<![CDATA[Founding Sellers]]>Founding Sellers is a podcast about the people who take a product from zero to sixty. Each episode is a deep, honest conversation with the early GTM operators and contributors at breakout software companies.

The goal of the podcast is to share lessons from people who have actually been in the arena. I’m Sam Collin, and I've been lucky to be an early stage seller at three startups that eventually successfully exited to Zoom, Medallia, and Meta.

Most podcasts focus on founders or VCs. I love that content, but it often misses what’s happening on the front lines. What actually works in the early days. What doesn’t. And what it takes to survive and succeed as a founding seller.

]]>foundingsellers.comRiverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Thu, 28 May 2026 20:42:53 GMTSat, 07 Mar 2026 00:08:14 GMT60Sam Collin<p><b>Founding Sellers</b> is a podcast about the people who take a product from zero to sixty. Each episode is a deep, honest conversation with the early GTM operators and contributors at breakout software companies.</p><p></p><p>The goal of the podcast is to share lessons from people who have actually been in the arena. I’m Sam Collin, and I've been lucky to be an early stage seller at three startups that eventually successfully exited to Zoom, Medallia, and Meta.</p><p></p><p>Most podcasts focus on founders or VCs. I love that content, but it often misses what’s happening on the front lines. What actually works in the early days. What doesn’t. And what it takes to survive and succeed as a founding seller.</p>episodicSam Collinsgcollin@gmail.comno<![CDATA[#1: Mike Hoy - From Warped Tour to CEO]]>Mike chased his dream of playing professional soccer, though the career lasted only 17 minutes. He also spent time on the Warped Tour trying to sell out arenas, and sometimes selling no tickets at all. The lessons from both shaped his path as an entrepreneur and top performing seller at Pendo. Now he’s building Atlas, helping AI companies move as fast as their products.

Takeaways

  • Early-stage sales requires evangelism
  • Scrappiness and experimentation are key in early-stage sales
  • Educating the market is essential for new product categories Value-Oriented Sales
  • The Importance of Passion and Ambition
  • The Role of Business Model in Sales
  • The Significance of Will and Curiosity in Hiring
  • Negotiation Skills in Sales

Chapters

  • 00:00 The Journey of a Soccer Fanatic
  • 15:00 From Music to Sales
  • 23:15 Starting a Company in the Music Industry
  • 33:54 Joining a Venture-Backed Company
  • 47:12 Evangelizing a New Product Category
  • 52:44 The Value-Oriented Approach to Sales
  • 01:00:33 The Importance of Passion and Ambition
  • 01:07:44 The Significance of Will and Curiosity in Hiring
  • 01:33:03 Negotiation Skills in Sales
]]>c2fb097a-eec0-41e3-9139-9cb61c594831Sat, 07 Mar 2026 01:18:57 GMT<p>Mike chased his dream of playing professional soccer, though the career lasted only 17 minutes. He also spent time on the Warped Tour trying to sell out arenas, and sometimes selling no tickets at all. The lessons from both shaped his path as an entrepreneur and top performing seller at Pendo. Now he’s building Atlas, helping AI companies move as fast as their products.</p><p></p><p>Takeaways</p><ul><li>Early-stage sales requires evangelism</li><li>Scrappiness and experimentation are key in early-stage sales</li><li>Educating the market is essential for new product categories Value-Oriented Sales</li><li>The Importance of Passion and Ambition</li><li>The Role of Business Model in Sales</li><li>The Significance of Will and Curiosity in Hiring</li><li>Negotiation Skills in Sales<p></p></li></ul><p>Chapters</p><ul><li>00:00 The Journey of a Soccer Fanatic</li><li>15:00 From Music to Sales</li><li>23:15 Starting a Company in the Music Industry</li><li>33:54 Joining a Venture-Backed Company</li><li>47:12 Evangelizing a New Product Category</li><li>52:44 The Value-Oriented Approach to Sales</li><li>01:00:33 The Importance of Passion and Ambition</li><li>01:07:44 The Significance of Will and Curiosity in Hiring</li><li>01:33:03 Negotiation Skills in Sales</li></ul>no01:23:48#1: Mike Hoy - From Warped Tour to CEOfull