WMYT - What makes YOU Tick? Tech Leaders Career Stories

Richard and Tolu @ Tick Talent
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Hello founders, leaders and growth minded people. Welcome to the WMYT? What Makes You Tick Podcast - where we bring you the stories, strategies, and decisions that define the real success formula in tech = to learn from those who've been there and done it! Here’s the big idea: Everyone needs role models and mentors. The best ones come from the people who are doing it - those leaders like you who’ve taken bold steps, made the hard decisions, failed a bunch of of times, and built something real, that matters to people. That’s why we created this podcast. For your inspiration and growth!

  1. E.121 - The Modern SDR Playbook: Why Data, Signals, and Team-Based Prospecting Win Today

    2D AGO

    E.121 - The Modern SDR Playbook: Why Data, Signals, and Team-Based Prospecting Win Today

    Hiring great SDRs and expecting them to perform without the right data, tools, or structure is like putting a Ferrari on cobbled streets, then blaming the car when it can’t go fast. In this episode of Making Revenue Tick, Richard Washington sits down with Matt Caloras, enterprise SDR leader and NYC chapter lead for SDR Leaders of the USA, to unpack what actually separates high-performing SDR teams from the ones that burn out, miss targets, and churn talent. This conversation isn’t about hustle, call volume, or working harder. It’s about: Building the right roads for your reps to succeed Why bad data breaks even the best SDRs How signal-based prospecting is replacing brute-force outbound What team-based prospecting (AE + SDR pods) looks like in practice How modern SDR orgs use data, intent, and timing to win And where AI genuinely helps — and where it doesn’t If you’re a sales or revenue leader scaling pipeline in today’s market, this episode will challenge some uncomfortable assumptions about SDR performance, enablement, and leadership accountability. The takeaway is simple: Great reps don’t fail. Bad systems do. What you’ll learn in this episode What “data-driven SDR” really means in modern sales teams How top SDR orgs use signals and intent to prioritise accounts Why brute-force outbound no longer works at scale How to structure alignment between SDRs and AEs in enterprise sales Why SDR burnout is often a leadership and infrastructure issue The realistic future of SDR in an AI-enabled world Who this episode is for SDR Managers and Directors Heads of Sales & Revenue RevOps and GTM leaders Founders moving beyond founder-led sales Anyone responsible for pipeline quality, not just activity About the guest Matt Caloras is an enterprise SDR leader with experience scaling global SDR teams and building modern outbound engines inside complex organisations. He also leads the New York City chapter of SDR Leaders of the USA, supporting SDR leaders through mentorship, community, and shared best practices. Join the conversation If your SDR team is underperforming, ask yourself: Are you asking for Ferrari results on cobbled streets? What’s the biggest constraint in your SDR org right now? Funnel 26’ Austin 3/5! go to thefunnelconference.com Connect with Matt Caloras on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-caloras11/ Find your local SDR Leaders Chapter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sdr-leaders-of-usa/ 👤 About Richard Washington Richard Washington helps founders and boards build high-performing GTM leadership teams through Tick Talent, specialising in early-stage and scaling B2B startups. He hosts What Makes You Tick?, a podcast on leadership, growth, and the decisions that shape companies. Find out more. https://www.tick-talent.com/ Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 #sdr #salespipeline #salesdevelopment #saleshiring #salesleadership #saas #wmyt #ticktalent

    59 min
  2. Best Bits: AI Won’t Fix Bad Hiring, Multipliers Will - Revenue & Talent Leaders Explain

    6D AGO · BONUS

    Best Bits: AI Won’t Fix Bad Hiring, Multipliers Will - Revenue & Talent Leaders Explain

    Are you hiring Multipliers, or Dividers and Subtractors? Take the scorecard now: https://www.multiplierscorecard.com/ Most companies are trying to fix their hiring problems by adding more AI. More automation. More screening. More tools. And it’s making recruitment worse, not better. In this episode, Richard Washington joins Heath Barnett on the Maxed Out podcast to unpack why AI is being applied to hiring in completely the wrong way — and how leaders should actually be thinking about talent, behaviour, and scale in an AI-driven world. This isn’t an anti-AI conversation. It’s a pro-leadership one. We explore why: AI is amplifying bad hiring decisions, not fixing them Most recruitment failures come from behavioural misalignment, not lack of skill “A Players” is a lazy label that hides real risk Culture killers often look like top performers on paper Multipliers scale teams — dividers quietly destroy them Richard breaks down the Multiplier framework, explaining how high-growth companies should hire for collaboration, ownership, resourcefulness, and execution — and why these traits matter far more than CVs, years of experience, or AI-driven scoring systems. If you’re a founder, revenue leader, or hiring manager: frustrated by mis-hires overwhelmed by AI hiring tools or struggling to scale GTM teams without damaging culture this episode will challenge how you think about recruitment — and probably save you from your next expensive mistake. 🔍 Topics Covered AI in recruitment: what’s broken and why Why automation doesn’t fix poor hiring strategy Multipliers vs Adders, Subtractors, and Dividers Behavioural hiring vs resume-based hiring Leadership, culture, and scaling GTM teams Why most companies misapply AI in talent acquisition 🎙️ Guest & Host Richard Washington – Founder, Tick Talent Heath Barnett – VP Revenue at Mixmax, Host of Maxed Out 💡 Key Insight AI doesn’t replace judgment. It magnifies it. If your hiring strategy is weak, AI will scale the damage. #hiring #saassales #revenuegrowth #saleshiring #wmyt #ticktalent

    1h 10m
  3. E. 120 - When Should Founders Hire Their First Sales Leader? (The Costly Startup Mistake)

    FEB 4

    E. 120 - When Should Founders Hire Their First Sales Leader? (The Costly Startup Mistake)

    70% of sales leadership hires fail in year 1. Hire too early, and you burn cash, confuse the market, and stall momentum. Too late, and founder-led sales becomes the bottleneck that caps growth. In this episode of Making Revenue Tick, I sit down with Charles Talbot and Douglas Mancini of Closing Foundry, to break down one of the most expensive and misunderstood decisions in early-stage startups: your first sales hire. This is a founder-to-founder conversation about what actually needs to be true before you hire sales - and why “just bring in a salesperson” is some of the worst advice in startups. We dig into: When founder-led sales really starts to break The signals founders miss before hiring sales Why first sales hires fail even when the talent is strong The difference between activity, traction, and repeatability How to design the right first sales role (and when not to) What product clarity, messaging, and expectations must exist first If you’re a founder, early GTM leader, or VC-backed startup operator, this episode will help you avoid a mistake that quietly kills revenue long before scale. 🎙 About Making Revenue Tick Making Revenue Tick is the masterclass series within What Makes You Tick? - focused on the real mechanics of building predictable, scalable revenue in B2B startups. This isn’t theory. It’s what actually works. 👇 Subscribe for more founder-grade conversations on: Founder-led sales GTM hiring Scaling revenue without burning culture Avoiding expensive early mistakes 👤 About Douglas Mancini Douglas Mancini is one of Enterprise Sales veterans. He lives and breathes strategic deals. Follow Douglas on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/domancini/ 👤 About Charles Talbot Founder of Closing Foundry. He spent 25+ years in B2B sales and go-to-market: opening new markets, scaling teams, and fixing pipelines that look fine in a spreadsheet but wobble in front of real buyers. These days his work is focused on one problem: when targets, forecast and actuals start drifting apart. At Closing Foundry, we help B2B SaaS and tech-enabled teams turn uncertain deals into repeatable revenue by designing, enabling and running a simple closing system. Find out more. https://www.closingfoundry.com 👤 About Richard Washington Richard Washington helps founders and boards build high-performing GTM leadership teams through Tick Talent, specialising in early-stage and scaling B2B startups. He hosts What Makes You Tick?, a podcast on leadership, growth, and the decisions that shape companies. Find out more. https://www.tick-talent.com/ Follow Richard on LinkedIn: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Growth Magnet: 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 #startups #founder #entrepreneur #techsales #saleshiring #wmyt #ticktalent #closingfoundry

    1h 8m
  4. Best Bits: Why Unachievable Targets Are Breaking Enterprise Sales Teams w/Sean McCarry

    FEB 1 · BONUS

    Best Bits: Why Unachievable Targets Are Breaking Enterprise Sales Teams w/Sean McCarry

    Why are so many enterprise sales teams missing target, even with experienced reps, strong leadership, and proven products? In this Best Bits episode of Making Revenue Tick, Sean McCarry, GM UK at Trustpilot and a veteran enterprise sales leader, explains why unachievable sales targets are breaking enterprise sales teams from the inside out. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/bwsz4FailgI?si=jsU17SXIDjDuw9xY With nearly 30 years of experience in enterprise sales and revenue leadership, Sean unpacks a pattern seen across large sales organisations: when targets are set without realism, trust erodes, motivation collapses, and performance suffers, regardless of talent. This clip explores: Why enterprise sales targets are often set too high to motivate performance How unrealistic revenue goals damage sales team morale, loyalty, and wellbeing The pressure placed on sales managers caught between leadership expectations and team reality Why sales leadership behaviour and emotional intelligence matter more than ever How team health and culture directly impact enterprise sales performance Now leading Trustpilot’s UK business, Sean has built a reputation for driving growth by focusing on people, behaviours, and sustainable performance — not short-term pressure or false optimism. This conversation is essential viewing for: Founders and CEOs setting revenue expectations CROs and VPs of Sales leading enterprise teams Sales managers navigating performance pressure Enterprise sales professionals experiencing target fatigue If you want to understand why enterprise sales teams fail to hit target — and what leaders must do differently, this clip delivers a clear, experience-backed perspective. Connect with Sean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-mccarry-1053231/ Follow Richard Washington: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Richard’s Newsletter Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 #enterprisesales #salesleadership #teamhealth #teambehaviours #saassales #wmyt #ticktalent

    14 min
  5. E.119 - From Founder-Led Sales to Global Exit in 7 Years: The Complete Lifecycle w/ Simon Black

    JAN 28

    E.119 - From Founder-Led Sales to Global Exit in 7 Years: The Complete Lifecycle w/ Simon Black

    How do you take a tech startup from a raw idea, through the grind of founder-led sales, all the way to a successful exit? In this episode of WMYT? What Makes You Tick, we explore the complete "circle of life" of a founder with Simon Black. Simon, a UK based tech veteran with over 20 years of experience at companies like IBM and Autonomy, walks us through his seven-year journey founding Awaken Intelligence. We discuss the painful but necessary transition of letting go of sales, a unique "fly-in" strategy for conquering the US market on a budget, and the "FABRIC" of a winning culture. If you are a first-time CEO or founder looking to shortcut your journey and potentially double your exit value, this masterclass is for you. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: • The "Fly-In" US Expansion Strategy: How Simon cracked the US market and secured triple-digit growth without hiring expensive local leadership immediately, saving £100k a year in the process. • Transitioning from Founder-Led Sales: The emotional rollercoaster of handing over the reins, the importance of a playbook, and why hiring junior sales staff too early was a critical mistake. • Culture & The "No Aholes" Rule:** ** Why Simon implemented a strict veto policy on hiring and how the "FABRIC" value system (Fun, Agility, Be the Best, Responsibility, Integrity, Curiosity) held the team together. • The Power of Partnerships: How shifting from 100% direct sales to a partner-led model accelerated revenue and led to a strategic exit. • The Exit: The reality of merging with a US firm and the final acquisition by Capacity to ensure a safe home for the team. 🔗 CONNECT WITH SIMON BLACK: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blacksimon/ FOLLOW RICHARD WASHINGTON : https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Richard’s Newsletter Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 🔔 Subscribe to What Makes You Tick #FounderLedSales #SaaSExit #USExpansion #StartupCulture #TechEntrepreneur #SimonBlack #WMYT

    1h 18m
  6. Best Bits: How To Market To Customers In The Way They'll Choose You Over Anyone Else w/ Campbell Williams

    JAN 25 · BONUS

    Best Bits: How To Market To Customers In The Way They'll Choose You Over Anyone Else w/ Campbell Williams

    Most startups don’t fail at product. They stall at go‑to‑market maturity. In this Best Bits episode of WMYT – What Makes You Tick: Tech Leaders’ Career Stories, we bring back one of the most valuable sections from our masterclass with Campbell Williams (CMO, CCO, operator, investor, and scale‑up leader). This episode zooms in on the exact moment where growth breaks — typically between £3M and £10M ARR — and why hiring more salespeople or a CRO rarely fixes the real issue. From 41:39 to 1:06:57, Campbell shares a CEO‑level perspective on: Why founders hit a ceiling even with strong early traction The hidden mistakes exec teams make when “professionalising” revenue Why positioning, clarity, and customer recognition matter more than features How businesses confuse activity with progress at scale The difference between looking busy and building a real growth engine Why most GTM strategies fail before they ever get a chance to work This is not theory. It’s the pattern recognition that comes from building, scaling, buying, and fixing businesses repeatedly. Whether you’re a founder, CEO, CRO, CMO, or investor, this episode will help you understand: 👉 what actually drives sustainable growth 👉 why many companies stall at seven figures 👉 and how leaders should think differently as complexity increases 🎙 About the podcast WMYT (What Makes You Tick) is a Tech Leaders Career Stories podcast, where we explore the decisions, patterns, and moments that shape great leaders and great businesses. 📍 Guest: Campbell Williams 📍 Host: Richard 📍 Format: Best Bits Episode 📍 Focus: Scaling from £3M to £10M ARR | Go-To-Market | Leadership | Positioning If you’re building, scaling, or advising a tech business — this one’s worth your time. CONNECT + SUBSCRIBE Connect with Richard Washington on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash Connect with Campbell Williams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/campbellwilliams Get weekly GTM playbooks for tech founders via the Growth Magnet newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 Subscribe for more founder-to-founder masterclasses on hiring, sales, and scaling tech startups the smart way. #StartupGrowth #Positioning #MakingRevenueTick #CMO #TechFounders #GTMStrategy #B2BTech #Saas #BusinessPlaybook #ScaleUp#CampbellWilliams #RichardWashington #WMYT #Whatmakesyoutick

    27 min
  7. E.118 - What Building a Near $1BN Company from Zero Taught Me About People w/ Alina Vandenberghe

    JAN 21

    E.118 - What Building a Near $1BN Company from Zero Taught Me About People w/ Alina Vandenberghe

    Alina Vandenberghe — Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Chili Piper — shares what happens when survival mode ends and success no longer motivates you. In this episode of What Makes You Tick, Alina reflects on leadership, belief, and the moment she realised that thinking about joy is a luxury when you’re in survival mode — and what it takes to rebuild your inner operating system once survival is no longer the driver. After selling her house to start Chili Piper, spending years in intensity, and scaling a company to a near-$1BN valuation, Alina reached a place few founders talk about: the moment survival stopped — and the deeper questions began. “If I’m not trying to survive, why am I here?” This is not a “how I built a startup” episode. It’s a conversation about identity after success, belief as a leadership skill, and why blame, fear, and punishment quietly destroy teams from the inside out. This episode is for founders, leaders, and high performers who’ve achieved external success but feel an internal disconnect — and are asking what actually matters next. In this conversation, we explore: Why joy disappears in survival mode — and what replaces it How belief shapes leadership, culture, and decision-making Why “blame is a cancer” and how it spreads inside organisations The hidden cost of punishment, fear, and victim mentality What founders don’t expect after financial success How Alina thinks about impact, ownership, and meaning beyond metrics Alina is known for her uncompromising views on leadership and culture, including her belief that “blame is a cancer — once it starts, it spreads.” In this episode, she explains where that belief comes from, how it shows up in her leadership, and why psychological safety isn’t soft — it’s foundational. About Alina Vandenberghe Alina Vandenberghe is best known for co-founding Chili Piper, which scaled to a near-$1BN valuation — but this conversation focuses on what came after that success. She is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Chili Piper, the Demand Conversion platform used by top GTM teams at companies like Monday.com, Gong, and Verizon. She started the company in 2016 after selling her house, with a mission to fix the broken B2B buying experience. Romanian-born and New York-based, Alina leads with a rare mix of conviction and vulnerability — and continues to work not because she has to, but because she believes deeply in the puzzle of building better systems for humans. 🎧 Listen if you care about: Founder mindset Leadership psychology Life after success Startup culture Belief, purpose, and meaning What actually drives high-performing people 💬 Join the conversation What part of survival mode are you still stuck in? Share your thoughts in the comments — this conversation continues there. Follow Alina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alinav/ Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Richard’s Newsletter Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 Subscribe for more conversations that go beyond tactics — and into what makes the people who build startups tick. 🔔 Subscribe to What Makes You Tick Weekly conversations with founders, operators, and leaders exploring what really drives them — beyond titles, metrics, and surface-level success.

    1 hr
  8. (Best Bits) CEO Insight: How to Choose Between Full-Time, Interim, or Fractional CROs

    JAN 18 · BONUS

    (Best Bits) CEO Insight: How to Choose Between Full-Time, Interim, or Fractional CROs

    Welcome to a Best Bits episode of What Makes You Tick - Tech Leaders Career Stories. In this brilliant clip from our full-length conversation, I’m joined by Grant Richardson, Founder at Arden Insights and CEO of Sunamp, to break down a high-stakes question every tech founder and investor must face: “Which CRO model is right for my business - full-time, interim, or fractional?” But this episode goes way beyond that. We get into what actually makes a Chief Revenue Officer succeed: Why most companies hire CROs too early—or for the wrong reasons What to do when you’re still unclear on product-market fit The pressure CROs face to build the plane while flying it The critical first 2–4 weeks: proving value fast and earning trust Why alignment between sales, marketing & operations is non-negotiable How to measure success when growth is urgent and time is tight What it really means to go “all in” as a CRO (regardless of the contract) Whether you're hiring your first CRO, replacing a misfire, or advising a portfolio company, this episode will help you: Avoid the biggest hiring pitfalls Clarify your commercial leadership needs Understand the real difference between strategic and operational CROs Decide when to invest—and how to de-risk that decision 🧠 This isn’t about job titles. It’s about traction, impact and velocity. 💬 Featuring battle-tested insight from a leader who's been in the trenches, scaled revenue in complex markets, and knows what it takes to lead from day one. Connect with Grant Richardson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-a-richardson/ Follow Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richwash/ Read Richard’s Newsletter Growth Magnet: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7083793079794556928 Subscribe for more conversations that go beyond tactics — and into what makes the people who build startups tick. #CRO #ChiefRevenueOfficer #Startup #Scaleup #VC #TickTalent #WMYT

    19 min
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Hello founders, leaders and growth minded people. Welcome to the WMYT? What Makes You Tick Podcast - where we bring you the stories, strategies, and decisions that define the real success formula in tech = to learn from those who've been there and done it! Here’s the big idea: Everyone needs role models and mentors. The best ones come from the people who are doing it - those leaders like you who’ve taken bold steps, made the hard decisions, failed a bunch of of times, and built something real, that matters to people. That’s why we created this podcast. For your inspiration and growth!

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