When to make your first sales hire?
There's a lot going on with a first sales hire - When? Who? What to hire them for? It's a question that Rob sees from a few angles, often taking the form of: "I can't sell my product but I think someo...
11 Sep 31min
No more PULL Hypotheses! (introducing the PULL Anecdote)
Sorry, folks. The PULL Hypothesis is out. Rob observed that founders and teams were holding too tightly onto the PULL Hypothesis and too tempted by abstractions, which prevented them from understandin...
4 Sep 29min
What CAUSES startups to take off? (Because / Despite / Irrelevant)
Why does a startup with a great product, a strong team, and glowing pilot feedback still fail to sell? But others with rudimentary products, ugly sales materials, and first-time teams take off? Rob gi...
28 Aug 33min
Cold Outbound (from Rob's a16z talk)
Everyone's favorite topic - outbound! Think about your LInkedIn or email inbox - what makes most cold outbound so bad? Rob breaks down what actually causes someone to take a meeting from a cold messa...
21 Aug 34min
Why your product makes it hard to see demand ("The Demand Lens")
Why is it so hard for founders to see real demand, even when it's all around? Rob breaks down "the demand lens," the practice of removing your product from the picture entirely so you can see where pe...
14 Aug 27min
The 'No-Speculation' Rule (for the overthinking founder)
Why do founders waste so much energy thinking about things they can't actually know? Rob breaks down his "no speculation rule," the topics he treats as off limits because they waste time without ever ...
7 Aug 28min
The Physics of Enterprise Sales
Does selling to a Fortune 100 company need a different playbook than selling to a small business? Rob's take: enterprise sales runs on the same physics as other deals - you're still looking for one p...
31 Jul 30min
The $1M ARR founder calendar
What should a founder's calendar actually look like? (and if someone looked at your calendar, would they believe finding product market fit or growing your business is your #1 priority?) Rob introdu...
24 Jul 25min
