Return-Path: Delivered-To: andrew@sterlingcal.com Received: from reseller401.webserversystems.com by reseller401.webserversystems.com with LMTP id GFzLGg6NimfGXAoAchKAPA (envelope-from ) for ; Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:02:06 -0600 Return-path: Envelope-to: andrew@sterlingcal.com Delivery-date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:02:06 -0600 Received: from o122.ptr5934.mail.beehiiv.com ([159.183.217.189]:32454) by reseller401.webserversystems.com with esmtps (TLS1.2) tls TLS_ECDHE_RSA_WITH_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (Exim 4.96.2) (envelope-from ) id 1tYpjR-002rmG-2H for andrew@sterlingcal.com; Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:02:06 -0600 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=mail.beehiiv.com; h=content-type:from:mime-version:subject:reply-to:list-unsubscribe: list-unsubscribe-post:to:cc:content-type:from:subject:to; s=s1; bh=MgDSpPQrRRhFMdUWKm5AoHJbt/ozZmirqO6PfqZ90b8=; b=IzRoKR8qKlv+4QVAqdV1t4ivKeSCn1uW6m63z3D3Hk4QMNOkLR9DMGv4PpxlcVo8fp8m DV3rKHvFvkl5koXpSr68kJmWHgSqEumrrPIr6ku9EWYfbEpPcqHWoAuVeilwnaskFONRQo Aw260zm58tkCAITUd5cyh8ZkkkTgVxi5JOCLqcdNpPIdqnrOVmuVHHxjwo6hAsc31uw0LI NcPx3wiKV0bwGRcbHEu+141UBEbiR2MdTuf+Q1JlRw2LOgOFQDqH8LeO+K2PeTUNJLz5VN Fwc5/fhfkZPuF/pYZpWX17U42QX9qKP2wbFNRwijtoYrkUHjA4+aGhz7yNCp4d7w== Received: by recvd-7ccc6fd6d7-ttlz8 with SMTP id recvd-7ccc6fd6d7-ttlz8-1-678A8CF3-6C 2025-01-17 17:01:39.325394522 +0000 UTC m=+5513935.735514468 Received: from NDAyMzQxODk (unknown) by geopod-ismtpd-21 (SG) with HTTP id koUTGxcFTDSkQMRp4ACaPA Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:01:39.272 +0000 (UTC) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=1e364301be20a58a3c31bee0fc3533a07160b44c3b6f9dc8182dcf3f85ca Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:01:54 +0000 (UTC) From: Collin Stewart Mime-Version: 1.0 Message-ID: Subject: building momentum Reply-To: Collin Stewart Feedback-ID: =?us-ascii?Q?31aa1884-c9e4-42fd-bf36-72bfd8b95580=3Anewsletter=3A3c5b97ff-00a9-?= =?us-ascii?Q?4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d=3A23270855726497d?= List-Unsubscribe: =?us-ascii?Q?=3Cmailto=3A3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d+1d17dc26-c1df-44e?= =?us-ascii?Q?0-812a-883b6ad5b6bc+31aa1884-c9e4-42fd-?= =?us-ascii?Q?bf36-72bfd8b95580=40unsub=2Ebeehiiv=2Ecom=3E=2C?= =?us-ascii?Q?_=3Chttps=3A=2F=2Fpredictablerevenue-newsletter=2Ebeehiiv=2Ecom=2Funsubscribe?= =?us-ascii?Q?=2FeyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9=2Ee?= =?us-ascii?Q?yJzdWJzY3JpYmVyX2lkIjoiMWQxN2RjMjYtYzFk?= =?us-ascii?Q?Zi00NGUwLTgxMmEtODgzYjZhZDViNmJjIiwicG9?= =?us-ascii?Q?zdF9pZCI6IjMxYWExODg0LWM5ZTQtNDJmZC1iZj?= =?us-ascii?Q?M2LTcyYmZkOGI5NTU4MCIsImxhc3RfcmVzb3VyY?= =?us-ascii?Q?2VfZ3VpZCI6IlBvc3Q6MzFhYTE4ODQtYzllNC00?= =?us-ascii?Q?MmZkLWJmMzYtNzJiZmQ4Yjk1NTgwIn0=2E3u9cvaq?= =?us-ascii?Q?trbKJVPWy9Al6S-iYLfuPGzMH7nk-o57mGcY=3E?= List-Unsubscribe-Post: List-Unsubscribe=One-Click sId: 3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d x-beehiiv-ids: =?us-ascii?Q?{=22account=5Fname=22=3A=22https=3A=2F=2Fpredictablerevenue-newsletter=2Ebeehiiv?= =?us-ascii?Q?=2Ecom=2F=22=2C=22campaign=5Fid=22=3A=2231aa1884-c9e4-42f?= =?us-ascii?Q?d-bf36-72bfd8b95580=22=2C=22category=22=3A=22newsle?= =?us-ascii?Q?tter=22=2C=22email=5Fgenerated=5Fat=22=3A1737133299=2C=22?= =?us-ascii?Q?user=5Fid=22=3A=223c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137b?= =?us-ascii?Q?ca24b1d=22}?= x-beehiiv-type: newsletter x-list-id: 3c5b97ff-00a9-4acc-916d-c137bca24b1d x-list-owner: x-newsletter: https://predictablerevenue-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/building-momentum x-newsletter-id: https://predictablerevenue-newsletter.beehiiv.com/ x-newsletter-signup: https://predictablerevenue-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe X-SG-EID: =?us-ascii?Q?u001=2E7ozyt+tmjDsHnEocxX8pymFA2v5OOh2V4Pdr6hGVjZo99sLHT4OeEg7as?= =?us-ascii?Q?oEFtQzIa0qAOkk1QezFA4qrCcff9558yNK8x6zQ?= =?us-ascii?Q?0aLhxDCyAuB9kgcSLas3IIKR+fvCUJBBc=2FJeVzw?= =?us-ascii?Q?z124P9K0xfhqKSoV4m4Q6CVOmUwKZKhkhLCLXJO?= =?us-ascii?Q?xai10dkuP+BI2mva0KHywWHbio4cHeodpG9QXfu?= =?us-ascii?Q?16yaV9Yt9aowxRPmAgbgNCY5Udjm7xnjBY2m8g9?= =?us-ascii?Q?6D6qBAyn9fBJws7gFdes5BUmsxl639EgT7razkA?= =?us-ascii?Q?zRRios5M=3D?= X-SG-ID: =?us-ascii?Q?u001=2ESdBcvi+Evd=2FbQef8eZF3BpTL9BgbK5wfSJMJGMsmprAVgeiC8iaV7rEmQ?= =?us-ascii?Q?+cYi2k7Jc9mKxF+89iR8uf=2FVRKXqonHjTuqDX8E?= =?us-ascii?Q?UExGvnXVz6Ng0ekXT3tjZUZmdqdewc96BMIQ=2F5G?= =?us-ascii?Q?RNIkGxA+afImCDhseejTZFoY1uzBvlNCoN+wjgA?= =?us-ascii?Q?IvpiH6gOoJY+D5kJeIDDD0PUagdtPNgvEhTSWsi?= =?us-ascii?Q?uAsdB+Hh6T3GJysHu1Ys4+kjQToXdPi8Bqoe+OJ?= =?us-ascii?Q?LZ6WgfPCHo1ylWSkb9U9XNo4RQ=3D=3D?= To: "andrew@sterlingcal.com" X-Entity-ID: u001.RuZ2+X9IBGtjUb8qq3teHQ== X-Spam-Status: No, score=-3.3 X-Spam-Score: -32 X-Spam-Bar: --- X-Spam-Flag: NO --1e364301be20a58a3c31bee0fc3533a07160b44c3b6f9dc8182dcf3f85ca Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 Good morning Andrew,=20 _**Book update**__, I=E2=80=99m handing in my final draft next Wednesday! I= t=E2=80=99s sitting at 49k words and I=E2=80=99m still skeptical that I wro= te them all. Over the next few weeks, my focus will shift from writing to s= preading the word. The way I=E2=80=99m thinking about doing that is by crea= ting helpful resources for early stage founders - if you have any suggestio= ns, I=E2=80=99d love to hear from you.=C2=A0_ _**Community update**__, by the time this email lands in your inbox we=E2= =80=99ll be in the middle of our first < $500k ARR founder meetup. I=E2=80= =99m thinking of doing this monthly so let me know if you=E2=80=99d like to= jump in on the next one. I=E2=80=99ve also heard interest from a few folks= with __**over $500k**__ in ARR, if that sounds like you, hit reply and I= =E2=80=99ll set one up.=C2=A0_ A couple of weeks ago, I sent out a post on Revenue Planning and explained = why most early-stage startups shouldn=E2=80=99t jump straight into building= a sales development (SDR) team. If you missed it you can read it and all m= y past posts [here](https://predictablerevenue-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/rev= enue-planning). Today=E2=80=99s newsletter expands on that advice by explor= ing strategies for founders who need to create momentum in the next 6 to 12= months, not 24. **TL;DR - if You Missed It** If you=E2=80=99re an early-stage founder (especially under $1M ARR) who nee= ds to show traction for a new funding round in the next 6=E2=80=9312 months= , building an SDR team won=E2=80=99t deliver fast enough. Outbound takes ti= me=E2=80=94around 24 months to really pay off=E2=80=94so you=E2=80=99re bet= ter off leveraging a founder-led sales and customer development approach to= generate both learning and revenue on a shorter timeline. Once you=E2=80= =99ve proved your process works, then you can scale an SDR team. **Building Momentum** Rather than making a big bet on one channel, consider smaller, consistent e= fforts that build momentum. Think of these habits as the compound interest = of startup growth=E2=80=94steady actions can accumulate quickly and require= a lot less overhead than hiring, training, and managing new people. Here a= re six habits I=E2=80=99ve come to practice every week when I=E2=80=99m doi= ng something new:=C2=A0 1. **Founder-led prospecting** - Email a minimum of 50 people to add to you= r customer development funnel 2. **Content creation** - Write a piece of content related to the problem y= ou=E2=80=99re solving=C2=A0 3. **Advice** - Get advice on what to do next from one entrepreneur=C2=A0 4. **Get feedback** - Meet with all your customers, ask for feedback and re= ferrals 5. **Work your customer development funnel** - Reach out to 10 people you= =E2=80=99ve interviewed and invite them to the next step=C2=A0 6. **Planning** - Plan the big 1-3 things you=E2=80=99re going to move forw= ard next week **Founder-Led Prospecting** Founder-led sales development starts with proving the process yourself, rat= her than handing it off to an SDR team. Begin by building a large but caref= ully filtered list of founders and CEOs at your target accounts. Reach out = with short, personalized emails requesting feedback, advice, or help, and s= end at least 100 of these weekly. I also recommend supplementing these with= a cold LinkedIn process where you=E2=80=99re adding contacts and including= a short =E2=80=9Clooking for advice=E2=80=9D message in the note. I recomm= end doing most of this by hand, without the support of automation just yet.= Running through the steps manually helps find gaps in the process or error= s in the targeting.=C2=A0 If your problem resonates, you can expect to book a meeting per week (and m= ore if you=E2=80=99re onto something big). I recommend doing most of this b= y hand, without the support of automation just yet. Running through the ste= ps manually helps find gaps in the process or errors in the targeting.=C2= =A0 Once you=E2=80=99ve validated that your messaging and targeting are effecti= ve, you can start adding automation and eventually hiring a team to replica= te your process. _I had a deeper dive prepared but this email was already r= unning pretty long so I cut it, let me know if you=E2=80=99d like to hear m= ore.=C2=A0_ **Show Your Work** Your ongoing learning process can (and should) be a natural source of conte= nt. Summarize the insights from your customer-development calls in a blog p= ost or short video. Interview industry leaders and turn these chats into po= dcasts or articles, then break that content into smaller pieces for social = media. By consistently sharing what you=E2=80=99re learning, you=E2=80=99ll= begin leaving valuable clues for potential customers who are also grapplin= g with the same challenges and trying to find a solution. Think of this as = increasing your surface area of luck. **Get Advice** Reach out to fellow entrepreneurs in similar or adjacent spaces and ask the= m to poke holes in your pitch, GTM plans, or strategy. Every founder receiv= ed some help getting started so they=E2=80=99re likely happy to pay it forw= ard. One bonus, their networks will be different than yours so don=E2=80=99= t be afraid to ask for intros to anyone you can interview / add to your cus= tomer development funnel.=C2=A0 **Get Feedback** If you have fewer than 10 customers, make it a weekly habit to check in wit= h them. Once you=E2=80=99ve grown beyond that number, aim for monthly calls= , collecting feedback on what=E2=80=99s working well and what isn=E2=80=99t= . Ask for referrals if they=E2=80=99re happy; if not, figure out how to imp= rove. **Work Your Customer Development Funnel** Be proactive about following up with people you=E2=80=99ve interviewed in t= he past. People who were too busy a few months ago might be prepared to rev= isit the conversation now. If they=E2=80=99re not a fit, ask if they know a= nyone else who might be. Often, you=E2=80=99ll be just one introduction awa= y from your next big insight or perfect customer. **Plan!** Every Friday I set aside time to plan my top one to three priorities for th= e coming week. I recap my progress from the past week and share with the te= am. This helps the team feel the progress and keeps me accountable. There= =E2=80=99s nothing like publicly sharing your progress to improve your do /= say ratio.=C2=A0 If you=E2=80=99re under $1M ARR and aiming for a funding round in less than= a year, an SDR team is unlikely to give you the quick return you need. Dou= ble down on founder-led sales development and leverage small, consistent ac= tions to build momentum. Those small steps compound, often leading to criti= cal insights and relationships that shape your entire go-to-market strategy= . In short, prove it yourself before you scale it. Until next time, Collin **PS1 **- the results from last week=E2=80=99s poll are in and A won handil= y. Though, I admit that I absolutely butchered the structure of the email. = Thank you to everyone who let me know they clicked A by mistake. While I th= ink A is the cleanest, and was my favourite going into the survey, there=E2= =80=99s something about C that really stands out. I haven=E2=80=99t decided= yet but C is really growing on me. The design team is working on a few var= iations and I=E2=80=99ll share them when I get them. =E2=80=94=E2=80=94=E2=80=94 You are reading a plain text version of this post. For the best experience,= copy and paste this link in your browser to view the post online: https://predictablerevenue-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/building-momentum --1e364301be20a58a3c31bee0fc3533a07160b44c3b6f9dc8182dcf3f85ca Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Mime-Version: 1.0 building momentum
<= td align=3D"center" valign=3D"top" style=3D"border:0px solid #FFFFFF;border= -radius:10px;background-color:#FFFFFF;" class=3D"c">

January 17, 2025   |   Read Online

building momentum

<= table role=3D"none" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" align= =3D"center">
=
3D"share
 
3D"share
 
3D"share
 
3D"share
=
3D""
=

If your problem resonates, you can expect to book a meeting per week= (and more if you=E2=80=99re onto something big). I recommend doing most of= this by hand, without the support of automation just yet. Running through = the steps manually helps find gaps in the process or errors in the targetin= g.=C2=A0

PS1 - the resul= ts from last week=E2=80=99s poll are in and A won handily. Though, I admit = that I absolutely butchered the structure of the email. Thank you to everyo= ne who let me know they clicked A by mistake. While I think A is the cleane= st, and was my favourite going into the survey, there=E2=80=99s something a= bout C that really stands out. I haven=E2=80=99t decided yet but C is reall= y growing on me. The design team is working on a few variations and I=E2=80= =99ll share them when I get them.

= Good morning Andrew,

Book update, I=E2=80=99m handing= in my final draft next Wednesday! It=E2=80=99s sitting at 49k words and I= =E2=80=99m still skeptical that I wrote them all. Over the next few weeks, = my focus will shift from writing to spreading the word. The way I=E2=80=99m= thinking about doing that is by creating helpful resources for early stage= founders - if you have any suggestions, I=E2=80=99d love to hear from you.= =C2=A0

Community update<= /span>, by the time this email la= nds in your inbox we=E2=80=99ll be in the middle of our first < $500k AR= R founder meetup. I=E2=80=99m thinking of doing this monthly so let me know= if you=E2=80=99d like to jump in on the next one. I=E2=80=99ve also heard = interest from a few folks with over $500k in ARR, if that sounds like you, hit reply and I=E2=80=99ll set one up= .=C2=A0

A couple of weeks ago, I sen= t out a post on Revenue Planning and explained why most early-stage startup= s shouldn=E2=80=99t jump straight into building a sales development (SDR) t= eam. If you missed it you can read it and all my past posts here. Today=E2=80=99s newsletter expands on= that advice by exploring strategies for founders who need to create moment= um in the next 6 to 12 months, not 24.

= TL;DR - if You Missed It
If you=E2=80=99re an early-stage founder (especially under $1M ARR) who = needs to show traction for a new funding round in the next 6=E2=80=9312 mon= ths, building an SDR team won=E2=80=99t deliver fast enough. Outbound takes= time=E2=80=94around 24 months to really pay off=E2=80=94so you=E2=80=99re = better off leveraging a founder-led sales and customer development approach= to generate both learning and revenue on a shorter timeline. Once you=E2= =80=99ve proved your process works, then you can scale an SDR team.<= /p>

Building Momentum
Rather than making a big bet on one channel, co= nsider smaller, consistent efforts that build momentum. Think of these habi= ts as the compound interest of startup growth=E2=80=94steady actions can ac= cumulate quickly and require a lot less overhead than hiring, training, and= managing new people. Here are six habits I=E2=80=99ve come to practice eve= ry week when I=E2=80=99m doing something new:=C2=A0

  1. Founder-led prospecting - Email a minimum of 50 people to add to your customer developme= nt funnel

  2. Content creation

    Advice - Get advi= ce on what to do next from one entrepreneur=C2=A0

  3. Get feedback= - Meet with all your customers, ask= for feedback and referrals

  4. Work your customer development funnel - Reach out to 10 people you=E2= =80=99ve interviewed and invite them to the next step=C2=A0

    5. =

  5. Planning - Plan the big 1-3 things you= =E2=80=99re going to move forward next week

Founder-Led Prospecting
Founder-led sales development starts with proving th= e process yourself, rather than handing it off to an SDR team. Begin by bui= lding a large but carefully filtered list of founders and CEOs at your targ= et accounts. Reach out with short, personalized emails requesting feedback,= advice, or help, and send at least 100 of these weekly. I also recommend s= upplementing these with a cold LinkedIn process where you=E2=80=99re adding= contacts and including a short =E2=80=9Clooking for advice=E2=80=9D messag= e in the note. I recommend doing most of this by hand, without the support = of automation just yet. Running through the steps manually helps find gaps = in the process or errors in the targeting.=C2=A0

Once you=E2=80=99ve validated tha= t your messaging and targeting are effective, you can start adding automati= on and eventually hiring a team to replicate your process. I had a deeper dive prepared but this emai= l was already running pretty long so I cut it, let me know if you=E2=80=99d= like to hear more.=C2=A0

Show Your= Work
Your ongoing lea= rning process can (and should) be a natural source of content. Summarize th= e insights from your customer-development calls in a blog post or short vid= eo. Interview industry leaders and turn these chats into podcasts or articl= es, then break that content into smaller pieces for social media. By consis= tently sharing what you=E2=80=99re learning, you=E2=80=99ll begin leaving v= aluable clues for potential customers who are also grappling with the same = challenges and trying to find a solution. Think of this as increasing your = surface area of luck.

Get Advice
Reach out to fellow entrepre= neurs in similar or adjacent spaces and ask them to poke holes in your pitc= h, GTM plans, or strategy. Every founder received some help getting started= so they=E2=80=99re likely happy to pay it forward. One bonus, their networ= ks will be different than yours so don=E2=80=99t be afraid to ask for intro= s to anyone you can interview / add to your customer development funnel.=C2= =A0

Get Feedback
If you have fewer than 10 customers, make it= a weekly habit to check in with them. Once you=E2=80=99ve grown beyond tha= t number, aim for monthly calls, collecting feedback on what=E2=80=99s work= ing well and what isn=E2=80=99t. Ask for referrals if they=E2=80=99re happy= ; if not, figure out how to improve.

Wo= rk Your Customer Development Funnel
Be proactive about following up with people you=E2=80=99ve in= terviewed in the past. People who were too busy a few months ago might be p= repared to revisit the conversation now. If they=E2=80=99re not a fit, ask = if they know anyone else who might be. Often, you=E2=80=99ll be just one in= troduction away from your next big insight or perfect customer.

<= /td>

Plan!
Every Friday I set aside time to plan my top one to three prioriti= es for the coming week. I recap my progress from the past week and share wi= th the team. This helps the team feel the progress and keeps me accountable= . There=E2=80=99s nothing like publicly sharing your progress to improve yo= ur do / say ratio.=C2=A0

If you=E2=80=99re= under $1M ARR and aiming for a funding round in less than a year, an SDR t= eam is unlikely to give you the quick return you need. Double down on found= er-led sales development and leverage small, consistent actions to build mo= mentum. Those small steps compound, often leading to critical insights and = relationships that shape your entire go-to-market strategy. In short, prove= it yourself before you scale it.

Until ne= xt time,

Collin

=
3D"yt"3D"in"
&nb= sp;

Update your email preferences or unsubscribe © 2025 Predictable Revenue: Fou= nders Edition

#304 210 Carrall Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 2J1, Can= ada

3D"be== Powered by beehiiv
Terms of Service
--1e364301be20a58a3c31bee0fc3533a07160b44c3b6f9dc8182dcf3f85ca--