Questions founders ask

What is Founders Ramp?

Founders Ramp helps founders build a repeatable way to sell before they hire sellers. It's Justin Weller, in the room, with a founder who still has to close.

Most founders have a real product, a real buyer, and a real reason someone should talk to them. The market still doesn't know what they do, when to call, or why now. Referrals dry up and founder-led selling becomes the bottleneck. Founders Ramp puts a sales motion under that. More about why it exists.

Who is it for?

Founders with a real product and real buyers whose sales still run through them. You might have no sellers, one seller, or five.

If the number only moves when you're on the call, it's for you. If you're about to hire your first AE, or that person is struggling, it's for you. See how we work.

What happens when I click “Let me help”?

You book a call with Justin. Bring one GTM issue or one deal that went quiet. We work it on the call, and you leave with a game plan.

It isn't a discovery call about us. It's a sample of the real work on your real problem. If there's more to do after that, we'll talk about it then.

Does the first call cost anything?

No. We really just want to help. Many founders won’t need us, just a push in the right direction. We believe in forward karma. ;)

How does an engagement work?

We start with the one thing that's actually on fire. Then we tailor the work to what you need. Some engagements take a single day. Others run six months or longer.

The work usually falls into five kinds: Sales Strategy, Sales Process, Sales Management, Installing the team, and Deal & Call Coaching. Whatever the size, you'll know what you're getting before we start. See the five pieces of work.

Will you become our VP of Sales?

No. We don't become your VP. You still own the number.

We build the motion, help you hire the person who'll run it, and teach you how to inspect their work. Fractional sales leader vs VP of Sales.

When should I hire my first salesperson?

When you have a signal that the GTM strategy works and is scalable, and you can explain, in plain language, how you qualify, inspect, and advance a deal. Until then, the hire freezes whatever process you have, or don't have.

Bar for this week: write the five questions you always ask before you call something qualified. If you can't, don't hire yet. When to hire your first AE.

How do I get out of founder-led sales?

You don't get out of it so much as change roles. Write the motion first, then hire someone to run it, then step out of the next call. One founder stays the steward of revenue.

If the number only moves when you're in the room, you didn't transition. You added payroll. How to move off founder-led sales.

What is SCALE?

SCALE is how we qualify a deal: Success Criteria, Conversion Economics, Adoption Path, Lock-in & Risk, and Effortless Transaction. If you assumed one of them, the deal has a hole.

Buyers can prototype an alternative in a weekend, so "we'll build it ourselves" is often the real competitor. The five things that have to be true.

What does a good first sales call look like?

It attaches to a real problem, by persona, then value. It isn't a tour of the product.

Write the objections down before you dial. Stay curious. Never trash the other option. Problem-first discovery and what you hear on the first call.

How do I know my forecast is real?

Get five fields right on every open deal: close date, stage, amount, next step, and forecast category. Then inspect them every week.

Crushing the forecast still hurts growth if nobody saw it coming, because the company can't hire against it. 5 Green Fields and inspect a live deal.

Who is Justin Weller?

Justin was a founding salesperson at Workiva, starting with zero customers. He then launched two more vertical and solutions teams that helped drive Workiva to a $1B valuation. Before that he launched markets and sales teams in wireless, software, and consulting.

At Nextel he rebuilt the North Florida market from about 40% of plan to number one in the country. At Smartsheet he stood up a Global 2000 key accounts motion that failed, and he keeps that lesson in the room. About Justin.