selling powerhouse who’s helping redefine how B2B companies connect with their audience. In this episode, Laura shares her journey from traditional outbound sales to building a multi-million-dollar pipeline through LinkedIn and social selling strategies.

We dove into how Laura uses LinkedIn to create meaningful connections with buyers, track measurable revenue impact, and build trust through authentic, human-centric content. Laura also discussed the balance between structured and flexible approaches to social selling, offering practical advice for sales teams and leaders alike.

Laura highlighted how DreamData aligns sales and marketing efforts to drive results, with shared reporting and insights that ensure everyone is pulling in the same direction. She also gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how DreamData is expanding into the U.S. market and adapting its sales processes to meet the demands of a fast-moving, transactional environment.

We covered:

• Social Selling 101: How Laura’s approach to LinkedIn has generated over $2 million in measurable revenue for DreamData.
• Metrics that Matter: Beyond likes and comments—tracking engagement, clicks, and conversions that drive real business results.
• Cold Outreach vs. Warm Outreach: Why traditional outbound sales is struggling and how social selling creates higher-quality leads.
• Scaling Social Selling: Practical tips for sales teams to personalize and implement social strategies at scale.
• Aligning Sales and Marketing: How DreamData creates shared goals and accountability between teams to drive growth.
• Market Expansion: Lessons from DreamData’s move into the U.S. market, including the importance of hiring local expertise.
• The Future of Social Selling: How AI is enhancing social strategies while keeping human connection at the center of sales.

Whether you’re a B2B sales pro, marketer, or founder looking to build stronger relationships with your customers and scale your pipeline, this episode is packed with actionable tips and insights to help you take your sales game to the next level.

Where to Find Laura

• LinkedIn: Laura Erdem
• DreamData: dreamdata.io

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: Stun and Awe
• LinkedIn: Michel Gagnon
• X: @michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

Adam Boita is the Chief Marketing Officer at Ecologi and a seasoned marketing leader with over 17 years of experience across iconic brands like PlayStation and Pernod Ricard. In this episode, Adam shares his journey from consumer marketing to leading climate action initiatives, guiding businesses to embed sustainability into their operations.

We discussed how Ecologi helps companies fund high-impact climate action projects, tackle the complexities of carbon credits, and leverage innovative tools to integrate sustainability seamlessly. Adam shared insights into Ecologi’s transparent approach, the importance of trust in climate action, and how his team ensures businesses achieve measurable impact.

Adam also highlighted the role of creative storytelling and humor in climate messaging, showcasing how Ecologi’s campaigns inspire businesses to take their first steps toward sustainability. He provided practical advice on balancing brand-building with performance marketing, creating awareness campaigns that drive long-term results.

We covered:

• Climate action for businesses: Ecologi’s transition from consumer subscriptions to B2B solutions, empowering companies to fund impactful sustainability projects.
• Navigating carbon credits: Tackling controversies and ensuring transparency and quality in climate action initiatives.
• Engaging messaging: Using humor and wit to break down barriers and inspire businesses to act.
• Campaign planning: How Ecologi balances brand awareness and performance marketing to drive measurable results.
• Lessons for startups: Building trust through transparency, investing in brand identity early, and aligning profit with purpose.
• Practical insights: Strategies for integrating sustainability into operations and communicating impact effectively.

Whether you’re a startup founder, marketer, or corporate leader looking to align your business goals with meaningful climate action, this episode will give you the insights and actionable strategies to achieve the impact you're aiming for.

Where to find Adam:

• LinkedIn: Adam Boita
• Ecologi's website: https://ecologi.com/

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: Stun and Awe
• LinkedIn: Michel Gagnon
• X: @michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

Mariana de la Roche Wills is the founder and CEO of de la Roche W Consulting and a leading voice in the blockchain and Web3 space. Mariana shared her journey from law and public policy to becoming a prominent advocate for using blockchain technology to address global challenges.

We discussed how blockchain empowers individuals by returning control of data to the people, creating opportunities for financial inclusion, and fostering transparency and accountability. Mariana highlighted the transformative potential of blockchain through projects like Ethic Hub, focused on agricultural financial inclusion, and the Demia, which leverages blockchain for carbon credits and sustainability.

Mariana also explained the role of stablecoins in driving financial inclusion in underserved regions and how startups can responsibly implement blockchain technology. We explored governance models, open-source tools, and the importance of aligning blockchain solutions with real-world problems.

We covered:

• Blockchain’s potential: Empowering individuals and fostering transparency in critical sectors
• Real-world applications: EthicHub’s decentralized finance solution for Global South farmers and Demia, focused on enhancing carbon credits. 
• Financial inclusion: How stablecoins are reshaping access to financial tools in underserved regions
• Best practices for startups: Leveraging blockchain thoughtfully to address real needs
• Governance and collaboration: The importance of open-source tools and community-driven decision-making
• Mariana’s insights: Lessons from her work with INATBA, BC100+, and global blockchain initiatives
• Practical advice: Balancing innovation and regulation while aligning blockchain solutions with long-term impact goals

If your a startup, innovator, or impact-driven leader looking to use blockchain and Web3 to create meaningful change, this episode is for you.

Where to find Mariana:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariana-de-la-roche-es/
- Website: De la Roche W. Consulting

Where to find Michel:
- Newsletter: Stun and Awe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

In this episode, I spoke with Julia Zhou, co-founder of Tidal Impact, and President of the Sigma Squared Society. Julia shared her journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to co-founding Tidal Impact with a focus on shifting businesses from merely reducing harm to creating a meaningful impact.

We explored how startups can play a pivotal role in building a regenerative economy and why they are uniquely positioned to adopt sustainable practices faster than larger corporations. Julia also explained the importance of redefining success beyond financial metrics, stressing the need to focus on the positive societal and environmental outcomes a company can achieve.

We discussed the work of the Sigma Square Society, a network fostering connections among young entrepreneurs, and how building emotional intelligence and personal awareness are crucial for driving systems change.

Julia emphasized the need for businesses to develop a theory of change to measure long-term impact and shared her thoughts on the evolving world of impact investing, where diverse funding models are necessary for different types of impact-driven companies.

We covered:

• Tidal Impact’s mission: Helping businesses measure and manage ESG and create positive impact
• Startups' role: How they can lead the charge in building a regenerative economy
• Redefining success: Moving beyond financial metrics to focus on impact
• The Sigma Square Society: Supporting young entrepreneurs and fostering systemic change
• Theory of change: A framework for measuring long-term goals and impact
• Impact investing: The need for diverse funding models to support various businesses
• Personal stories: Julia’s journey and insights on aligning business goals with personal values
• Lessons learned: Challenges in systems change, team building, and securing funding

Where to find Julia:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-zhou-3a94a5b3/
- Website: Tidal Impact,  Sigma Squared Society

Where to find Michel:
- Newsletter: Stun and Awe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

Ever feel like your team has the potential to be great, but you’re stuck in slow motion? I’ve been there. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my story of leading a tech company that was bursting with talent but got bogged down by endless discussions, bureaucratic red tape, and a mountain of old tech debt. It was frustrating to watch our competitors launch products while we debated—and missed opportunities.

I’ll break down the common barriers that hold teams back, like “selling” ideas instead of truly assessing them, or letting the highest-paid person’s opinion dominate (a.k.a. HiPPO Syndrome). I’ll also share my approach to getting things moving again: creating a playbook that gets everyone from marketing to engineering on the same page and speeds up execution.

Tune in to hear some hard-learned lessons, real-world stories from billion-dollar corporations and nimble startups, and actionable strategies that can help turn your team into an execution powerhouse. If you want to break free from innovation paralysis and get your team’s great ideas to market faster, this episode’s for you. Let’s dive in!

Check out our Fast-Track Innovation Workshop if you'd like your team to execute faster.

Where to find Michel:
- Newsletter: Stun and Awe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

I sat down with Christian Chegne and Avery Schwartz, co-founders of Coral Tribe NFT and ReFi Hub. They are using blockchain to push forward regenerative finance and make a big impact on sustainability.

They shared how they raised $1 million from their Coral Tribe NFT and used part of the proceeds to fund five major impact environmental restoration projects. They are now launching ReFi Hub, a marketplace that enables members to invest in vetted businesses that fight climate change, promote clean energy, and foster sustainable development.

We dove into the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), which allows for fractional ownership and opens up new ways for entrepreneurs, especially in the Global South, to get more attractive access to funds than through traditional very-high-interest bank loans. This approach makes high-impact investments more accessible and strengthens the connection between communities and environmental causes.

Christian and Avery highlighted how building strong communities has been critical to their projects' growth. Their stories offer some great insights for anyone curious about how blockchain can drive both sustainability and local business support.

We covered:

• Coral Tribe NFT: Raising $1M and funding coral restoration and other impact projects
• Tokenizing real-world assets: How it democratizes access to sustainable investments
• ReFi Hub’s mission: Supporting small businesses and sustainable growth in emerging markets
• Regenerative finance: Applying it to ecosystem restoration, carbon credits, and beyond
• Community building: How platforms like Discord and Twitter play a key role in Web3 success
• Personal stories: Christian and Avery’s path from traditional industries into blockchain
• Lessons learned: Building teams, securing funding, and overcoming challenges
• The future: How blockchain and tokenization can reshape global sustainability
  
  

Where to find Christian and Avery:
- LinkedIn: Christian Chegne, Avery Schwartz
- Twitter: Christian, Avery
- Website: ReFiHub,  Coral Tribe NFT

Where to find Michel:
- Newsletter: Stun and Awe
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

In the latest episode of the Growth Leap Podcast, I had a great chat with Sharath Kuruganty. Sharath’s a serial maker, a successful SaaS founder, and a key player in various online communities. He’s the brain behind projects like Guest Lab, an AI research assistant that helps podcast hosts streamline guest research.

You’ve probably seen his influence across platforms like Product Hunt, Draft Bit, On Deck, and Threado, where he’s been instrumental in driving community engagement. On top of that, he’s also the host of two popular podcasts: Undefeated Underdogs and YC Founder Stories.

We dove deep into the art of building authentic communities and audiences—a space where Sharath truly excels. We talked about the challenges podcasters face, especially when it comes to the often time-consuming task of guest research. That’s where his project, Guest Lab, comes in handy, offering a solution to make this process smoother. We also covered his use of no-code tools, his work with technical co-founders, and his journey through Y Combinator, sharing the lessons he’s learned along the way.

We covered

• Guest Lab: From a Spark to a Full-Fledged Tool
• Podcasting Pains and How to Overcome Them
• No-Code Development: Challenges and Winning Strategies
• Y Combinator: The Application and What’s Next
• Sharath’s Playbook for Community and Audience Growth
• Should Every Company Invest in Community Building?
• Top Tips for Creating a Thriving Community
• Why Founders Should Lead Community Building
• Balancing Audience Growth with Daily Life
• Sharath’s Podcasting Journey: The Inside Story
• Unforgettable Podcast Guests and Their Stories
• Podcasting Takeaways and Future Ambitions
• Looking Forward: Goals and Final Thoughts

Where to find Sharath:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarath-kuruganty
• X: https://x.com/5harath
• Website: 5harath.com
• GuestLab: https://guestlab.ai/
• Podcast: undefeatedunderdogs.com

‍

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: https://www.stunandawe.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
• X: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Send us a text

Most OKR frameworks focus on what you want to accomplish, but not how. They’re great for setting strategy and direction, but they don’t help you identify the tactical tasks that will get those things done. The real stumbling block ain’t the strategies or the OKRs, it’s how they align with daily tasks. That’s where most OKR frameworks fall short.

In this episode, I share how you can make OKRs work better for you and your team. To come up with a framework that works in real life, we borrowed some elements of Andy Grove’s OKR model and Richard Rumelt’s kernel of good strategy and then connected them to the projects and daily work.

I work you through the key sections including a shared diagnosis, a clear strategy, measurable objectives, and a practical roadmap. This simple structure then syncs daily activities with overarching goals and helps your team connect the big-picture strategy with the daily grind.

You can get our Notion OKR Template here: https://stunandawe.gumroad.com/l/strategy-okr-notion-template 

Here's what I cover:

• The Problem with Traditional OKRs
• Building a Better OKR Framework with Notion
• Diagnosing Your Current Reality
• Designing Your Strategy
• Setting Objectives and Key Results
• Creating a Roadmap and Initiatives
• Implementing with Sprints and Tasks

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: https://www.stunandawe.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
• X: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Most OKR frameworks focus on what you want to accomplish, but not how. They’re great for setting strategy and direction, but they don’t help you identify the tactical tasks that will get those things done. The real stumbling block ain’t the strategies or the OKRs, it’s how they align with daily tasks. That’s where most OKR frameworks fall short.

In this episode, I share how you can make OKRs work better for you and your team. To come up with a framework that works in real life, we borrowed some elements of Andy Grove’s OKR model and Richard Rumelt’s kernel of good strategy and then connected them to the projects and daily work.

I work you through the key sections including a shared diagnosis, a clear strategy, measurable objectives, and a practical roadmap. This simple structure then syncs daily activities with overarching goals and helps your team connect the big-picture strategy with the daily grind.

You can get our Notion OKR Template here: https://stunandawe.gumroad.com/l/strategy-okr-notion-template 

Here's what I cover:

• The Problem with Traditional OKRs
• Building a Better OKR Framework with Notion
• Diagnosing Your Current Reality
• Designing Your Strategy
• Setting Objectives and Key Results
• Creating a Roadmap and Initiatives
• Implementing with Sprints and Tasks

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: https://www.stunandawe.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
• X: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].

Send us a text

On this episode of the Growth Leap Podcast, I chat with Christian Hoppe, co-founder of Forwrd Agency. This digital marketing agency has cracked the code for driving revenue for sustainable e-commerce brands with YouTube ads. With over 15 years of experience in digital marketing and advertising, Christian shares how he discovered the power of YouTube ads as a performance channel and his unconventional approach to designing effective creatives.

Key Takeaways

• YouTube ads are a powerhouse for direct response marketing, driving significant revenue for e-commerce brands.
• Success hinges on precise targeting and smart creative content. The goal is to engage the right audience and prompt action, not just chase high view-through rates.
• Start your YouTube ad budget at $10,000 to $20,000 monthly, but ensure your product or service truly fits the market.
• Quality and structure of creative content are critical to ad performance.
• Close collaboration with clients on creative development and media buying is essential for achieving top results and exceeding client expectations.

Where to find Christian:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmhoppe/
• Forwrd Agency: https://www.forwrd.agency/
• Blog & Newsletter: https://www.forwrdthinking.com

‍

Where to find Michel:

• Newsletter: https://www.stunandawe.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheljgagnon/
• X: https://twitter.com/michelgagnon

Support the show

• Do you have a question you'd like me to answer on the podcast or feedback to share? Leave me a message here.
• You'll find all the show notes, transcripts, and past guests at stunandawe.com
• Up your growth game with our hands-on Growth Marketing Course
• For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].
• Support the show on Patreon

Follow us:

• LinkedIn
• Twitter