David Fastuca

CEO & Co-Founder, Growth Forum | Proven Sales Systems Add Up To 57% More Deals in 8 Weeks or Less.

When sales teams get stuck, they search everywhere for answers.

Google. ChatGPT. YouTube.

What they usually find is recycled advice:

“Follow up more.”

“Build rapport.”

“Handle objections.”

Tips that sound good in theory but miss the context of your industry, your buyer, and your deal.

By the time reps finish searching, the opportunity is gone.

The moment to act has passed.

Coach Pilot fixes that.

It gives your team real-time guidance while the deal is still alive, not post-mortem.

The right move, in the right moment, directly in their workflow.

That’s how top teams turn hesitation into control and pipeline into revenue.

Find out more: https://www.coachpilot.com/

CMO & Co-Founder

150+ founders walk into a room.

No, this isn't a joke setup.

(Okay, maybe it is.)

Next week I'm on a panel at The First Move, and if you're trying to figure out sales without losing your mind, this one's for you.

Here's my lane:
→ How early-stage B2B teams build a sales engine that actually runs 
→ $75M in exits, what I learned that wasn't in the playbook 
→ Sales mistakes I see founders make constantly (ps made them too) 
→ Quick wins that move pipeline faster than you'd expect

A bit about me:
Built and sold companies. 
Now building Coach Pilot. 
Coach founders on sales and AI every week.

The pattern?
Founders don't lack ideas. 

They lack:
Clear next steps
Honest feedback
People who know how lonely this actually is

I care about rooms where "here's where I'm stuck" isn't followed by awkward silence.

The First Move is that room.

What you'll get:
→ Tools you can deploy immediately
→ Frameworks from real deals, not case studies
→ A network that actually follows up

Come join me Desmond John, Tara Salmon Kate Pollard, Grant Gwynne and Megan Luttrell

I'll be the one making sales jokes nobody asked for. 

Link's in the comments.👇

CEO, coachpilot.com • 2 Exits (75M Value) • Revenue Leaders Podcast, Co-Host

I stopped relying on inbound and outbound alone. 

My last 10 deals came from partners I treated like teammates.

At first, I pushed harder on email.

More sequences.
More LinkedIn messages.

Pipeline grew a bit.

Then stalled.

I felt stuck.

Heavy targets.
Same accounts.
Same buyer list.

No one wins that game.

I tried a different move.

I pulled my last 10 closed deals.
I asked one question: who else already had access?

I saw a pattern.

3–4 companies sold into the same accounts.
Same champions.
Same budget cycles.

They were already inside.

I reached out and said:

Let’s act as one team.

Monthly call.
Shared intel.
Warm intros both ways.
Mutual success plans for key accounts.

I helped them hit their number.

Market insights.
Deal strategy.
Air cover with my contacts.

In return, they opened doors I could not reach.

Those partners became my ecosystem.

Not a “program”.
A small crew I went deep with.

That crew filled my next quarter.

If you carry a bag and feel stuck in outbound, pull your last 10 deals and find the people who were already there.

Link in the COMMENTS to this episode with the Master of Partnerships Bryan Williams

Your reps don’t need another full-day training.

They need one 30‑minute call review that changes how they sell this week.

I learned this the hard way.

I ran full-day workshops.
Big decks.
Role plays.
Everyone said “great session” on the day.

Next week

Same calls
Same weak questions
Same “send me the deck” endings

The truth is:

- Reps cannot use 20 ideas from one long day.
- They can use one upgrade from one real call.

Here is how I run a 30‑minute review that sticks

- First 5 minutes
- AI finds key moments in the call.
- I pick one short clip that matters.

Next 5 minutes

- We watch the clip together.
- I pause at the key second.
- I ask the rep: “What do you see here?”

Now the work starts

We talk about the buyer.
Their risk.
Their power.
Their emotion.

I help the rep see the story under the words.

Then we shape one clear upgrade line

For example
How to open price.
How to ask a deeper question.
How to set one strong next step.

We write the new line together in simple words.

Last 10 minutes

We practice only that moment.
Three fast reps.
We swap words until the rep feels calm, not tense.

End of session

AI logs the focus, the new line, the next call to test it.
We track what happens on live deals.

The Result:
- Reps stop fearing call reviews.
- They start asking for them.

We built Coach Pilot to make sessions like this easy to run at scale.

If you want to see how our platform handles call reviews and the guidance it gives, check the link in my profile.

If you vanished tomorrow, which customer would miss you first?

Now ask: why did they choose you in the first place?

You think you know the answer.

Product.
Price.
Features.
Relationships.

This is "Noise".

When teams slow down and ask the hard question, a new story starts to show.

Customers say things like:
“You called when others sent links.”
“You listened when others pitched.”
“You made the next step clear.”

Real reasons.

Value lives in the small moments they remember.
Not the pitch you rehearsed.
Not the slide you love.
Not the feature you keep naming.

I ask sellers and leaders to do one simple thing.

Call three customers and say:
“I am not selling. I want to learn. Why did you choose us first? Why do you stay?”

Then write every word they say.

Patterns appear.

You start to see the real job you do in their world.
You see where you give safety, not software.
You see where you give clarity, not content.

From there, everything gets sharp.

Positioning.
Messaging.
Sales calls.
Product roadmap.

All change when you sell the reason customers chose you, not the story you tell yourself.

Start with one call today.

P.S. I'm on a journey to create the most useful platform to help sellers and leaders win more revenue in less time. 

If this interests you, check out my profile for more info.

Sales is getting harder.

Buyers are more informed. 
Cycles are longer. 
Reps are burning out.

The gap between top performers and everyone else keeps widening.

Here's what closes that gap: a sales playbook.

Not a static PDF that collects dust. 

A living system that: 
→ Captures your best sales practices 
→ Trains your team to execute them consistently 
→ Guides reps through every deal in real-time

We've spent months rebuilding our program to help you create exactly this.

Want free access? 

Fill out a 5-minute survey and it's yours—a $10,000+ value, on us.

👉 https://lnkd.in/gFm_Kyxy
♻️ Repost this to share with sales leaders who need it.

Founder of 1% Better™ | Former accountant, future author | Follow me for the best self-development content on LinkedIn

Former accountant.
Future author.

I share actionable, educational, and entertaining self-development content to help my readers live their best lives.

Join 65K+ receiving my top 5 discoveries every week:

https://colbynewsletter.ck.page

Colby Kultgen

The scariest part is how normal this feels.

Like we just woke up one day and our entire life existed between three different screens.

If you want to reduce your screen time in 2026, I wrote a step-by-step article on what actually worked for me.

Link in comments.

Something interesting I've been trying lately:

The “No-Power” Hour.

Every day for the last month, I’ve been setting a 60-minute block where I don’t use any electronic devices (phone, laptop, headphones).

I know this might not sound like much, but consider this:

What’s the longest stretch of time each day (other than sleeping) where you’re not reading, watching, or listening to something on an electronic device?

I don’t know about you, but for me, the answer was “not long”.

We’ve become so used to stimulating ourselves every second of the day, that NOT using a device feels weird.

I’ve decided to fight back.

My challenge to you:
Put at least one “No-Power” Hour in your calendar this week.

♻️ Repost this so others can try too.

5 mindset shifts that will change your life in 2026:

1. I can't → I'll learn

Every expert was once a beginner who refused to quit. If you're struggling, it just means you haven't put in enough reps yet.

❌ "I can't do this"
✓ "I'll learn if I stick with it."

———

2. I don't have time → I'm not prioritizing it

Be honest about what matters. If something's truly important, you'll find the time. 

❌ "I don't have time to work out" 
✓ "I'm choosing other things over working out right now."

———

3. I need motivation → I need momentum

Motivation doesn't find you—you create it through action. Motion beats mood every time.


❌ "I just don't feel like it today" 
✓ "If I just start for 5 minutes, I'll probably keep going."

———

4.  I'm quitting → I'm pivoting

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is climb down the wrong mountain so you can start climbing up the right one.

❌ "I've spent 5 years on this, I can't quit now." 
✓ "I've spent 5 years on this, better to cut my losses now and move toward something I enjoy."

———

5.  I failed → I learned

Failure isn't the opposite of success—it's part of the process. Every setback is data for your next attempt.

❌ "I tried and failed, so I guess I'm not cut out for this" 
✓ "I tried and it didn't work. Now I know what not to do next time."

———

♻️ Repost if these resonate.
Send this post to someone who could use it.

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A simple question I use to turn around an “off” day:

What’s the best way I can spend the next 5 minutes?

Yep, that’s usually all it takes.

5 minutes of movement.
5 minutes of writing.
5 minutes of conversation.
5 minutes of something that brings you back to yourself.

When an airplane is off course, a shift of just a few degrees can make the difference between landing in New York or ending up in the middle of the ocean.

Our days work the same way.

Never underestimate the power of 5 good minutes.

♻️ Repost this if it resonated.

Discipline doesn’t need to be difficult.

Here are 5 ways to stay consistent in 2026 (without superhuman willpower):

1️⃣ "Dailyish" Habits
Committing to something “dailyish” keeps you consistent without the guilt of missing a day. It’s flexible, sustainable, and removes the all-or-nothing pressure that leads could lead to burnout.

2️⃣ Shrink the Starting Line
Big goals feel overwhelming. Instead, start with a ridiculously tiny version of the habit: one push-up, one sentence, one minute.

3️⃣ Set "No-Later-Than" Rules
Set buffers instead of rigid deadlines. For example, instead of waking up at exactly 6:00 AM, commit to being up no later than 7:00 AM. Anything earlier is a win.

4️⃣ No "Zero Days"
Even on your worst days, find one small action to move forward. A single page, a quick stretch, or just tidying your workspace keeps the momentum alive.

5️⃣ Design for Bad Days
Don’t build habits for your most motivated self. Build them for the tired, distracted, low-energy version of you. If it only works on “good days,” it won’t last.

How do you plan on staying disciplined in 2026?

———

Shoutout to Oliver Burkeman for tips 1 and 3.
Image credit: No One Cares on Facebook

An exercise everyone should do in 2026:

The Calendar Energy Audit.

We often assume that our biggest limitation is time.

It’s not. 

The real limitation is our energy.

CEO coach Matt Mochary puts it like this:
“We all feel like we have limited time, but that’s not the case. What we really have is LIMITED ENERGY. If we start doing more things that raise our energy, it enables us to do more things in general.”

So where do you start with this?

By removing the activities that drain you.

Here’s how:
1. Review your calendar from a past week, hour by hour.
2. Label each activity GREEN (gave energy) or RED (drained energy).
3. Look for patterns. What consistently shows up as RED?
4. Reschedule, delegate, or eliminate those tasks.

For every RED item, ask yourself three questions:
• Does this need to happen?
• If yes, does it have to be done by me?
• If yes, how can I make it more enjoyable?

You won’t be able to eliminate every RED task (and that’s okay).

But even cutting a few can make a huge difference.

♻️ Repost this if it resonates.

graphical user interface, text, application

How to read 50 books in a year (even if you’re busy):

How to read 50 books in a year (even if you’re busy)

7 questions that will define your next decade (a 15-minute exercise you won’t regret):

7 questions that will define your next decade

The goal-setting method used by the best baseball player in the world:

If you don't know who Shohei Ohtani is, he's basically the Michael Jordan of baseball.

The single most dominant two-way player the sport has seen in a century.

When he was a high school freshman in Japan, he created this detailed 64-cell roadmap with one central goal: to be the number 1 draft pick for 8 NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) teams.

And it worked.

If you're wondering, this is called the Harada Method.

Here's a quick breakdown:

1. Choose one clear, meaningful long-term goal and a deadline.
2. Break that main goal into 8 subgoals that cover different areas needed to achieve it.
3. Break each subgoal into 8 specific actions, skills, or habits (filling the 8×8 grid).
4. Turn the most important actions into a small set of daily routines and track them.
5. Review your progress regularly, adjusting subgoals and actions based on what you learn.

This is a pretty intense exercise, which I definitely don't think is for everyone.

But I do think it's an amazing way to break down a big goal into something actually actionable.

I’ve linked a template in the comments if you want to try it.

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade obsessing over productivity.

Not just how to get more done.
But how to get the IMPORTANT things done.

Here's everything I wish I knew 10 years ago summed up in 20 sentences.

Make sure to save them.

♻️ Repost this if it resonated.

I’m 34. 

Last year, I moved to a city where I didn’t know anyone.

I wish I could say that I immediately built a strong social circle, but that’s not true.

The reality is I struggled.

I’m a huge introvert, so socializing doesn’t come naturally to me at all.
And adult friendships don’t “just happen” like they do when we’re young.

The big unlock for me was realizing that building friendships requires the same intentional effort as anything else important in my life.

So that’s what I did.

I got intentional. I put in the reps.
And guess what happened? It worked.

Here’s everything I learned along the way:

How to build (and maintain) friendships as an adult

I love the message here.

It's so easy to get caught in the trap of "I'm too old", or "it's too late".

But here's the reality: Five years from now, you’ll be five years older regardless of what you do with that time.

You may as well spend it becoming the person you want to be.

It reminds me of a story I heard from writer Mark Manson:

"A friend of mine once told me a story about his grandmother. He said that when her husband died, she was 62, and for the first time in her life, she began to take piano lessons. For weeks, she practiced all day, every day. At first, the family thought it was a phase, but months went by and she kept playing.
​
By the time she was in her 90s, she had been playing piano every day for 30 years—longer than most professional musicians have been alive. Everyone who heard her play swore she must have been a concert pianist in her youth. No one believed her when she said she took her first lesson in her sixties."

As we head into 2026, don’t let “too old” or “too late” be the reason you hold yourself back.

I’m 34.

Here are 7 career “cheat codes” I wish I learned sooner:

7 career cheat codes I wish I knew sooner

Don't set SMART goals in 2024.

Set SMARTER goals...

We've all heard it before, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, etc.

But I've always thought something was missing from this framework.

Actually, a couple things:
1. Making goals easy to start immediately(most people get stuck here).
2. Encouraging regular reflection and adjustment of goals.

Thus, SMARTER goals were born:

Specific: Clear and well-defined.
Measurable: Quantifiable or assessable.
Achievable: Realistically attainable.
Relevant: Aligned with broader objectives.
Time-bound: Has a defined timeline.
Easy to start: Simple to initiate or begin.
Reflective: Encourages regular reflection.

Try them out.
Let me know what you think.

———

♻️ If you enjoyed this, repost it to your network and follow me (Colby Kultgen) for more content like this.

7 cheat codes to remember (almost) everything you learn.

Save this and send it to your study/work buddy!

7 cheat codes to remember (almost) everything you learn

In a perfect world, we'd be off our phones completely.

Probably skipping through a meadow somewhere.

Sadly, we don't live in a perfect world.

So I figured if you're going to be on your phone, you might as well be doing something that actually adds to your life.

Save this and repost it if you got some value.

8 Apps to Grow Your Brain Instead of Rotting It:

Avoid these time management mistakes in 2026.

Save this and repost if it resonated!

5 brutal time management mistakes stealing your life

How to improve any relationship in your life in 2026.

Take out your phone and send this text message:

“How can I be a better [friend / partner / son / etc.] to you?”

When I first heard this idea, I knew I had to try it immediately.

To be honest, I was pretty nervous.

Sending a message like this requires a lot of vulnerability.

But the responses I received were amazing.

They gave me specific and practical ways to show up better in the lives of the people I care about most.

This is the kind of question we should feel comfortable asking but rarely do.

Instead, we go through life assuming we know how others feel.

What they need.
What they expect.
How they want us to show up.

But the truth is: most of us don’t have a clue.

Asking is how we learn.

Try this out.

You might be surprised by what they share and how much they appreciate that you cared enough to ask.

January 16th was National Quitter's Day.

Yep, by the second Friday of January, roughly 80% of people will have already given up on their New Year's resolutions.

Which makes today the perfect day to recommit.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it.

How to actually start doing something (and stick with it)

A common theme I noticed in 2025:

Everyone is craving more connection.

Use these friend nights to make it happen in 2026.

Save this post for later.
And send it to the people you want to try these with.

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Colby Kultgen

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The Battle

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