Be your best salesperson

I have met plenty of founders who have tried to outsource sales and marketing on day one of their startup.

This typically results in massive disappointment and a lot of wasted money.

You don’t have the infrastructure yet in place to outsource these roles adequately. 

• You don’t know your customer well enough. 

• You don’t have enough data on the value of your product/service. 

• You lack the necessary insight to adequately equip talent to take and run with the ball.

So, on day one of your startup what do you do?

You leverage founder-led sales, roll up your sleeves, and become your best sales/marketing option.

So let’s dive into what that looks like. 

Nobody understands the value of your product or service better than you because you created it.

So have that confidence in yourself when you approach the effort of founder-led sales.

You are the expert in the room.

I know sales, especially if you haven’t done it before, can be intimidating.

The good news is that sales is a skill and not as big a deal as you think.

As long as you take the approach that your job is to help people, not convince or persuade them to do something they don’t want to.

It is 90% about having confidence in yourself and what you do.

In the early stages, your direct involvement in sales helps you refine your messaging, identify objections, and deeply understand what drives conversions.

You cannot underestimate the value of interacting face-to-face with your ideal customers. 

Start there and use their feedback to shape your offer.

One of the worst things you can do is try to scale too quickly by hiring a sales team or spending a ton on advertising. 

I’ve made that mistake, and it cost me thousands of dollars down the drain. 

Rather see your best marketing as generating 1:1 relationships with your ideal buyers.

Because the ad you create is only as effective as how well you know your target audience.

By leading the charge, you create momentum that teaches you so much about who your target audience is. 

Those insights are invaluable and will help you scale when you are most prepared.

Without burning a ton of capital unnecessarily.

I know, perhaps you didn’t become a founder to be a social media personality.

Perhaps you might feel unworthy because of where you are in your journey.

Or pressure to always project an image of success.

However, what if I told you that by building in public, and sharing your journey authentically?

You’ll find more people looking to help you than people who want to see you fail.

Your audience wants to hear from you. Even if they don’t know it is you yet.

Whether it’s LinkedIn posts, newsletters, or something else.

Sharing your story helps you build trust and credibility.

While providing people with access to you, making it easier for them to get in touch if need your help.

Share your experiences, challenges, and industry perspectives. They are valuable.

The more transparent and authentic you are, the more people will resonate with your message.

Content in this way serves as a means of attracting the right customers, partners, and even potential investors (if that is your goal).

A simple content strategy:

• Write about what you’re learning each week.

• Share customer success stories and feedback.

• Share challenges that you face and have overcome in your startup journey.

• Explain industry trends and how they could impact your ideal client.

Over time, this positions you as a thought leader and builds an organic growth engine for your business.

One that is sustainable and can support you as you build out your vision. 

Do you know the story of Shopify? The company is now valued at over $150B.

They leveraged key partnerships to help their operation get off the ground.

Between app developers, payment processors, and marketing platforms to create an ecosystem that made it easier for small businesses to sell online

Additionally, Shopify partnered with Facebook to enable direct e-commerce on social media, further expanding its reach. By leveraging these partnerships, Shopify scaled rapidly, turning into one of the leading e-commerce platforms in the world.

TeachOne also has embraced this approach.

We recently partnered with a third-party entity that gives us access to engineering talent globally.

This gives us the capacity to seek out higher-value projects that require more expertise.

In turn, removing my skillset as the biggest blocker to our success.

When you’re in the trenches, building something from scratch, strategic partnerships can help you gain credibility and scale faster.

As a founder, your network is one of your most valuable assets. By leveraging the concept we spoke about above, building in public can give you the awareness you need to find early advocates, partners, and customers. 

Look for complementary businesses, or leaders who align with your mission.

Never be afraid to approach someone with genuine curiosity and intention. You never know who might be out there willing to help. 

Founder-led growth is a competitive advantage when leveraged appropriately.

Your direct involvement in sales, content, partnerships, and system building sets the foundation for sustainable success long term.

That allows you to more accurately and intentionally recruit talent to help you along your journey.

If you’re in the early stages of your business, embrace this role. Lean into your ability to drive momentum, build relationships, and refine your positioning.

The sooner you master this, the faster you can scale with confidence.

What’s one founder-led initiative you can take action on today? Is it a new sales effort, a partnership search, or just posting some content on a social platform where your ideal customer lives?

Start there, start small, and stack up the wins as you stay consistent through the process.

That being said.

What are you waiting for?

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