Founder Resources

Before You Hire Your First Sales Rep, Read This First

Most founders don't hire the wrong salesperson. They hire at the wrong time or into the wrong environment. Most hiring mistakes don't happen during the interview. They happen weeks before anyone ever posts the job. When founders come to us completely exhausted from running demos, managing operations, and updating the CRM at 10 PM, their first instinct is always the same: "I need to hire a salesperson to take this off my plate." I see this over and over. A founder hires an AE because they're burnt out. Ninety days and $25,000 later, they tell me, "The rep just wasn't very good." Maybe. But most of the time, we find out the setup wasn't ready in the first place. It wasn't the rep, it was the environment. Before you write a job post or run another interview, grab a pen. Seriously. Don't just read this. Let's find out where your setup actually stands.

How We Know Someone Is Actually a Top Performer

Four moments that completely changed what I pay attention to in every interview. One of the questions I get asked almost every time I do a Lunch & Learn is, "What's your favorite interview question?" Ready for my answer? It doesn't exist. I've interviewed thousands of salespeople over the last 25 years. I've hired people I shouldn't have. I've passed on people I shouldn't have. Somewhere along the way I stopped looking for better interview questions. I started paying attention to different behaviors. These four moments completely changed how I interview.

Why Most Hiring Processes Fail: They Leave No Audit Trail

Most hiring decisions are made on gut feel. The problem is that gut feel leaves no evidence behind. When a hire succeeds, you cannot replicate it. When a hire fails, you cannot explain it. In this article, Travis Janko shares the simple hiring audit trail framework that helps SaaS founders replace opinions with evidence and build a repeatable hiring system.

2 Simple Recruiting Hacks to Save Hours of Wasted Interviewing

How many hours have you wasted in first-round interviews with candidates who were never going to be a fit? We’ve all been there. Fifteen minutes into a call, you realize there is a massive disconnect on salary, expectations, or the core requirements of the role. It is a drain on your energy, a frustration for your team, and a direct tax on your ARR. The solution isn’t "better" interviewing. It’s a more transparent system. At GSD Coach & Recruiting, we don't believe in the "Hide and Seek" method of hiring. We believe in radical transparency. Here are two incredibly simple hacks that will save you hours of wasted time, filter out bad fits automatically, and help you attract the A-Players who are tired of the typical corporate runaround.

The 2 Interview Questions That Reveal Everything

The #1 Focus Killer for Founders (And What to Do Instead)

That constant feeling of being busy but not productive? Juggling a dozen open tabs – Slack, email, that half-finished proposal, three different strategy docs? If this sounds like your typical Tuesday, you're not alone.

Stop Building an Ocean: The "Pond" Method for a Powerful Network

Why I intentionally deleted over 3,500 LinkedIn connections and why you should too.

Drowning in "Yes"? How Strategic "No's" Fuel Founder Success

One of the hardest words for a founder to say is: “No.”

The Un-Gameable Interview: My System for Finding Sales A-Players

There’s a unique kind of regret that comes from hiring the wrong salesperson. It’s not just a bad call, it’s a drag on growth, morale, and momentum.

GSD on The Valuable Mind Podcast: Fixing a Broken Hiring Process

I recently had the pleasure of joining Brandon Poni on The Valuable Mind podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the real, in-the-trenches work of building elite sales teams.

Beyond the "Yes": Mastering Your Offer & Keep Warm Strategy

That moment a top sales candidate says "yes" to your offer? It’s a huge win. You’re ready to celebrate and move on to the next fire. But hold on. The period between that verbal acceptance and their first day is absolutel...

Founder Fuel: Why Non-Negotiable Goals Are Mission-Critical

The SaaS founder journey: it's a high-stakes race demanding relentless focus, boundless energy, and the ability to constantly switch gears. But what happens when the tank runs low? So many founders I talk to are running ...

Your Team is a Garden: Cultivating Growth and Harvesting Success

Building a truly cohesive and high-performing team isn't just about assigning tasks and setting deadlines. It's a lot like gardening – a process that requires consistent care, attention, and the right environment to thri...

The GSD Sales Interview Scorecard: A Founder's Guide

Hiring the right salesperson can transform your business. Hiring the wrong one? That's a costly mistake. Studies show a bad sales hire can cost, on average, 200% of their annual salary in recruitment, hiring, training, a...

AI Candidate Profiles: Define & Score A-Players

So, you've crafted a compelling, AI-assisted job description and the applications are starting to roll in. Fantastic! But how do you consistently identify the true A-Players from the pile? The key lies in having a crysta...

The SaaS Founder's 4-Step Blueprint to Hiring A-Players

Finding the right salesperson for your SaaS startup can feel like a daunting quest. You need someone who is an intellectual, financial, and cultural fit – someone who will be in the top 5% and drive results, FAST. But ho...

Scaling SaaS Sales: Founder's Guide to Key Hires

For SaaS founders, the journey from leading the sales charge yourself to building a high-performing sales team is one of the most critical inflection points for growth. Knowing when to make your next sales hire and who t...