The Growth Signal

What if the secret to growth isn’t more tools or trends, but simply believing in people? That’s the hot take Nicky Billou brings to his conversation with Alyssa Nolte. Together they explore how faith, generosity, and human connection shape business in ways no marketing tactic can. If you’re rethinking how to build customer relationships that last, this episode will challenge and inspire you. Why l...

Sales is broken and most people hate it. Nikita Vakhrushev says the real problem isn’t the pitch, it’s the experience. When buyers are ready to say yes, salespeople still stall, fumble, or disappear. Alyssa Nolte digs in with Nikita on why the art of sales is dying and what it takes to bring it back. This conversation will challenge how you think about sales, urgency, and customer trust. If you’ve...

Small businesses are fighting to survive and customers may be making it harder. Kristen Corral shares why today’s consumers hold small business owners to impossible standards, and Alyssa Nolte explores how that pressure is reshaping customer relationships. Together, they rethink what it means to support local businesses in a world of instant reviews, social media callouts, and big-brand expectatio...

Burnout isn’t a personal failure...it’s a system problem. Alyssa Nolte and Lynn Colepaugh challenge the myth that long hours and hustle prove success. Instead, they rethink what really causes burnout and why fixing systems, not blaming people, is the key to healthier work and stronger results. This episode makes the case for smarter ways to work, from reducing decision fatigue to using AI as a tru...

Sales doesn’t have to feel slimy. What if selling could feel like serving? Alyssa Nolte and Brooke Greening rethink how we approach sales so it builds trust instead of breaking it. Brooke shares her hot take: sales is not a “necessary evil.” It can be one of the best ways to serve customers and grow a business...when done with care. Alyssa opens up about her own journey from “accidental seller” to...

AI is moving faster than anyone expected. You can either stand back and watch, or jump in and start creating. Ken Cox and Alyssa Nolte rethink what it means to live, work, and build in a world where the tools of the future are already in your hands. Ken’s hot take: now is the time to play. Whether it’s music, film, code, or art...AI has lowered the barrier to entry so far that the only thing holdi...

Think you need a perfect plan before becoming a consultant? Think again. Dave Seaton believes anybody with the right skill and the will to push through can build a thriving consulting business. But it’s not easy. Alyssa and Dave dig into the real ups and downs, from dry spells to big wins, and the mindset shifts that make all the difference. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to go independent...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , Alyssa Nolte sits down with Lynn Whitbeck , known as the Joyful Sales Queen, to talk about an unconventional truth: start high when it comes to pricing. You see, too many people believe they need a cheap offer to get people in the door, but Lynn explains why that can actually hurt you in the long run. Together, Alyssa and Lynn break down how to use pricing bi...

This Field Notes episode was inspired by my conversation with Gabrielle Mills. She shared the idea that your business can’t grow bigger than you’re willing to grow yourself — and it got me thinking about what that really means for me this year. Back in January, I set my 2025 theme as focus : choosing the things that are right, not just the things that are good. That sounds simple, but if you’re wi...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , Alyssa Nolte sits down with entrepreneur and business owner Gabrielle Mills for a candid conversation on why your business can only grow as much as you are willing to grow yourself. Gabrielle shares her journey of building a company with her mother, the lessons learned from hard seasons, and the practical framework she uses to help leaders scale without burni...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , Alyssa Nolte sits down with Emily Jackson to talk about what it really takes to lead in sales. Emily’s hot take is simple but powerful: you don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to make an impact. Together, Alyssa and Emily dive into why quiet leadership matters, how introverts can thrive, and what leaders can do to create space for every voice to b...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Kathy Makranyi to talk about bold leadership, AI, and what it really takes to move organizations forward. Kathy’s hot take is simple but powerful: AI isn’t the biggest threat to your business...fear of change is. This conversation is for leaders who want to cut through the hype and focus on what really drives impact. What you’...

Sometimes real life feels a little too much like The Good Place . In this Field Note, I share how a simple product issue turned into a customer support spiral...where process mattered more than people, rules mattered more than trust, and leadership failed the very customers they were trying to retain. It’s funny on TV, but in real life it’s maddening. And it’s a reminder that the best customer exp...

This reflection was inspired by my conversation with Andy Halko on The Growth Signal. Andy’s hot take (that personas are dead) pushed me to look hard at some of the assumptions I made when starting TruVue. In this Field Notes episode, I pull back the curtain on what it felt like to realize we were building for an audience that wasn’t actually ready for what we thought they needed. I talk about why...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Andy Halko to talk about why traditional marketing personas no longer work and what should replace them. Andy’s hot take is clear...static personas are a waste of time. Instead, he makes the case for “buyer twins” powered by AI that evolve, interact, and give real feedback. If you’ve ever created a persona that ended up buried...

This Field Notes reflection was inspired by my conversation with Drewbie Wilson on The Growth Signal. His hot take was simple but sharp: Sales is easy...the hard part is just calling the damn leads. That hit me harder than I expected, because I’ve been carrying that same hesitation in my own business lately, not with cold calls, but with how I talk about Truvue. For too long, we’ve been building q...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Drewbie Wilson, the man behind the “Call the Damn Leads” movement. Drewbie’s hot take is bold: Sales is easy. Most people just aren’t doing the work. Together, Alyssa and Drewbie dig into why fear of rejection holds so many back, how to build real confidence, and why serving beats selling every time. This is a must-listen if y...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , Alyssa Nolte sits down with sales leader and consultant Lindsay Rios to challenge a common CEO reflex...firing sales leaders over bad forecasts. Lindsay’s hot take is clear: the real problem isn’t the leader, it’s the lack of training, tools, and support they’ve been given. They unpack why forecasting is part math, part art, and part gut instinct, and why fix...

This special live roundtable replay takes on one of the most debated questions in Customer Success: Should CSMs carry a quota? Host Alyssa Nolte is joined by three powerhouse guests – Rob Durant , Rob Zambito , and Brooke Foley – for a candid, unscripted conversation that brings together perspectives from sales, CS leadership, and marketing strategy. No brands. No sponsors. Just honest talk about...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with B2B sales consultant Ruth van Vierzen to talk about the risks and rewards of using AI in sales and customer service. Ruth’s hot take: AI can be a powerful tool, but if you let it replace the human touch, you risk losing your brand’s value and your best customers. Alyssa and Ruth dig into why so many companies rush to “slap som...

In this episode of The Growth Signal, Alyssa Nolte sits down with Eli Weiss, a longtime customer experience and retention leader, to challenge everything you think you know about keeping customers. Eli’s hot take? Retention isn’t a dashboard metric or an email flow. It’s about understanding who your customer is and making sure they never regret trusting you. This is a must-listen for anyone in Saa...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with Dennis Meador, founder of The Legal Podcast Network, to talk about how AI is changing the way we write and why ignoring that shift might make your work invisible. Dennis shares his hot take on the backlash against AI-generated writing styles (yes, including the much-hated em dash) and explains why the smartest creators are lea...

In this episode, host Alyssa Nolte sits down with UX marketing expert Ginny Delaitre to talk about why so many companies get user experience wrong, especially when they start using AI. Ginny explains that great design and great content don’t matter if the experience doesn’t match how real people actually behave. If you’ve ever launched a chatbot, mapped out a customer journey, or built a product t...

What if the real key to growing your business had nothing to do with your product? In this episode of The Growth Signal , Alyssa Nolte sits down with Jon Weberg to explore how mindset, reaction, and customer experience drive long-term growth. Jon shares how controlling your response (especially when things go wrong) can lead to stronger customer relationships, better deals, and more revenue. From...

In this episode of The Growth Signal , host Alyssa Nolte sits down with marketing agency founder Christopher Tompkins to unpack one of the most important AI takes we’ve heard yet: AI isn’t your savior. It’s your intern. And you better start managing it like one. Christopher shares how most teams are using AI all wrong - treating it like a magic wand instead of a tool that needs real training. He b...