Ep 13 - Hiring for Impact

Conference season is here, and so is the questionable pipeline math. In this episode, Angi and Holly talk about what it really takes to get value from fintech conferences before, during, and after the event. They get into the difference between a good conversation and a real opportunity, why badge scans should not automatically become pipeline, and how to decide which follow-ups deserve your time once everyone gets home. They also cover conference planning, where to spend your time and budget, what to measure, and how to think about ROI beyond the number of names sitting in your CRM. Because conferences can absolutely create relationships, opportunities, and revenue. But a packed calendar and a stack of badge scans do not tell you whether the event worked. Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

What do declining nonprofit membership, the loneliness epidemic, walking groups, and startup methodology have in common? More than you might think. This week, we are joined by Deborah Hill, Founder & CEO of Seahorse Innovation Lab, to talk about what happens when you take lessons from 30+ years in technology, finance, and startups and apply them to building community. Deborah is helping membership organizations rethink how they attract and engage new members by starting small, running experiments, listening to feedback, and measuring whether people are coming back. And it turns out, the lessons apply just as well to startups. The conversation gets into why a simple experiment can teach you more than an elaborate plan, the difference between activity and real traction, why retention tells you more than attendance, and what you can learn from the people who stop showing up. They also talk about building communities people genuinely want to be part of and creating opportunities for members to become the next generation of leaders. Because whether you are building a startup, a nonprofit, or a walking group, doing more does not necessarily mean you are building something people want to come back to. Connect with Deborah Hill: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahhillSeahorse Innovation Lab: https://seahorseinnovation.com The Lean Startup: https://theleanstartup.com/book Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

Hiring can accelerate growth or slow it down. In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Greenwell, Founder of Growth Mode Partners, to talk about one of the biggest challenges founders face: knowing who to hire, when to hire, and what role will make the biggest impact. We explore why founders often hire too early or too late, why your first sales hire may not actually be a salesperson, and why the best hiring decisions start with defining the impact you want someone to make instead of writing a job description. Sarah also shares practical advice on transitioning from founder-led sales, evaluating candidates from larger companies, building teams with diverse perspectives, and using AI to strengthen hiring without replacing human judgment. Whether you're making your first hire or building out your leadership team, this conversation will help you make smarter hiring decisions that support long-term growth.  Connect with Sarah Greenwell LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/sarahcgreenwell Growth Mode Partners: growthmode.partners   Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

What happens when your product or website isn't accessible? You lose customers. Emily Goodson joins us to break down why accessibility should be built in from day one, not added after the fact. We talk about real-world consequences, from failed user experiences to compliance issues, and how small changes can make a meaningful impact If you are building in fintech or any regulated space, this is a conversation worth paying attention to. Looking to work with Emily? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ecgoodson/ Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

In this episode of In the Loop with Holly & Angi, we sit down with Hanane Bouchareb, Head of Product Management at M1 to talk about the real role product plays in go-to-market strategy.   We get into the balance between data and instinct, and why "vibes" actually matter more than people like to admit. When product, marketing, and sales are aligned, it is not just about what gets built. It is about how clearly the team can communicate what matters and why.   We also get real about what happens behind the scenes. Features shift, priorities change, and not everything goes according to plan. The teams that win are the ones that stay close to the customer problem and keep everyone aligned as things evolve.   If you're interested in learning more about M1, check them out at: m1.com   Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to.    Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

How process, communication, and decision-making quietly break down as teams scale. In this episode, we sit down with Chrystal Price, founder of In Good Company Co., to talk about something every growing company feels but rarely defines. We see this in repeated meetings that go nowhere, decisions that never stick, and processes that live in people's heads instead of anywhere others can follow. It often gets labeled as a communication issue, but it runs deeper than that. We get into how breakdowns in process, decision-making, and culture start to surface as teams grow, and why they are so hard to fix once they are embedded. Chrystal shares how to spot the early signals, what is really causing the friction, and how to start untangling it in a way that sticks. If you've ever felt like your team is busy but not moving forward, this one will hit close to home. Looking to work with Chrystal? Website: https://ingoodcompanycompany.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrystalcadenprice/  Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

Our guest this week is Fabiola Salazar, VP of Technology Banking at Wells Fargo. Fabiola works directly with founders to help them solve one of the most overlooked parts of building a company: choosing the right banking partner. In this episode, we talk about what fintech founders should expect from their bank, why the relationship matters far more than just opening an account, and how the right banking partner can save a founder time, money, and a lot of future headaches. Fabiola also shares what to look for in year one, how banks can support growth beyond deposits, and the questions every founder should ask before choosing a banking partner. Interested in speaking with Fabiola? Reach out via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiola-salazar/ Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

In this episode of The GTM Loop, we sit down with Arden Evenson of Firefly Advising to talk about messaging, clarity, and why so many companies make their products harder to understand than they need to be. Arden shares lessons from her early days at SoFi, why clarity always beats clever copy, and how founders can improve their messaging by focusing on outcomes instead of features. The conversation also touches on AI-generated content, financial inclusion, and why the best messaging often comes directly from the words customers use themselves. Interested in working with Arden? Here's how: https://evensons.notion.site/The-Messaging-Performance-Audit-30a68749a65281cc92aae7c40dec0a45   Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll actually want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

In this episode, Angi and Holly talk about what empathetic selling looks like in fintech and why chasing an ICP just because "they have budget" is not a real strategy. They unpack what buyers inside financial institutions are worried about, the personal and reputational risk behind every decision, and why the best sellers spend more time listening than pitching. The conversation covers partnership versus vendor mindset, social selling without the pitch slap, and how empathy shows up not just in sales calls, but in hiring, onboarding, and long-term relationships. If you sell into banks or credit unions, this episode is a reminder that you are always selling to a person first, not just an institution or a budget line. Find the Supercommunicators book here: https://bookshop.org/a/121030/9780593243923 Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll want to listen to. Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.

In this episode, Angi and Holly sit down with Neal Mann, co-founder of Noan, to talk about the part of AI most companies keep avoiding: their foundation.   Neal explains why layering AI on top of broken systems does not work, why documents were never meant to be the backbone of modern businesses, and why facts should be the true system of record. Together, they unpack how clean, connected data changes marketing, sales alignment, compliance, content, and customer trust.   They also explore human-in-the-loop AI, single sources of truth, financial institution realities, and what founders should prioritize if they want to scale without creating more complexity.   This episode is a reminder that AI does not fix chaos; it exposes it.   Learn more about Noan here: getnoan.link/thegtmloop   Expect straight talk, practical advice, and the occasional hair flip. If you're building, selling, or scaling in fintech and beyond, this is the GTM podcast you'll actually want to listen to.   Sell it. Keep it. Grow it.