Scale with Strive Podcast

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀

Our host is John Hitchen and on today’s episode, we are excited to welcome Mark Stephenson, Fractional CRO, Advisor and GTM Coach!

Mark brings over 30 years of experience in Solution Sales and Go-To-Market Leadership, having worked with high growth venture-backed SaaS companies like Evisort and AVI Networks, as well as large organizations such as HP and Cisco. He's built a reputation for consistently delivering outstanding results, surpassing quota in 24 out of 27 years.

Today, we focus in on SaaS Growth, and the four pronged growth approach that Mark believes is essential here: Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), Talent, Collaboration and Sales Process. 

Some of our key takeaways from the conversation were:

💡 What defines an ideal customer profile in today's market?

💡 Strategies for identifying and attracting top talent in competitive markets

💡 Best practices for improving cross-functional collaboration between sales, marketing, and product team

💡Metrics and KPIs to measure the success of a sales process

Let’s Dive in! 

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 Connect with Mark here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markstephenson-consultant/

Connect with John here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhitchen/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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Chapters

00:00  Introduction to Mark Stephenson

02:56   Understanding the Ideal Customer Profile

05:51    Talent Acquisition and Sales Debt

09:59   Collaboration in SaaS Organizations

16:45    Sales Process Design and Implementation

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

Our host is John Hitchen and on today’s episode, we are excited to welcome Quentin Packard, Senior Vice President of Sales at Conduktor!

Starting his career in SaaS within Operations, Quentin rose through the ranks before transferring over to commence his Sales career as an SDR and making his way up to a Global Head position. 

Quentin has worked for some fantastic companies, such as Splunk, where he joined the business when they were under a Billion in Revenue and under 1,000 employees in the business. By the time he left, they'd grown to over 9,000 employees and multiple Billion Revenues in ARR.

Today, we focus in on the GTM playbook, and the four pillars that Quentin believes are essential here: Recruitment, Onboarding, Sales Process and Performance / Predictable Revenue.

Some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 

💡 Strategies and key attributes to look for in talent

💡 Optimizing the pipeline generation strategy.

💡 Metrics and Strategies to drive performance.

Let’s Dive in! 

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Connect with Quentin here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/qpackard/

Connect with John here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhitchen/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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0:00.     Introduction to Quentin Packard

3:11.        Recruitment: Building the Right Team

11:49.     Onboarding: First 90 Days

17:30.     Pipeline Generation: The Oxygen of Sales

27:09.    Performance and Predictable Revenue

34:16.    Key Takeaways and Final Thoughts

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

Our host is John Hitchen and on today’s episode, we are excited to welcome Dan Monahan, Head of Sales at Waldo! 

Dan has a rich background in Sales and Leadership within the SaaS Space, beginning his career at ZeroTurnaround (which was later acquired by Perforce), before joining Forestry.io, leading a large Sales and Sales Engineering team. 

Moving on to Snyk, he helped grow the revenue from $30M ARR to $300M ARR - and now he is at the very early stages of Waldo, an AI company focused on research and strategy. 

Today, we focus in on the Gen AI space and the company Dan has recently joined, Waldo. We explore the factors he considered before making his move, what the product does and delve into the competitive space of Gen AI.  

Some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 

💡 The factors to consider when considering joining an early-stage company 

💡 Exploring Waldo’s AI research platform and its GTM Strategy 

💡 Why sticking to your ICP, even in a busy market, is key  

Let’s Dive in! 

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Connect with Dan here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljohnmonahan/

Connect with John here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhitchen/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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0:00            Introduction to Dan 

3:16              Why Dan Joined Waldo

7:33              Waldo's AI Research Platform Explained

11:20            Go-to-Market Strategy and Future Vision

21:09           Building Teams for AI Startups

24:35          Closing Thoughts 

📢 Welcome to Season 3 of the 'Scale with Strive Podcast' - the place to come to listen to some of the world's most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

Our host today is Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, we are excited to welcome Niall Carey, Founder at Fractal Advisory. 

After 15+ years leading high-performing sales teams in organisations such as DocuSign and Salesforce, Niall has now transitioned into fractional leadership to help ambitious companies scale smarter and faster. 
 
As a Fractional CXO / VP of Sales, he partners with Founders, CEOs, and Investors to: 
 
✅ Build and scale sales teams to consistently hit targets 
✅ Design and execute Go-To-Market strategies  
✅ Drive predictable, sustainable revenue growth 
✅ Coach and mentor emerging sales leaders 
✅ Prepare organisations for expansion and growth 
 
Today, we focus in on aligning sales teams with the Company Mission and Vision and some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 

 💡 The disconnect between Vision and Action 

 💡 Storytelling as a Leadership tool 

 💡 Embedding the Company Vision in Sales Teams – and making it personal to them  

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Connect with Niall here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/niallcarey/

Connect with Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasheadhunter/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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0:00.     Introduction to Vision Alignment Challenge

5:42.     The Disconnect Between Vision and Action

11:34.   Making Vision Personal to Sales Teams

16:20.   Storytelling as a Leadership Tool

22:37.   Embedding Vision in Sales Culture

27:30.   Aligning Compensation with Company Goals

32:50.   Leadership Training and Crisis Management

37:00.   Rapid-Fire Leadership Insights

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

I am your host, Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Philip Nowak!

Philip has over 16 years’ experience working within senior sales roles within the Germany and DACH geographies and on today’s podcast, we focus in on why hiring in Germany requires a different approach.

Some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 

💡 Why the German market can bring its own unique hiring challenges

💡 How to effectively attract talent to your organisation in Germany

💡 Strategies for selecting the right location in Germany when hiring your first reps 

Let’s Dive in!

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 Connect with Philip here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-nowak-93b84221/

 Connect with Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasheadhunter/

 Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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0.0           Introduction to German Market Challenges

4.11          Cultural Differences and Hiring Difficulties

7.32         Attracting German Talent Effectively

11.53       Managing Counter Offers and Commitment

18.06      Finding the Right Startup Profiles

32.06     German Work Culture and Location Strategy

40.05     Remote Working and Changing Benefits

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀

I am your host, John Hitchen and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Laura Smith, Director of North American Sales at Strike. 

Laura is an ex-athlete turned Sales expert, who has carved out a space for herself in the Cyber Security world. With a background in criminal justice and computer science, she's not just selling software, she's helping businesses protect themselves from real threats.  

Laura's known for her ability to work complex Enterprise deals, build Go-To-Market strategies from scratch and consistently hit targets.  

Today, we focus in on building and scaling your Sales Playbook and some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 

💡 Why a Sales Playbook is so important for early-stage companies 

💡 How to start building a Sales Playbook – who to involve in the process, what components to include and how to make it adaptable.  

💡 How to roll out your Sales Playbook, how to embed it and how to keep it relevant and updated 

Let’s Dive in!
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Connect with Laura here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-smith-67939913b/

Connect with John here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhitchen/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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0:00.       Meet Laura: From Athlete to Cybersecurity Sales

8:56.        Laura's Career Journey and Athletic Background

16:05.     Why Sales Playbooks Matter for Startups

21:19       Creating an Adaptable Playbook That Scales

25:34.     Implementing and Measuring Playbook Success

29:37.     Key Lessons and Book Recommendations

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀

I am your host, John Hitchen and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome John Turner (JT), CRO and Strategic Advisor at companies such as Stairwell and Observe.AI.

JT is a Sales Leader whose career spans from some of the biggest names in the Tech Industry. 

✅ He's led a 400-person sales team in a 250 million emerging tech sales team at Symantec. 

✅ He took TriNet through an IPO.

✅ He was responsible for the global sales team at Google Cloud Security Products. 

These days, he's advising in high-growth startups, including one of Forbes' 50 AI companies. JT has seen every single side of this market engine, from Startup to Global scale, and he brings a straight talking, deeply strategic approach to Sales Leadership. 

Today, we focus in on all things Sales Leadership and some of our key takeaways from the conversation were: 
 
💡 Sales Leader Fundamentals - the differences between Sales Leadership and Sales Management.
 
💡 How to build a world-class Sales Team.

💡 How to balance short term targets, with long term development. 

 
Let’s Dive in! 
 
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Connect with JT here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnturner1000/

Connect with John here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhitchen/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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Chapters

0:00     Introduction to JT's Leadership Journey

3:12     Difference Between Sales Management and Leadership

8:32     The Truth Is in the Field Philosophy

14:30   Four Legs of the Table: Hiring Great Sales Reps

22:48   Creating an Authentic Sales Culture

31:58   Navigating Leadership Challenges and Transitions

39:45   Learning from History: Leadership Insights

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀

I am your host, Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Dave Joshua, Founder at Scale Gen AI, a Consultancy which helps Generative AI startups and creators move beyond founder-led growth with lean, AI-powered Go-To-Market (GTM) strategies.

Dave has spent 20+ years leading GTM, marketing, sales, and revenue strategy for AI companies, including Stability AI and other generative AI pioneers. His expertise covers, amongst other things:

✅ AI-Native GTM – Integrating AI-driven sales, marketing, and customer success

✅ Enterprise Monetization – API, platform, and direct sales strategies

✅ D2C/B2C Growth – Scaling acquisition, prosumer/consumer segmentation, and retention

✅ Strategic Hiring – Building lean, high-impact GTM teams that leverage AI

✅ Exit Strategy – Positioning for IPO, acquisition, or sustainable growth

Today, we focus in on all things Gen AI and some of my key takeaways from our conversation were:
 
💡The growth of the Gen AI space in the last three years and where investment has concentrated. 
 
💡 GTM Strategies for Gen AI start-ups - including Proof of Concept, identifying ICP, product simplification and Customer Acquisition Costs.

💡 The future of the Gen AI space. 

 
Let’s Dive in!
 
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Watch the episode on YouTube 🎥 – https://youtu.be/lUpb-mpt-EU

Connect with Dave here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davejoshua/

Connect with Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasheadhunter/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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Chapters

00:00     Introduction to Generative AI and Dave's Background

02:58      The Current State of Generative AI

06:03      Investment Trends and Market Dynamics in Gen.AI

09:12       The Role of Investors and the Impact of OpenAI

11:59        Challenges in Go-to-Market Strategies for Gen.AI

15:02       Navigating the Gen.AI Landscape: Opportunities and Risks

23:15        Navigating Market Pivots

26:49       Understanding Revenue Models and Growth Challenges

30:22       The Importance of Product Management

34:49       Identifying Ideal Customer Profiles

38:27        Pricing Strategies and Revenue Predictions

43:25       Future Trends in the Generative AI Market

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

 I am your host, Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Laura Garvey, who was most recently VP of Solutions Consulting at Sprinklr!

Beginning her role as an IC, she worked at Sprinklr for over 8 years, with some of her Key Achievements being:

• Scaling the EMEA solutions team while improving win rates.
• Leading organisational restructure driving 53% YoY growth in product revenue.
• Developing globally adopted sales methodologies and training programs

Some of my key takeaways from our conversation were: 
 
💡 The what, why and how of Forecasting - and its importance for identifying sales opportunities that might otherwise have been missed.
 
💡 How to use Solutions Consultants effectively as your 'ARR weapons' by linking their technical expertise to business outcomes effectively. 

💡 How to structure your SC team as the business grows to ensure optimal ratios - and how to onboard and train these team members efficiently and effectively. 

 
Let’s Dive in! 
 
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Connect with Laura here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraannegarvey/

Connect with Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasheadhunter/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/

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4:20                 Transforming Solutions Teams into Revenue Engines

8:26                The Importance of Forecasting

21:42                Linking Technical Expertise to Business Outcomes 

33:51              Organizational Change and Growth

Welcome to the Scale with Strive podcast, the place where you come to listen to some of the world’s most influential leaders of the SaaS industry. 🚀 

 I am your host, Adam Richardson and on today’s episode, I am excited to welcome Pablo Dominguez, Operating Partner at Insight Partners, a leading VC firm in the B2B Software Space! 

Pablo has over 25 years' experience in the SaaS industry and today I tapped into his incredible knowledge of the industry, focusing in on achieving more by doing less through operational efficiency.  

Some of my key takeaways from our conversation were: 
 

💡 Ensuring goals are aligned from the overall company strategy and the importance of cascading objectives throughout the organization. 
 

💡 Achieving more by doing less, by not allowing distractions to take you away from your core focus. 

 
💡 The different stages of growth throughout the lifetime of the software business - and knowing when the right time is to launch new products, expand into new territories or when it's time to pivot. 

If you're a founder in the B2B software space, looking to scale your business, this is certainly worth a listen! 
 

 Let’s Dive in! 
 
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Watch the episode on YouTube 🎥 – https://youtu.be/OyckYHKDXfE

Connect with Pablo here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pabtexas/

Connect with Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/saasheadhunter/

Learn more about Strive here - https://scalewithstrive.com/solutions/  

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11:02                  Focus and Alignment in Business Strategy 

25:09                 Vendor Growth and Maturity Stages 

31:19                 Aligning Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales 

37:18                 Product-Led Growth and Sales Strategies 

51:14                 Strategic Decision Making and Growth Planning