This book took the better part of a year to complete, much of which wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support and mentorship from my network. Here are a handful of the most impactful individuals whom I’m grateful to have influenced the creation of this book:
Keith Ippel (Spring Activator): The exceptional mentorship and guidance I received during my tenure at Spring significantly shaped my view on utilizing business as a force for good and contributed to the formation of my current network of mentors, experts, and professionals.
Mike Winterfield (Active Impact Investments): Although brief, our engagement through the 2X Program was eye-opening and imparted some key lessons in sales that I still heavily use to this day.
Shannon Ward (Genus Capital): Your human and empathetic approach to selling has been a big inspiration. You’ve always had a wonderful way of explaining key concepts using relatable analogies.
Paul Brassard (Volition Advisors): Though we’ve never worked together directly, through the many opportunities I’ve had to collaborate with you and Volition Advisors, I’ve learned a ton both about business and about how to approach building relationships.
Tran Tri Dung (SwissEP): For the many opportunities to involve me in the Vietnamese startup ecosystem. I’ve learned as much as I’ve been able to support and wouldn’t have been able to grow my network in the region without your advocacy. Observing how business is done in Asia always helps put things in perspective and keeps me mindful of the differences and similarities in business ethics.
Ziad Sahid (Tech Yukon): For continuing to involve me in supporting entrepreneurs in Yukon. Your continued patronage is what made it possible to complete this book in the past year. I’ve also learned a lot about slowing down and being tactful with communication through your wisdom in working with different funding agencies and politicians.
To the mentors I’ve never had:
Eric Ries (The Lean Startup): His books and writing have been a cornerstone to my understanding and development of various sales models and approaches.
Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich): Always gives great actionable advice on all things business.
Reid Hoffman (Greylock): I’ve been a follower and big fan of the Masters of Scale podcast since it began and have listened to every single episode. Many of the insights gleaned from interviews with various founders have helped shape my perspective and approach to doing business.
Roy H. Williams, Ryan Chute, Jeff Sexton, Stephen Semple, and David Young (Wizard of Ads and The Empire Builders Podcast): Though most of their content is marketing-centric, a lot of it also applies to sales. Highly recommend their bi-weekly newsletters and the podcast series. Big thanks to Tammy Beese from WhatsUpYukon for exposing me to them!