The Cheat Code & Friends

Join us for a conversation with Jared Fuller as he shares his unique journey from the world of B2B and GTM partnerships to the forefront of education reform. As Partner and Chief Operating Officer of OpenEd.co, Jared is on a mission to transform homeschooling by empowering families with customizable curriculum options and a more personalized approach to learning. This episode explores the shift fr...

Join us for a lively conversation with Dan Tyre, one of HubSpot’s earliest employees and a passionate advocate for startup growth, sales excellence, and lifelong learning. With humor and energy, Dan shares his journey at HubSpot and how the company’s sales strategy evolved alongside a rapidly changing workforce.    From tackling ageism in tech to highlighting the value of curiosity, this episode e...

Listen in for a conversation with Jason and Sam Yarborough on what it takes to build a business and their experience building Arcadia, a consultancy focused on partner programs. From the challenges of fractional leadership to the power of authentic partnerships, this episode explores how today’s founders are navigating business growth, community building, and curating connections. Plus, a look ahe...

Gregg Scoresby, Founder and Managing Partner of Phoenix Ventures, joins the hosts to break down the traits that separate winning Founders from wannabes. From hiring blind spots to co-founder clashes, founder-to-CEO transitions, and spotting red flags, this episode looks at what it really takes to build and lead a killer startup. Chapters 00:00 The Essence of Founder Traits 10:01 The Role of Subjec...

What’s the real story behind funding a startup today? Greg Head, founder of Practical Founders, joins the hosts to break down the world of bootstrapping vs VC funding. From capital strategy to AI-driven growth, this episode digs into what actually works in today’s market. From chasing VC or building lean, this episode is packed with discussion on funding models, founder expectations, and the impac...

Marketing has never been more complicated or more important. In this episode, Kyle Lacy, CMO of Docebo, joins the hosts to unpack the chaos: from hiring in a fragmented job market to redefining marketing's role in driving revenue. Together they dive into personal branding, pipeline obsession, AI’s creeping influence, and whether great marketers really exist, or if it’s all just great products. If...

In this episode, Stacey Lewis, founder and CEO of HR Interrupted, sits down for a brass-tacks conversation on how startups and high-growth businesses can navigate the murky waters of human resources (HR) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As the pendulum swings, seemingly away from what has dominated the business landscape for the last half-decade, it’s more difficult than ever to simply...

The hosts welcome Scott Albro to their podcast for a discussion on venture capital trends and AI. They compare B2B vs. B2C AI adoption, emphasizing outcome-driven solutions. Together they explore AI’s impact on industries, labor markets, job roles, and startup founding teams.  Chapters 04:59 The State of Venture Capital and AI Startups 10:01 B2B vs B2C in AI Adoption 15:00 Transformative Growth in...

From the GTM Cheat Code to ‘The Cheat Code and Friends,’ season 4 kicks off with the core crew only as Justin, Josh and Sean introduce this season's new format and cover some burning topics revealed by the start of the year - better known as 'Board meeting season.' 00:00 Introduction and Setup for New Season (05:51) Board Meeting Dynamics (09:03) Board Structure and CEO Support (11:59) Effective B...

Join us for the Season 3 finale! Kyle Lacy dives into the pivotal role marketing plays in achieving goals across the business and how owning a number is key. From navigating top-down and bottom-up revenue goal setting to empowering founders in the process, Kyle unpacks strategies that keep marketing leaders agile and data-driven.   Plus, hear about Kyle’s latest venture, The Revenue Diaries, where...

In this episode, Amanda Kahlow dives into how embracing change with love and leading with emotional intelligence can transform the way we work and connect. She explores the evolving role of AI in marketing, the power of resilience and positivity, and why building authentic relationships is more important than ever. Takeaways:  Embrace Change with Optimism: With rapid tech transformation, especiall...

In this episode, marketing leader, concert photographer, and author Jason Miller explores the foundational marketing pillars of brand, events, and community. Together, Jason and the hosts unpack what it takes to build a brand that resonates and drives trust, breaking down misconceptions about community building and the power of having a distinct, purpose-driven perspective.  Listen into discussion...

In this episode, we sat down with David Meerman, limited partner and strategic advisor at Stage 2 Capital, to discuss the power of newsjacking and how it helps brands capture attention and drive leads. Interview Takeaways:  Timeliness and Relevance are Key: Newsjacking allows you to bring your expertise into breaking news moments, creating opportunities to reach your audience fast. Be Ready to Act...

In this conversation, hosts Sean Kester and Justin Gray sit down with Eric Martin, senior vice president of marketing at Stack Overflow, to discuss the critical alignment between marketing and finance. Together they emphasize the importance of understanding metrics, communicating effectively with the board, and building a cohesive team that is aligned with the company's vision. Eric shares the imp...

Join hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray for a conversation with Pablo Gonzalez, the co-founder and CEO of Be The Stage. They discuss the importance of super consumers and engineering moments where prospects overhear super consumers talking about your brand. Pablo shares his insights on creating a point of view (POV), designing a content stream, and organizing in-person events to strengthen communit...

Tune in as hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray chat with Adam Needle, CEO and co-founder of  ANNUITAS, Inc., on the importance of the customer journey in go-to-market strategies. Adam emphasizes the need for organizations to be customer-centric not only in product delivery but also in their sales and marketing efforts. Adam introduces the concept of conversation tracks, which are designed to activat...

Join hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray for a conversation with Sei Suriyakumar, head of marketing at Superhuman, on making one plus one equal three. This means combining different efforts and initiatives in a way that the value generated is greater than the sum of its parts. Sei emphasizes the importance of having a great product and building trust within the organization to implement these unconv...

In this conversation, hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray chat with Joe Chernov, CMO at Pendo.io, on what he calls the streetlight effect in B2B marketing and the need to break free from the conventional KPIs that limit creativity and innovation. Joe emphasizes the importance of appealing to buyers and focusing on what would truly resonate with them, rather than solely relying on measurable metrics....

Andrea Lechner-Becker, a self-proclaimed, “recovering CMO” and published author, reads a lot and has rarely found a problem there isn’t already a book about. In this episode, she details a few of her favorite examples, including the initial key to sticky ideas, which requires marketers to break people's guessing machine and surprise them. Andrea also covers the need to build relationships and educ...

In this conversation, hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray chat with Marco DePaulis, Director of Partnerships at Loop, on the power of co-marketing and partnerships in driving brand recognition and demand gen. Marco emphasizes the importance of going to market with symbiotic players in the space to reach the desired audience and build trust. Marco also discusses the need for alignment and buy-in from...

Join hosts Josh Wagner and Justin Gray for a conversation with Kelly Hopping, CMO of Demandbase, on being a business athlete. In this episode, Kelly emphasizes the importance of understanding the financials and thinking like a business person in order to gain the respect of peers, justify marketing's value, and make better decisions. Kelly provides tips on gaining context by talking to finance par...

In this episode, hosts Josh Wagner and Sean Kester are joined by Steve Armenti, B2B Marketing VP, ex-Google, to discuss two angles of storytelling: how to storytell to the market and how to storytell internally to build a career and achieve goals. Steve shares his experience of bringing ABM (Account-Based Marketing) into Google Chrome and the playbook he ran. Together, they touch on the importance...

In this episode, the hosts dive deep into the intersection of marketing and partnerships with a special focus on leveraging personal brand development as a powerful marketing cheat code. Greg shares how he unexpectedly became a thought leader in the B2B space by sharing genuine insights and experiences on LinkedIn, a platform he once viewed with skepticism. Greg discusses the journey of launching...

Tune in as hosts Josh Wagner and Sean Kester sit down with Gauri Chawla, SVP of Alliances at Stibo Systems, to discuss the importance of messaging and value proposition in go-to-market strategies. Gauri emphasizes the need to communicate the value of a product or solution clearly to customers and partners, and highlights the role of messaging in building strong relationships and driving success. T...

In this episode, Justin Zimmerman shares his go-to-market cheat code for successful partnership marketing through events. He emphasizes the power of leveraging LinkedIn influencers and creating “partner pods” to drive traffic and generate leads. Justin discusses the importance of aligning partners with the same ideal customer profile (ICP) and how to manage different intent signals within the pod....