The Revenue Formula

Most teams obsess over new business and ignore the people already paying them. That blind spot is killing retention, bloating acquisition costs, and making growth harder than it needs to be.In this episode, Toni sits down with Mallory Lee, a three time VP of Revenue Operations, to unpack why Customer Success is still treated like an afterthought and why that mindset breaks companies over time.(00:00) - Introduction (02:35) - CS Teams are the Forgotten Child (08:18) - The Customer Journey and Handoffs (11:46) - Maintaining Customer Context (22:02) - Product Usage Data and Signals (26:30) - Building Trust Through Customer References (32:17) - Identifying and Leveraging Power Users (35:03) - Gamification and User Engagement (38:14) - Systematizing Customer Loyalty (42:38) - Financial Implications of Customer Retention (44:24) - The Vicious Cycle of Churn (51:31) - Final Thoughts

Most misses in sales are baked into the plan before the year even starts.In this episode, Toni talks with Scott Domareck, a four-time VP of Sales who’s been through every phase of growth, exit, and burnout imaginable. Together, they break down the hidden mistakes that ruin annual planning long before execution begins.From massaged Excel spreadsheets to unrealistic ramp times and compounding assumptions that look great to investors but kill execution, they get real about what actually happens inside revenue planning season, and how to build a plan you can actually hit.This episode is brought to you by Evergrowth — Their Agentic GTM Workspace enables revenue teams to collaborate and win with AI-powered teammates, breaking down silos and helping B2B teams grow smarter with fewer resources. Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (04:16) - The Reality of Planning Season (07:22) - Transparency and Context in Planning (13:12) - Compounding Effects in Sales Planning (18:14) - Involvement of Go-to-Market Leadership (25:29) - Trust and Executive Leadership (28:43) - Top Mistakes in Hiring (30:49) - Staggering for Supply and Demand (34:02) - Challenges in Scaling and Execution (41:04) - The Reality of Adding New Elements to the Plan (43:34) - Risk Management and Buffers (46:31) - Planning for Attrition and Unexpected Events (49:13) - Final Thoughts and Future Discussions

Everyone dreams about taking their company global. But most teams have no idea how hard it really is.In this episode, Toni sits down with Shantanu and Koen from Personio to talk about why expanding into new markets can easily sink your go-to-market strategy. They’ve both helped companies like Gong, LinkedIn, and Personio grow across borders, and they’ve got the scars to prove it.They dig into what founders get wrong about international expansion, how to tell if your product actually fits a new geography, and why “just translating the website” is never enough. You’ll hear how cultural nuances, regulations, and even small hiring decisions can make or break your success abroad.This episode is brought to you by Evergrowth — Their Agentic GTM Workspace enables revenue teams to collaborate and win with AI-powered teammates, breaking down silos and helping B2B teams grow smarter with fewer resources. Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (03:57) - Common Mistakes in Expansion (09:10) - Product Geo Fit (11:59) - Localized Market Strategies (19:25) - Cost and Investment in New Markets (24:07) - Finding the Right International Leader (25:53) - Practical Approaches to Market Entry (32:07) - Viewing Expansion as a Bet (34:51) - Team and Culture Considerations (37:31) - Leadership Advice for International Expansion (43:13) - Balancing Global and Local Needs (47:24) - Navigating Complexity in International Operations

What does the future AE look like in the age of AI?Toni and Raul break down how AI could transform sales productivity, reshape go-to-market structures, and create the $5M ARR AE. From hyper-optimized workflows to the rise of the “celebrity AE,” this episode explores three new models that redefine what top performance looks like.This episode is brought to you by Evergrowth — Their Agentic GTM Workspace enables revenue teams to collaborate and win with AI-powered teammates, breaking down silos and helping B2B teams grow smarter with fewer resources. Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (03:00) - The 5M ARR AE with AI (11:17) - Hyper Optimized Enterprise AE (15:18) - AI-Assisted Sales Meetings (19:04) - Maximizing Sales Efficiency (20:50) - Salesperson as a High Performer (22:01) - Factory Automation (24:42) - The SMB Multitasker (32:44) - The Celebrity AE (35:29) - Influencer Crossovers in Sales (39:00) - Wrapping up (40:42) - Next Week: The 2025 Hiring Playbook

Feeling burned out or stuck in your job? Chris Walker says the real problem might not be your boss or your paycheck, it’s the frequency you operate in.In this episode, he shares with Toni how trusting his intuition led him to sell Refine Labs and step away from the company he built, and why he believes we’re leaving the Information Era and entering a new “Frequency Era,” where your energy and mindset matter more than credentials or experience. Chris explains the six tiers of frequency, what it takes to move beyond stress and burnout, and how urgency and constant pressure can quietly pull a whole company into low-frequency habits.Want to work with us? Learn more: revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (01:56) - The Decision to Exit Refine Labs and What's Next (11:09) - The Shift from Information Era to Frequency Era (15:37) - What is Frequency? (20:13) - Frequency Tiers and Personal Growth (22:46) - Tier One: Recognizing the Illusion (24:05) - Tier Two: Breaking the Illusion (26:17) - Tier Three and Beyond: Energetic Mastery (32:10) - Example: How You Relate to Time (33:49) - Where Frequency meets Business (37:06) - Defining Success Beyond Financial Metrics (42:39) - The Power of Choice and Awareness (44:13) - Examples of Different Company Frequencies (46:54) - The Role of Urgency and Pressure (51:19) - Impact of Venture Capital on Company Frequency (55:16) - Leadership and Frequency Alignment (01:05:45) - Final Thoughts and Personal Journey (01:09:13) - Next Week: Zoominfo's James Roth on AI in Sales and Marketing

Leaderrs rarely talk about their own health even though it drives every decision. Toni and Raul share their own experiences and what they learned from interviews with 17 founders and C-level leaders about mental and physical habits.They dig into how stress, sleeplessness and company performance feed into each other, how common burnout and anxiety really are, and why so many leaders slip into drinking or other forms of self-medication without noticing.(00:00) - Introduction (06:45) - Mental sealth statistics among founders (09:33) - Physical Health and Company Performance (11:53) - Stress and sickness correlation (16:17) - Do we self medicate too much? (23:33) - Health routines of successful CEOs (28:20) - Exercise routines (30:32) - Challenges of maintaining health when you have kids (34:19) - Health as a job responsibility for founders (39:21) - Improving sleep quality (44:04) - Diet and nutrition (47:13) - Final thoughts (48:50) - Next week: JB from Evergrowth on sales and automation

AI SDRs, pipeline starvation, and overhyped tools dominate today’s revenue conversations. But how much of it actually works in practice?Toni sits down with Todd Busler, CEO of Champify, to cut through the noise. They dig into the reality of AI in sales, the pressure to chase shiny tools, and why short-term thinking is breaking go-to-market strategy. Todd also shares the underestimated challenges of founding a company and where he sees real opportunities for growth.(00:00) - Introduction (01:11) - Todd's Journey to Founding Champify (06:48) - Challenges in Go-to-Market Strategies (10:44) - The Reality of AI SDRs (13:42) - Cost-Cutting with AI (18:11) - Jason Lemkin's AI Insights (21:14) - Overhyped Tools? (26:45) - The Short-Term Pressure in Go-to-Market (30:27) - Zombie Unicorns and Market Realities (32:05) - Trends in Cold Calling and Power Dialers (34:42) - The Rise of In-Person Events (36:50) - Navigating the Confusing Tooling Landscape (42:02) - The Challenges of Starting a Company (47:18) - The Pressure of Venture Capital (54:42) - Closing Thoughts (56:00) - Next Week: Antoine Fort, CEO of Qobra

What do video games have to do with business growth? More than you think.In this episode, Toni and Raul explain how their gaming past helps them spot company issues almost instantly. Using the idea of levels, just like in video games, they show why businesses get stuck, how to know what level your company is really on, and what it takes to move forward the right way.Want to be a guest on the show? Learn more at revformula.io(00:00) - Introduction (06:53) - Levels Explained (11:53) - Hiring the Right People at the Right Time (16:41) - Strategic Roadmaps and Levels (19:12) - Situational Dependency in Business Advice (20:14) - CRM Implementation Challenges (25:28) - The Importance of Process Maturity (31:47) - Three Main Problems (35:13) - Our Solution (37:30) - Next Week: Zero Waste GTM

In this episode, we talk about the messy shift from founder-led sales to something more scalable. A lot of teams trip up here. It's not just about hiring the right people, it's about whether the company is actually ready for them.Early sales hires often fail because the structure, process, or timing is off. The conversation introduces the idea of level awareness, a way to figure out if your setup matches the stage you're in. The same problems tend to repeat, whether you're at $1M or $50M ARR.(00:00) - Introduction (02:12) - Challenges in Founder-Led Sales (05:36) - Diagnosing Founder-Led Sales Issues (08:36) - Hiring Challenges and Misconceptions (11:12) - Framework for Scaling Sales Teams (13:39) - Levels of Sales Maturity (19:20) - Defining Level One (23:27) - Hiring for Stage Level Fit (25:25) - Common Founder Regrets (27:13) - Hiring Sales Leaders with Level Awareness (34:53) - Challenges of Premature Scaling (36:31) - Conclusion (37:37) - Next Week: Is Remote Work & AI Making Us Less Productive?

Nobody wants to touch pricing. It’s political, it’s messy, and if it goes wrong, everyone remembers who led the project. But here’s the thing—when it works, it really works.In this episode, Toni and Raul talk about why pricing changes freak people out, what actually happens when you go through with them, and how even small tweaks can drive serious revenue. They’ve both run pricing projects that paid off big, and they’ve got the scars to prove it.If pricing’s been on your to-do list forever but you keep punting it… this one’s for you.(00:00) - Introduction (01:36) - The dread of pricing changes (04:29) - Balancing new prices and losing customers (05:53) - Lead pricing changes without losing your job (08:55) - Who should own pricing changes? (10:10) - Creating a pricing steering committee (12:38) - Consultants in pricing projects (17:00) - Are we over complicating it? (19:44) - Churn and pricing relationship (25:02) - The external and internal narrative (29:47) - Phasing pricing changes (31:10) - Pricing moves in PLG (32:59) - Conclusion

Not all consultants are worth it. Some drive real impact. Others just burn your time and budget.In this episode, Toni and Raul dive into how to tell the difference. They break down when it actually makes sense to bring in outside help, how to vet someone properly, and the biggest red flags to avoid.You'll learn why consulting is a real skill, what good execution support looks like, and how to think about pricing and value. (00:00) - Introduction (02:48) - Do you actually need consultants? (05:22) - The consulting relationship with startups (08:29) - Identifying red flags (10:41) - The hammer people (16:17) - Consulting is a skill (21:14) - Consultants as challengers (24:40) - Pricing and value in consulting (30:06) - Execution and enablement (33:38) - Summary (35:45) - Next week: Chris Tottman on VCs

We sat down and unpacked the messy, unfiltered reality of being a startup CEO.The kind no one tells you about. Not at panels. Not in TechCrunch puff pieces. And definitely not on LinkedIn.This isn’t a “how I built this” highlight reel. It’s what actually happens when you’re juggling investors, layoffs, spin cycles, fundraising failures, and the kind of decisions that keep you up for months.We dig into why CEO life is less “Davos and private jets” and more “burnout, pressure, and zero control.” What it’s like to be the person everyone expects answers from, even when you’re not sure yourself. And why founders need less hype—and way more empathy.Never miss a new episode! Join our newsletter at revenueformula.substack.com(00:00) - Introduction (01:44) - Inside the minds of CEOs (06:47) - Transparency and communication (08:37) - Dealing with the worst problems (09:51) - Limited control and influence (10:59) - Fundraising challenges (15:54) - Financial realities of CEOs (24:57) - The emotional toll (27:24) - Decision-making pressures (37:16) - Final thoughts

We got our hands on Jacco van der Kooij’s latest GTM playbook. The one he’s only been sharing behind closed doors at high-ticket, invite-only events. And yes, we’re leaking it. This isn’t just a few new tactics. It’s a complete shift in how revenue leaders think about growth. No more chasing leads at all costs. No more funnels that fall apart at scale. Instead, it’s about turning your users into your biggest growth engine. We dig into what’s changing, what companies like Notion and Snowflake are doing differently, and why this approach might be the healthiest way to grow in B2B right now. Never miss a new episode! join our newsletter at revenueformula.substack.com (00:00) - Introduction (01:24) - Exploring the New Playbook (08:04) - Activating Your User Base (23:01) - The tiered users ecosystem (29:43) - Cohort-Based Events (36:56) - Human-Led Growth: The Power of Real Connections (43:21) - The New Playbook: Integrating Sales and Success (51:23) - Up next: The SDR Playbook