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Entrepreneurial Excellence Podcast

Entrepreneurial Excellence Podcast

Written by: Adam Spector
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About this listen

Welcome to Entrepreneurial Excellence, the podcast that unlocks the secrets of running a successful startup. Get ready for captivating interviews with industry experts, thriving entrepreneurs, and visionary leaders. Deep dive into topics like crafting killer business ideas, optimizing operations, and mastering the art of scalability. Join us for empowering insights and practical advice that will propel you towards your entrepreneurial dreams.

2023 Levy Operations
Careers Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales Personal Finance Personal Success
Episodes
  • How to Build a Predictable B2B Sales Engine Without Ads
    Jan 15 2026

    AJ Cassata shares how resilience gets built through real rejection, why most founders stall because they quit too early or keep switching directions, and how a predictable funnel only works when the messaging, offer, and follow-up are disciplined.

    AJ Cassata is the founder of Revenue Boost, an outbound agency that helps B2B businesses validate their positioning, generate qualified leads, and turn cold outreach into consistent sales calls without relying on ads or algorithms.

    In this episode, he breaks down the modern outbound stack, where AI personalization actually fits, why close rates collapse when objections stay hidden, and the one principle that ties everything together, you can’t fail if you don’t quit.



    Key Topics:

    -Lead Flow Is the First Domino in Any Business

    -The Messaging Fix That Makes Outbound Finally Work

    -Why AI Personalization Replaced “Spray and Pray” Outreach

    -The Close Rate Problem Is Usually an Unasked Objection

    -Consistency Wins, Quitting Just Looks Like “Pivoting”




    01:25 Defining Entrepreneurial Excellence as “Problem-Solving Without Quitting”

    03:34 Resilience Isn’t a Trait, It’s a Muscle

    04:31 Motivation Comes From “Why” Plus Daily Habits

    05:52 Lead Flow Is the First Domino in Business

    08:29 Why Having Leads Beats Having a Perfect Product With No Attention

    09:22 Messaging Is Half The Battle in Outbound

    10:52 Segment First, Then Craft Specific Pain-Point Messaging

    13:06 AI-Enabled SDRs and Personalization at Scale

    16:18 The Hidden Cost of Hiring Isn’t Salary

    17:40 When SDRs Still Make Sense in an AI World

    21:20 Fixing a Weak Close Rate Starts With Funnel Truth

    23:18 Sales Is Detective Work, Invite The Objection

    24:25 Founder-Led Sales Is Non-Negotiable Early

    26:06 Getting Better Fast With Coaches and AI Call Review

    28:32 Sales Methodologies Share the Same Four Pillars

    30:11 Speed and Follow-Up Signal Customer Experience

    32:25 Why AJ Started Door-to-Door and Dropped Out

    37:49 The Pivot Into Digital Marketing and First Clients

    38:29 Building an Agency From a Sprinter Van

    39:24 The Vietnam Move and Making Remote Work Sustainable

    42:03 Constraints Breed Creativity in Remote Hiring and Selling

    46:02 Marketing Fundamentals Before Channels

    47:41 The Three Online Lead Engines Explained

    50:33 Minimum Viable Online Presence for Trust

    52:10 Outbound Now, Inbound Next for Compounding

    54:09 The Growth Ceiling Is Usually Operations

    56:38 The One Outbound Tool AJ Would Keep

    57:12 Cold Email Isn’t Dead, Bad Cold Email Is

    58:03 Cold Calling Still Works, Maybe Better Now

    59:35 The One Book Every Founder Should Read on Offers

    01:00:42 The Single Metric AJ Tracks Closest to Revenue

    01:01:06 Advice to His 19-Year-Old Self

    01:02:07 The One Rule That Ties It All Together




    Connect with -AJ Cassata:

    LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ajcassata

    Website: revenueboost.net/

    facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesandmarketingsecrets




    Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

    Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

    TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

    Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Excellence Isn't Rational And That's why Most Founders Lose
    Jan 5 2026

    Nick Mehta breaks down how committing to a real problem before a category exists can shape an entire industry, why founders get stuck at scale, and the mindset shifts required to build something that lasts.

    Nick Mehta is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gainsight, one of the companies that helped define Customer Success as a core business function. In this episode, he shares hard-earned lessons on founder growth, hiring beyond yourself, stepping back at the right time, and why entrepreneurial excellence has nothing to do with hype and everything to do with long-term conviction.


    Key Topics:

    - Why Most Founders Never Reach Real Excellence

    -The Risky Bet That Built a Category From Nothing

    -When Stepping Back as CEO Is the Smartest Move

    -The Hiring Mistake That Quietly Kills Scale

    -Why Passion Comes After Mastery, Not Before



    01:14 Defining Entrepreneurial Excellence Beyond Exits and Valuations

    02:38 Why Putting Your Whole Heart In Matters More Than Outcomes

    03:39 The Litmus Test That Reveals Who’s Truly Committed

    05:18 How Great Founders Stay Sane Without Losing Intensity

    06:32 Burnout, Dopamine, and Why Stepping Away Makes You Better

    08:17 Why Market Choice Matters More Than Culture or Work Ethic

    How picking the right space quietly determines long-term success.

    09:41 The “10-Year Overnight Success” Myth Explained

    10:11 Why Nick Joined a No-Revenue Company in a Non-Existent Category

    11:09 How Customer Success Became a Category, Not a Feature

    The early insight that turned churn into a board-level priority.

    13:00 Why Founders Stepping Back Can Be a Strength, Not a Failure

    15:00 From Extreme Shyness to CEO Presence

    18:01 Why Childhood Patterns Shape Leadership Style

    20:08 Self-Awareness, Coaching, and the Enneagram for CEOs

    23:06 What Investors Optimize For vs. What Founders Should

    25:29 How to Filter Advice Without Getting Starstruck

    27:47 Why Nick Chose Operating Over Venture Capital

    29:35 Why “Follow Your Passion” Is Often Bad Advice

    32:05 How Getting Good at Something Creates Passion Over Time

    34:09 How Family Sacrifice and Regret Shaped Entrepreneurial Drive

    36:28 Choosing the Wrong Path First—and Correcting It

    38:09 How Gainsight Built a Category Through Community First

    39:41 The Accidental Meetup That Sparked a Movement

    42:30 Why Community Became a Durable Competitive Advantage

    43:22 Why Founders Shouldn’t “Scale Themselves Out” Too Early

    44:57 Being a “Micro-Learner,” Not a Micromanager

    46:25 The One Decision That Kills Companies Quietly

    48:40 How to Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome as a CEO

    50:34 What Real Company Culture Actually Is

    53:27 “Human First” as a Competitive Advantage

    54:23 Why Speed Is the New Differentiator in SaaS

    56:21 The Hidden Cost of Over-Protecting Employees

    58:03 When CEO Involvement Becomes a Bottleneck

    59:20 Where Founders Should Actually Micromanage

    01:00:22 Why Delegation Isn’t About Time, It’s About Context

    01:02:03 The Brewery Lesson Every Founder Should Learn

    01:03:25 What a “Founder-Only” Company Really Looks Like

    01:05:36 Why Hiring Is More Expensive Than Founders Think

    01:07:02 Why Investor Advice Often Doesn’t Apply





    Connect with - Nick Mehta:

    LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/nickmehta



    Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

    Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

    TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

    Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 31 mins
  • Stop Raising Money, Build Something That Actually Sells
    Dec 18 2025

    In this episode, Scott Kelly, Founder and CEO of Black Dog Ventures, shares what actually separates founders who build real companies from those who stay stuck chasing capital. He talks openly about why fundraising is often mistaken for progress, why execution beats ideas every time, and why many startups fail not because of the market—but because founders don’t know when to let go, delegate, and lead.

    Scott breaks down what investors really look for, how trust is built long before money is involved, and why consistent momentum matters more than a perfect plan. He explains how strong teams are formed, why most founders underestimate the cost of doing everything themselves, and how small wins every two weeks compound into real traction.

    As technology makes it easier for anyone to build, Scott shares what still creates a true edge: relationships, credibility, and the willingness to keep moving forward when the answer is “no.”

    This conversation pulls back the curtain on venture, leadership, and what entrepreneurial excellence really looks like when the cameras are off.


    Key Topics:

    - Fundraising as a false signal of entrepreneurial success

    - Execution and delegation as the real drivers of scale

    - Trust and relationships as the foundation of venture outcomes

    - Traction over storytelling in winning investor confidence

    - Leadership built on humility, learning, and momentum




    Quote From The Episode:


    “Most entrepreneurs shouldn’t be raising money. They should be building their business.”

    - Scott Kelly




    Timestamp:


    [00:20] Fundraising Is a Vanity Metric—and Most Founders Get Excellence Wrong


    [11:09] Real Founders Let the Market Decide Instead of Scaling Too Early or Chasing Capital


    [20:58] How Relationship Capital Turns Simple Coffee Meetings Into Eight-Figure Deals


    [29:58] Trust Is the Ultimate Advantage in Venture—and the Fastest Way to Control Deal Flow


    [40:12] Winning Investors Without Raising Money: The Power of Relentless Progress Updates


    [50:18] The Founders Who Win Every Two Weeks Obsess Over Time, Delegation, and Speed


    [1:01:24] Building Defensible Moats in a World Where AI Makes Everyone Equal


    [1:13:25] Outro




    Connect with - Scott Kelly:

    LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/blackdogceo

    Websites -blackdogventurepartners.com facebook.com/blackdogventurepartners/



    Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

    Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

    TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

    Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

    Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
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