Justin is the author of THE MACHINE: A Radical Approach to the Design of the Sales Function. He’s also the founder of Ballistix: a consultancy that builds sales functions for organizations in North America, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Resources Mentioned

Audible – Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
Google Sheets – Justin’s small business resource
The Goal – Justin’s top business book
Sales Process Engineering – Justin’s website
The Machine – Justin’s book

3 Key Points

Take a gamble on the idea you’re passionate about
Don’t try to pioneer too many things at once: manage the risks you’re taking
Know when to give up and stop digging. Some dips are permanent.

Time Stamped Show Notes

(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)

[01:54] – Justin is a keen tennis player and health junkie
[03:48] – Justin generates revenue via a monthly subscription
[04:00] – Monthly fee for an ‘all you can eat’ subscription is $8,400
[04:57] – “By aggregating needs, we can deliver service at accessible prices”
[06:06] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: Putting the business into receivership and having to rebuild from scratch
[07:38] – “We ended up having to bet everything on the consulting model”
[08:26] – “We turned on a dime and were able to re-hire our entire creative team”
[09:50] – The best way to let people go? “Honesty”
[11:00] – Letting someone go can free them up to a job that’s perfect for them
[12:00] – “We should have been quicker to gamble on the business that we were passionate about”
[12:50] – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: Realizing that consulting could be packaged like a SaaS product
[14:27] – There’s a dilemma: Wanting to persist with an idea, versus learning to quit
[15:27] – Don’t try to pioneer too many things at once
[17:00] – Biggest weakness?– “I get bored with business as usual”
[17:45] – Biggest strength?– “Figuring things out”
[18:57] – What has Jon most fired up today? “Moving sales inside… we’re changing the way people think about sales”
[22:20] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – “Not much”
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – “Get the hell out of the office”
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – “I read a lot – and I don’t read business books”
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Google Sheets
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – The Goal
25:38 – Connect with Justin on his website
[26:16] – Parting piece of guidance: “Don’t measure everything. Just pick the two most important things you need to know.”