Why Smart Founders Get Stuck Selling to Enterprise and How to Scale Revenue with Amanda Freick

About this episode

Mandi Ellefson interviews Amanda Freick about the challenges and strategies of selling to complex organizations and scaling revenue effectively.

In this episode, Mandi Ellefson sits down with Amanda Freick , founder of Creative Intelligence Group , to unpack what it really takes to sell into complex, high-stakes industries and why mindset, confidence, and execution matter just as much as strategy. Amanda shares how her firm helps companies selling into electric utilities and other complex organizations navigate 18–24+ month sales cycles, build scalable commercial infrastructure, and shorten time to revenue without cutting corners. With deep expertise in the energy sector, she explains why utilities are intentionally hard to sell to, how road signs like MSAs and pilots signal real progress, and why chasing “silver bullets” can destroy long-term growth. But this conversation goes far beyond sales mechanics. Amanda opens up about imposter syndrome, burnout, pricing fear, and the internal work required to step into leadership at a higher level. She shares how shifting from hourly work to value-based retainers, narrowing her offer, and fully owning the impact of her work transformed not just her business, but her confidence, team, and energy. 🔍 In This Episode, You’ll Learn: ✅ Why selling into utilities and complex…

People in this episode

Host: Mandi Ellefson

Guest: Amanda Freick

Topics covered

• selling to enterprise
• scaling revenue
• sales cycles
• mindset
• leadership

Keywords

• electric utilities
• commercial infrastructure
• imposter syndrome
• burnout
• value-based retainers

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Creative Intelligence Group

Books & works: The Hands-Off CEO Book

More episodes of Hands-Off CEO

• Why Your Second-in-Command Is Your Most Valuable Hire with Cameron Herold · April 15, 2026 · 37 min
• Stop chasing clients: How to turn your network into a referral machine with Dan Englander · March 3, 2026 · 31 min
• Why Most Marketing Data Is Wrong (And How to Prove What Actually Drives Revenue) with Jeff Greenfield · January 20, 2026 · 35 min
• Use Speaking to Scale Influence, Authority, and High-Value Clients with Cam Beaudoin · January 13, 2026 · 56 min
• How Mid-Market Companies Scale Sales Predictably with Shaun Alger · January 9, 2026 · 52 min
• The Book That Sells for You: Turning Your Knowledge into a Lead-Generating Machine with Steve Gordon · December 20, 2025 · 35 min