Field Notes - Oct 24, '25

Executive Signals

• Warm beats cold: network-led motions compound as filters suppress outreach
• Portfolio is the channel: cohort access converts pre-fundraise, partners follow usage
• Price signals priority: high anchors qualify urgency more than budgets
• Ship from the call: buyer blockers define roadmap, rapid demos close gaps
• Ownership before capital: revenue-first leverage delays dilution and preserves control

CEO

Founder-Led Sales or Bust

Early sales learning does not transfer well. Founders need to run the first motion, refine a three-meeting playbook, and prove repeatability before hiring. Bring on the first seller only after closing roughly ten founder-led deals, then have them shadow for two months before carrying a number.

• Close the first 10 deals founder-led before hiring sellers
• Record and iterate a three-meeting flow weekly
• Onboard new sellers with a 60-day shadow before quota

Equity and Dilution: Keep Leverage

Maintain ownership until customers give you leverage. Treat options as a tool, not a default: many teams earmark about 10% for an initial pool, and each outside round can dilute 10–30%. Bootstrapped revenue improves terms later and preserves the right to say no.

• Defer fundraising until paying customers strengthen negotiating leverage
• Model an option pool around 10%; refresh only when necessary
• Prefer customer revenue to investor dollars until terms align

Marketing

Create the Category: Network-Based Selling

Teach first, then sell. Position a clear POV on the decline of cold outreach and the rise of warm-intro, network-led motions. Frame ROI simply: one extra deal per rep per year, or insurance against missing warm opportunities. Wrap customers in a community so value compounds.

• Open first calls with a teachable deck on network-led selling
• Run a customer community with monthly Zooms and opt-in intros
• Sell the "+1 deal/rep/year" or "don’t-miss-warm-leads" insurance

Portfolio-First GTM Beats Fundraising

Gift product access to accelerator cohorts during the program and convert at graduation. When a VC’s portfolio penetration crosses roughly half, pitch the firm for a portfolio-wide rollout. Optimize for revenue now; pursue capital later from users who already rely on you.

• Comp cohorts during programs; sell continuation at graduation
• Track per-cohort conversion; double down when it exceeds ~30%
• When portfolio penetration >50%, book a partner demo for rollout

Sales

Ship From Sales, Not the Roadmap

After "95% done," the only work that matters is what closes deals. Use live sales conversations to invent the next feature and immediately circle back with a demo. Fund the rest of the build with customers who validate urgency.

• Commit to five live demos before the next sprint
• After each demo, ship the single blocker the buyer surfaced
• Track "features invented in customer meeting" as a metric

Price for Priority, Not Pennies

In B2B, the real hurdle is whether your problem is top-three, not the sticker price. Anchor high and iterate per deal. Avoid freemium and open signups; route to "Book a demo." Meter quietly and true-up quarterly rather than hard-gating overuse.

• Start at $10k/year or ~$99 per rep; adjust only if momentum stalls
• Hide self-serve signup; manually onboard accounts
• Monitor usage and reconcile after 90 days instead of gating