Ericom

Founding national Solutions Executive for 'Signs of Life' - Australia's first contactless 24/7 vital sign monitoring solution.

Signs of Life aims to radically improve the quality of care of aged care & health providers by tracking vital signs and more without wearables or cameras, enabling: 

 - real-time insights that help care teams detect & predict deterioration 
 - rapid response to acute events & minimising prolonged harm
 - greater quality of care, augmented capability and less stress for clinical & nursing staff

My role is to become the trusted technology partner of Aged Care, Health & Corrections service providers, working with executives & clinical leaders to modernise their digital health practices and deliver Signs of Life to ageing and vulnerable Australians who need it most.

Future Technologies Solutions Executive - Health

Tech Sales Academy

Tech Sales Academy is my elite Technology Sales Community & Courses custom-built to transform non-Technical sellers into Trusted Technology Advisors.

I'm on a mission to empower the next generation of tech seller with the elite skills, knowledge & guidance I wish I had when I started my career in Tech Sales 10 years ago.

I do so by:
 - Leading a free Tech Sales community where you can connect with me and other ambitious sellers
 - Providing over 40 free fundamental tech sales lessons in my 'Tech Sales Mentorship' in the community
 - Giving you everything you need to succeed as a Tech AE with my courses 'The Account Executive's Toolkit' & 'Tech Sales OS'
 - Providing personalised support & mentoring through 1:1 coaching
 - Setting the standard for Tech Sales excellence through my Sales team group coaching

Founder & Mentor

PreSales Collective

Guest Lecturer & Presenter to PreSales APAC region for sales & soft skills for technology sellers.

Guest Lecturer

Cisco

- Data Centre Infrastructure & Software Account Executive servicing Australia & New Zealand 
- Portfolio of over 500 Mid-Market and Enterprise customers, main verticals: Local Government, Private Education, Manufacturing, Legal & Financial Services
- Consulted and designed Hybrid Cloud infrastructure strategies & solutions
- Developed channel enablement programs, product sales initiatives & drive sales to close

Highlights: 
 → Cisco's #1 Mid-Market Seller Worldwide 2023 with 3 Global Top Sales Performance Awards
 → Club Cisco 2023 - Top 1% Seller Globally out of 20,000 sellers
 → 133% Hardware & SaaS quota achieved FY22, 182% Hardware & 167% SaaS quota achieved FY23
 → 2 x Mentor in Cisco's 'MentorMe' program mentoring emerging Women in IT
 → Contributor to internal cultural programs in Asian diversity, LGBT+ and more

Cloud Infrastructure & Software Account Executive

Aussie Comedy Network

Aussie Comedy Network is a start-up organisation whose purpose is to empower the next generation of Australian comedians, digital creators and entertainers.

It seeks to unite and strengthen the Australian comedy community by providing a central platform that is easily accessible to the Australian public and sharing our creators' best work with the largest digital audience possible.

It will be a central resource for the comedy industry, allowing for opportunities to collaborate and grow like never seen before.

Most importantly, Aussie Comedy Network will entertain and create joy for as much of the community as possible.

Founder, Producer & Comedian

Telstra

• Portfolio of Mid-Market and Enterprise customers worth 18m, main verticals: NFP, Health, Financial & Legal Services, Wholesale & Construction
• Selling data networks & connectivity, cloud infrastructure, collaboration and UC, cybersecurity, professional & managed services + more
• KPIs in Sales, NPS and Behaviours & Contribution
• Relationship management, technology strategy development and consultative selling

Highlights:
• Telstra Enterprise 'Accelerate Lead' - national senior sales rep coaching colleagues on Miller-Heiman sales methodology supporting +$100m new business sales above growth target
• Published Telstra Enterprise Case Study for Hybrid Networks, Microsoft Teams Calling & COVID support for Save the Children Australia
• Member of Telstra Cloud Guild and Cyber Security Evangelist program
• Over $15m sold and 130% Sales achieved in FY2021 despite Victoria COVID lockdown
• Created and delivered the technology strategy for LinkedIn Australia's #1 Startup of the Year - Sayers

Senior Business Solutions Lead

• Portfolio of Mid-Market and Government customers worth 20m, main verticals Water Utilities, Local Government, NFP and Health 
• KPIs in Revenue, Sales, NPS and Behaviours & Contribution
• Relationship management, technology strategy development and consultative selling
• Coordinator of ‘Technology Advisory Board’ for Water Utility industry, focusing on Industrial IoT capability with market value of $200m+
• Telstra Enterprise ‘Culture Champion’ and ‘TPAMS’ Government Telecommunications Procurement Subject Matter Expert
• 140% Achieved in Sales, 105% Revenue, 130% for Behaviours & Contribution

Client Executive

Account Manager responsible for 45 mid-market Enterprise customer portfolio worth 8m across various verticals with KPIs in Sales, Revenue and NPS
• Relationship development, strategic selling, pipeline planning and execution
• Specialising in managing complex customer relationships and customer experience
• 182.4% Incremental Sales and 106.3% Revenue achieved FY19
• 135.4% Sales and 100.75% Revenue achieved FY18
• Enterprise Top Achievers Club award FY19 for sales and revenue
• Published Nutanix case study for hybrid cloud solution in Health industry

Account Executive

•	Complex billing, account support and NPS lead for Managed Accounts team
•	Engaged internal and external resources to deliver customer-centric outcomes
•	Taken on extra responsibility in reactively managing vacant portfolios, developing and closing strategic sales opportunities

Account Specialist

Sales: 
 - Customer-facing role, single and multiple sales cycles for Personal and Business customers, specialising in Solution Selling
 - Providing technological advice as well as problem-solving complex billing and system issues
 - Brand development through customer experience and expectations management, measured through NPS system
 - Known for repeat and referred business, as well as achieving top sales awards multiple times over 2013-15

Training and Development:
 - Regularly train new team members in sales technique and CRM systems.
 - Provide coaching and feedback for overall skill development, as well as provide classes and guides
 - Given additional responsibility in daily operational management and EFM
 - Collaborating with management to refine and coordinate sales promotions and incentives for staff and customers
 - Content Manager for official Social Media pages

All facets of Training and Development are above and beyond the role requirements and were taken upon my own initiative.

Senior Customer Advisor

Vita Group Limited

B2B Telecommunication Sales
Mobility Account Manager for various SMBs

Local Business Expert

Vice Music Entertainment

- Performing Musician at various venues in CBD and statewide
 - Partial manager of Vice cover band
 - Handled Venue and Agency relations, Marketing and Promotion

Performer/Manager

Future Health and Fitness

- Proscribed and trained fitness programs to clients, managed client database
 - Supervised gym floor and managed business full-time as required
 - Membership and supplement sales, visual merchandising and inventory management
 - Developed marketing and promotion strategies, successfully increasing overall sales

Gym Instructor

Tech Sales Mentor & Educator | 2 x Top 1% Tech Seller & Cisco #1 Virtual Seller '23 | LinkedIn Top Tech Sales & Account Management Voice

I'm a multi-dimensional human: conscious technologist, emerging health technologies executive, comedian, musician, & mentor teaching tech sales to non-technical sellers.

During the day I'm transforming the future of Australian healthcare as the National Solutions Executive for Signs of Life - Australia's first TGA-approved 24/7 contactless vital sign monitoring solution.

Signs of Life aims to positively impact Australians by enabling remote & scalable clinical care using cutting-edge radar technology, allowing providers to immediately respond to acute health events in aged care, corrections and healthcare-in-the-home.

If you're interested in learning more please feel free to send me a message!

At night I coach & mentor emerging tech sales talent through my business Tech Sales Academy - transforming non-technical sellers into trusted technology advisors.

With over 10 years of unbeaten B2C and B2B Tech Sales & Account Management experience, I have been recognised by some of the world's leading tech companies including: 

 → Microsoft
 → Cisco
 → AWS
 → Nutanix 
 → Telstra Enterprise

Some of my Tech Sales career highlights include: 

 → Cisco's #1 Mid-Market AE Worldwide in 2023
 → Club Cisco 2023 - Top 1% Seller Globally out of 20,000
 → Top 1% in Sales & Leadership at Telstra Enterprise in 2020
 → Never missing quota in 10 years of sales, average quota achieved 152%
 → Coaching 50+ Tech AEs & BDMs
 → Featured in Business Insider, Daily Mail UK, Channel 7 Australia, New Zealand Herald and more

But what's more important is where I came from:

 → NO IT background
 → NO B2B Experience
 → NO Account Management Experience

I give you authentic and unfiltered insights into how to master the game of sales consciously, level up in life and build your abundant future.

Here's how I can help you (links in Featured section):

1️⃣ Get my free Vibe Selling - Emotional Intelligence in Sales Masterclass. A free 7-day email course that teaches you the fundamentals of EQ and how it applies to every step of a B2B sales process.
2️⃣ Check out my fun Cisco's President's Club Vlog, showing you all the perks of being a Top 1% tech seller!

Jameel Rehman

I am no longer in the tech sales business.
 
I’m in the life-saving business.
 
My new role as a Future Technologies Solutions Executive at Ericom is a whole new level of complexity and potential.
 
I’m no longer just a cog in the vendor sales machine, I’m leading the building and launch of an Australian-first Healthtech solution that will positively impact our community for years to come.

It's called Signs of Life - Australia's first remote contactless vital sign monitoring solution.

A TGA-listed, clinically-accurate, privacy-preserving radar solution that can track vital signs in people without touching them.

Cutting-edge technology in partnership with Xandar Kardian Inc. intentionally designed to meet Australia's desperate need for remote & scalable healthcare.

When Nathan Tremlett approached me with the radar solution they were incubating at Ericom, I sensed its immense potential.
 
When I experienced it, I was 100% convinced that this was going to protect our most vulnerable and save lives.
 
In fact it already has globally, we’re just adapting it to the Australian market.
 
The most fulfilling parts of my tech sales career to date have been mentoring new talent and leading digital transformations in the not-for-profit and health space.
 
Knowing that the solutions I’ve consulted, designed & delivered have made an impact in the community filled me with joy.
 
My teams have created trusted partnerships with NFPs and have built solutions that have helped people at their most vulnerable, connected families through tough times and even given people education for the first time.
 
That’s cool as shit and I’m goddamn proud of it.
 
I may have a sales target to hit but that’s not what’s driving me to succeed.
 
My quota is people served and lives saved.
 
In fact, me and my awful handwriting will be keeping count like any other sales metric.
 
We’re probably some months away from it happening, but I know in my heart we will.
 
For now we keep building on our vision and serving our people with impact in mind.
 
If you’re a health or aged care organisation that wants to know how we can help you, please reach out!
 
I’m in the life-saving business, and it’s a damn good place to be.

Matty Redpath Kyle Page Justin Browne Sam Yang Linda Mayhue

Building 🇦🇺’s remote healthcare ecosystem | Tech Sales Mentor for non-Tech People

I've been quiet on LinkedIn lately and many of you know of the struggles I've had over the last year, so I thought I'd share a little life update.

It was too big for a post, so now it's an article.

Thank you all for your unbelievable, heart-warming support through the turmoil! ❤️ 🙏

I’ve been quiet on LinkedIn lately, here’s a life update: Many of you know that I’ve faced significant personal turmoil over the last 12 months dealin

Open article: Life update - from Tech Sales to Signs of Life by Jameel Rehman • 3 min read

Life update - from Tech Sales to Signs of Life

I’m eating my own dog food with Signs of Life.
 
I believe we’re onto something big with our contactless vital sign solution and am happy to be a guinea pig for it.
 
We’re able to track people’s resting heart rate, respiratory rate, sleep quality and more with clinical-grade accuracy, without any breach of privacy with a camera.

I’ve got one of our radars in my bedroom tracking my heart rate, respiratory rate and sleep quality every night.
 
This will help me populate real data into our demo environment to showcase our capabilities,
 
as well as give me some useful data about the quality of my own sleep.
 
Professionally this solution is mind-blowing in vital monitoring capabilities and trend analysis but needs actual data to see it in action.
 
Personally I’m obsessive about personal optimisation but have always had a gap in understanding sleep quality because I don’t like wearing watches and wearables to bed.
 
Many people feel the same, so the radar is a great alternative for non-intrusive monitoring.
 
There’s no breach of privacy as there’s no cameras, you simply set and forget.

In late 2026, we’ll also be also to track sleep apnea - pretty cool!
 
We can also aggregate this data into our partner AI health analytics platform AiCarer, or pipe it via API into a health system of choice.
 
Once I’ve got a baseline of data across both daytime via a Garmin wearable and night-time with the radar, I’ll show you the analytics and potential of Signs of Life.
 
It’s going to provide an entirely new dimension of health data and capability never seen in the Australian Healthtech space.
 
A perfect entryway into scalable health analytics for remote patient care.
 
If you’re in the health and aged care space and don’t want to wait for my results, reach out to me and we can organise a proper demo!

Here’s my classic example of ‘Always Be Closing’:
 
Recently I very stupidly cut my right index finger and damaged a tendon that required day surgery.
 
The surgery only required a local anaesthetic, so I was completely awake whilst they stitched me up.
 
Since I’m intending to sell Signs of Life to hospitals and want to learn more about the clinical value of our radars, why not ask the people at the coalface who would benefit the most?
 
I started talking to the anaesthesiologist and nursing staff about what Signs of Life can do and asked how they would find it beneficial.
 
Whilst the surgeon was tugging away with the stitches (away from my eyesight because I’m squeamish), the nurses were intrigued by the radars and informed me that determining trends in vital data is highly valuable to clinical staff.
 
By identifying trends that lead to deterioration, it allows for more proactive and preventative care before they become acute health events.
 
Fantastic – that is something we can do now with UTIs, a leading indicator of falls in the elderly, and anecdotally we can track elevated vitals days before people become symptomatic.
 
The great new frontier for healthcare is using AI and ML to map vital trends to common illnesses, allowing us to move from reactive to proactive & preventative care.
 
The downstream benefits are prevention of deterioration and acute health events that lead to hospitalisation and more.
 
This means:
 
-    	Healthier, happier Australians
-    	Less strain on our public health system
-    	Reduced cost to serve in our aged care and health systems
 
Just what Australia needs!
 
It was a very valuable insight, but I wouldn’t pay the price of my finger to learn it again 😉

Can you help me with my Clinical Immersion?
 
I’ve recently jumped from tech sales to Healthtech and I’m taking it seriously.
 
In my new role as a Future Technologies Solutions Executive I’m leading the launch of Signs of Life - Australia's first contactless remote vital sign solution built for the Australian remote healthcare ecosystem.
 
As part of that role I need to be able to speak the language of Clinical decision-makers and effectively communicate our solutions’ value in the medical space.
 
It is critical to our success that I understand the clinical world, our customers’ clinical journeys and where we add specific value to improve those journeys,

to show we aren’t just some blow-ins trying to crowbar tech in without any actual insight.
 
If I don’t, we will get dismissed by clinical leaders and everyone loses on the immense potential of what we’ve got with Signs of Life.
 
From experience, this is also one of the most consistent problems of new tech sellers that I’ve had to solve for - both in myself and my students at Tech Sales Academy.
 
Most tech sellers barely have any IT knowledge and it shows when facing into IT leaders, who then instantly lose credibility.
 
I faced this problem when I started in tech sales, and I got past it by immersing myself in the world of tech and learning functional knowledge of the solutions I sold.
 
That knowledge would evolve into thought leadership, and I would eventually strategise, design & deliver multi-million dollar digital transformations for Mid-Market & Enterprise organisations.
 
Now I’m in Healthtech the cycle repeats and it’s time to dive into this new world.
 
I’ve already done some deep-dives into the new aged care and public health regulations, now I want to get into the weeds of the industry and its daily challenges.
 
Now I’m looking to meet with: 
 - Clinical Leaders
 - Nurses Unit Managers 
 - Heads of Digital Health and Innovation, 

basically whoever is keen to give me clinical insights and help build my foundational knowledge.
 
I’d be happy to buy you lunch in return for picking your brain and getting insights on how we could improve the system for the benefit of the community.
 
If this is you or you know someone who could help please send me a message!

I haven't missed quota in 10 years of tech sales.
Top 1% performer at two global tech companies.
Coached and mentored for free for over five years.

Now I'm writing a modern sales PhD with Vibe Selling.

I'm documenting and structuring every step of my unbeaten sales process to pass onto the next generation of seller.

Building what I wish existed when I began: a complete education for tech sales professionals.

The frameworks, systems, and tools that actually create elite account executives.

Most sales training gives you a piece of the puzzle but never the whole solution.

I'm giving you EVERY best-practice step of the full-stack sales funnel:

→ Principles, Values & Mindset
→ Ideal Customer Persona & Unique Value Proposition
→ The 3P’s of Sales Planning Systems
→ Lead Generation
→ Discovery & Qualification
→ Developing Opportunities & Demonstrating
→ Propose & Close
→ Post Sale & Delivery
→ Expansion & Retention

PLUS an entire masterclass on emotional intelligence & 'The Vibe' to teach you how to sell like an authentic human, not a corporate cog.

Curious? Check out my free Vibe Selling email masterclass - Click 'Visit my website' above or link in bio!

Thanks to Shimark Ghaffoor for the chat!

I got zero training formal training in my first 3 years in tech sales.
No sales structure. No product knowledge. Nothing.

Just a ton of grind, curiosity, and painful feedback.

When I joined Telstra Enterprise, I assumed there’d be world-class product and sales training.
Nope.
Where I started to learn my craft was 18 months in a support role,
cleaning up billing issues and account problems that AEs didn’t want to deal with while quietly learning everything I could.

It was a trial by fire of:

→ How B2B sales actually works
→ How internal systems and processes fit together
→ What the products really do
→ What NOT to do by all the messes I had to clean up

By year four in tech sales, I’d gone from “clueless non-technical AE” to senior BDM coaching other sellers on Miller-Heiman methodology.

Sadly the massive gap in tech sales education hasn't changed since I started tech sales 10 years ago, and the problems I'm solving for my students are the exact same I had last decade.

This is why I built Tech Sales Academy and teach sales - because no-one is solving the problem at the root cause.

Thanks to Shimark Ghaffoor for the chat!

~~~

Want to learn how to sell millions in tech as a trusted authentic human? 

Check out my free 7-day 'Vibe Selling' Email Masterclass and discover how to master your trustworthy Vibe in sales with the latest in EQ, Neuroscience & Sales Psychology! ☯️

Click 'Visit my website' above or link in bio!

We're leading the way in creating Australia's most trusted and secure digital healthcare ecosystem! 

Great to be recognised by iTnews and techpartner.news for our work in securing the Healthcare sector.

Very soon we will be transforming Australian healthcare with Signs of Life, Australia's first remote vital sign monitoring solution.

A trusted technological network built by a trusted human network.

We’re proud to share that Ericom was named a finalist in iTnews and techpartner.news' 2025 Benchmark Security Awards for our work in the Healthcare sector.

This finalist spot highlights our focus on helping healthcare providers overcome challenges like legacy systems, low cyber literacy, and escalating threats, while also embracing innovation that improves patient care. Beyond cyber security, we’re driving transformation through solutions like Signs of Life, a remote monitoring platform that delivers privacy-preserving, predictive health insights. From protecting sensitive data to enabling proactive health monitoring, our approach embeds security into business goals, not against them, supporting organisations in building resilience without disrupting care.

A big thank you to our Horizon365 and Digital Health and Infrastructure teams for driving these outcomes, and a big congratulations to the other finalists who are helping raise the bar for security across critical sectors.

Discover the strategies behind our healthcare success: https://lnkd.in/g-VM7dvz

#Ericom #iTnews #techpartnernews #CyberSecurity #DigitalHealth  #CyberResilience #AustralianHealthcare

No one tells you the real skill set required to succeed in tech sales.
There’s no fundamental education for what we do.

99% of sales enablement is fluff, fractured processes and product decks.

When I left Telstra and joined Cisco, I thought the lack of training I got was a Telstra problem.
Turns out, it’s an industry problem.

Cisco has mentorship programs and “sales accellerator programs” for new sellers but they all focused on product, not process.
Nothing on sales frameworks, structure of a deal, or how to actually sell.

When I won global sales awards and visited the US and Europe, I met the people implementing these programs.
They all said the same thing: “We know we should be teaching process and soft skills… but the execs just want product, product, product.”

And that’s the problem.
Most new reps don’t even see the tech they sell - it’s either hidden away in the cloud or a data centre.
Hard to sell something you don’t feel.

The advice: if you’re in tech sales, stop waiting for the system to teach you. It won't.
Invest in your own knowledge, study what works, understand why people buy.
That’s what will shift you from 'order taker' to 'order creator'.

Do the work that others don't to get the rewards others won't.

Thanks to Shimark Ghaffoor for the chat!
~~~

Want to learn how to sell millions in tech as a trusted authentic human? 

Check out my free 7-day 'Vibe Selling' Email Masterclass and discover how to master your trustworthy Vibe in sales with the latest in EQ, Neuroscience & Sales Psychology! ☯️

Click 'Visit my website' above or link in bio!

Authenticity is an energetic frequency.

People can feel when you’re regulated, grounded, and operating from integrity.
That’s what defines your vibe - it’s what builds trust before a single word is said.

→ Know your principles and live by them
→ Be upfront when something isn’t a fit
→ Focus on helping, not hustling

I’ve never cared about squeezing the most money out of a customer.
I care about solving problems, leaving people better than I found them, and operating with an abundance mindset.

That’s what authentic confidence looks like, a calm nervous system that says:
“I’m either going to help you or point you in a direction that will. Either way, you’ll get value.”

In Vibe Selling, I call this energetic alignment - your inner state matching your outer message.
That alignment is what people feel when they decide to trust you.

Thanks to Shimark Ghaffoor for the chat!

~~~

Want to learn how to sell millions in tech as a trusted authentic human?

Check out my free 7-day 'Vibe Selling' Email Masterclass and discover how to master your trustworthy Vibe in sales with the latest in EQ, Neuroscience & Sales Psychology! ☯️

Click 'Visit my website' above or link in bio!

Performative' selling needs to end.

→ Drop the customer service voice
→ Drop the “sales persona”
→ Drop the corporate veneer

Nobody trusts the person "trying" to be trustworthy, trust me! 😉

When you’re real you can throw in some self-deprecating humor, acknowledge the elephant in the room and make them laugh,

the “stranger danger” dissolves and trust is being built.

In a first meeting with a customer and my SE I will literally say, “I’m the guy that talks bullshit. He’s the guy that verifies it."
It disarms people instantly because it acknowledges the sub-context of expecting to be BS'ed to by salespeople.

Trust isn’t built through formality - it’s built through familiarity. Human to human understanding.
Be okay being you first to invite a more authentic conversation and relationship from the jump.

Thanks to Shimark Ghaffoor for the chat!

~~~

Want to learn how to sell millions in tech as a trusted authentic human?

Check out my free 7-day 'Vibe Selling' Email Masterclass and discover how to master your trustworthy Vibe in sales with the latest in EQ, Neuroscience & Sales Psychology! ☯️

Click 'Visit my website' above or link in bio!

One of the fastest ways to improve as a seller?
Get better at qualification.

→ The industry standard for sales is a 3:1 pipeline-to-close ratio
→ That means 66% of their time is wasted chasing the wrong opportunities

If you want to go from average to elite,
you need to shift your focus from more pipeline
to better pipeline.

Great sellers don’t try to close everyone.

They spend time with the right people:
→ The ones with a real problem
→ The ones who actually want to solve it
→ The ones where your solution fits

Average sellers close at 33%,
Competent sellers close at 50%
Elite Sellers close at 70-80%.

At the elite level, you not only exponentially increase your quota attainment and commissions,
you also save your precious energy and sanity for the things that matter.

The best way to improve your qualification skillset:
→ Get good at a qualifying framework: BANT for SMB, MEDDPICC for Mid-Market & above
→ Learn emotional intelligence and master tools like exteroception and empathy

I can help you with both, and I've got your complete EQ toolkit in my bio!

We're leading from the front at Ericom, innovating from our core to protect Australians in new and exciting ways!

It's a lot of fun to be at the cutting-edge of tech, and in our Future Technologies team we're venturing into Robotics, Healthtech, IoT and much more.

The successful launch of Astro the robotic hazard sensor dog is testament to the team's vision & passion for tech, and it's future impact is very bright!

If you're curious about how emerging tech could work for your business, we have an 'innovation catalyst' service where we prototype & build MVPs for you, helping you experiment & de-risk your new tech initiatives like these.

Send me a DM to learn more!

Matty Redpath Justin Browne Ben Schmid Mario Galea Warrick Forbes Kyle Page

Astro might not fetch sticks, but Telstra Enterprise's robot dog is helping keep workers safe. 👇
 
Built in collaboration with Ericom, Astro uses environmental sensors and 5G to explore tunnels and tricky areas, sending real-time data back to the team above. The result? Safer working conditions and faster, smarter insights.
 
Astro was recently trialed with John Holland on the Metro Tunnel Project in Melbourne, giving teams a clear picture of air quality and potential hazards before anyone stepped inside.
 
It’s an exciting example of how connectivity and robotics can work together to solve real-world safety challenges and shape the future of industry.
 
Good boy, Astro! 🐶

Australian innovation at it’s finest, and it’s right here at Ericom 📈

Chief Customer Officer - Telstra Enterprise | Graduate of Australian Institute of Company Directors

“What happens when you mix 5G innovation, collaboration, and a robot dog? 🐕✨ 
 
You get Astro – and a fantastic partnership between Telstra Enterprise, John Holland, and Ericom that’s helping make worksites safer and smarter.
 
This trial showed how 5G connectivity, IoT, and robotics can help solve age-old challenges in construction – getting into tight, underground spaces where it’s not always safe to send people. Even more exciting, it opens the door to possibilities like 5G slicing for critical use cases – delivering tailored performance where it matters most.
 
I’m so proud of what our teams achieved together. This is Together Builds Better in action – our teams and our partners all pulling in the same direction to make a real impact. To keep our family and friends out there in risky environments safe 🚧 
 
Want to dive deeper? Check out the full customer story here: https://lnkd.in/gb27K-7J

And a big personal thank you to Steve Butcher! I had fun getting to know you and filming this one together 🙏 
 
#TogetherBuildsBetter #Innovation #Safety #TelstraEnterprise #5G #IoT #Teamwork”

There’s no real education for tech sales.
You just get thrown in, told your number, and left to figure it out.

If you’re lucky, you shadow someone half-decent and piece together a system that “sort of works.”
But most sellers are winging it behind closed doors - afraid to share their process because they’re scared it’s wrong.

→ No clear frameworks
→ No consistent standards
→ No external validation that says, “Yes, you’re doing it right.”

I’ve coached sellers all the way from new grads to 15-year veterans, and most of them have never been taught what an actual sales process is.

That’s why I’m building a new standard for technology sales.

One clear roadmap for mastering:

→ The complete B2B sales process
→ The meta-skills that set you apart from the 'order takers'
→ How to sell with integrity & authenticity

Curious? Check out my Vibe Selling email masterclass - link in bio or click 'visit my website' above!

Salesforce sucks.

Salesforce is NOT for salespeople.

Salesforce is middle-ware stitching data from internal legacy applications together to give visibility to sales ops & executives.

Updating Salesforce & other sales CRMs is one of the biggest painpoints between sellers and managers,

the disconnect being the prodding of managers to update pipeline without assisting in the inefficient process to actually update it.

Pipeline dashboards are often cluttered with:

- old opps from the previous account team they pushed out instead of closing off
- random 'leads' from Marketing (if any lol)
- duplicates of opps created for god knows what reason

This leaves actual pipeline difficult for AEs to get a handle on,

unable to see a clear runway to quota or even what opportunities they should focus on closing.

I solve this for my AE students by providing them a pipeline template that allows them to see:

- what opportunities to focus on each quarter
- their actual values towards their quota
- their next best actions to closing the deal

This allows them to focus on what actually matters daily (developing & closing deals) and then updating Salesforce as required,

usually in a block of admin time on a Friday.

This keeps them on track to smash quota whilst keeping their sales managers off their back!

That template and 9 more to run your portfolio is available here: https://lnkd.in/g-ZfycwE

Strategy & Finance Executive | Scaling Impact-Driven Companies Beyond $10M | Strategic CFO | Certified Scaling Up Advisor

Scaling Founders Beyond $10M with Strategy, Financial Clarity, and Leadership Expansion

Most companies stall not because of lack of effort—
but because the founder has outgrown the systems, strategies, and financial models that once worked.

At Ascend Growth Ventures, we partner with CEOs of $3M–$10M companies to implement Scaling Up, strengthen financial infrastructure, and elevate leadership teams—building businesses that scale profitably and predictably, without burning out the founder.

By integrating Scaling Up, Exponential Organizations, and CFO-level financial insights, we deliver a complete, battle-tested system for sustainable, high-performance growth.

🔹 We Work With CEOs Who Want To:
✔️ Scale revenue and profits without chaos
✔️ Build self-managing leadership teams
✔️ Unlock hidden cash flow and improve financial decision-making
✔️ Sharpen their strategy for exponential growth
✔️ Prepare for capital raises, acquisitions, or exits

🔹 Our Core Focus Areas:
  * Strategic Scaling Up Implementation

  * Financial Strategy & Cash Optimization

  * Leadership Team Development

  * Systems for Predictable Growth

  * Valuation Prep and Exit Strategy

✅ Why Work With Me?
25+ years of experience scaling businesses from the inside out:
➡️ Regional CFO, GE Gas Power (LATAM, +1.5GW record year)
➡️ Strategic finance and underwriting leadership at GE Capital
➡️ Business/project development for 8-figure ventures
➡️ Trusted advisor to founders scaling past $10M and beyond

✅ Industries We Specialize In:
✔️ Clean Energy & Decarbonization
✔️ Industrial Goods & B2B Services
✔️ Impact-Driven Companies
✔️ Scaling Coaching & Consulting Firms

🧠 If You're Ready to Scale Intelligently and Sustainably

Let's have a strategic conversation about where you are—and where you can go.

Easiest way to work with me?

Book a private power hour call and let's create your vision.
https://calendly.com/cruzagamboa/90-min-power-hour

Cruz Gamboa

Some companies don’t stall because of strategy.
They stall because of perception.

You can have the right model, metrics, and playbook—
and still struggle to scale
because trust isn’t in the culture.

We think scaling is about systems, KPIs, and offers.
But it’s really about energy, alignment, and belief.

Teams don’t reject initiatives.
They reject inconsistency.
They sense when the leader says one thing
and embodies another.

Every interaction in a growing company is a mirror—
it reflects the culture that’s actually being built.

Before you refine your next OKR,
refine your presence.

Because the best strategy in the world can’t fix a trust gap.

➡️ People follow clarity before they follow goals.
➡️ Integrity scales faster than intensity.


#leadership #scalingup #growth #trust #mindset

The market tells stories. Your financials & metrics tell truth.

In 2001, Amazon's stock cratered from $113 to $6.

Wall Street declared it dead.

Let's be clear: that had to be terrifying. Even for Bezos.

Watching 95% of your valuation evaporate. Hearing the whispers. Feeling the pressure from every direction.

But here's what separated him from founders who fold in those moments, he kept coming back to his dashboard:

Customer acquisition costs...improving. 

Fulfillment efficiency...improving. 

Contribution margin per unit...improving. 

Defect rates...declining.

The stock price reflected fear. 

The operating metrics reflected reality.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to trust what you can measure over what you can't control.

This is Financial Intelligence: knowing which numbers actually predict your future, especially when everything around you is screaming that you're losing.

Watch the video. Bezos is calm. 

Not because he wasn't scared, but because he had clarity.

He knew exactly what was true inside his business.

That's how you survive what looks like a reversal, and come out the other side stronger.

That's how $6 becomes $1.7 trillion.

So here's my question for you:

What would it be worth to have that kind of clarity the next time everything feels like it's falling apart?

To know—not hope, not guess—that you're on the right track?

That's the game worth playing.

Check out comments for details

#founder #growth #ceo #scalingup

Helping Founders Break the $10M Ceiling | Strategy, Cash Flow & Leadership Systems | Scaling CFO

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

Hamdi Ulukaya didn’t just build a yogurt brand, he redefined an industry.

No investors. No marketing budget. Just purpose, grit, and belief.

In 2005, he saw an ad.
An abandoned Kraft yogurt factory.

Everyone saw a money pit.
He saw possibility.

He didn’t have the money.
So he took a loan.

Bought the factory.
Kept 5 employees who believed when no one else did.

No income.
No sales.
No marketing.
Just faith, and a recipe from home.

Two years later, in 2007, Chobani was born.

No ads. Just bold packaging and pure taste.

Retailers hesitated.
But the people loved it.

Within 5 years, #1 yogurt in America.

Over $1B in sales.
The giants, Dannon, Yoplait, couldn’t catch up.

He stayed private.
Gave 10% of the company to his employees.

Hired refugees.
Put people before profit.

When asked why, he said:

👉 “Business is the strongest force for good, if it puts people first.”

From a shepherd in Turkey…
To a billionaire who still walks the factory floors.

Lesson?
You don’t need investors.
You need integrity.
You don’t need luck.
You need courage.

Because the dream still works, if you do.

Loved this story. Let me know your comments. 

What problem in your business keeps calling for your most creative energy?

#CEO  #FOUNDER #GROWTH #SCALINGUP

Two friends, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

One dropped out.
One got rejected from med school.
But both wanted to build something.

First idea: bagels.
Too expensive.
So they pivot to ice cream.

No experience. No investors.
Just a $5 correspondence course from Penn State.
$2.50 each.

They find an abandoned gas station in Vermont.
Borrow $12,000.
Do the renovation themselves.

Ben can’t even taste properly, a condition called anosmia.
So he focuses on texture.
Big chunks. Wild swirls. Bold flavours.

What others saw as a weakness became their edge.

Within months, lines formed outside the door.
Free Cone Day became a tradition.
Word spread fast.

Few years later, they launched Cherry Garcia.
The brand took off across the country.
Soon, Ben & Jerry’s was making over $500M a year.

All from $12,000 and a $5 course.

Lesson?
You don’t need the perfect start.
You need creativity, courage, and the guts to turn constraints into leverage.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁.

Steve Jobs said it best, the greatest people are self-managing.

They don’t need direction. They are the direction.

When you’re scaling, this is the difference between speed and stagnation.

You can’t build a $10M company micromanaging every move.
You build it by surrounding yourself with people who:

➡️ See the problem before you do.
➡️ Fix it without asking.
➡️ Then tell you how they made it better.

That’s who scales companies.
Not followers.
Not “yes” people.
Builders.

If you have to keep pushing your team to move, 
you don’t have a scaling problem,
you have a people problem.

The truth?
The best teams don’t need managing.
They need mission.

Hire those who act like owners.
Give them the target.
Then get the hell out of their way.

That’s how you scale.
That’s how you win.

#scalingup #ceo #founder #growth

He built a dating site that generated exactly zero activity.
No users. No traction. No revenue.

Most leaders call that a failed model.
I call it an early audit.

Three ex-PayPal employees launched “Tune In Hook Up,” expecting market fit.
What they got was silence.
Operational cost? Rising.
User acquisition? Non-existent.
ROI? Negative from day one.

But here’s what mattered:
They reviewed the data instead of reacting to the emotion.

They noticed users trying to upload videos
Not for dating, but for everyday moments.
Unintended behaviour, but real demand.

So they executed the smartest financial move any early-stage team can make:
A low-cost pivot.

Same infrastructure.
Same upload system.
Zero additional burn.
Just a shift in positioning:
Share any video.

And that decision changed their entire valuation trajectory.

Users scaled exponentially.
Cost per acquisition plummeted.
Engagement skyrocketed.
Suddenly, they weren’t running a dating site…
They were running the internet’s first true video platform.

By 2006, their risk profile had flipped
High growth. High virality.
And high legal exposure.

Enter Google.
They offered $1.65B in stock for a business that still had no established monetisation engine.
From a financial lens?
That’s called derisking the future.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim accepted.
Smart move.
They transferred operational liability…
And secured generational wealth.

Today, YouTube contributes over $40B in yearly ad revenue
and sits at a valuation north of $500B.

All from a product that started as a complete miss 
until the data told a different story.

Lesson:
You don’t scale perfection.
You scale what the market proves it wants.
Listen to the numbers, not the narratives.
And never underestimate the ROI of a well-timed pivot.

#CFOInsights #Leadership #Strategy #Scalingup

She sold her engagement ring for $10,000.
Ten years later, Vicky Tsai built a $500M skincare empire.

Most people call that crazy.
I call it commitment.

She walked away from a six-figure job…
Moved back into her childhood bedroom at 30…
Got rejected for 18 months straight…
And kept going anyway.

1,000 units.
Her last $5,000.
No safety net. No backup plan.

Month one? $2,000 in sales.
Most people quit here.
Vicky didn’t.

She packed every order by hand.
Wrote thank-you notes to strangers.
Built trust one customer at a time.

Then the internet found her.
Demand exploded.
Sephora called.
And the bedroom startup became one of the fastest-growing skincare brands in America.

In 2019, Unilever bought Tatcha for $500 million.
The $10,000 ring she sold?
It turned into 50,000x.

Lesson?
You don’t need permission.
You need conviction.
And the courage to burn Plan B. 

#ceo #founder #growth #scalingup

She was 20. A housewife. No experience. No degree.

Just a dream, and a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Everyone said it would fail.
“Cookies? That’s not a business.”

Banks said no.Experts laughed.

The market was ruled by Oreos and Chips Ahoy.

But Debbi Fields didn’t care.
She took a $50,000 loan with her husband.

Rented a small store in Palo Alto.

Rent: $800/month.
Failure wasn’t an option.

Opening day:
By noon, not a single sale.
She panicked. Grabbed a tray.
Walked outside.
“Try one. They’re free.”

That one line changed everything.
Crowds formed.

They sold out by evening.

She baked fresh every 2 hours.
Never sold day-old cookies.
If they sat too long, she gave them away.

Advisors hated it.
Customers LOVED it.

Year one: $200,000 in sales.
Then store #2.
Then San Francisco.
Then malls.
Then the world.

By the 1990s:

➡ 600+ stores
➡ $500M in annual sales
➡ And a new category: premium cookies

All from one woman who ignored logic and trusted her gut.

The takeaway:
If everyone says your idea is crazy,
you might just be onto something.

#scalingup #founder #growth #ceo

He got fired.
The company he built said, “We don’t need you anymore.”
Everyone forgot him.

But Steve Jobs didn’t stop.

He poured tens of millions into a failing company called Pixar.
Everyone thought he was crazy.
Most would have quit.

12 years later… that gamble sold for $7.4 BILLION.

Here’s the thing:

👉 He wasn’t chasing money. He was chasing vision.
👉 He embraced risk when others ran from it.
👉 He bet on what he believed in, even when the world said no.

Most people quit right before the payoff.
The real winners? They push through when it’s hardest.
They see opportunity where others see failure.

If you want massive results, you need to do what most won’t.
Step past comfort. Step past doubt. Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live just beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup  #growth #ceo

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Steve Jobs

He built pole barns to pay for college.

Decades later, John Menard Jr. built Menards, an $18B home improvement empire.

Most people call that luck.

I call it financial discipline.

He opened a small lumber yard in 1964…

Kept prices rock-bottom by building his own factories…

And built every store with cash, not debt.

No investors. No loans. No noise.

While others chased speed and Wall Street, John chose control.

He knew his margins by product line. He tracked cash flow like a pilot tracks altitude. He made the numbers his single source of truth.

Store by store. State by state. Slow, steady, unstoppable.

When 2008 hit, he didn't scramble; he expanded.

Today?

340+ Menards stores. $13B+ revenue. 3rd third-largest home-improvement chain in America. Still 100% private.

The lesson?

You don't need to grow fast. You need to grow right.

That means: 
→ Knowing your profit margins by service line 
→ Tracking cash flow weekly, not just at tax time 
→ Building systems so the business works, not just you

Financial clarity isn't about being a "numbers person."
It's about building simple, repeatable habits that let you scale with confidence.

Have the courage to own every decision, starting with your numbers.
#founder #growth #businessmindset #financialclarity #scalingup

Most people think success comes from working harder, dreaming bigger, or thinking smarter.

Here's the truth: none of that matters if you don't act.

In one simple test, a $50 bill was up for grabs. 

Everyone wanted it. 
Everyone talked about it. 
Everyone wished they had it…

Except Debbie.

She stood up. She walked forward. She took it.

That's it. 

That's the difference between winners and everyone else.

While everyone else burns time and money chasing online strategies that become less effective every day…

The smartest entrepreneurs thriving in 2025 are walking away from their screens and adding an extra 7-figures through live events.

Real humans. In-person communities. High-profit partnerships.

The ultimate advantage in the age of AI isn't replacing humanity with efficiency; it's experiences that are deep, connective, transformative, and profitable.

Getting face-to-face with your ideal clients AND peers is the most consistent solution to the Trust Recession.

I'll be at Event Profit Engine in Austin (December 10-12)...and I still have 4 discounted tickets.

If you're ready to get clarity on the financial blind spots keeping you from scaling, this is your moment.

Don't sit in the room wishing. 

Be Debbie.

P.S. Stop waiting for perfect timing. The money, the deal, the break… it's waiting for the first person who moves. Will it be you? DM me AUSTIN for ticket details.
#scalingup #CEO #founder #growth

Most founders don't fail because of competition.
 They fail because of the blind spots they never see coming.

Cash looks fine… until it doesn't. Revenue grows… but profit disappears. You hire fast… and spend months fixing mistakes. You work harder… but scale refuses to unlock.

I spent 20+ years at GE Capital navigating these exact challenges at a corporate level.

Closing an $800M+ power plant deal? That taught me cash flow precision. Managing international transactions? That revealed the profit leaks most miss. Building high-performance teams? That showed me the cost of hiring fast vs. hiring right.

Those frameworks didn't just help me lead deals—they gave me the blueprint for scalable growth.

Now I help founders apply these same battle-tested systems to their businesses.

The 7 blind spots in this carousel? They're the ones holding 90% of founders back from predictable, profitable scale.

If you want to go deeper… Download my free ebook in the comments. 

Fix the blind spots. Scale with clarity. Build a business that runs like a pro—because you learned from one.
#scalingup #founder #ceo #growth

7 Blind Spots

𝗛𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.

Most founders know Pinterest.

Almost no one knows Paul Sciarra, the guy who paid early salaries out of his own pocket, skipped taking income, and carried the company when no one else believed.

He wasn’t a “supporter.”
He was the architecture.

And then the quiet part of startup life happened.
Not a blow-up.
Not a fight.
Just… inches.

One meeting he wasn’t invited to.
One decision he didn’t have visibility into.
One board conversation that happened without him.

By the time Pinterest crossed millions of users and raised over $100M…
Paul was out.

He walked away with ~$15M.
Not nothing.
But painful when your original idea becomes a $25B enterprise.

This isn’t a story about betrayal.
It’s a story about leadership, governance, and identity.

𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆.
They lose it when:
 • they stop owning the financial strategy
 • they delegate governance without understanding it
 • they avoid hard conversations
 • they let investors define the path
 • they disconnect from the role of architect

You can build something extraordinary…
and still get written out of your own success if you don’t stay in the seat you were meant to own.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 $𝟯𝗠–$𝟭𝟬𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻.
The product works.
The company has traction.
Teams are growing.

 But governance, capital strategy, and leadership identity aren’t keeping pace.
That’s the real risk.

𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:
Your idea can change the world,  but only if you stay in the role of architect as it scales.

Own your equity.
Protect your seat.
Upgrade your thinking.
Build with intention.
The threat isn’t being pushed out.
The threat is drifting out of your power.

𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:
 Are you building like the founder…
 or leading like the architect?

#ceo #founder #scalingup #growth

He was dropped at an orphanage at seven.
No food. No money. No choice.

By 14, he was on a factory floor, making metal frames.
One wrong move crushed part of his finger. Permanent injury.

Most people would quit. Most people would settle.
He didn’t.

He watched. He learned.
Every machine. Every process. Every decision.
Night classes. Every penny saved. Knowledge accumulation.

At 26, he opened a tiny eyewear shop in the Italian Alps.
Nothing fancy. No connections. Just him, a few employees, and an obsession with understanding the craft end-to-end.

Most competitors sold parts. He had a different idea: make complete frames. Control the product. Own the market.

By the 1980s, he was making designer frames for fashion houses.
By 1995, he bought LensCrafters—suddenly he controlled both the product and the retail.

Then came Ray-Ban.
Everyone said he overpaid $640 million for a dying brand.
He didn’t see risk. He saw opportunity.

Ray-Ban wasn’t just glasses anymore.
Movies. Celebrities. Fashion statements.
Value multiplied. Brand exploded.

He kept buying. Oakley. Sunglass Hut. Prada. Versace. Chanel. Pearle Vision.
Vertical integration? Check. Market dominance? Check. Monopoly? Almost.

When he died in 2022, Leonardo Del Vecchio had $25.8 billion.
One orphan. One factory worker. One relentless learner.

Lesson:
You don’t need luck. You need mastery, observation, and relentless execution.
Start small. Learn everything. Then own the ecosystem.

#ceo #scalingup #growth #founder

They emailed eBay 200 times.
eBay ignored every single one.
Most people would’ve given up.

But Marc, Oliver, and Alexander Samwer weren’t “most people.”

They cloned eBay.
Launched it in Germany.
Executed with speed and perfection.
Within months… eBay bought it back for $43 MILLION.

Then the brothers doubled down.
They built Rocket Internet, the company that turned cloning into a billion-dollar machine.

They copied.
They improved.
They scaled.
And they sold again, and again, and again.

Here’s the truth:

👉 They weren’t chasing approval, they were chasing execution at scale.
👉 They didn’t wait to be discovered, they created their own leverage.
👉 They mastered the one principle most founders overlook:
Doing it better beats doing it first.

Critics called them “copycats.”
But behind the noise, the Samwer brothers built an empire worth billions.

Most people stop when they hear “no.”
The one who succeed?
They push when it’s uncomfortable.
They build when others hesitate.
They turn rejection into momentum.

If you want outsized results, do what most won’t:
Step past comfort.
Step past doubt.
Step past fear.

Because the biggest payoffs live right beyond the point where almost everyone quits.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #bostonfounders

Mastermind Scaling Dinner 

This past Wednesday night in Boston, twelve leaders got uncomfortably honest about their real constraints.

No pitch decks. No surface-level networking. 

Just the Hero's Journey framework and one question: 

"What's actually stopping you from scaling?"

Three principles guided the conversation:

🪞 Your Business is a Mirror 

The bottleneck in your business is a reflection of a constraint in your leadership. 

Stop fixing symptoms. Fix the leader, and the business scales.

🐉 Constraints are Your Greatest Leverage

 Your biggest constraint is not a problem—it's the dragon guarding your next treasure. 

The right constraint, once identified and solved, unlocks massive, non-linear growth.

⚖️ Not All Success Has the Same Price

 You can build a company that breaks you, or one that fulfills you. 

Alignment + Clarity = Sustainable Success.

🎯 What showed up:

Estate planning. Cybersecurity. Medical devices. Food distribution. Banking. Fractional sales leadership. IT services. M&A law. Green infrastructure. Urban revitalization. Job search acceleration.

Different industries. Same truth: Every business grows until it hits a constraint, then grows no further.

The magic wasn't in solving everything in one night. 

It was in naming the real constraint out loud - not the sanitized version we tell at networking events, but the 2am version that keeps us up.

Some constraints were about capital. Others about people, partnerships, or positioning. A few were about letting go of what got them here to embrace what gets them there.

🤝 The vulnerability created immediate value: Real partnerships forming. 

Actual introductions being made. Problems being reframed. Resources being shared.

Thank you to Adrian Mendoza and the Mendoza Ventures team for hosting us.

And to everyone who showed up: Marco A. Schiavo , Geoffry Gilton, Joshua Sigsworth, PT, DPT, Dominic Endicott, Jacques Cohen, Maud Dentico, Vasant Narayan, Raffi Yardemian, CSL, Paul Smith, Alex Khalarian, and Sam "Butch" Nigro.

This is what happens when you build community around truth instead of transactions.

The Mastermind dinner happens monthly ( but we are taking a break in December). If you're a founder or executive in Boston or Greater Boston working on something real and willing to get honest about your constraints, let's talk.

We are going to start hosting Metro West dinners as well. More to come.

P.S. - Curious about finding the constraint for your business? Drop a comment or DM.

Most founders don’t fail because they’re lazy.
They fail because their goals are small.

Small goals keep you grinding.
Big goals force you to rebuild the system.

When you raise the target to 10x, everything changes:
your strategy, your thinking, your standards, your circle.

You stop playing in the crowded middle
and start operating where very few people dare to go.

10x isn’t harder.

It’s cleaner. 
It’s clearer. 
It’s smarter.

Stop playing safe. Start playing big.

I learned this lesson the hard way.

I wanted to grow my LinkedIn presence to 100K in a year.
I had 2k followers. 

A few people said that it would take years and that I was unrealistic.

Maybe they would have been right - if I'd believed them

I tried anyway. 
I took a course to learn from others who were ahead of me.
I showed up here every day.
Continuously improved my content (and my mindset)
Hired people to help me.

Did I accomplish my goal?
NO. 

I am still at 72k followers today, a year into that challenge.
But I am still grateful for the results. 

Can you imagine what would have happened if I had played small?
I may be at 15K followers at best. 

And that's the whole point. 

Even if you miss the 10X mark, it beats linear thinking. 

This same principle is why I help founders identify the 7 financial blind spots killing their scale - because small thinking about money keeps you grinding, while 10x financial clarity forces you to rebuild the system.

Want to apply 10x thinking to your finances? 

I've identified the 7 blind spots most founders miss. 

Download the guide; link is in the comments. 

#founder #ceo #growth #scalingup

10X Thinking = 10 X Results

He bought a bankrupt textile factory for $15 million.
Forty years later, Bernard Arnault built a $500B luxury empire.

Most people call that impossible.
I call it vision.

He didn’t invent anything.
He didn’t design a product.
He didn’t chase trends.
He just saw what others couldn’t.

Buried inside that dying company was a forgotten gem: Christian Dior.
Everyone overlooked it.
Arnault didn’t.

He sold everything except Dior.
Bet the house on one iconic brand.
And rebuilt from zero.

Then he made an even crazier move
He went after LVMH.
Louis Vuitton. Moët. Hennessy.
The crown jewels of French luxury.

The elite hated it.
The media mocked it.
It was the most hostile takeover France had ever seen.
Arnault didn’t blink.

He bought the shares quietly.
Took control boldly.
And turned LVMH into a global machine.

One acquisition at a time.
Fendi. Tiffany. Givenchy. Sephora.
Dozens of brands reborn under one ruthless strategy:

Let creators dream.
But keep the business razor sharp.

While tech giants chased disruption…
Arnault chased timelessness.

While others discounted…
He raised value.

In 2023, he became the richest man on Earth.
Quiet. Precise. Unshakeable.
He outplayed every tech titan without writing a single line of code.

Lesson?
You don’t need to invent.
You need to see the hidden gem
And have the courage to bet everything on it.

#entrepreneur #growth #businessstrategy #founder #scalingup

𝗛𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘀.
𝗛𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Back in the early 2000s, Jon Oringer wasn’t building empires, he was just trying to find affordable stock photos for his tiny online business.

But what he found instead… was an opportunity.

Stock images back then cost $300+ per photo, a luxury small creators couldn’t afford.

So Jon did something different:

▶ Bought a camera
▶ Took 100 photos a day
▶ Built his own website
▶ Uploaded 30,000 photos
▶ Charged $49/month for unlimited downloads

That’s how Shutterstock was born.

No fancy investors. No marketing team.

Just a subscription model, executed brilliantly.

He wasn’t selling images,
he was selling convenience, freedom, and access.

And the best part?

Every sale cost him nothing to reproduce.Pure passive income.

By the time Shutterstock went public in 2012,
Jon still owned 55% of it.

His net worth crossed $1 billion,
built from a camera, a simple website, and consistency.

That’s not luck.
That’s vision meeting execution.

Because the smartest entrepreneurs don’t wait for an opportunity,
they create it by solving a problem once
and selling the solution over and over again.

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧:

Stop chasing “new.”
Find one problem.

Solve it better than anyone else.
Then systemize, scale, and sleep while your solution works for you.

#Entrepreneurship #ceo #BusinessModel #founder #scalingup

Passion isn’t happiness.
It’s pain.
It’s grinding when no one is watching.
It’s suffering through every mistake, every rejection, every late night, just to build something nobody thought was possible.

Jensen Huang didn’t follow the market.
He didn’t wait for AI to be big.
He invested 10,000 engineer-years ahead of demand.
He pivoted Nvidia from graphics chips to AI dominance.
That’s vision. That’s first-principles thinking. That’s suffering smarter than everyone else.

Breakthroughs aren’t born in comfort zones.
They’re born when you refuse to quit, when you embrace the grind, and when you’re willing to suffer today for what the world will celebrate tomorrow.

Extraordinary isn’t given.
It’s earned.
Through struggle.
Through relentless work.
Through being willing to do what everyone else won’t.

If you want to be great, get comfortable being uncomfortable.

#scalingup #growth #ceo #founder

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Jameel Rehman

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The Battle

Jameel Rehman

Cruz Gamboa

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jameel Rehman's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreJameel Rehman's LinkedIn Performance