The Cheat Code & Friends

The hardest part of building a company isn't finding more opportunities. It's deciding which ones deserve your attention. In this episode, Grant Siders, founder and CEO of Helia, shares how founders can stay focused as companies grow, funding arrives, and priorities multiply. He explains why raising capital doesn't remove constraints, it changes them, and why great leaders learn to separate what's...

Looking for insights on customer obsession, trust, and what modern marketing leaders should actually be focusing on? This episode has you covered. In this episode of the Cheat Code + Friends podcast, Matt Heinz shares why the best marketers are still solving many of the same problems they were solving twenty years ago. Despite the rise of AI, automation, and new go-to-market tools, he argues that...

A lot of leaders look successful right before they burn out. In this episode of the Cheat Code + Friends podcast, Jason Yarborough talks about the pressure behind modern leadership and why constant performance is leaving people disconnected from themselves, their teams, and the work they used to care about. The conversation explores burnout, identity, company culture, and the growing expectation t...

The best companies win by changing how buyers think about the problem. Mike Damphousse joins the podcast to share the principles behind category creation and why most startups get trapped competing inside crowded markets they did not define. Drawing from his work with founders, investors, and high-growth companies, Mike explains how category design shifts the conversation away from product compari...

In this episode of the Cheat Code + Friends podcast, Hannah Ajikawo shares what actually drives sales performance in competitive markets. As CEO and founder of Revenue Funnel, she explains why most teams focus too much on internal process and not enough on how buyers make decisions, which ultimately creates a gap that stalls growth. In her experience, sales fundamentals are getting ignored and buy...

Listen now: Digital channels are getting saturated, and AI is accelerating the noise. Kris Rudeegraap shares how that shift is changing the way companies capture attention and build relationships. As CEO of Sendoso, he walks through why email alone no longer works, how gifting and direct mail are being used across the entire funnel, and what makes certain outreach actually stand out. Kris explains...

Bad sales reps have always had places to hide. AI is starting to remove them. In this episode, Matthew Whyatt shares what happens when sales teams finally see the truth: which reps are really performing, which managers are actually coaching, and where deals start breaking down. The conversation focuses less on AI hype and more on what sales leaders can do with better visibility, better data, and b...

This episode will change the way you think about sales leadership, buyer behavior, and what growth teams need to do next. Join the hosts for a conversation with Jake Dunlap, CEO of Skaled, on how AI is reshaping the modern revenue engine from the inside out. Jake breaks down why CROs are running out of time to treat AI like a side project, where most teams are misapplying it, and how the biggest o...

Startup land can be complete chaos… shifting buyer behavior, distributed teams, tighter budgets, and AI changing how work gets done. In this episode, John Eitel, CRO at Orum, explains what it all means for modern revenue leaders and why agility is no longer optional. Together, the hosts and John explore the death of the linear funnel, the resurgence of outbound, and why what was “old” in sales is...

Joey Gilkey, CEO of TitanX, joins the show to tear down one of the most sacred ideas in go-to-market: that more activity equals more revenue. Joey argues that most sales teams aren’t failing because reps aren’t working hard enough. They’re failing because the system they’re operating inside is broken. Cold calling still works, but only if you stop treating every prospect the same. Most people will...

Mike Huffaker, CRO, Planet DDS, joins the show to share what actually drives real growth in a vertical SaaS market where “going broad” is the default trap. Mike explains why narrowing to a true ideal customer profile can feel terrifying, but becomes a growth cheat code once you commit: higher win rates, higher ASPs, clearer messaging, and less competitive deal cycles. He also gets candid about the...

Hiring marketing talent is one of the biggest blind spots for early-stage founders, and Jessica Gilmartin has seen the same mistakes play out over and over again. In this episode, Jessica (former CMO/CRO at Calendly) shares why “marketing” is actually multiple jobs, how to decide whether you need demand gen, product marketing, or brand, and why most founders hire the right person for the wrong sta...

It’s the Cheat Code Christmas Special! Join the hosts for an always colorful, yet never without value, conversation with Craig Rosenberg and Scott Albro on what actually works in go-to-market right now and why most founders are getting it wrong. If you’re trying to break through buyer apathy, build a brand from scratch, or rethink how you go to market in 2026, this episode will challenge a lot of...

Tune in for a conversation with Kyle Norton, Chief Revenue Officer at Owner.com, on how modern revenue teams are using AI, data, and systems thinking to do more with less. Kyle breaks down how Owner built a highly efficient go-to-market engine by combining deep customer understanding with proprietary data, machine learning models, and relentless operational rigor.  The hosts dig into why today’s C...

Join the hosts for a conversation with Jon Miller, co-founder of Marketo and one of the most influential minds in modern marketing, on how AI, tactic fatigue, and buyer anonymity are forcing marketers to evolve faster than ever. Together they explore the cracks forming in legacy marketing automation and the rise of signal-based journeys. Jon breaks down why the next decade of marketing won’t look...

If you’ve ever underestimated the power of hiring, this episode will change the way you think about growth. Join the hosts for a conversation with Dr. Heidi Ojha, Founder and CEO of Aware Health, on how no-nonsense hiring can make or break your growth story. From identifying organizational gaps to building scalable hiring processes, Heidi shares what it takes to grow a team in one of the toughest...

Tune in for a conversation with the man, the myth, the legend, Bill Binch, Operating Partner at Battery Ventures and former sales executive at Marketo, on what it really takes to build high-performing sales teams in today’s AI-driven world. From hiring for the right sales mindset to building customer-focused teams and scalable sales processes, Bill shares hard-earned lessons from decades of leadin...

The world of sales is changing fast and the playbooks that fueled growth a few years ago aren’t enough anymore. In this special hosts-only episode, Justin, Josh and Sean break down what today’s shifting startup and sales environment really means for go-to-market teams. From evolving buyer expectations to the rise of AI-driven strategies, they explore how top performers are adapting to meet custome...

Tune in for a conversation with Mark Schopmeyer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of CaptivateIQ, on how incentive compensation can make or break the success of an early-stage company. From the critical role of founding AEs to the delicate balance between keeping plans simple and aligning them with big-picture goals, Mark explains why no single model works for every business. They dig into the importance of...

A former single mom, stripper, and felon turned two-time author and VP of Innovative Disruption at Lift Enablement, Dr. V lays out hard lessons and simple truths on resilience, sales talent, and reporting—without the euphemisms. In this episode, we talk about what most teams tiptoe around: who you hire, how you build culture, and why “return to office” means nothing if the office isn’t safe. This...

Tune in for a conversation with Don Fotsch, Cofounder of BDS AI (Battery Detection Systems), on how Arizona’s tech ecosystem is growing into a hub of innovation and opportunity. From bridging the gap between talent and funding to redefining how values shape hiring and community building, Don explains what it takes to grow a thriving startup culture outside of Silicon Valley. They dig into the chal...

Tune in for a conversation with Justin Michael, Founder of the Justin Michael Method, on how AI is reshaping sales without replacing what matters most: the human connection.  From the enduring power of cold calling to the fine line between hyper-personalization and just being relevant, Justin explains what modern sales teams need to know to win. They dig into the rise of fractional work, why consu...

Join the hosts for a conversation with Vasant Kamath, General Partner at Noro-Moseley Partners, on what it really takes to win in today’s venture capital game. From navigating high-stakes funding rounds to building sales teams that actually close, Vasant shares hard-earned insights on driving sustainable growth without losing speed. They dig into what’s driving change in venture capital, the non-n...

Listen in as we talk with Craig Coppola, a seasoned investor, entrepreneur, and commercial real estate legend, to discuss the messy reality of startup investing. From assessing founder grit to navigating lean liquidity environments, Craig shares what makes a deal worth chasing (and what makes him walk away). We talk about the hard truths of entrepreneurship, why trusting the “jockey” matters more...

In this episode, we sit down with Chris Ronzio, Founder and CEO of Trainual, to explore how companies can build smarter, more scalable systems for onboarding, training, and internal knowledge management. Chris shares why documenting institutional knowledge is a necessity and how AI is changing the game for employee development and organizational efficiency. From creating proactive candidate pipeli...