In case you missed it, breakthrough discoveries about plant & environmental interactions have led to cutting-edge tools that tackle some of today’s biggest agriculture challenges.

Which means opportunity to scale a business.

Adam Litle is CEO of Sound Agriculture, the plant development company that helps producers grow more efficiently & enhance food taste, nutrition, and sustainability.

Prior, Adam was part of the founding management team at Granular, the leading farm management software platform startup that was acquired by Dupont for $300M.

Sound Agriculture uses the power of science to design reliable & effective tools that enable sustainability across the agriculture value chain.

Its first product Source helps plants access existing nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil to provide in-season nutrition. Source provides a more economical, sustainable and environmentally sound solution for crop productivity.

The company is backed by S2G Ventures, Cultivian Sandbox, Fall Line Capital, Cavallo Ventures, and Syngenta Ventures.

In this 20-minute conversation, Adam reveals how he’s growing the team that’s growing crops faster.

You may not know the name Russell Brunson.

But you know his brainchild, the company ClickFunnels.

Anyone who says you can’t build a $100M SaaS business in Boise Idaho - without funding from VC or PE firms - is wrong.

Now, don’t get me wrong. His phone rings daily from prospective investors. But Russell chose the bootstrap self-funding path.

He was right.

After graduating college as a wrestling champion, Russell invented a potato gun. But unable to sell it, he conceived an online sales funnel that would do the work for him.

ClickFunnels was born.

Now, it’s the leading way to build & run a sales funnel online. I’m a delighted customer.

I was even more delighted to finally have the chance to meet Russell. In this 20-minute conversation, he reveals how he’s scaled the team from 1 to 400 people.

And built one of the world’s fastest-growing SaaS companies.

You can’t master your business until you first master your mindset.

My first mentor taught me that.

And I was reminded of it again during my interview with Maria Konnikova. Her story blew me away. (No bluffing.)

Maria was born in Moscow & came to the United States when she was 4. She became a New York Times best-selling author, journalist, and professional poker player.

But her trip is a fascinating one.

She decided to take a journey into the world of high-stakes poker –and find out what role luck plays in our lives, and what it truly means to take control of our own destinies.

When Maria first entered the world of poker in 2017, it was tough to predict that, within a year, she would have won a major title, made multiple final tables, and amassed close to $300,000 live tournament winnings.

In her third New York Times bestselling book The Biggest Bluff, she explains how she convinced a world champion player to teach her the game, and what she learned about herself and luck and decision-making.

If you lead people, you should follow Maria’s lead.

She’s all in.

You’ve probably seen Sarah Frier, since she’s been an award-winning tech reporter with Bloomberg News for 9 years.

But have you read her thrilling new book “No Filter” ?

It’s the inside story of how Instagram became the most culturally defining app of the decade.

And how this 13-person company sold to Facebook for a Billion dollars.

Sarah had unprecedented access… from the founders of Instagram, as well as employees, executives, and competitors; Anna Wintour of Vogue; Kris Jenner of the Kardashian-Jenner empire; and a ton of Instagram influencers worldwide.

In 2010, Kevin Systrom & Mike Krieger released a photo-sharing app called Instagram, with 1 simple but irresistible feature: it would make anything you captured look more beautiful.

After the acquisition by Facebook, Kevin & Mike stayed on, trying to maintain Instagram’s beauty, brand, and cachet. They considered their app a separate company within the social networking giant.

They urged their employees to make changes only when necessary, resisting Facebook’s grow-at-all-costs philosophy in favor of a strategy that highlighted creativity & celebrity.

But… Just as Instagram was about to reach a billion users, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg —once supportive of the founders’ autonomy— began to feel threatened by Instagram’s success.

And that’s where the story really gets interesting.

It’s ALL about the culture of your company. Sarah shares the story behind Instagram’s & Facebook’s cultures.

This episode is guaranteed to help you sleep more soundly.

Because ettitude (with offices in LA & Melbourne) is selling so much of its bamboo-based bedding, it’s landed on the Inc5000 list of fastest-growing companies.

Bamboo? Isn’t that hard?

Yes, but turns out it makes incredibly soft sheets, bedding, and jammies.

So Co-Founders Kat Day & Phoebe Yu have scaled a team of 15 to make it soft on the skin, yet gentle on the planet.

Bamboo doesn’t need much water to grow, or chemicals. It’s a closed loop production system, using recycled water & solution to extract the fiber.

Kat & Phoebe recently raised a round of venture capital from Drumbeat Ventures and TA Ventures.

And in this 20-minute episode, they’ll reveal how they’re scaling the team that’ll help you sleep like a baby.

If ever there was a role that’s a nightmare to hire, it’s the Rockstar salesperson.

Most companies try. But fail.

And for good reason.

Salespeople are good talkers. So the typical interview can be highly-misleading. Not to mention, most sales managers haven’t agreed-upon what makes a great sales rep.

Plus, there are 14 million full-time US salespeople, and most have never been formally trained.

So when Bruce - tall, dark, handsome - walks into the room, it’s no wonder the sales manager hires him. He’s straight out of central casting.

Brian Bar knows better. And he created Victory Lap to help you avoid this whole mess.

Based in Chicago, Victory Lap is the 4-year-old Sales Bootcamp. They find, train, and match great sales reps with deserving companies.

He’s well-suited to do it, having been a top sales leader and Head of Sales Onboarding at Groupon for 4 years. He systemized how to select, interview, assess, and onboard the best.

Now, Victory Lap helps other 150 growth companies do the same. And over 600 sales reps have graduated from its Bootcamp.

In this 20-minute conversation, Brian shares how to avoid the biggest mistakes when building your sales organization. And when you do finally find a great sales rep, how you can close the deal every time.

At Amazon, “Day One” is code for inventing like a startup, with little regard for legacy.

Day Two is, in Jeff Bezos’s own words, “stasis, followed by irrelevance, followed by an excruciating, painful decline, followed by death.”

Sadly, most companies today are set up for Day Two.

They build advantages & then defend them fiercely, rather than invent the future. But Amazon and fellow tech titans Facebook, Google, and Microsoft operate in Day One: they prioritize reinvention over tradition and collaboration over ownership.

To dig in, I just interviewed Alex Kantrowitz, author of the fascinating new book “Always Day One: How the Tech Titans Plan to Stay on Top Forever.”

After years as a reporter for Advertising Age, Forbes, and Buzzfeed, Alex stepped out on his own to launch Big Technology where he covers the Big Tech companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.

Through 130 interviews with insiders (from Mark Zuckerberg to hourly workers) Always Day One reveals the tech giants’ blueprint for sustainable success in a business world where no advantage is safe.

Even if you’re not in tech (aren’t we all?), you’ll find this 20-minute conversation fascinating.

Last year, the SaaS company Curemint was just 1 person in Los Angeles. Now, it’s 15 people in Durham North Carolina.

Brandon McCarty is CEO & Co-Founder.

Curemint is the procurement solution for dental practices. Its intuitive ordering experience is optimized specifically for that sector. And the software increases spend visibility, automates workflows, and realizes increased operational efficiency.

Its venture investors include Jumpstart Foundry and Cofounders Capital

In this 20-minute conversation, Brandon shares how he’s scaled the team that’s drilling into the dental market.

Clearly, there’s a movement afoot.

The more companies announce they’re going virtual/remote, the more it doesn’t matter where you live.

So, companies can now hire the best talent in the world, not just in town.

Everything is turned upside-down. I wanted to find an expert to help us make sense of it all.

Patrick O’Brien is Chairman & Co-Founder of Patina Solutions, based in Milwaukee & serving clients nationally.
It’s the leading professional services firm that provides executive experience on-demand, and has appeared 5 times on the Inc5000 list of fastest-growing companies in US.

Prior, Patrick served as CEO of Paris Presents, a leading provider of cosmetic accessories. And spent 29 years working within the SC Johnson family of companies - most recently as President.

In this 20-minute conversation, Patrick shares what he sees the smartest executives & sharpest companies doing to adapt to the new landscape of careers.

There’s a whole new way to increase your customers’ loyalty, and it’s called product protection.

You know what this is. When you check out at Apple, they offer you AppleCare. When you buy something at Best Buy, same thing.

Well, now you too can add this to your website, increase revenues, and more importantly better serve your customers.

The company is Clyde (love the name!) and I tracked down the Founder & CEO Brandon Gell because he’s onto something big.

He started Clyde 3 years ago. Then raised $17M from top-tier VC’s like Spark Capital, Correlation Ventures, Starting Line, Red Sea Ventures, Knightsgate Ventures, RRE Ventures, and Techstars.

In this episode, Brandon reveals how he’s scaled a sharp team of 30 to turn an industry upside-down.

Geoff McFarlane is turning the $72B wine industry upside-down.

He’s CEO of Winc Wines, which he co-founded 8 years ago. Now, annual revenues exceed $40M

Geoff spent years in the hospitality industry, where he learned how to create experiences for people. Now, he’s brought that skill to the wine business to fundamentally change it.

Winc builds direct relationships with vineyards, farmers, and winemakers to make exceptional wines. Distributing directly means you get them at a great value.

In short, Winc tests wine concepts with consumers & then produces the ones they love. Instead of “pushing” what they can make (like most wineries,) they “pull” consumers in based on preference.

Winc has created a customized experience for its members & brings ease and exploration to buying & enjoying wine. Based on consumer insights, they’ve developed iconic brands like Summer Water and Folly of the Beast.

Now, Winc’s sought-after brands are available in Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and restaurants.

Backed by Bessemer Venture Partners & Amplify.LA, Winc has landed on the Inc5000 list of fastest-growing companies.

In this 20-minute conversation, Geoff reveals how he’s scaled the 100-person team. And some of the mistakes he’s made along the way.

Founded in 2013, Raise changed the way the gift card marketplace worked, with a goal to help others give themselves a raise.

Based in Chicago, Raise has partnerships with over 500 national retailers including CVS, Chipotle, Subway, Macy’s, Domino’s, and Best Buy.

Now, Raise is the easiest way for its 2.5 million members to buy discounted gift cards & get cash back for everyday purchases while helping retailers drive traffic in-store.

CEO Jay Klauminzer joined the company in 2018 to add even more retailer partnerships & help customers give themselves a raise.

After a decade as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company, Jay held a number of roles with e-commerce leaders Groupon & DoorDash.

HIs top-notch VC backers include Accel, NEA, and Bessemer Venture Partners.

In this 20-minute conversation, Jay shares how he’s upgraded the team, how to assess candidates for culture fit, and in-depth how he interviews a finalist.

You’ve likely met some Venture Capitalists.

But you haven’t met the Anti-VC. He’s Sammy Abdullah, who heads Dallas-based Blossom Street Ventures.

He considers himself the ‘Anti-VC’ because he moves fast on investment decisions (often in 3 weeks), is a straight shooter, and tells you Yes or No without leaving you hanging on an investment decision.

He’s already invested 22 portfolio companies - typically in Series A or B. Average check size is a cool million, and he usually leads the round.

Sammy’s investment portfolio includes: SpotHero, DivvyHQ, Take The Interview, Three Day Rule, Lovepop, and AppBuddy.

And in this 20-minute conversation, he reveals the 3 big things that CEO’s should spend their time on. (And what they shouldn’t.)

Hiten Shah has built a reputation as one of the nicest guys in tech.

But don’t be mistaken.

He’s competitive, successful, and insightful. You may not know Hiten, but you’ve likely used his SaaS products.

Hiten & his Co-Founder Neil Patel created Crazy Egg in 2005. The product creates a heatmap to show where people are clicking so you can get more insights about your website & improve it.

He’s also Co-Founder of the popular KISSmetrics and Quick Sprout.

And if that wasn’t enough, he’s also investor and advisor in 120 companies.

Now, Hiten is Co-Founder & CEO of FYI. Based in San Francisco, this new SaaS product helps you keep track of your countless documents.

In this 20-minute conversation, he reveals what he’s learned about the people part of growth-stage companies.

In just 3 years, Mike Schneider co-founded, funded, and sold First to the mega-real estate player ReMax.

In this 20 minute conversation, he reveals how.

Plus, how he scaled the team & perfected a unique culture along the way.

First is a tech company that leverages data science, machine learning, and human interaction to help real estate professionals better leverage the value of their network.

Its software is currently used by top real estate brokers at 200 companies nationally.

After raising $5M from leading VC's MATH Venture Partners and Nine Four Ventures, he had the rare opportunity to partner with ReMax, the household brand in real estate, to scale the business even faster.

Here's how he did it.

Ralph Dangelmaier has seen this movie before.

He’s CEO of fast-growing BlueSnap, the Inc5000 ranked company based in Waltham MA.

And he’s done it before.

So he’s successfully scaling this leading payments platform company. With access to 100 different payment types, BlueSnap lets merchants increase their sales online & thru marketplaces.

The product integrates fraud, chargeback, and reporting. And its deep tech stack delivers what matters most: higher payment authorization rates.

Not surprisingly, Ralph has attracted leading Private Equity investors: Great Hill Partners and Parthenon.

With approximately 200 people, Ralph is scaling the organization to keep up with the growth. In this 20-minute conversation, he reveals how.

It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to find & land top talent for a Venture Capital fund than Amanda Mulay.

She leads Talent Management for Lerer Hippeau, the New York-focused early stage fund. It’s invested in 250 companies such as Allbirds, Casper, Mirror, Warby Parker, and Axios.

After recruiting at 2 Silicon Valley rocketships Zynga & Twilio, she brought her talents to Venture Capital. Starting with First Round Capital and Andreesen Horowitz.

Now, she’s with Lerer Hippeau where she lead’s people & talent efforts for its fast-growing portfolio.

In this 20-minute conversation, she reveals the impact that top-performers can make in a startup. And how you can attract them to yours.

Just last week, Zach Coelius successfully announced his first Venture Capital fund, Coelius Capital with $45 million in new assets.

Based in San Francisco, Zach has been an angel investor for years, backing hot startups such as Cruise Automation (which was acquired by General Motors for $1 billion, Branch Metrics, and HelloSign. Plus two dozen other companies.

Earlier, Zach was Co-Founder of advertising technology startup Triggit.

Now, he invests across sectors such as SaaS and Consumer Technology.

In this 20-minute conversation, Zach shares how small companies can scale fast by putting a Rockstar in every seat.

If you’re not outsourcing your company’s IT, you soon may be.

Ryan Denehy, CEO & Founder of Electric AI, is on a mission to make that possible.

He’s successfully scaled 3 technology businesses. After starting & selling one to Gannett, he did it again & sold Swarm to Groupon.

He’s now leading NY-based Electric, which created the world’s first automated IT platform. It’s backed by top investors like GGV Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bowery Capital, and Primary Venture Partners.

Electric ensures that the Wifi works, computers are setup on time for new hires, security is rock solid, and the right apps are in place for the right employees.

All thru one dashboard.

In just 3 years, Ryan has scaled the company to approx 200 full-time employees. And in this 20-minute conversation, he reveals how.

Half of us have a cat and/or dog (including my Winnie, an adorable Morkiepoo.)

And even if you’re not a pet parent, you know that we spend a fortune on our besties. That spells opportunity for Private Equity investors.

So I wanted to speak with an expert on our four-legged friends.

I tracked down Steve Bell, CEO of Zesty Paws. Based in Orlando & backed by PE firm Maxim Partners, Zesty Paws markets premium-quality supplements to keep our besties feeling zesty.

And business is booming.

Steve was uniquely-qualified, having been CEO of “I and love and you” pet care. Prior, he nailed the fundamentals at Nestle, General Mills, and Informatica.

In this 20-minute conversation, he reveals how he’s scaling Zesty Paws & building a Rockstar team.

You may not be familiar with the venture capital firm M13.

But you sure know their success stories… M13’s portfolio includes Pinterest, SpaceX, Lyft, and FanDuel.

In fact, M13 has invested in 80 startups and already had 16 exits.

Currently investing from its second fund of $175 million, M13’s secret isn’t just the $4M to $7M checks it writes.

It’s in the expertise it lends to portfolio companies… And that includes Talent.

Matt Hoffman is Partner & Head of Talent at M13. He works across the fund’s portfolio companies to ensure that they find, land, and keep the best-possible talent.

And he knows how.

Because prior, he served as VP People of DigitalOcean and Sr Director People of Return Path. Two super success stories.

I just had a chance to spend 20 minutes with him. We covered a ton of things, and he really opened the kimono on hiring in Venture Capital companies.

When it comes to talent at Venture Capital firms, they don’t come more seasoned than Tylee Holden.

She leads the people part of the business at BOND.

Spun out from Kleiner Perkins (where she was Talent Partner,) San Francisco-based BOND invests in Consumer & Enterprise growth companies. With over $1 billion in capital, BOND has made investments in companies like Hippo Insurance, Canva, and Nextdoor.

Prior, she was Head of Executive Search at Uber. So she knows a thing or two about scaling a business.

In this 20-minute conversation, Tylee shares how to find the best people, based on the stage of your company. How to land them. And how to keep them, even when the headhunter calls.

Dennis Mortensen is Founder & CEO of x.ai, the company that does just one thing.

They help you schedule meetings (without the phone tag & without the email back-and-forth).

You may not even realize it, but you’ve likely used his company’s product. I sure have.

So, I was lucky enough to grab him for a 20-minute conversation.

x.ai is the super-sophisticated, automated way to schedule meetings. And it’s one of the first truly AI-focused companies built around a practical application.

Along the way, he’s raised over $40 million in venture capital from top VC’s:  Pegasus Tech Ventures, Pritzker Group, DCM Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, SoftBank Capital, Tuesday Capital, FirstMark Capital, Two Sigma Ventures.

Dennis has forgotten more about AI than most people will ever know. And he’s scaled a 25-person, virtual team of people who are fanatical about scheduling meetings.

I wanted to find out how he’s built the team. Here’s the candid no-BS interview.

Brad’s Deals is a huge tech success story in Chicago.

The site helps millions of shoppers save money by curating the best deals from 4,000 retailers & expert shopping tips.

This profitable business has scaled from 9 employees to 90, without raising a ton of VC money.

I wanted to find out how…

So I tracked down Jessica Adams. She heads HR & Recruiting for Brad’s Deals.

In 2020, she was named by Crain’s as a “Notable Leader in HR” for her innovative solutions to enhance employee wellness, work-life balance, and diversity & inclusion. Last year, she was selected as a “Benny Award” winner for creating innovative employee benefits.

In this 20-minute interview, Jessica reveals a ton of juicy stuff:

— her Alumni Program, that’s helped her hire some amazing talent
— the “Talent Anywhere” mentality, in which employees can live wherever they want
— the monetary value of having a best friend at work
— and a bunch more

If you want to scale your team successfully, you’d hard-pressed to find better advice.