Make More Hustle Less Club

The #1 skill no one teaches tech sellers: Managing your variable income. Most sales influencers focus on closing deals. Almost none talk about this: What do you do after the commission check hits? Think about it: ? Your income swings wildly month-to-month ? Your tax situation gets increasingly complex ? Traditional financial advice isn't built for your reality This is the gap I'm obsessed with filling. Because what's the point of earning $300K+ if you're still living paycheck to paycheck? The formula is simpler than you think: Combine your purpose, priorities, and interests with your earning power to design freedom NOW. Not in your 60s. NOW. I partnered with Rob Cook, CPA, the tax advisor for elite sales pros. He's not just a finance pro; he's a former tech seller who understands our world. Together, we shared how to "Build Your Personal Financial Operating System" to help sellers progress through 3 critical stages: 1?? Build your foundations 2?? Accelerate your wealth & options 3?? Generate the freedom you desire This isn't about retirement planning. It's about using your variable income as a tool for long-term autonomy...on your terms. Ready to get more sophisticated with your finances? Check out this mini-course that will help (bonus financial health score tool inside): https://lnkd.in/eXwxHKPK Your earning potential is unlimited in tech sales. Your financial strategy should match it. ??

Bad news: Doubling your net worth doesn’t double your happiness. After closing a mega deal that put me over the $1M annual earnings mark for the first time in my sales career, I felt: ? Sad ? Empty ? Drained Instead of celebrating, I took a nap. "WTF is going on?" I thought. This was what I discovered: These huge milestones get built up to be magical experiences. But the "let down" is you realize you're the same person as before. A significant achievement doesn’t change who you are. You change when getting to the milestone, not because of it. I had to learn the hard way throughout my career. But eventually... “Having enough” became my superpower. Once I reached this state of mind, I considered it my biggest competitive advantage (and still do) because selling was no longer about: ? Silly status symbols ? Cheap dopamine hits ? Topping the leaderboards It was purely about the craft (and elevating it to the highest standard possible). The transition is possible. But first, you must overcome the hedonic treadmill's overwhelming pull. Here’s a free guide with 4 powerful reframes that will help do just that: https://lnkd.in/ehKg5QxE ??

Wow! This goes beyond just closing the biggest deal of his career or running more strategic sales plays. Mike is a member of The Inner Circle and uses tech sales to lay the foundation for his personal monopoly. Here's how: Mike and I have worked together over the past year to create narrative-driven business cases with his top clients and share his personal stories on LinkedIn. This vulnerability and quality writing led Mike to be asked to speak to a group of executives with one of his key clients. Here's what he had to say about a recent experience: [Subject: My 1st talk] "Hey Brandon, I wanted to share a really cool experience—and one you helped me achieve. I just gave my first “talk.” From my 1st post on LinkedIn in December, one of the Senior Epidemiologists that I work with asked me to speak with her team about mindset. I told her I never gave a talk like this before, yet she persisted. We held it today with 10 of her colleagues who all have advanced degrees, many PhDs.? It was supposed to be 30 min, but we went 50 min as folks wanted to hear more and there was a lot of questions and conversation.? Attached is the presentation I created. It was kind of strange as typically I would be nervous in this situation as I’ve never given a talk and shared personal stories/struggles in a group setting, but I was dialed-in and felt like I was put there for a reason. It felt natural to me. Below were some DMs from the group post the talk and they want to have me back for a part 2 and now the Project Management team are interested. I just wanted to say thanks for helping put to me in this position with your guidance and wisdom. Talk soon! Mike" Mike gets it. He's leaning into the full potential of leveraging high-end tech sales to create the life he wants (and deserves). He's architecting a path to full autonomy for himself and his family by being more purposeful with his performance. We're achieving this over 5 distinct milestones: ? 1 / Develop a high-performance operating rhythm ? 2/ Design a world-class buying experience ? 3/ Run your pipeline as if you're a CEO ? 4/ Write consistently on LinkedIn ? 5/ Develop your Financial Freedom OS [Note: I break these steps down further in the comments below] If you qualify and you're ready to join Mike in The Inner Circle, you can do that here: https://bit.ly/Upgrade-PP ??

This was before "No Country for Old Men." Before "Sicario." Before "Dune." In the early 2000s, Josh Brolin was an actor struggling to make ends meet. He had a family to support, but his acting career wasn’t taking off fast enough. He needed a way to take control of his future. So, he did what most people would never consider: he became a full-time day trader. With no background in finance, he dove in headfirst. He got a mentor, studied charts, learned technical analysis, and spent hours tracking market movements. "When I was really on it, I made more trading than I did acting, for sure." Not because he was lucky. Not because he was naturally talented. But because he was curious and intentional about creating a better life for himself and his family. Eventually, his acting career skyrocketed. He landed career-defining roles. But his time as a trader wasn’t wasted—it shaped the mindset that made him a success: ? Adapt or get left behind: He saw opportunities others ignored. ? Control your future: He refused to wait for Hollywood to “save” him. ? Mastery comes from relentless learning: He treated trading like a craft, just as he did acting. Josh Brolin is a Purposeful Performer. He didn’t let life happen to him—he took control of it. And if you’re in tech sales, the same applies to you. Being a top strategic tech seller is one of the best corporate roles for building life-changing wealth and accelerating life-satisfying autonomy. Your career is a valuable game played across three main levels: ? Level 1: Trade time for skills ? Level 2: Use skills to gain leverage ? Level 3: Turn leverage into complete freedom To win at each level, you need to elevate how you think: → Level 1: Think like an executive (vs an employee) → Level 2: Think like a CEO (vs a top producer) → Level 3: Think like a VC (vs an entrepreneur) The best don’t wait for promotions, luck, or the perfect opportunity... They create it. That’s what we focus on inside The Purposeful Performer. It's a learning platform and community for enterprise and strategic sellers who want to become Autonomy Architects—those who are able to: ? Take complete control of their career trajectory ? Learn the frameworks top performers use to win ? Build a long-term competitive edge in their industry ? Design a life of autonomy without financial pressure If that sounds like you, become a member here: https://lnkd.in/ebxtsSWN ??

“Unfortunately, the constant travel, missing my kids’ birthdays, canceling family vacations, and the stresses of/obsession with life in the enterprise have taken their toll on my family. Now separation from my wife seems imminent…” I wish this were an outlier, but I get DMs like this way too often. Here’s the brutal truth that not many people talk about: Enterprise sales is hard on relationships and families! It’s doubly hard the higher you climb and spend over half your life on the road pursuing mega deals. Yeah, the payoff can be big… But at what cost? I am not a marriage expert, and I certainly could learn new ways to improve my relationship with Lisi. However, after 17 years in sales, with more than half of it constantly on a plane, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to manage your ambition, the stresses, and pressures from the top, all while maintaining a solid marriage. Here are my top 5 tips: 1. Establish clear rules and boundaries 2. Communicate proactively 3. Schedule quality time together 4. Practice active listening 5. Seek professional guidance I break down each tip in a post titled "How to Maintain a High-Performance Sales Career and a Healthy Marriage.” You can read it in full here: https://lnkd.in/eZtFRHQa For any other road warriors, what have you found that works to keep your career on course and your family intact? ??

Throughout my 17-year sales career, I was asked to become a manager and leader more than 10 times. I always said no because I prized one thing above all else: Autonomy Nothing against leadership, but I knew I could be a leader in my own unique way. I did it by working collaboratively with others to close the largest deals in our organization. All without having to manage others. We worked together. The outcome? During the last stop in my corporate sales career, where I had climbed to the highest level of individual contributor selling—Strategic Accounts, I generated $27.3M in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in 38 months with major Fortune 500 logos like: ? Chipotle ? Delta Air Lines ? UnitedHealth Group This path enabled me to achieve financial independence and my goal of stepping away from the corporate world 25 years ahead of society’s schedule (and 10 years ahead of my personal target) at age 42 to launch my one-person business. I did it by becoming a “VC of my own career.” Not many on LinkedIn are able to help tech sellers navigate this journey authentically and successfully, so I have dedicated this next stage of my life to help you do it. I’ve packaged everything I’ve learned into a learning platform and productized service called The Purposeful Performer. Inside, there are 10K+ enterprise and strategic tech sellers receiving a new lesson every Wednesday morning. Together, we’re defining and building a whole new category that transcends sales communities and traditional sales coaching… One where we intentionally transform our time, energy, attention, and money into massive leverage that creates a personal monopoly on your terms. I call these purposeful performers in tech sales, Autonomy Architects, because we don’t just try to sell better and more, we’re focused on architecting the life of our dreams. You can subscribe, or better yet, become a member of this exclusive tribe here: https://lnkd.in/dM_iFjCj See you inside! ??

I used tech sales to make life-changing wealth by 42. Then I cashed it in for a life on my terms. Here’s what put me in the top 0.1% of earners and created a life of autonomy: I got serious about being a “Purposeful Performer.” A Purposeful Performer intentionally designs their career and life versus blindly subscribing to rules created by others. If you want to do the same, here are 4 key principles that will help: 1. Remember, you’re playing a game There are 3 levels: ? Level 1: Apply effort for skills ? Level 2: Stack your skills for leverage ? Level 3: Turn leverage into complete freedom To win at each level, you need to elevate how you think: → Level 1: Think like an executive (vs an employee) → Level 2: Think like a CEO (vs a top producer) → Level 3: Think like a VC (vs an entrepreneur) 2. Sales is one of the fastest paths to level 3 "Could I become a multimillionaire again? I have no doubt. If I had to start all over again, I would get a job as a bartender at night and a sales job during the day.” - Mark Cuban To win in strategic sales, stop selling. Do this instead: → Position transformations vs transactions → Get prospects to think big, but act small → Get good at writing narrative memos → Help executives leave a legacy → Use a maturity model 3. Control the day If you control your days, you will win the year. If you win the year (every year), you’ll own your future. “Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up 37x better by the time you’re done. What starts as a small win accumulates into something much more.” - James Clear Before you give your time, energy, and attention away to others… You better make sure it’s focused on the right things. Impact > Busyness 4. Surround yourself with great people “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” - Jim Rohn Find people that want to see you win: ? A great partner in life ? Friends that want to see you succeed ? An awesome manager that wants you to improve To stay sane on this journey, use The 3-Level Rule: → Look up to someone 3 years ahead of you (i.e. coaches) → Join a community or cohort of people equal to you → Coach or mentor someone 3 years behind you This is just the beginning. I’m enabling strategic tech sellers to become Purposeful Performers and dominate their industries as 0.1% producers. These gains are then harnessed to develop a personal brand, build leverage, and shave off 5 - 15 years off your corporate career to pursue your ambitions on your terms. I'm launching "The Performance Hive" in April. It will be comprised solely of strategic sellers earning >$250K looking to create new levels of autonomy. (To get in, subscribe: https://lnkd.in/ey7dtgqK) ?? P.S. I'm just 3 years into Level 3 (Turning $ into freedom). But this journey started when I got into sales back in 2006. This is exactly the future I envisioned, & I’m never looking back.

Congrats to Michael, a member of The Purposeful Performer! He made a big leap from 2023 to 2024. Here's what and how: Michael is an enterprise seller at a 1,200-person company that was acquired for $1.5B by a tech behemoth last year. 2023: ? Close rate: 20% ? Deals worked: 49 ? Avg deal size: $115K 2024: ? Close rate: 52% ? Deals worked: 23 ? Avg deal size: $214K → Worked less deals → Increased deal size → Closed more business → Became the #2 Enterprise AE How he did it: 1/ We focused on "less, but better" Instead of playing the activity game, we got more strategic on where he could get more impactful. Reprioritizing account pursuits using criteria meaningful to him meant he had momentum on his side in each deal. We used The Diamond Hunter Framework to get more focused on the right accounts. 2/ We upgraded his calendar Before, Michael's calendar looked like everyone else's—only blue blocks for the commitments he had. We worked on filling the open spaces with different colored blocks. This enabled him to turn empty time into purposeful blocks that aligned with his energy states. During high energy states, he focused on high-value, deep impact work. During low energy states, he worked through admin tasks and inbox cleanup. This simple, consistent rhythm upgraded his life and mental well-being. 3/ We improved his narrative writing Before, most of his client-facing work looked like a vendor's. We worked on collaborating with a true Mobilizer to co-create a narrative business case that looked like an internal-facing document. We used the MINTS Framework to keep each strategic deal on track. This dramatically improved his win rate and increased his deal size. ?? P.S. I wanted to tag him, but being the humble guy he is, he was concerned his clients would think he was bragging on LinkedIn and wanted to remain anonymous. This was a slide he shared with his leaders to get increased funding for outside coaching. He took the leap last year with his own funds, but now he's operating like a "CEO" of his own business and asking for co-investment from his "VC" (employer). Michael...proud of your hard work and commitment. Look forward to building on that in 2025! ??????

On Tuesday, I had a conversation with a CFO of a Gen AI CX company with over $100M in funding. They’re closing deals left and right. Good right? Not exactly… Here’s the challenge: While it’s easy to say “yes” to this new inbound business, it’s putting the entire organization under pressure. That’s because they’re small and their clients are big. Big enterprises are eager and quick to adopt Gen AI for small use cases, but to properly scale, they need enterprise-level features, security, and integrations...and smaller startups are eager to please. Happy marriage now, but over time, this leads to an accumulation of sales and tech debt. It forces over hiring of sales talent to meet and grow the inbound demand, while the product team gets overwhelmed with new feature and integration requests that pulls them in a million different directions. The new sales talent gets minimal quality training (and many eventually have to be let go) while the product team members get frustrated and burned out (and many eventually leave to your competition). This path does not provide a sustainable future. The fix? Get lean and strategic. "Less, but better" is a helpful guiding principle. ? Less deals, but ones that fit a deal sweat spot Find your sweat spot criteria by dissecting your top 3 - 5 customers today that value you as partners...not just a vendor or test bed. This surfaces up the DNA of your most loyal and innovative customers you want to replicate. ? Less sales resources, but a cohesive team that goes deep Hire talent that can deliver the industry insights of a Big 4 consulting firm, but knows how to mobilize and deliver quickly as a startup. This is the golden spot innovative enterprise executives are looking for. ? Less features and integrations, and more of the right ones The key thing you want your product to answer is "we are best in the world today at _____." This will free up your talent to get behind bold messaging so you can claim and become the category leader. Remember: It's easy to ask investors for more money when things are growing fast. But what kind of autonomy and long-term strategic maneuvering are you sacrificing when you do this? More ≠ Better Become the best, not just the biggest. ?? P.S. If this story sounds all too familiar, consider working with me: https://lnkd.in/eddqjXCm

Popular ≠ Good This insight will save you tons of frustration. (Especially for those trying to build on LinkedIn) It’s easy to follow trends and placate the crowds. But it’s hard to pave a new path. I say be different. Different is good because it’s rare. Not everyone can produce *that thing*. This can be things like: Art Style Design Culture Content Perspective Then there’s the market. This is: A product A service A good It’s easy for anyone to pay you lip service. ("I love your content") But it’s another thing to show love with their wallets. You don’t have to be everything to everyone… But try to surf the edge. Be good + helpful. Do that, and you’ll live a good life. Move to great + transformative… Then you live an extraordinary life. Keep truckin’. ?? P.S. I know this is outside of my normal strategic sales tips, but more sellers are approaching me on how to build an online persona and transform that into a sustainable business. If you want to see more content like this: ? Give it a like ? Comment below ? Hit repost to help others Appreciate you!