The Scaling Executive

Your Customers May Want Less Than You're Building | The Scaling Executive Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Zach Papenhausen, President and CEO of Apollo Corporation. We discuss the dangers of overbuilding products, why customer research can still lead you in the wrong direction, and how CEOs can avoid falling in love with features instead of customer needs. Zach shares lessons from acquiring a company just before COVID, scaling with limited resources, balancing data with human impact, and using AI to help small businesses compete with much larger organizations.

Your Employees Don't Need to Earn Your Trust First | The Scaling Executive Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Dan Turner, President and CEO of Xperigo. We explore why trust is the foundation of great leadership, how strong culture drives business performance, and why CEOs must learn to let go and empower their teams. Dan shares lessons from leading through uncertainty, overcoming imposter syndrome, building one of Canada's most admired workplace cultures, and using AI to support people without losing the human touch that customers value most.

Stop Hiring Salespeople Before Product-Market Fit | The Scaling Executive Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Mike Winterfield, Founder and Managing Partner of Active Impact Investments. We discuss the biggest mistakes founders make when trying to scale sales, why CEOs should stay close to customers longer than they think, and how to transition from founder-led sales to a scalable sales organization. Mike also shares insights from evaluating dozens of startups, coaching founders, servant leadership, venture capital, and how AI is changing productivity, hiring, and company growth.

Take the Blame and Your Team Will Take Bigger Risks | The Scaling Executive Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Shalabh Gupta, Founder and CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics, to discuss what it really takes to scale a company in a high-stakes industry. We talk about prioritizing when everything feels urgent, creating a culture where employees are not afraid to take risks, identifying your blind spots as a leader, and continuously upgrading yourself as a CEO. Shalabh also shares lessons from taking a biotech company public, working with investors, and using AI to accelerate growth and commercialization.

Your Best Salespeople Aren't in The Sales Team | The Scaling CEO Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Bryan House, CEO of Elastic Path, to discuss scaling software companies through multiple growth stages. Bryan shares why customer success teams often outperform traditional sales teams, how leaders must let go to scale, lessons from helping build Acquia into a billion-dollar success story, and why staying close to customer problems matters more than ever. We also explore AI-driven commerce, developer adoption, open-source growth strategies, customer relationships, and how CEOs can scale themselves as their organizations grow.