Episode Summary:

Host Ben Reed welcomes Stuart Brent, founder of SaasyDB, to the NextGen Sales Leaders Podcast. Stuart shares his path from running a screen-printing shop in West Philly to building multiple startups and launching a niche SaaS company database. Together, they explore the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, hiring lessons, the power of niche data, and how to bootstrap SaaS without outside funding.

What You Will Learn:

1. How Stuart’s early ventures shaped his entrepreneurial mindset.
2. The importance of discernment and trust in partnerships and hiring.
3. Why “hire slow, fire fast” is one of the most important rules in scaling.
4. Insights into building niche databases and monetizing curated data.
5. Predictions on AI, low-code vulnerabilities, and the pushback for more human involvement in customer support.

Featured Guest: Stuart Brent: Founder of SaasyDB, the SaaS company database built for marketers and sales teams.

Host: Ben Reed, host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• 01:00 – From band T-shirts to screen printing business in West Philly
• 12:00 – How street smarts translate into entrepreneurship
• 14:00 – Red flags in partnerships & why discernment matters
• 17:00 – Hiring lessons: firing fast, the “mafia enforcer” candidate story
• 21:00 – Ben’s 3-day hiring challenge method & why most founders get hiring wrong
• 27:00 – VA challenges: when to cut ties quickly vs. retrain
• 31:00 – Managing people with clear systems: Ben’s PPTP framework
• 36:00 – Scaling agencies vs. building SaaS: lessons from RevyOps and SaasyDB
• 43:00 – Why lead generation agencies are brutally hard to scale
• 46:00 – Niching down for success and the power of specialized databases
• 50:00 – RevyOps’ vision of the “database of databases”
• 55:00 – What SaasyDB does and how Stuart pivoted into SaaS data
• 58:00 – Future of curated niche data sets vs. big providers
• 1:03:00 – Signal enrichment, tiered products & upsell opportunities
• 1:07:00 – Final thoughts, advice for entrepreneurs & AI predictions

Connect with Stuart:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartbrent/
• Website: https://www.saasydb.com/

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Join our FREE Group "NextGen Sales Systems:"

https://tinyurl.com/next-gen-skool

Centralize & Analyze Your GTM Data: https://revyops.com

Episode Summary:

Join us as Austin Reed, CEO of Horizon Dev, shares his entrepreneurial journey from being a full-time musician and digital nomad to building a thriving development agency focused on low-code and no-code automation. Austin opens up about scaling Horizon Dev, landing dream clients like VRF, building a vibrant Skool community, and navigating the personal challenges of identity, resilience, and leadership along the way.

What You Will Learn:

• How Austin transitioned from music and freelancing to leading a global dev agency.
• The evolution of outbound prospecting and why branding often wins over cold outreach.
• Key no-code/low-code tools and their tradeoffs for businesses and developers.
• Insights into scaling a business with long-term client relationships and MRR stability.
• The mindset shifts and personal growth required to sustain entrepreneurial success.

Featured Guest: Austin Reed – CEO of Horizon Dev.

Host: Ben Reed, host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Episode Highlights:

[00:01:00] Building Horizon Dev: From musician and nomad to tech CEO.

[00:03:30] Branding vs. Outbound: Why Austin shifted from cold outreach to long-term brand and content strategies.

[00:08:10] Skool Community: Teaching no-code/low-code automation to founders & devs.

[00:26:00] Martial Arts & Mindset: How Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu shaped resilience.

[00:32:00] The Automation Stack: N8N, Zapier, Make, and Lovable.

[00:44:00] Ecosystems & Psychology: Why some tools win despite better options.

[00:52:00] Identity & Burnout: Learning to let go and grow as a leader.

[01:14:00] Meditation & Surrender: Vipassana retreats and emotional awareness.

[01:23:00] Final Reflections: Empowering teams and clients to chase their dreams.

Connect with Austin:

• Website: https://horizon.dev
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@horizonsoftwaredev
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/automationsexpert/

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Join our FREE Group "NextGen Sales Systems:"

https://tinyurl.com/next-gen-skool

Centralize & Analyze Your GTM Data: https://revyops.com

Episode Summary:

Join us as Dean Fiacco, founder of Scaled Mail (cold email infrastructure SaaS) and Beanstalk Consulting (cold outbound agency), shares his journey from tech sales to running two successful businesses. Dean breaks down the realities of cold email deliverability, why inbox infrastructure is critical, and how he’s balanced scaling an agency while building SaaS. From domain reputation to hiring strategies, this episode is packed with practical insights for agency owners, outbound teams, and aspiring founders.

What You Will Learn:

• Why scaling cold email requires more than Gmail/Microsoft accounts.
• How Scaled Mail grew out of Beanstalk’s inbox challenges.
• Best practices for domain reputation and inbox-to-domain ratios.
• The importance of simplifying agency operations and client selection.
• Hiring strategies that work: probationary periods, tests, and “hire fast, fire fast.”
• Why agencies often spin out SaaS products and how to approach it.

Featured Guest: Dean Fiacco – Founder of Beanstalk Consulting (cold email agency) and ScaledMail (cold email infrastructure SaaS).

Host: Ben Reed – RevyOps founder and host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Episode Highlights:

• [00:00] Welcome & Intro: Dean introduces Beanstalk and Scaled Mail.
• [02:30] From pain point to SaaS: How inbox headaches became Scaled Mail.
• [04:06] Why not just Gmail?: ESP limits and deliverability challenges.
• [06:59] Domain reputation: Protecting your main domain with lookalikes.
• [10:04] Inbox ratios: Safe setups for Google, Microsoft, and SMTP.
• [12:23] Marketplace solution: Prebuilt packages to simplify scaling.
• [15:46] Redundancy matters: Avoiding provider lock-in and outages.
• [21:23] Running two businesses: Delegation, teams, and evolving roles.
• [25:58] Agency growth tips: Keep it simple, choose the right clients.
• [31:23] Hiring tests: Ben’s “three-day challenge” for new hires.
• [34:06] Hire fast, fire fast: Dean’s approach to evaluating talent.
• [40:33] From agency to SaaS: Why services spawn product ideas.
• [58:04] Sales as a founder skill: Why talking to customers matters.
• [01:08:12] Parting advice: Dean’s call to action—just start and sell.

Connect with Dean:

• ScaledMail: https://scaledmail.com
• Beanstalk Consulting: https://beanstalkconsulting.co
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deanfiacco/

Subscribe & Review: Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Follow Ben on Social:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Join our FREE Group "NextGen Sales Systems:"

• https://tinyurl.com/next-gen-skool

Solve your GTM Data Problems: https://revyops.com

Episode Summary:

Join Ben Reed as he speaks with Bill Stathopoulos—author of Cold Email Secrets and founder of Sales Captain.

Bill shares how he built a leading outbound agency that scaled from mastering messaging with leading brands to developing their own AI-powered reply systems.

Discover the behind-the-scenes of fast-paced book creation, high-stakes offer crafting, and staying ahead in the shifting world of outbound marketing.

What You Will Learn:

• The unexpected journey from Zoom-recorded conversations to a nearly 200-page cold email book, and the rigorous revisions that shaped it.
• How Bill leveraged cold outbound to go from recruiting elite speakers to landing million-dollar campaigns with brands like Amazon, Apple, and JCPenney.
• The contrasting types of agencies in the cold email space—from get-rich-quick schemes to expert-focused firms to scalable, client-first businesses.
• Insights on crafting offers and messaging that resonate with a cold audience—and why testing, negative replies, and rapid iteration matter.
• Strategies behind Sales Captain’s custom-built AI BDR tool: how it intelligently classifies replies and auto-responds without hallucinations.
• Trends reshaping outbound: the shift from one-to-one emails to outbound-as-inbound, multi-channel orchestration, signal-based personalization, and the renewed emphasis on relevance and deliverability.
• The enduring importance of idea-market fit: targeting the right ICP, creating compelling messaging, and maintaining email deliverability—a triad where any weakness can break your campaign.

Featured Guest: Bill Stathopoulos — Author of Cold Email Secrets and Founder of Sales Captain, specializing in data-driven, AI-enhanced outbound strategies.

Connect with Bill:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billstath/

Host: Ben Reed, host of the NextGen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Follow Ben on Social:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Join our B2B GTM & RevOps Entrepreneur Community:

• https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Work with Ben:

• https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

Centralize, analyze, and visualize your B2B data:

• https://www.revyops.com

Subscribe & Review: Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for B2B CRO, Sales, and Marketing industry insights. If you found value in today’s episode, please leave us a review.

Episode Summary:

Host Ben Reed sits down with Jeff Gostovich, a 26-year veteran in B2B and B2C sales and a master of capital raising in the oil and gas industry.

Jeff breaks down his journey from door-to-door sales to raising millions over the phone with high-net-worth investors—all without Zoom or in-person meetings.

Tune in for Jedi-level insights into sales psychology, handling high-risk deals, and how being authentic and aligned beats hard-selling tactics every time.

What You Will Learn:

• Why oil and gas capital raising is one of the most challenging sales fields.
• How to influence high-net-worth individuals to invest in high-risk deals—over the phone.
• The psychology of top-tier sales, including the power of silence and disqualifying early.
• The art of building alignment over persuasion in sales.
• How to be the “CIA agent” of enterprise sales and master internal influence.
• Real-world insights on subject-matter expertise, listening, and identifying real buyers.

Featured Guest: Jeff Gostovich – Capital raising expert and high-ticket sales specialist in the oil and gas industry.

Connect with Jeff Gostovich:

• Call/Text: (307) 630-3992

Host: Ben Reed, host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Follow Ben on Social:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/

Join our FREE B2B Scaling Group for Founders:

https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Work with Ben: https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

Subscribe & Review: Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for top-tier insights in B2B sales, CRO strategies, and marketing leadership. Found value in this episode? Please leave us a review!

Episode Summary:

Join us on this episode of the NextGen Sales Leader Podcast as Ben Reed sits down with Tyler Mounce, the founder of Amplis, a lead generation agency based in Orange County, California.

Tyler shares his journey from a career in personal training to founding a marketing agency that specializes in lead generation for bootstrapped service businesses.

Dive into the evolving world of outbound marketing, the nuances of cold email vs. LinkedIn outreach, and the challenges and opportunities facing early-stage agencies in 2025.

What You Will Learn:

• How Tyler transitioned from personal training and marketing to founding Amplis.
• The unique struggles of lead gen for service-based businesses and how Amplis solves them.
• Why cold email is harder than ever and what channels are working now.
• How to qualify clients beyond just business metrics using psychographics.
• The rising importance of human connection and “old-school sales” in a hyper-automated world.
• Tyler’s hot take on the limits of AI and how it's shaping modern entrepreneurship.

Featured Guest: Tyler Mounce – Founder of Amplis, a marketing agency focused on scalable lead generation for service businesses.

Connect with Tyler:

• Website: https://www.amplis.co
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylermounce/

Host: Ben Reed, host of the NextGen Sales Leader Podcast.

Connect with Ben:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/
• Join our FREE B2B Scaling Group for Founders: https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600
• Work with Ben: https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

Subscribe & Review: Love this episode? Subscribe to the NextGen Sales Leader Podcast for the latest B2B growth, outbound, and sales strategies. If you found value in today’s episode, please leave us a review!

Episode Summary:

In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Ben Reed welcomes Maddison Brusman, a spiritual coach who helps entrepreneurs unlock their full potential by addressing the inner emotional blocks that hold them back.

From a chaotic retreat in the Costa Rican jungle to life-altering breakthroughs in business and personal growth, Ben and Maddison explore the transformative journey of reconnecting with oneself, letting go of control, and embracing authenticity as a driver of true success.

What You Will Learn:

• Why emotional intelligence and inner work are essential for peak business performance.
• The incredible story of a healing retreat in Costa Rica that led to spiritual breakthroughs.
• How fear, abandonment, and control sabotage success—and what to do about it.
• The power of surrender, authenticity, and self-awareness in sales and entrepreneurship.
• Practical steps to begin your own spiritual development journey.

Featured Guest: Maddison Brusman – Spiritual coach for entrepreneurs and high performers.

Connect with Madison:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maddisonbrusman/
• Instagram: @maddison.brusman
• YouTube: @maddison.brusman

Host: Ben Reed, host of the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast.

Follow Ben on Social:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenjaminAaronReed
• Instagram: @nextgensalessystems

Work with Ben:

• https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

Subscribe & Review: Love this episode? Subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leaders Podcast for cutting-edge insights into B2B growth, sales, and the mindset of elite performers. If this episode brought you value, leave us a review!

Join our FREE B2B Scaling Group for Founders: https://www.skool.com/outbound-b2b-sales/about?ref=07a56393b2d2435d9366f2e6151e2600

Episode Summary:

Join us on this episode of Next Gen Sales Leader as Benjamin Reed sits down with Kristie Jones, founder of Selling Your Way In and seasoned SaaS B2B advisor. Kristie shares her unconventional journey from retail management to leading a revenue-growth-focused sales consultancy.

Discover how she pivoted into subscription-based sales in 2000, built deep connections in the St. Louis startup community, and transitioned into the consulting world, where she specializes in helping early‑stage SaaS founders formalize and scale their GTM motion.

Kristie reveals her playbook—from building fractional leadership, crafting sales hiring systems and playbooks, to a unique mindset around matching candidate fit to roles. This episode highlights the importance of knowing your differentiation, going beyond generic lead generation, and hiring for grit, alignment, and process maturity to avoid misfits and churn.

What You Will Learn:

• How Kristie made the leap from department store retail to subscription‑based sales and SaaS leadership.
• The importance of embedding formal processes, documentation, and sales training into early-stage growth.
• How she turned fractional sales leadership into scalable consulting frameworks for documenting processes and hiring.
• Insights on effective hiring: using assessments, behavioral traits, candidate ICPs, and the “three‑day challenge.”
• Why lateral thinking about sales hiring—like athlete backgrounds or unrelated high‑pressure roles—can signal grit and match.
• The nuance between billing people into roles vs. matching their natural drive and strengths.
• How founders and consultants can focus on micro‑segmentation, ICP clarity, and leading workshops to align sales teams.

Featured Guest: Kristie Jones – Founder of Selling Your Way In, SaaS sales consultant and advisor to early-stage B2B founders.

Connect with Kristy:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiekjones/

Host: Benjamin Reed – Host of the Next Gen Sales Leader Podcast.

Connect with Benjamin:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-aaron-reed/
• Work with Ben: https://www.nextgensalessystems.com/

Subscribe & Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, subscribe to the Next Gen Sales Leader Podcast for deep insights on CRO, sales strategy, and B2B growth. We’d love for you to leave a review and share your favorite lessons!