Why More Revenue Can Still Break Your Business with Cruz Gamboa

Why More Revenue Can Still Break Your Business with Cruz Gamboa

More revenue does not always mean a healthier business. In this episode, John sits down with Cruz Gamboa, founder of Ascend Growth Venture and Scaling CFO, to talk about profitability, cash flow, working capital, financial literacy, and why founders can grow revenue and still create a weaker business if the model underneath is not healthy. If you are a founder, sales leader, or rep trying to sell into executives, this episode gives you a practical look at how finance affects sales, why discounting and payment terms matter, and why business acumen is becoming one of the most important skills in a tougher market. Want to build a healthier business before growth breaks the model? Visit www.jbarrows.com [http://www.jbarrows.com] and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn * Why more revenue can still create cash flow problems when the business model is not ready to scale * How working capital creates a cash void that sales teams often overlook * Why sales reps need stronger financial literacy and business acumen * How discounting, payment terms, and deal structure can affect profit and cash * Why value creation should be understood before a rep starts negotiating price * How Cruz thinks about efficiency, timing, and capital when diagnosing a business * Why AI should be deployed against real constraints instead of used as a shiny efficiency play Cruz Gamboa is the founder of Ascend Growth Venture and Scaling CFO. After more than two decades in corporate finance, including roles across GE Capital, GE Vernova, NBCUniversal, and Unilever, Cruz now helps founders and executives understand the financial blind spots that can quietly limit growth. His work blends CFO advisory, business strategy, and financial intelligence for leaders who want to scale with stronger profit, cash, and enterprise value discipline. Connect with Cruz Gamboa: Website: https://ascendgrowthventures.com/ [https://ascendgrowthventures.com/] Scaling CFO: https://scalingcfo.io/ [https://scalingcfo.io/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cruzgamboa.ascend/ [https://www.instagram.com/cruzgamboa.ascend/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruzgamboa/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruzgamboa/] John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnBBemdVT2pBZ1dhY0szYzlzOGUzYURaekEtUXxBQ3Jtc0trNkZEWVBuS3dOOWZaZ0pZVFNrOGtNNHpuNjZWdGx0aVBhX2dNODRTdjVKVG1tS0xnRlJXWk5WOUpVdzk1YzQ1R3ZoTFhRZ3pxeFFibXU5WnFlVGJtVXl5dDUzM1JqdnkwRGRMaC05VTZ2YmNFLTFiSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjohnbarrows%2F&v=bULevYtP1Ds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows [https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows] Check out John's Membership: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGZxSnNVNDNhZU1zTGlfUHNWX19ZemtTLTM3QXxBQ3Jtc0tuY0sxajVtV1ZsdW5TMGtlV2tWTmNDTGVtUUZ6a1J6VmlMVi1DdU5uQ1cwRjRqdjF2ZlVqcXFveUtBWkp1WnZXSEZqQzA1TnJUclAxRVZWNm9fRjFxSlllYjdoTEd1VHFUUEFJbDdCSkR4SEU4TVgzTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.jbarrows.com%2Fpages%2Findividual-membership%3Fref%3D3edab1&v=bULevYtP1Dshttps://go.jbarrows.com/ [https://go.jbarrows.com/] Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter [https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter]

AI Agents, False Productivity, and the Sales Team Reset with Gabe Larsen

AI is everywhere in sales right now, but very little of it is actually moving the number. In this episode, John sits down with Gabe Larsen, CRO of Atonom, to dig into what is real, what is hype, and where AI is actually creating measurable ROI. Gabe walks through the SaaS golden age, the false positives it created, the rise of digital employees, and why most teams are still confusing efficiency with results. If you are trying to figure out where AI agents belong in your sales process, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about it: stop chasing every research bot, map the process first, and only automate the work that actually creates revenue or reduces cost. Want to reset your sales team before the market moves on without you? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn * Why saving time with AI is not the same as creating measurable business impact * Where Gabe is seeing AI produce real ROI across coding, customer service, SDR work, and recruiting * Why perfect prep docs and research bots still fail when reps lack the fundamentals * How digital employees could change the way sales and customer-facing teams operate * Why GTM leaders need to map the process before buying another AI tool Gabe Larsen is the CRO of Atonom, an AI company building always-on AI agents, with a career spanning leadership roles at Kustomer, Meta, and InsideSales.com, where he previously served as VP of Growth and hosted the company's Sales Secrets podcast. He's known for an unconventional, science-driven approach to sales — one that's helped him close major deals and train thousands of reps to replicate his results. Check out Atonom at atonom.ai [http://atonom.ai] to see how AI agents can run your work end-to-end. Follow Atonom on social media to stay up to date: Li: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonomai/https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonomai/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/atonomai/] X: https://x.com/atonom_aihttps://x.com/atonom_ai [https://x.com/atonom_ai] Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@atonomaihttps://www.youtube.com/@atonomai [https://www.youtube.com/@atonomai] Connect with Gabe Larsen: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabelarsen/ [https://www.instagram.com/gabelarsen/] Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabelarsen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabelarsen/] John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnBBemdVT2pBZ1dhY0szYzlzOGUzYURaekEtUXxBQ3Jtc0trNkZEWVBuS3dOOWZaZ0pZVFNrOGtNNHpuNjZWdGx0aVBhX2dNODRTdjVKVG1tS0xnRlJXWk5WOUpVdzk1YzQ1R3ZoTFhRZ3pxeFFibXU5WnFlVGJtVXl5dDUzM1JqdnkwRGRMaC05VTZ2YmNFLTFiSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjohnbarrows%2F&v=bULevYtP1Ds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows [https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows] Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast [https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast] Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter [https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter]

How to Stay Calm, Focused, and Resilient When the World Speeds Up with Ishan Shivanand

The world is getting faster, but your nervous system still has to make the decision. In this episode, John sits down with Ishan Shivanand, a yogic scholar, Vedic educator, and mental health researcher born into a 21-generation lineage of yogis, to talk about stress, focus, resilience, meditation, and what it really takes to stay regulated under pressure. From growing up inside a monastery to building research-backed protocols for modern life, Ishan brings a very different lens to performance than the usual sales playbook. If you are in sales, leadership, or any high-pressure role where the pace of change is starting to wear on your focus, this conversation gives you a practical way to think about breathwork, awareness, curiosity, and the human component that still matters in an AI-driven world. Want to build more resilience before the market moves even faster? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn * Why real joy is different from temporary achievement-driven happiness * How unresolved experiences can shape fear, behavior, and decision-making * Why the human component is still the failure point in any system * Why breathwork can help train the nervous system before pressure hits * How stress can become a reverse meditation if you repeat it long enough * Why curiosity matters more than chasing one final answer Ishan Shivanand is a globally recognized yogic scholar, Vedic educator, and mental health researcher born into a 21-generation lineage of yogis. He is the creator of Yoga of Immortals, a set of evidence-based meditation protocols designed to help people build resilience, reduce stress, and improve mental well-being. If you want to go deeper into the King's meditations and ancient yogic wisdom, grab Ishan's book The Practice of Immortality at https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Immortality-Discovering-Unlimited-Positivity/dp/0306834561 [https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Immortality-Discovering-Unlimited-Positivity/dp/0306834561] — your entry point into breathwork, meditation protocols, and the philosophy behind it all. Connect with Ishan Shivanand: Website: https://ishanshivanand.com/ [https://ishanshivanand.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishan.shivanand/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/ishan.shivanand/?hl=en] Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishanshivanand/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishanshivanand/] Fb: https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanand [https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanand] X: https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanand [https://www.facebook.com/IshanShivanand] YT: https://www.youtube.com/c/IshanShivanand/featured?app=desktop [https://www.youtube.com/c/IshanShivanand/featured?app=desktop] John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnBBemdVT2pBZ1dhY0szYzlzOGUzYURaekEtUXxBQ3Jtc0trNkZEWVBuS3dOOWZaZ0pZVFNrOGtNNHpuNjZWdGx0aVBhX2dNODRTdjVKVG1tS0xnRlJXWk5WOUpVdzk1YzQ1R3ZoTFhRZ3pxeFFibXU5WnFlVGJtVXl5dDUzM1JqdnkwRGRMaC05VTZ2YmNFLTFiSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjohnbarrows%2F&v=bULevYtP1Ds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows [https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows] Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast [https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast] Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter [https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter]

How Fear Controls the Way We Lead, Sell, and Parent with Bryan Post

Stress is shaping more of your decisions than you realize. In this episode, John sits down with Bryan Post, one of America’s foremost child behavior experts and co-founder of The Post Institute, to talk about fear, love, stress, trauma, parenting, leadership, active listening, and why people often react from survival instead of clarity. If you are a sales leader, manager, parent, or anyone trying to communicate better under pressure, this episode gives you a practical look at how stress affects the brain, why discipline should be taught instead of punishment, and how slowing down can help people move through fear and make better decisions. Want to lead better conversations before fear takes over the room? Visit www.jbarrows.com [http://www.jbarrows.com] and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn * Why fear and stress shape how people respond at home, at work, and in sales conversations * How early experiences can influence behavior, emotional regulation, and relationships * Why physical presence is not the same as emotional presence * How breathing and self-awareness can improve active listening * Why discipline should mean teaching, not punishment * How slowing down can help people move through fear and indecision * How Bondify is using AI to give parents in-the-moment support without removing the human lens Bryan Post is one of America's foremost child behavior experts and the co-founder of The Post Institute. For more than 20 years, The Post Institute has provided education and support to parents and professionals involved in the lives of children who have experienced trauma. Bryan specializes in a love-based treatment approach focused on understanding fear, stress, and the power of love to bring peace and healing. If you are a parent who needs support at the moment, check out Bondify — free 24/7 parenting support built on 30 years of Bryan Post's expertise. Text it like you're texting Bryan himself. Visit bryanpost.com to learn more. Bondify: https://bondify.ai/ [https://bondify.ai/] Bondify Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bondifyofficial/ [https://www.instagram.com/bondifyofficial/] Bondify FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bondify/61571882300625/ [https://www.facebook.com/people/Bondify/61571882300625/] Connect with Bryan Post: Website: https://bryanpost.com/ [https://bryanpost.com/] Fear to Love: https://feartolove.com/ [https://feartolove.com/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryanpostofficial/ [https://www.instagram.com/bryanpostofficial/] Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpost1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanpost1/] Fb: https://www.facebook.com/people/Bryan-Post-Official/61585577754101/ [https://www.facebook.com/people/Bryan-Post-Official/61585577754101/] John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnBBemdVT2pBZ1dhY0szYzlzOGUzYURaekEtUXxBQ3Jtc0trNkZEWVBuS3dOOWZaZ0pZVFNrOGtNNHpuNjZWdGx0aVBhX2dNODRTdjVKVG1tS0xnRlJXWk5WOUpVdzk1YzQ1R3ZoTFhRZ3pxeFFibXU5WnFlVGJtVXl5dDUzM1JqdnkwRGRMaC05VTZ2YmNFLTFiSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjohnbarrows%2F&v=bULevYtP1Ds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows [https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows] Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast [https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast] Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter [https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter]

AI Is Not a Strategy: How to Lead Real Transformation with Julie Averill

AI will not fix a business that does not understand itself. In this episode, John sits down with Julie Averill, founder of Gold Thread and former CIO of lululemon, to talk about real transformation, AI adoption, technology leadership, and what companies need to understand before they rush into the next big platform shift. Julie also shares lessons from her time leading technology through major growth at lululemon, digital transformation at Nordstrom, and the early signals that told her when a system problem was really a culture problem. If you are leading sales, technology, enablement, or go-to-market strategy, this episode gives you a practical look at why AI has to serve the business, why trust still drives innovation, and why the companies that win will understand what makes them truly different before the market decides for them. Want to build the kind of team and operating model that can keep up with where business is heading next? Visit www.jbarrows.com and learn how you can Make It Happen. What You’ll Learn * Why AI strategy needs to start with business strategy, not technology experiments * How the dot-com shift mirrors what companies are experiencing with AI today * Why AI is changing how customers discover, compare, and choose brands * What a 20-hour website outage revealed about culture, ownership, and escalation * Why innovation depends on trust, candor, and teams that can take risks together * Why AI reveals organizational dysfunction instead of magically fixing it * Why real transformation requires human intelligence, not just artificial intelligence Julie Averill is the founder of Gold Thread and former Chief Information Officer of lululemon, where she led the technology transformation that helped scale the company from $2 billion to over $10 billion in revenue. Prior to lululemon, she led omni-channel and digital transformations at Nordstrom and REI. Today, she advises boards, CEOs, and founders at the intersection of AI capability and organizational readiness, and her book Chief Impact Officer comes out June 16. Connect with Julie Averill: Website: https://goldthreadllc.com/ [https://goldthreadllc.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieaverill/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieaverill/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie_averill_/ [https://www.instagram.com/julie_averill_/] Grab Julie's new book Chief Impact Officer, out June 16 — connect with her on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/julieaverill [http://linkedin.com/in/julieaverill]) or visit goldthreadllc.com [http://goldthreadllc.com] John Barrows is a sales trainer, speaker, and founder of JB Sales with over 25 years of experience in the industry. He has made hundreds of cold calls a week, led startups to acquisition, and trained high-performing teams at companies like Salesforce, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Okta. Through JB Sales, John focuses on practical sales execution—helping reps fill pipeline, close deals, and build trust with buyers in today’s AI-driven sales environment. Connect with John Barrows: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbarrows/] https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnBBemdVT2pBZ1dhY0szYzlzOGUzYURaekEtUXxBQ3Jtc0trNkZEWVBuS3dOOWZaZ0pZVFNrOGtNNHpuNjZWdGx0aVBhX2dNODRTdjVKVG1tS0xnRlJXWk5WOUpVdzk1YzQ1R3ZoTFhRZ3pxeFFibXU5WnFlVGJtVXl5dDUzM1JqdnkwRGRMaC05VTZ2YmNFLTFiSQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fjohnbarrows%2F&v=bULevYtP1Ds Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/ [https://www.instagram.com/johnmbarrows/] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows [https://www.tiktok.com/@johnmbarrows] Check out John's Membership: https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast [https://learn.jbarrows.com/pages/individual-packages?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast] Join John's Newsletter: https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter [https://www.jbarrows.com/newsletter]