Revenue Mind

Needle in the Haystack | Bolaji Oyejide, Head of Community at dbt Labs

Having survived a unicorn‑math pipeline target, Bolaji Oyejide preaches bottom‑up forecasting for sanity. He explains how 4× pipeline demands erode confidence, the red flags hidden in CPL trends, and diplomatic scripts to push back on delusional boards.
Key Takeaways• Bottom‑up forecasts anchor credibility and calm.• T2D3 hype often morphs into tyrannical OKRs.• Watch CPL‑to‑CPBD trends—the canary in the coal mine.• Data‑backed dissent keeps your badge and your brain.• Small, early wins rebuild team confidence after carnage.
Timestamps00:02 – Intro: fairy‑tale pipeline scars05:48 – Top‑down vs. bottom‑up models11:40 – T2D3’s dark side explained15:30 – Cost metrics as smoke alarms21:03 – Scripts for polite dissent26:21 – Quarterly re‑forecast cadence30:45 – Storytelling to reset morale35:57 – Confidence‑building quick wins40:55 – Pipeline stress antidotes47:14 – Closing wisdom drop
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Find Your Zen | Alex Boyd, Co-Founder of Aware

A botched coffee run taught Alex Boyd that ownership is a binary concept: you do it or you don’t. He unpacks variable-pay psychology, lifestyle creep traps, and how lowering his salary actually increased his freedom.
Key Takeaways• Variable pay builds grit when lifestyle stays flat.• Define “enough” cash before the slot‑machine brain takes over.• Post‑deal debriefs sharpen future pitches in minutes.• Voice‑note journaling empties mental cache on the go.• Freedom > fanciest title; optimize for optionality.
Timestamps00:00 – Intro: the coffee‑run lesson05:15 – Binary ownership mindset11:46 – Variable‑comp psychology deep dive15:29 – Lifestyle‑creep red flags21:19 – Defining “enough” numbers27:27 – Voice‑note debrief workflow32:53 – Founder vs. employee identity38:12 – Money as optionality42:45 – Burnout‑prevention rituals49:08 – Wrap: grit with grace
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Write Your Obituary | Mason Cosby, Founder of Scrappy ABM

From ministry dreams to founding his own ABM agency, Mason Cosby proves revenue is just a resource for bigger missions. He and Jolie discuss purpose‑driven positioning, refugee‑English side projects, and why planned slack hours keep agency life human.
Key Takeaways• Money is a tool; mission is the point.• Values‑client fit prevents quiet‑quitting consultants.• Three non‑negotiable duties bring role clarity fast.• Planned slack absorbs inevitable client fire drills.• Frameworks serve nonprofits as well as enterprises.
Timestamps00:00 – Intro: ministry kid to marketer04:20 – Finding meaning beyond MQLs10:13 – Values → positioning playbook14:52 – Refugee‑English project story20:47 – ABM frameworks with purpose24:30 – Slack‑hour math explained28:58 – Hiring for integrity, training skills35:02 – Family / funnel balance40:18 – Revenue as resource recap44:42 – Farewell & call‑to‑action
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Find Fulfillment | Vladimir Blagojević, Co-Founder of Fullfunnel.io

After relocating three times, buying a house, and spiraling into level‑10 pain, Vlad Blagojevic rebuilt his life around radical responsibility. Beach walks became business planning, brutal self‑audits replaced blame, and empathy emerged as his most reliable growth hack.
Key Takeaways• Own every decision—even the bad ones—to find real levers.• Four‑hour beach walks beat four more hours in Slack.• Writing therapy turns pain into playbooks.• Nature focus crowds out doom‑scroll rumination.• Honest self‑audits precede any comeback.
Timestamps00:00 – Intro: whirlwind year setup05:59 – Pain wall & mindset audit11:40 – Beach‑walk strategy sessions18:44 – Responsibility vs. blame shift23:30 – Family decisions & ripple effects30:28 – Work redesign from the ground up35:53 – Conflict‑lens empathy drills42:02 – Nature‑powered focus hacks48:21 – Scaling self‑audits company‑wide54:08 – Key mantra wrap‑up
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You're Not Alone | Anthony Kennada, Founder & CEO of AudiencePlus

From hospital hallways to boardrooms, Anthony Kennada learned that the cure for anxiety is surrender, not spreadsheet mastery. He and Jolie trade stories about atrial fibrillation scares, 32-hour trauma-informed workweeks, and why authentic founder storytelling forges the deepest customer bonds.
Key Takeaways• Control is an illusion—surrender frees energy for real problems.• Faith or purpose anchors recovery when tactics fail.• Planned 32‑hour weeks beat hero hours after loss.• Raw storytelling deepens customer loyalty faster than features.• Normalize “I’m not OK—cover me” in leadership circles.
Timestamps00:01 – Intro: health shock & perspective05:33 – A‑fib, hospitals & anxiety math08:51 – Child medical crisis & surrender15:19 – Stillbirth, grief, and work identity19:16 – Faith and focus filters24:22 – Designing trauma‑informed schedules28:15 – Vulnerability as marketing moat33:04 – Practicing compassion at scale39:40 – Community as recovery partner43:49 – Gratitude & sign‑off
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Mental Health in the Revenue Race | Chris Walker, CEO of ENCODED

From capping a quota‑crushing career to dismantling “growth‑at‑all‑costs” myths, Chris Walker shows that most burnout starts on the cap table, not in the cubicle. He and Jolie rip through VC term-sheet traps, why 40% rep attainment is a strategy failure (not a sales failure), and how EBITDA-first planning turns frantic startups into sustainable businesses.
Key Takeaways• Cap‑table math = mental‑health math—raise sanely or suffer later.• EBITDA goals force healthier, slower, but longer‑lasting growth.• Less than 40 % quota attainment screams bad planning, not bad people.• Morning meeting bans protect the only deep‑work hours a C‑suite gets.• Pick investors who value tenure over vanity ARR.
Timestamps00:01 – Opening & origin story05:06 – Hyper‑growth scars & cap‑table reality10:15 – Quota failure as planning failure15:30 – 40 % attainment unpacked20:55 – Burn multiples vs. burnout26:53 – EBITDA > vanity metrics31:14 – Designing humane comp plans35:45 – Deep‑work rituals for execs41:37 – Choosing sanity‑first investors46:42 – Closing reflections
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