Easter Break
Easter Bank Holiday weekend over. School half term break is ongoing. If the life of a working parent is one filled with guilt, it is worse for a parent trying to start a new business.…
Eid and Home
This year was my eighth Eid away from home. Eight years, and home is still where I travelled thousands of miles away from. At what point does a place become home? Around two decades ago,…
Weather, Climate and Smoking
Here in the UK, we are officially smack in the middle of autumn in our household. That time of the year when you switch on the heating depending on how cold your feet feel. It…
Priority Mapping Beats Perfect B2B Solutions
Last week, I explored how job priorities shape the B2B buyer’s mindset when it comes to purchasing decisions. The reality is that unless your product solves a problem that ranks reasonably high on your buyer’s…
Mapping B2B Sales with Buyer Job Priorities
There comes a stage early on in the B2B founder’s journey where they ask themselves: “Why aren’t people buying?”. This usually happens after they have exhausted their base of industry friends and contacts. The ones…
The Founder as the First Sales Rep
Sales is tough. And it is toughest for the first sales rep at any startup. Which in most cases, or at least those B2B startups which manage to get somewhere, happens to be the founder.…
The Blurry Lines Between Sales, Marketing, Customer Success & Product in Early-Stage Startups
The classic tension between Sales and Marketing teams makes each view the other as putting the cart before the horse that’s them. But if all you have is a hammer, which is all that a…
The Founder’s Sales Advantage: Five Evidence-Based Strategies for B2B Tech Success
Conventional wisdom suggests founders should step back from sales as quickly as possible. This approach misses a fundamental dynamic: the founder’s unique advantages in B2B sales environments. Academic research demonstrates that founder-led companies consistently outperform…
Eid and Lessons in Sales Leadership
Over the weekend, we observed Eid ul-Adha, honouring Prophet Ibrahim and the spirit of sacrifice he displayed in obeying Allah’s command. Religion isn’t considered the best place to derive business inspiration, especially in sales. Yet…