In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Amelia Taylor - founder of The Revenue Table, GTM advisor, investor, and one of the strongest voices pushing relationship-first growth in modern SaaS.Amelia’s journey is anything but conventional. She went from luxury real estate to enterprise SaaS, built global demand generation strategies, helped scale companies like Seamless AI, and now advises startups on how to build real pipeline in a market drowning in automation.But her core belief is simple:Growth doesn’t start with tools. It starts with people.In this conversation we break down:• Why most companies confuse volume with growth• Why relationship-first selling still beats automation• The problem with “growth hacks” on LinkedIn• Why community-led growth is becoming oversaturated• How to turn relationships into actual revenue and pipeline• The difference between looking busy vs actually scalingWe also dive into Amelia’s personal story — from being a walk-on basketball player at Ole Miss to building her career while raising two daughters as a single mother.If you’re building in SaaS, GTM, sales, or marketing, this conversation will challenge a lot of the conventional playbooks.Because the truth is simple:Trust scales better than tactics.

Most conversations about SaaS happen on stage, on LinkedIn, or inside fundraising decks.This one doesn’t.In this episode of Messy Growth, Off the Record, Syed sits down with Gustavo and Rui - two operators he’s worked with in the trenches of SaaS - to talk honestly about what’s actually happening inside tech companies right now.No hot takes. No polished narratives. Just a real conversation about the messy reality of working in SaaS in 2026.We discuss:• What AI is actually replacing inside SaaS companies• Why first-line roles (support, success, QA, junior devs) may be the most exposed• The uncomfortable truth about LinkedIn “thought leadership”• Why recruitment processes are broken for both companies and candidates• Whether SaaS is still a land of opportunity — or if we’re starting to fight for scraps• Why company loyalty is disappearing and what’s replacing it• The gap that AI may create for junior talent entering the workforceThis episode is less of an interview and more like a conversation you’d hear after the cameras stop rolling.If you’re building, hiring, or working in SaaS right now - this one will hit close to home.

What does 20+ years in business development actually teach you about growth, sales, and success?In this episode of Messy Growth, Syed sits down with Joanna Rybus, strategic business leader and Head of Business Development at Wingle Group, to unpack the realities behind building revenue engines, scaling companies, and navigating long careers in business.Joanna has spent over two decades leading business development, designing go-to-market strategies, expanding companies into new markets, and building high-performing commercial teams across industries and continents.But beyond tactics, this conversation goes deeper.We explore the mindset shifts, identity changes, and leadership lessons that happen when you spend years operating inside the messy reality of business.In this episode we discuss:• Why most companies misunderstand business development• The difference between sales tactics and strategic growth• Why product-market fit matters more than lead generation• When outbound works — and when it’s just noise• Why empathy is the real foundation of great sales• The biggest mistake early product teams make• How AI will (and won’t) impact sales roles• How your definition of success changes over a 20-year careerJoanna also shares her perspective on mentoring women over 40, helping them rediscover purpose and direction in the next chapter of their professional lives.If you’re building in SaaS, working in sales, or trying to figure out how to build a real go-to-market engine — this episode will challenge how you think about growth.

What happens to sales teams when AI starts doing the work?In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Justin, a revenue leader with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling software companies.Justin has helped build six software companies with five successful exits and has served as CRO, Chief Sales Officer, VP at Salesforce, and board advisor. He has seen SaaS evolve through multiple waves: cloud, automation, outbound, and now AI.In this conversation we break down what AI actually changes in go-to-market and what still belongs to humans.We discuss:• Why AI is different from every technology wave before it• What sales reps will still be valuable for in the next 3–5 years• Why most companies have a broken go-to-market architecture• The real reason sales pipelines collapse late in the quarter• How sales leaders lose credibility with their board• Why great cultures outperform fear-based sales environments• What sales teams might look like by 2030Justin has reviewed thousands of sales calls, built repeatable revenue systems, and advised founders through hypergrowth, plateaus, and acquisitions.If you’re a founder, sales leader, CRO, or operator trying to understand how AI will reshape SaaS - this conversation is for you.

Most founders think building a SaaS product is the hard part.It’s not.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Elston Baretto - founder of Tiinyhost who bootstrapped his way to over 1 million users without VC money.We break down:• Why distribution now matters more than product• How AI lowered the barrier to entry (and made things harder)• The emotional cost of bootstrapping• Why most founders build too long and launch too late• Average product + elite distribution vs elite product + average distribution• What it actually takes to scale to 1M users• The slow, boring work nobody talks aboutElston shares what changes after you cross real scale, why most people misunderstand startups, and why patience might be the ultimate competitive advantage in 2026.If you’re building SaaS, thinking about bootstrapping, or trying to figure out distribution in an AI-first world, this episode is for you.

Most early-stage startups don’t fail because of product.They fail because their go-to-market doesn’t work.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Kas Szatylowicz — fractional Head of Marketing, GTM advisor, and revenue-focused operator who has built growth engines across AI and cybersecurity startups.She’s been the first marketing hire multiple times, scaled organic traffic from 3.5K to 90K in under a year, and helped bring Fortune 100 companies into inbound funnels — all with lean teams and zero fluff.We talk about: • Why most founders obsess over the wrong metrics • Why traffic and MQLs don’t matter (and what does) • The danger of combining PLG and Enterprise too early • How to build inbound that actually generates pipeline • Why modern marketers need technical literacy • Why clarity is the most underrated leadership skill • The difference between “pretty marketing” and marketing that worksIf you’re building a Seed or Series A startup and trying to turn messy growth into predictable revenue, this conversation will hit.

Building a company isn’t linear.Monika Mikowska built Mobee Dick into one of Poland’s most respected UX/UI agencies - 50+ people, millions in revenue, major enterprise clients.Then it nearly collapsed.In this episode of Messy Growth, we go deep into:• Why fast growth lies to founders• How ego quietly expands during success• What really causes companies to crash• The hidden burnout phase no one talks about• Working in the company vs working on it• Why cash flow discipline matters more than revenue• The loneliness of entrepreneurship• Why intuition might matter more than external advice• And how to rebuild after hitting the edgeWe also explore:– Founder identity vs personal identity– Why scaling without structure destroys companies– Meditation, self-awareness, and leadership clarity– The real reason entrepreneurs feel empty “while winning”No fluff. No startup clichés. Just the messy truth behind growth.If you’re building, scaling, or recovering - this one’s for you.

Aleksandra went from producing fashion events for Hermès and Stella McCartney to building ABM programs that close 6-7 figure deals at Launchmetrics and Kpler. This conversation gets messy - in the best way.We break down:→ Why 70% of your martech stack is probably useless (and what to keep)→ The #1 reason ABM programs fail when scaling beyond 10 accounts→ What sales teams say they want vs. what actually moves enterprise deals→ Why "personalization" with {company_name} variables is embarrassing→ How to prove marketing attribution without losing your mind→ The counterintuitive role of scarcity in B2B marketing

Building brands today isn’t about bigger ad budgets - it’s about trust.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Olivia Dumnicka, Founder of SWAI, a UGC and nano-influencer agency helping brands like Booksy, Weleda OnePiece, Liferando, and others grow through creator-led marketing that actually converts.Before founding SWAI, Olivia worked across early-stage tech startups in London and Berlin, leading influencer and social strategies during high-growth phases. What she learned changed how she thinks about branding forever.We get into: • Why user-generated content is replacing traditional ads • Why most brands get influencer marketing completely wrong • How nano and micro creators outperform big influencers • The difference between content that looks good vs content that drives sales • Why TikTok is quietly becoming a search engine • How to build community-led growth without burning cash • The ugly truths about the creator economy no one talks about

Rashel Hariri has seen growth from every angle - McDonald's, Shopify, and now dozens of early-stage startups as a fractional CMO. In this episode, she breaks down why most go-to-market strategies fall apart, what founders get wrong about marketing vs. sales, and when spending money on ads is actually a waste.What we cover:

• Why big corporations are just startups in disguise (even McDonald's)
• The most common mistake seed-stage founders make with their first $100K
• How to tell if your GTM problem is sales, marketing, or something else entirely
• Why fractional full-time CMO for early-stage companies (and when that changes)
• The one thing that has the biggest ripple effect on everything else in your marketing
• Why AI slop is killing your content (and what to do about it)
• Product-market fit from a marketing lens (not a product lens)
• How to build a growth engine that converts without burning cash