The Goats of Growth

Hosted by Jay Webb

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200

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Aug 2026

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About the show

'The Goats Of Growth' features exclusive interviews with GTM Leaders and Founders at tech companies to learn how they’ve been adopting AI and the effect, positively or negatively, it’s having on go-to-market operations.

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60 recent

September 7, 202641 min

Bigger and Better Than LinkedIn — Ben Keighran on the Relationship Intelligence Layer

Ben Keighran got frustrated that Claude couldn't search LinkedIn. So he built a dataset larger than LinkedIn's and pointed AI at it. It's over a billion people, 10 billion records, 75 million updates a day. Not scraped — crawled from public profiles, sourced through 50 data partnerships, enriched with inference tokens. Available inside Claude and your own agents for eight dollars. Ben is a four-time founder whose products have reached over a billion people. He started coding at 13 in Australia, moved to Silicon Valley in 2006, built Chomp — the app search engine Apple acquired and turned into App Store search — then Caffeine, a live streaming platform that grew to 61 million users. Super Carl is his fourth. But the database isn't the moat, and he says so. He expects everyone to have one eventually. The thing he thinks is durable is the relationship intelligence layer on top: you upload your own contact exports, Super Carl works out who you actually know among the matches, and the AI tells you who to ask for the intro. Not scraped, not read — metadata only, and you can export or delete it whenever. Jay uses it to run his own recruiting agent. Searches that used to take weeks now finish in twenty minutes, which is why he spends part of this episode complaining that eighteen minutes feels slow. WHAT WE COVER - How Ben picks problems: watch a medium shift, then ask who won the last one and why they probably won't win this one - Why Chomp existed — apps had no metadata, so you had to type "Facebook" to find Facebook - The Instagram App Store chart hack, and what it teaches about distribution timing - Build the product first, then build the business — and how you know you've crossed over - The three things blocking AI from your network: walled gardens, disconnected graphs, and cold outreach getting worse - Why the billion-record dataset is a diminishing advantage - What "your data stays yours" actually means in practice - Rapid Fire 5: play-based learning, Steve Jobs, and the skateboard injuries CHAPTERS 00:00 The show is looking for a sponsor 00:27 Chomp, Caffeine, and a billion people 02:36 How Ben decides what to build 06:06 You had to type "Facebook" to find Facebook 06:50 Finding the first users 09:46 The Instagram App Store chart hack 11:07 Why Claude couldn't search LinkedIn 16:39 Walled gardens, broken graphs, dead cold outreach 18:04 Building a data set bigger than LinkedIn's 20:41 The relationship intelligence layer 22:35 Why the database is a diminishing advantage 26:46 Product fit first, then build the business 31:02 Rapid Fire 5 36:01 Bonus question: what's your biggest learn? 39:10 Where the name Super Carl came from Find Ben at supercarl.ai — free account in ten seconds, or book a meeting with him directly from the homepage. This episode is unsponsored. If you want to reach GTM leaders and founders who ignore your emails, reach out: jay@thegoatsofgrowth.ai Subscribe wherever you listen, and tell someone who'd like it.

August 31, 202642 min

800 Calls Told Him What Was Broken — Cris Mendes on Why Bad Data Kills AI Agents

"No data, no agent. Bad data, bad agent. Good data, good agent." Cris Mendes thinks data readiness is the number one reason the agentic enterprise fails, and he has the receipts — he ran the experiment on his own team before he sold it to anyone else. He's VP of Revenue at Momentum.io , acquired by Salesforce in large part because of the go-to-market motion he built there. Before that: Drift, Airtable, and LogMeIn. Before all of it, U.S. Navy search and rescue swimmer. I've known him almost twenty years and introduced him to LogMeIn myself, so take the enthusiasm here with whatever salt you need. His argument is that everyone is buying agents on top of a data layer that was never built. The average customer conversation moves about eight thousand words; maybe eight of them make it into the CRM. Companies don't have a first-party data layer, they have a human-input data layer — and that's what every agentic project quietly runs aground on. The story worth the listen: Momentum had a brutal drop-off after the first call. Rather than sampling a few calls and guessing at messaging or ICP, Cris pushed 800 first calls through deep research and got one answer back — the reps weren't prescribing a next step. So he had Momentum listen to the last ten minutes of every call and fire a clip into Slack whenever an AE either didn't prescribe or tried and missed. With humor, so it didn't read as surveillance. Prescription went through the roof. As he puts it: a team respects what you inspect, but you can't inspect everything — unless the inspecting is automated. WHAT WE COVER - Selling shovels in a gold rush, and why structured data was the bet - Why "not everything called an agent is an agent" — deciding vs. automating - The last ten minutes of a sales call as sacred ground, and how to enforce that at scale - Bringing AI into QBRs: "it got so real so fast" — no more recency bias and self-preservation dressed up as a forecast - 10x growth six quarters running, zero attrition, 95% of the team over quota — and why he credits hiring over product - Whether AI cuts headcount: expands capacity, thins middle management, and the ~10% of companies that are actually AI-forward are hiring hardest - Auto-advancing pipeline stages on deal milestones instead of trusting a rep's guess — "otherwise you're just buying something like Clari to miss your forecast very expensively" - His IDEC hiring model, and why he'd trade relevant experience for intrinsics every time CONNECT WITH CRIS LinkedIn: Cris Mendes — Cris with no H, Mendes with an S Momentum.io --- The GOATS of Growth has two Founding Sponsor slots open — category exclusive, $1,250/mo, in front of GTM leaders and founders who don't answer their phones. Includes personal introductions where guests opt in. jay@thegoatsofgrowth.ai Subscribe, rate, and review — and send this to whoever on your team is being asked to "roll out agents" this quarter. CHAPTERS 00:00 Twenty years, and a Navy rescue swimmer 03:39 Selling shovels in a gold rush 04:13 "No data, no agent" 05:33 Is it deciding, or just automation? 07:07 Running Momentum on Momentum 08:33 800 first calls, one missing skill 10:27 You respect what you inspect 14:46 Does AI actually cut headcount? 20:41 Killing hype in the QBR 22:05 Zero attrition, 95% over quota 25:57 8,000 words spoken, 8 reach the CRM 31:43 Auto-advancing deal stages on milestones 35:44 Orchestrate, or get orchestrated out 38:39 IDEC: how Cris hires 40:53 How to reach Cris

March 11, 2024Episode 17356 min

Sales at Scale: How To Do It, with Vince Beese

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I spoke with Vince Beese, Founder of Sales@Scale and Sales HQ. You'll hear his insights into how he consistenly scaled revenues for many companies, including an IPO and 3 other successful exits. But before sharing his strategic approach to growth, he added the caveat that nothing else will matter if you don't have product, market, fit. Once you have that,the real work begins and there is no silver bullet. Find out how he finds sales at scale. A must listen to anyone. Vinces Linkedin Profile Understanding Product-Market Fit (00:02:25) Achieving extreme growth relies on product-market fit. Vince discusses the importance of product-market fit in achieving substantial revenue growth. Differentiating in a Crowded Space (00:09:53) Vince explains the significance of understanding and communicating the unique value proposition and differentiation in a crowded market. Generating Top Pipeline (00:13:45) The discussion shifts to strategies for generating top pipeline, including channels, outbound communication, and the handoff process from leads to opportunities. Testing and Data Reliability (00:15:15) Vince highlights the importance of testing and data reliability in outbound communication, sharing insights on when to consider data reliable. Benchmarking Response Rates (00:19:45) The conversation touches on benchmarking response rates for outbound communication, providing insights for less experienced individuals. Importance of Personalization in Enterprise Sales (00:21:26) Exploring the significance of personalization in enterprise sales and strategies for achieving it at scale. Scalability and Human Element in Sales (00:23:16) Discussing the balance between scalability and the human touch in sales, including recruiting, coaching, and development. Leveraging Networks and Referrals (00:26:03) Highlighting the value of networking, referrals, and personal connections in sales and business growth. Overcoming Bottlenecks in Revenue Growth (00:33:43) Addressing common bottlenecks in revenue growth and challenges in advancing from one revenue milestone to the next. Sales HQ and Co-Selling Community (00:38:53) Introduction to Sales HQ, a co-selling community, and its vision for providing a collaborative environment for sales professionals. Creating a Hybrid and Remote Sales Environment (00:39:56) Vince explains the concept of recreating a collaborative and motivating environment for remote and hybrid sales teams. Community and Collaboration at Sales HQ (00:40:45) Vince emphasizes the importance of community, collaboration, and learning from each other in the sales environment. Benefits of Hybrid Model and Expansion Plans (00:44:26) Vince discusses the performance benefits of the hybrid model and his vision for expanding Sales HQ to other cities. Personal Interests and Networking (00:49:10) Vince shares his love for sports, particularly being a season ticket holder, and his passion for staying active. Building a Great Sales Culture (00:50:02) Vince highlights the importance of transparency, open communication, and trust in building a great sales culture. Bonus Question: An Interesting Fact about Oneself (00:51:21) Vince shares his go-to interview question and discusses the challenge of finding something genuinely interesting about oneself.

December 26, 2023Episode 16532 min

Executive Benefits--What To Offer And What You Should Negotiate, with Evan Macedo

Welcome to another episode of "The Goats of Growth"! Today, I sit down with Evan Macedo, the Treasurer & VP of Operations/Finance at Sapers and Wallack, a financial services business. We're diving into the world of executive benefits packages and why they matter for venture and private equity portfolio companies In our chat, Evan breaks down why these packages are a big deal for attracting and keeping the best talent. He shares practical tips on designing these benefits, making sure they match what employees really want and need. Plus, if you're a new executive, Evan has some straightforward advice on how to negotiate your own package. Evan Macedos Linkedin Profile https://sapers-wallack.com/ The importance of executive benefits packages (00:02:03) Discussing why having the right executive benefits package is critical for attracting and retaining talent. Case study: Offering a competitive executive benefits package (00:03:59) Exploring how a tech company under $100 million in revenue can offer a benefits package to incentivize a new Chief Revenue Officer and retain them. Common mistakes in executive benefits packages (00:09:34) Highlighting the lack of communication and understanding of benefits as a common issue in companies. The importance of communication and meaningful benefits (00:10:18) We discuss the importance of effective communication and offering benefits that hold personal value to employees. The "Keep Plan" to incentivize employee retention (00:11:22) Evan introduces the "Keep Plan," which offers financial incentives for employees with children going to college, encouraging them to stay with the company. The Sharpe Concept for maximizing retirement savings (00:12:38) Evan explains the Sharpe Concept, a supplemental alternative retirement program that allows individuals to maximize their retirement savings beyond traditional 401(k) plans. Unreasonable Expectations (00:21:41) Discussion on the importance of doing homework on a company and avoiding unreasonable expectations from an incoming employee. Long-Term Investment (00:22:12) Importance of finding the right fit between company goals and employee goals to avoid making a bad hire and the benefits of upfront due diligence. Motivation to Help People (00:23:33) Evan's motivation to wake up every day and help people by solving their retirement worries and providing peace of mind. Evan Macedo's contact information (00:31:46) Evan shares his contact information and encourages listeners to visit the company's website to learn more about their services. Show notes with Evan Macedo's details (00:32:15) Jay mentions that they will include the details of Evan Macedo's contact information in the show notes for easy reference.

August 31, 2020Episode 331 hr 1 min

How To Lead With People, Pragmatism, and Persistence

In this episode you'll hear my discussion with Eric Sherman, Northeast RVP of Sales for Dynatrace, about the overall approach he takes to leading, coaching, and managing to drive results. Throughout our conversation he stressed the importance of having the right people, taking a pragmatic approach to assessing the business as a new leader, enabling his sales managers to run their businesses effectively, and creating a culture of communication and collaboration. Over Quota is sponsored by the j. David Group, a software sales recruiting firm. If you're looking to hire a sales leader or individual contributor, click here. to schedule a call. On the other hand, if you're an overachieving sales leader or sales rep, click here to discuss potential opportunities that would be a good fit for you

May 31, 2023Episode 13459 min

Building in Public with Jeremy Roberts

Click this link for a 7 Day Free Trial of Customer Conversations. In this "building in public" episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jeremy Roberts, Account Executive, at Mindtickle, a sales readiness platform. I invited Jeremy on after he offered to help me validate Customer Conversations, the new premium version of this podcast. I wanted to record our discussion and workshop a couple of ideas with him. By the end, I came away with 3 major takeways that I will incorporate into the overall offering. I hope you enjoy this kind of episode.

December 18, 2023Episode 16445 min

Tackling Substance Abuse, Mental Health, And Managing Career Stress and Adversity,with Cliff Mcdonald

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth", I had the plasure of talking with Cliff McDonald, co-managing partner of BrainHeart Growth and Chief Growth Officer of RehabPath. Cliff shares his personal journey with addiction and recovery, and how this led him to his role at RehabPath. We discuss the importance of managing career stress, aligning personal values with one's work, the significance of emotional intelligence in team dynamics, and the necessity of psychological safety in the workplace. Cliff dives into insights on evaluating a company's culture and the importance of authentic core values. Cliff Macdonalds Linkedin Profile The journey to Rehab Path (00:01:08) Cliff McDonald discusses his transition from BrainHeart Growth to becoming the Chief Growth Officer at RehabPath. Working in behavioral health (00:03:11) Cliff shares his personal experience with substance use disorder and his passion for working in the behavioral health industry. Discovering Rehab Path (00:07:04) Cliff explains how he came across Rehab Path and his initial involvement with the company before joining as a formal team member. The importance of having a guide in recovery (00:11:22) Cliff discusses how having a platform like RehabPath can match individuals with treatment providers. The pressure of being revenue responsible (00:12:25) Cliff reflects on the pressure of being revenue responsible and shares a story about Shaquille O'Neal's perspective on pressure in comparison to his own experience. The importance of finding meaning and mission in work (00:16:54) Cliff talks about the significance of finding meaning and purpose in one's career, and how being tied to the mission of an organization contributes to overall well-being and prevents burnout. The importance of engagement and relationships (00:21:53) Discussion on the significance of engagement and relationships in finding the next opportunity and experiencing positive emotions and achievement. The value of core values and team dynamics (00:24:56) Exploration of the importance of core values and team dynamics in creating a positive work environment and successful teams. Challenging toxic cultures in sports and business (00:30:16) Conversation about the need to challenge toxic cultures in sports and business, promoting psychological safety and creating a safe environment for individuals to perform their best. The culture of an organization (00:31:11) Discussion on how to evaluate the culture of an organization during the interview process and how to uncover if it is authentic or just lip service. Authentic core values (00:33:01) Importance of authentic core values in a company and how they are proven or disproven through stories shared by leaders. The spiritual life and past life exploration (00:41:44) Cliff discusses his experience of feeling free in nature and speculates about being an explorer in a past life. The story of the two wolves (00:42:27) Cliff shares an old Native American tale about the two wolves that exist within each person, one representing negative emotions and the other representing positive emotions. Reflections on fatherhood and future lives (00:43:24) Cliff and Jay discuss the idea of coming back in a future life, with Cliff expressing a desire to come back as a wolf and Jay jokingly suggesting he wants to come back as his own children.

October 23, 2023Episode 336 min

How Do You Manage Going From $0 to $1B in 3 Years, with Tony Medrano

In this exciting episode of the Goats of Growth I had the pleasure of interviewing Tony Medrano, an experienced go-to-market executive with a track record of success in health tech and AI SaaS. Tony focuses on the art of prioritization in the context of a high-growth environment and underscores the critical nature of honing in on high-revenue opportunities, a strategic move that can lead to your success. But what truly sets this episode apart is the personal touch Tony brings to the discussion. He opens up about his most significant failure, a story that holds important lessons for us all. In addition to his professional insights, ensuring this episode is one you won't want to miss. Tony's LinkedIn Profile Deals first [00:03:23] Tony discusses the importance of prioritizing deals and focusing on closing them, especially in hypergrowth scenarios. How to prioritize your deal time [00:04:25] Tony explains how to prioritize deal time by allocating a significant portion of time to pursuing high-revenue opportunities and dedicating a portion to strategic long-term initiatives. Q Health's growth during COVID [00:07:35] Tony provides context on Q Health, the company he worked for during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their premier molecular diagnostic point-of-care test for COVID-19. He highlights the company's growth and their initial customer, the NBA. The 60-30-10 Rule [00:10:34] Discussion on how to prioritize time for highest revenue, strategic thinking, and flexibility. Building a Small Team [00:13:50] Importance of starting with a small team and managing them properly in a hypergrowth situation. Making Your Bed [00:18:39] Emphasis on taking care of administrative tasks early in the day to be prepared for unexpected customer needs and urgent situations. The underdog story [00:22:10] Tony discusses how underdog stories motivate him in business and personal life. Completing another Ironman [00:23:03] Tony shares his goal of completing another Ironman triathlon competition and the benefits it brings to his life. Tools for learning [00:26:25] Tony provides tips for learning new information, including using chat bots, utilizing YouTube, and taking online courses. Travel [00:30:26] Tony talks about his experiences traveling and exploring different countries, including biking, running, and swimming in various locations. Biggest Failure[00:31:47] Tony shares the story of starting a company during his grad school days, raising funding, experiencing growth, and then facing a sudden market crash. Question for my next guest [00:34:01] Tony suggests a question for the next guest, asking what their 18-year-old self would think if they were suddenly placed in their current situation.

January 8, 2024Episode 16742 min

From C-Suite to Board Seat with Carol Meyers

In this episode of "The Goats of Growth," I had the pleasure of chatting with Carol Meyers, a seasoned go-to-market executive, about the ins and outs of serving on a company's board. We covered everything from snagging a board seat to the impact and responsibilities of board members, touching on the time commitment involved. Carol shared some fascinating experiences, including insights into crisis management and the dynamics of board interactions. We also dived into the path to board membership for different C-level executives and unraveled the distinctions between a board of directors and advisors. A must listen and let us know your key takeaways. Carol Meyers Linkedin Profile Getting the First Board Member Seat (00:02:00) Carol Meyers shares her experience of getting her first board member seat and the value of being a potential customer. Purpose of Asking Questions (00:04:36) Carol Meyers explains the reasons for asking questions during board meetings, including seeking clarification, provoking different viewpoints, and ensuring good governance. Measuring Value as a Board Member (00:07:22) Carol Meyers discusses how she gauges her impact as a board member and the indicators of adding value, such as team and CEO appreciation and the implementation of ideas. Time Commitment as a Board Member (00:09:58) Carol Meyers outlines the varied time commitments for board members, including meetings with company leaders, preparation for board meetings, and the flexibility required for unexpected events. Weekly Meetings with CEO (00:12:24) Carol Meyers describes her weekly meetings with a CEO, emphasizing the evolving nature of discussions and the role of collaboration and support for the CEO. Challenges Faced as a Board Member (00:13:42) Carol Meyers highlights potential challenges faced by board members, including crises, mergers, and leadership transitions, and the need for proactive and flexible responses. Dynamics Between Board Members (00:16:08) Carol Meyers discusses the dynamics between board members, particularly in venture-backed companies, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing shareholder interests over personal agendas. OpenAI and Sam Altman Board Situation (00:19:12) Jay asks Carol Meyers about the board situation with OpenAI and Sam Altman, seeking her opinion and explanation of what went wrong. The unique situation (00:19:30) Discussion about a unique situation where a nonprofit board transitioned into a for-profit business, causing misalignment and poor handling. Career path to the board (00:21:18) Advice for C-level executives on how to position themselves for a board seat, emphasizing personal responsibility, learning, and networking. Importance of P&L responsibility (00:23:20) The significance of profit and loss responsibility for board members, and its relevance in board discussions and decision-making. Transition to board roles (00:27:12) Advice for executives without a clear path to board seats, focusing on learning and broadening expertise to become valuable board members. Board of directors vs. advisors (00:29:41) Differentiating between the roles of board of directors and advisors, including responsibilities and compensation. Motivation and goals (00:33:14) Discussion on personal motivation and a big goal, with a focus on achievement and a light-hearted goal of improving at golf. Learning preferences and sleep habits (00:35:34) Carol's preferred way of learning and staying sharp, and her transition to getting eight hours of sleep per night. Leisure activities and favorite character (00:37:29) Carol's diverse leisure activities, including golf, boating, and traveling, and her admiration for Audrey Hepburn as a favorite character. Introduction to Inflection (00:40:09) Introduction and discussion about the app "Inflection" and its features. Using LinkedIn (00:42:10) The use of LinkedIn as the preferred platform for communication and networking.

December 12, 2022Episode 10558 min

The Correlation Between A Growth Mindset And Professional Growth, with Dustin Gransberry

My guest today is Dustin Gransberry, Vice President of Sales for Pico Mes, which is a factory operations platform built for small and medium size factories. In todays episode we discuss, - Onboarding and developing yourself and your team - Assesing the right candidates. - Micro habits that elevate your skillset in sales - The link between personal growth and sales success - Always remaning curious and finding new ways to do things. Another packed episode full of key points to elevate your game and sharpen your skillset.