In this episode, we’re joined by Adam Dorrell, CEO & Co-Founder of CustomerGaige, for a candid conversation about one of the hardest founder transitions: when, and how, to step out of the sales seat without losing the magic that makes founder-led selling so effective.
Adam shares the real story behind building CustomerGaige over 16 years, growing it into a recognized international player with a lean global team.
We dig into:
- Why founders often try to hire a sales leader too early, and what confidence has to do with it
- The painful lessons of cycling through sales leaders who took over the process too aggressively, and what it cost
- The unsexy truth: you can’t scale sales before you’ve truly nailed ICP + story + value prop
- How Adam and his co-founder ultimately found the right model:
- Where a Co-founder adds the most value to the salesprocess at this phase of the business
If you’re a founder trying to scale sales, or a sales leader working with founders, this is a practical and honest take on where founders should stay involved, and where they absolutely shouldn’t.
