The Revenue Maze

Anurag Gupta is the Founder and CEO of Shoreline.io, a technology company built to efficiently strengthen service resiliency and reliability fleet-wide.  Shoreline’s AI-powered solution for incident diagnosis & repair helps teams fix issues with executable runbooks and self-healing infrastructure, unlike observability tools that only detect issues.
 
Before Shoreline, Anurag was a VP at AWS, where he was responsible for transactional database and analytic services, growing this business a thousand-fold over his time there. He has also been an early member of three startups, with one IPO and two acquisitions.
 
Anurag’s interest in and commitment to DevOps and reliability has inspired him to start Reliability.org, a community for people who are interested in achieving better software application and infrastructure reliability through design, development, and operations. He currently has over 100 patents granted or pending.
 
In this episode Anurag Gupta discusses the common excuse of not having enough money to implement certain actions. As the CEO and founder of Shoreline.io, a cyber risk company, Anurag is no stranger to facing various frameworks and warnings from experts like Gartner. He questions the logic of potentially losing a $20 million contract for a small percentage of revenue, highlighting the importance of prioritizing long-term growth and success
 
Key Takeaways
 
~Operational Efficiency in Business: Anurag Gupta discussed the delicate balance between operations and innovation. He emphasized the importance of allocating more resources to innovation as it drives company growth and revenue.
 
~Operational Toil: Anurag delves into the challenge of recognizing both the acute costs, such as significant outages, and everyday mundane costs in business operations. He metaphorically describes operational challenges as being "peanut buttered" across everyone, suggesting that these issues affect all aspects of a business and aren't always immediately evident.
 
~Facing Business Pain Points: The conversation touched on recognizing pain points in operations and taking proactive steps to address them. They discussed how sometimes individuals or companies might not even be aware of the pain they're experiencing or might assume that the pain is unsolvable.
 
~Pride vs. Efficiency: Anurag discussed the common attitude where professionals take pride in handling crises, such as staying up all night to address issues. However, he suggests that it might be more valuable to appreciate those who ensure smooth operations without any drama, emphasizing preventative measures over reactive solutions.
 
~Value of Communication in Disability: Moving away from business operations, Anurag highlighted the importance of recognizing and facilitating alternative communication methods for those who can't communicate through standard means. He brought attention to organizations that emphasize that communication is a human right and the need to separate speech capability from intelligence.
 
~Advocacy for Disability Awareness: The podcast shed light on the importance of not overlooking or underestimating people with disabilities. Anurag and the host discussed notable figures, like Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking, underscoring the idea that brilliance and talent aren't limited by physical constraints or challenges.
 
Quote of the show –
 
"And the trick of it really is to not have your ego, to reduce your ego and to reduce your sense to which you're defined by how you're perceived."
 
Time Stamps –
 
[00:00:00] Navigating revenue growth with Valerie Cobb and Anurag Gupta.
[00:06:01] Sales methodologies vary depending on the client. Sales training at Nordstrom included a personal touch. Fashion industry promotes scarcity and staying up-to-date. Startup stories are interesting to discuss.
[00:08:05] Big things with small teams; changing paths.
[00:13:04] Adult children wiser, let go of negativity.
[00:17:17] Entrepreneurs need to take ownership of goals.
[00:19:20] Advocate of will and Hill, changing organizations, transparency, coaching, churn, flipping the question.
[00:24:49] Transparency, visibility, and goal alignment in work.
[00:28:41] Questioning, pursuing passions, and finding fulfillment.
[00:32:01] Need money. Don't want to invest.
[00:35:50] Pain of same vs pain of change.
[00:39:07] Supporting communication as a human right for all.
[00:40:51] We all have challenges, be seen.
[00:44:03] Acceptance varies, some seek details, storytelling included.
 
Contact Anurag at – anurag@shorline.io
Samyak Pandya’s Social Media
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awgupta/
Shoreline - https://www.shoreline.io/
 
Revenue Northstar-https://revenuenorthstar.com/
Revenue Northstar Podcast-https://revenuenorthstar.com/podcasts/
The Revenue Maze Podcast-https://www.revenuemaze.com/
 

Samyak Pandya is an expert in enterprise sales, particularly in dealing with large organizations in the automotive industry. He has successfully worked with global customers like Toyota, Pensky, and Arwal, helping them transform their business and achieve their goals. Samyak possesses a unique skill set that enables him to understand the perspective of both his customers and his own team members. This ability allows him to approach deals in a holistic manner, resulting in win-win solutions for all parties involved. Samyak refers to his approach as a "bear hug," which emphasizes the importance of embracing both the customer and the internal team with kindness and understanding. With his experience and expertise, Samyak has become a highly successful operator in the field of enterprise sales. In the podcast, Samyak Pandya discusses the importance of elevating the conversation in enterprise sales.
This means going beyond just talking about product features and focusing on how the product or service can help the customer transform and achieve their business goals. He also emphasizes the need for cross-functional collaboration, credibility building, and creating win-win solutions for both the customer and the company.
Key Takeaways
~Embracing Change: Learn how making dramatic changes, even for a limited period, can expand your perspectives, change your perceptions, and add to your repertoire of skills and experiences.
~Growth Through Discomfort: Discover how embracing extreme discomfort can lead to personal growth and why stepping out of your comfort zone can be very rewarding and expanding.
~Conscientious Capitalism: Understand the concept of conscientious capitalism, which is likened to the emotional intelligence for business, and how it can transform businesses and organizations into better and more fun places to work.
~Business Impact on Society: Explore the idea that businesses can change lives faster than governments by creating jobs, promoting products, and contributing to the cyclical nature of marketplace growth.
~Aggressively Kind Company Culture: Learn about the concept of being an "aggressively kind" company that is uncompromising on issues but always strives to be kind to individuals.
~Marketing with a Bear Hug: Get inspired by the analogy of Winnie the Pooh and how channelling differences into benefits for customers can create a fun, great organization that embraces all.
Quote of the show – "Enterprise sales is an out-of-body, bear-hugging, cross-functional endeavour. Elevating the discussion internally and externally is the clincher and the big difference between good enterprise sales professionals and the best."
Time Stamps – [00:02:37] Customers: big fleets like Toyota, Pensky, Arwal Enterprise sales requires empathy and teamwork.
[00:05:32] Elevate conversation, build credibility, deliver promises.
[00:07:37] Enterprise sales require holistic approach and courage.
[00:13:12] Learned from good managers, Mr. Sharma, CEO, and others; considered mentors.
[00:18:16] Expanding life through change - growth through discomfort.
[00:21:40] Business changes lives faster than governments can.
[00:23:49] Conscientious capitalism is beneficial; we strive for kindness.
Contact Samyak at - samyak@ridecell.com
Samyak Pandya’s Social Media LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samyak-pandya/
Twitter - @samyakpc
Blog - https://samyak.blog
Revenue Northstar-https://revenuenorthstar.com/
Revenue Northstar Podcast-https://revenuenorthstar.com/podcasts/
The Revenue Maze Podcast-https://www.revenuemaze.com/

Today’s guest is an award-winning executive leader with experience in multiple sectors from Hospitality, Telco, Beverage Wholesale, and the Marine industry. Apart from being a problem solver extraordinaire, Monica Rozier is specifically known for galvanizing teams to work as one cohesive unit, a skill she learned in her most successful role ever.
Monica is CEO of Elite Solutions and a Revenue Leader at Revenue Northstar.
 
In today's episode, we are going to delve into the topic of division within companies and how it can impact revenue and the customer buying journey. Have you ever wondered why there is often a division between departments and the effect it has on the overall success of a business? Well, Monica has some fascinating insights to share.
 
Key takeaways,
 
~Uniting Departments for Revenue Growth: requires the leader to create an environment where t communicating and acting as a team, rather than in individual departments or silos, is non-negotiable in dealing with employee and customer strategies.
 
~Coping with the challenges of individual pushback and resistance can be difficult, especially when the pushback comes from a senior leader.
 
~Motivating Demoralized Teams: by changing strategies and fostering unity for revenue success, the effects on the customer buying journey were dramatic.
 
~Breaking Down Departmental Walls: improving communication for increased revenue, including having multiple plans for execution including what happens when things go wrong. The game can still be won even when strategy needs to change.
 
~ The Power of Transparency: setting common goals and building strong teams for revenue success. Involving everyone in the decisions is key.
 
~ Driving Change in Business: Execution, Accountability, and the Power of Habit
 
~ Taking ownership and executing ideas for revenue growth, from family businesses to Fortune 50 organizations.
 
~Unifying teams for revenue success in complex environments, inspirational leaders drive the success, but execution is key, not just great ideas.
 
Quote Of The Show- “The concept of the first team. And what it meant is our first team is the people in our peer group, and we are loyal to that team of individuals. The first team becomes the most important team.”
 
Time Stamps
 
[00:00:00] Navigating Revenue Maze with Valerie Cobb. Join Monica Rozier, CEO of Elite Solutions, as we uncover hidden revenue and empower small business growth.
[00:04:09] Friends became dysfunctional, united for common goals.
[00:06:52] Pushback, non-negotiable culture, solving problems, revenue.
[00:12:22] Unity, agreement, rules, disagreement, environment, visibility, teamwork
[00:13:39] Jack Stack's game of business promotes transparency and involvement in goal setting. Scorecards, including financial statements, are used for tracking progress. Disagrees with the inability to change goals mid-year.
[00:18:51] Business fundamentally remains unchanged despite technological advancements.
[00:23:01] Importance of full-time equivalent in consultation and execution.
[00:26:51] Expanding skills, helping small businesses succeed.
[00:28:57] Real change requires habit, accountability, and execution.
[00:32:01] Current read: Communication for leadership excellence and personal growth
[00:33:58] Thanks for listening, Monica was amazing.
 
Contact Monica at MRR@revenuenorthstar.com
 
Revenue Northstar-https://revenuenorthstar.com/
 
Revenue Northstar Podcast-https://revenuenorthstar.com/podcasts/
 
The Revenue Maze Podcast-https://www.revenuemaze.com/
 
 

Today’s Guest is Bryan Mattimore. An Innovative thinker and author and co-founder and “Chief Idea Guy” of the Growth Engine Company, a 24-year-old innovation agency based in Stamford, Connecticut.
In his business consulting career, Bryan has “ideated” and managed over two hundred successful innovation projects, leading to $3 billion in new sales annually for one-third of the Fortune 100 companies. Clients include IBM, LVMH, Merck, Pepsi, P&G, Mondelez, and Unilever, to name a few.
Bryan is a Senior Fellow with The Conference Board and an innovation and marketing instructor for Caltech in their Executive Education Department. His two-day creativity workshop, Ingenious Problem Solving combines the newest advances in generative AI with proven group ideation techniques.  
Bryan’s seven books on creativity, ideation, and innovation processes include 21 Days to a Big Idea and Idea Stormers. A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College with a major in psychology, his two new books on creativity and AI are Quirks and Quotes
 
In this episode, we'll delve into Bryan's unique perspective on ideation, his thoughts on the evolving landscape of technology, and his valuable advice for organizations facing seemingly impossible challenges.
 
Highlights
 
Sometimes the barrier to new thinking and Ideation is lack of time, it doesn't have to be a long process and can be done in a shorter timeframe like say lunchtime.
 
Applicable not only for big challenges but also for problem-solving in day-to-day situations.
 
Companies that use these techniques are more likely to continue using them because they are effective for example the game of "20 questions" that activates curiosity.
 
Evolution of technology and its impact on ideation. Mention of Franklin Covey, Palm Pilots, Blackberries, and Apple, and of course most recently the advent of access to Ai.
 
Emphasis on bringing research to meetings with buyers to demonstrate an understanding of customer preferences.
 
Redefining the subject, verb, and object to approach a challenge differently. Plus, its effective to apply this technique to trigger creativity within teams.
 
Value of input and insights from customers in understanding the reasons for a company's existence.
 
Various techniques such as worst idea technique, questioning assumptions, problem redefinition, picture prompts, and the TRIZ methodology.
 
 
Quote of the Show
 
There are so many quotes in this episode, but a stand-out point is that,
 
“Even if done poorly, using these techniques is better than not trying at all or just asking for ideas.”
 

Today’s guest Dano Ybarra is an international speaker and best-selling author of 
Guiding Your Raft, 17 Lessons in Leadership to Safely Guide Your Business Through Calm and Tumultuous Waters 
 As co-founder of a start-up, he led them to a unicorn exit.
When Steve Jobs was asked to reinvent Apple, he tapped Dano on the shoulder to help him sort out his channel. Dano presented the plan to launch $60B/year Apple stores. Dano has launched businesses in 15 countries around the globe, is an expert in starting and growing businesses domestically and internationally and has spoken to audiences across 8 countries from dozens to thousands in attendance. He currently helps companies grow as a fractional chief revenue officer. Dano has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
Takeaways:
 
~"BOD: The Three-Step Magic to Solve Problems”. Baseline, identify the biggest impact, do it again.
 
~ VCs invested $7m in a company that burned through $4m in four months. How to navigate that? They baselined the company and targeted a mega customer, which gave them time to work on other problems.
 
~They negotiated with manufacturers to increase margins from 8% to 32%.
 
~ Increased revenue, reduced expenses, and improved margins by focusing on one thing repeatedly, after baselining.
 
 ~ Revenue is important for margins and getting funding. A great product isn't enough if people won't pay for it..
 
~ Trust your gut instinct when there are multiple right options.
 
~ Dano worked with Steve Jobs to launch the Apple Stores.
 
Quote of the Show: “Find the pain and heal it" is an important aspect of change management, and the pain of same has to be greater than the pain of change” – Dano Ybarra
 
 
Dano's Book-17 Lessons in Leadership To Safely Guide Your Business Through Calm and Tumultuous Waters. (Available On Amazon)
 
 
Revenue Northstar-https://revenuenorthstar.com/
 
Revenue Northstar Podcast-https://revenuenorthstar.com/podcasts/
 
 
 

Today’s guest joining Valerie Cobb is Teasha Cable discussing how helping people make better decisions faster is the route to consistent Revenue Growth Teasha Cable is the CEO and Co-Founder of CModel, a decision intelligence company that expedites the path to growth for business leaders.
With a strong background in operations and business development, Teasha has held leadership roles at organizations such as Singularity University and Sales Impact Academy.
As a board member of the WECAN-Women Executive Channel Advisory Network, she actively advocates for promoting women in positions of leadership. Teasha's expertise lies in driving efficiency and enhancing business performance, leveraging relevant data, and fostering human collaboration.
Her mission is to empower business leaders to become outcome-focused visionaries.
Key Takeaways,
~Understand your Why, after all, purpose drives everything in business and life. If we get to grips with the intentions behind actions, it helps in gaining new perspectives. This approach is equally important for business, planning, reading, and learning, and success metrics.
~Scaling Difficulties, the challenges facing all small businesses are applying the correct strategies and understanding that not every method works when trying to scale.
~Complex Sale, many companies Will spend without revenue and in some cases will even get funding without proof of revenue. The same is not true of the small SME type of venture.
~Customer Motivations, Understanding the business and tapping into customers' motivations is a key driver of success. ~Selling to large organizations, The Importance of the often-under-appreciated skills in dealing with larger organizations and the support of a system to assist in dealing with these types of sales. A clear causal chain to access important information.
~Language mastery and effective communication, it's not necessarily just about sounding smart, you must also be understood.
Quote of The Show Do they (your customers) understand because their level of your being intelligent is do they understand what it is that you're communicating, what you're saying? So that comes to the common language becomes so mission critical.
 My mom’s book-https://www.amazon.com/Menopause-Sisterhood-Tennis-Miraculous-Journey/dp/1681627531
Dr. Lorien Pratt-https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorienpratt/
CModel's Cora-https://www.c-model.com/cora-waitlist-join
Revenue Northstar-https://revenuenorthstar.com/
Revenue Northstar Podcast-https://revenuenorthstar.com/podcasts/ 
Revenue Northstar Vlog-https://www.youtube.com/@findyourrevenuenorthstar

Today's guest is a seasoned entrepreneur, with a wealth of experience in revenue generation.
He recognizes the importance of putting revenue first before anything else. In his career, he's seen start-ups in Silicon Valley raise millions of dollars, but fail to generate revenue, squandering their funding as they waited for revenue to come in.
On this episode of The Revenue Maze, host Valerie Cobb chats with guest Clinton Buie about what it takes to be a successful founder and achieve revenue growth.
From emphasizing the importance of effective communication and being lean and efficient, to identifying pain points for customers and understanding what investors are looking for, Clinton shares a wealth of knowledge and experience.
They discuss the challenges of balancing cost-cutting and revenue growth, as well as the importance of being willing to listen and change. Tune in to gain valuable insights on how to navigate the revenue maze and achieve success as a founder or revenue leader.
Takeaways:
~ The Importance of Communication for Successful Business Growth
~ Finding Success by Balancing Revenue and Expenses
~Being Lean and Efficient for Better Business Outcomes ~The Mindful Approach to Business Efficiency ~ Generating Excitement for Revenue Growth and Future Potential
~Balancing Cost-Cutting and Revenue Generation for Success
~Identifying Customer Pain Points for Effective Revenue Generation
~The Importance of Conducting Root Cause Analysis for Business Success
~Using Empathy to Win Over Investors and Judges for Business
 
Success Quote of The Show:- "Building Excitement for Your Product: If you can't sell it with your words, your mouth, and getting people excited and say, here's my credit card. Where do I sign up? You need to go back to the drawing board."
Guest Links: ~LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintonbuie
~Website: https://amatemintgroup.com
~Personal Website: https://clintonbuie.com
Ways to Tune In: ~Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7d80f727-4d62-4d16-a0c9-96ec7bda6c6b/the-revenue-maze
~Apple Podcast -https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-maze/id1638644167
~Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/show/6azAXp0qFgrmjcql0jeJM8 Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV2ZW51ZW1hemUuY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
~The Revenue Maze-https://www.revenuemaze.com/ . The Revenue Maze is produced by Revenue Northstar, on a mission to showcase thought leaders to guide and execute organizations to upward growth trajectory.

Today’s guest has given star shows at a planetarium and is the author of Tony Jenzano, Astronaut Trainer: The Man Who Made the Stars Shine. Michael Neece is the Director of Statistical Programming at Gilead Science. Michael joins the host Valerie Cobb to share his tips for helping to grow your company's revenue. 
 
Takeaways:
If you are looking to grow your revenue, it’s important to focus on the human component of your business. As humans, we flatter ourselves and make ourselves think we make decisions based on sound logic but sometimes emotions get in the way of that. 
When you are trying to build a team or working with a team, consider moving at the speed of trust. That means that you want everyone to feel comfortable speaking up or feel comfortable sharing their voice. 
People often want peace of mind and that they want to know that things are going to be OK. Coming off of the COVID pandemic, there were a lot of people who were unsure how things were going to be and how to settle back into the workforce during these times.
Reading is a good way to gain clarity and gives you the time to relax and focus on the big-picture items in your life. 
At the end of the day, your business will always come down to the people that you surround yourself with and work with. You won’t remember all the deals you made but you will always remember the relationships you built along the way.
A company's culture is incredibly important to make sure that runs smoothly. If the culture creates a positive environment, then employees will feel welcomed in and work harder as well as feel more comfortable sharing their beliefs and opinions. 
 
Quote of the Show:
“You don't want to go down the wrong path because somebody was too afraid to say, hey, I think there's a better way of doing this” - Michael Neece
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelneece/
Website: https://www.gilead.com/
Personal Website: https://michaelgneece.com/
Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469659921/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0
 
Ways to Tune In
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7d80f727-4d62-4d16-a0c9-96ec7bda6c6b/the-revenue-maze
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-maze/id1638644167
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6azAXp0qFgrmjcql0jeJM8
Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV2ZW51ZW1hemUuY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube - https://youtu.be/A3u279SrNWA
The Revenue Maze is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Today’s guest helped to create the largest online marketplace for consumer credit in Brazil. Olle Widén is the CEO of FinanZero. Olle is a world traveler and has made Brazil his home for his startup company in the FinTech space. Olle joins the host Valerie Cobb to share some tips on how companies can grow their business. 
 
Takeaways
When you are building your business, you need to have trust in your business model and focus on the long term, not the short term. You will also want to put your customer first as they are the ones who will be supporting you the most. 
It takes time to build up a brand and your presence as well. It can take up to 6 years to see a payoff from building your business, so it’s important to stick with it and see it through.
The market is becoming more digital now, so it is the right time to look at investments for companies in the tech industry. 
It’s easier to move in on new and emerging markets. When you are looking to start your business, you should consider not only your area of expertise but also what markets are out there that have untapped potential.
Being an entrepreneur and starting your own business can be a risk, but it’s better to take the risk while you are young before there is too much in your life that becomes dependent on you.
If you want your business to be successful, then you need to work with people you get along with and can trust. You want to make sure that you are getting someone who has an impressive background but you want to be able to connect with them as well.
When building a business, it’s a good idea to talk to someone that you are connected with so that you can vent to them or get their opinions on what you are going through.
 
Quote of the Show:
19:18 “Take the step, especially before you have too many other things going around with family and so on. Take the risk.”
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olle-wid%C3%A9n-3b6873/
Website: https://finanzero.com.br/
 
Ways to Tune In
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7d80f727-4d62-4d16-a0c9-96ec7bda6c6b/the-revenue-maze
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-maze/id1638644167
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6azAXp0qFgrmjcql0jeJM8
Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV2ZW51ZW1hemUuY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube - https://youtu.be/XyqqgcY6oBM
 
The Revenue Maze is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Today’s guest is a former disc jockey who uses his passion for music to create fantastic speakers. Brian Ketchum is the CEO at Pangissimo. Brian started from working at a radio station in small town in Maine to being a CEO. Brian joins the host Valerie Cobb to share some of his insights into how companies can increase their revenue. 
 
Takeaways 
As a business owner, one of the most important things to consider is to look where your business is and understand the channels that you can afford to be in. You don’t want to stretch your business too thin at the start.
Some people will always come back to the brand if they have any questions or are looking for support, even if they ordered something through a third party. 
People like to have their speakers be portable and at a cheaper cost. The cost is the biggest reason why people don’t get speakers. 
It’s no longer about trying to find out where your target audience is but the issue has transition to how do you reach that target audience, especially if they are younger. 
Brian got his career started in radio in a station in Norway, Maine by going up to the station and checking in to see if he could get a job. 
You have to understand who your network is and find out ways to use that network to get interesting job opportunities that you are passionate about.
 
Quote of the Show:
5:40 "What profit margin can my business accept in order to potentially be in a channel?"
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianketchum/
Website: https://www.pangissimostudio.com/
 
Ways to Tune In
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7d80f727-4d62-4d16-a0c9-96ec7bda6c6b/the-revenue-maze
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revenue-maze/id1638644167
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6azAXp0qFgrmjcql0jeJM8
Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucmV2ZW51ZW1hemUuY29tL2ZlZWQueG1s
YouTube - https://youtu.be/O2Rh6UCS5Ko
 
The Revenue Maze is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/