Stay ConnectedMeet Gabe Lullo.
Gabe Lullo is the CEO of Alleyoop, a sales development agency working with industry giants such as ZoomInfo, Salesloft, and Adobe.
He has trained over 8,000 salespeople across diverse businesses and, during his tenure in Alleyoop, he has personally hired and managed more than 1,500 SDRs.
With over two decades of experience in sales, marketing, and executive recruitment, his strategies have significantly driven Alleyoop’s growth.
From mowing lawns to revolutionizing hiring.
Matt Baxter hired his first employee as a high school senior for his lawn company.
He quickly learned something: technical skills don't matter as much as you think.
"I didn't care if someone knew how to mow a lawn or weed whack; you can teach those skills. But I did care if someone can shake your hand, be personable, and if you trust them in front of customers." - Matt Baxter
After selling his accounts to a property company, that hiring lesson stuck with him.
Because he saw the problem from both sides:
→ Hirers struggled to find the right people. Interviews sucked. Resumes told them nothing.
→ His friends graduated college and couldn't land jobs, not because they weren't capable, but because a resume couldn't capture who they actually were.
That gap sparked Wedge.
Here's what Matt's learned building it:
Your hiring process is a mirror of your company.
If it's broken, impersonal, or outdated, candidates notice. Make it candidate-driven.
Think long-term.
Starting young in business taught him this.
Short-term wins don't build companies. Relationships do.
Stay true to your network.
Check in with people just to check in.
Not when you need something. Your network isn't transactional, it's foundational.
“Come in as the Chief Listener, connect with the teams, and understand what is going on.” - Hans Lagerweij
Leadership isn’t about walking through the door with all the answers.
It’s about walking in with the right questions and a willingness to truly listen.
When stepping into a new role, especially as a leader, your first priority should be to understand the people, the culture, and the challenges on the ground.
It requires humility, curiosity, and empathy.
This mindset is critical, not just for building trust but for laying the foundation of any meaningful change.
At the same time, it's essential to think strategically.
Yes, you need a long-term vision, but the vision alone isn't enough.
People want to see progress. They want to know you're not just planning, but also delivering.
It’s where short-term wins come in.
Quick, tangible results show your team, your stakeholders, and anyone else watching you’re not only listening, you’re acting.
These early milestones create momentum, build credibility, and foster buy-in for the bigger picture.
The key is finding the right balance between listening and leading, between long-term thinking and short-term execution.
The balance is what sets effective leaders apart.
“The reason I got to where I am today is because I roll my sleeves up and work alongside my team. I'm not just a leader who dictates, I'm right there with them.” – Karissa Kerr
Karissa went from being an Assistant to becoming the Chief Operating Officer.
It didn’t happen overnight.
It’s not just mental, it’s physical.
It’s long days, longer nights.
It’s entertaining clients, traveling, and being there for your team in the trenches, not just leading from above, but walking beside them.
So what sets someone apart at this level?
A mix of passion, assertiveness, and the constant desire to grow.
That’s the mindset that separates people who want the title from those who earn it.
This is modern leadership.
Grounded, relentless, and deeply connected to the people who make it all happen.
😎 Do Hard Things.
“Say no when you need to, and ask people to do things when you need them to.” – Lauren McSorley
From day one, Lauren understood success isn't just about doing everything.
It's about doing the right things, in the right order, with the right people.
The key? Trust.
Having a team and a network you can rely on changes everything.
You can't, and shouldn’t, do it alone.
When things pile up, the support of a dependable team is what keeps momentum going and quality high.
Yes, you can have a to-do list.
But often, the real work is in the unspoken.
It’s about reading the room, sensing what’s off, and fixing it before it becomes a problem.
Leadership isn’t always loud.
Sometimes it’s quiet intuition, strong boundaries, and knowing when to ask for help.
😎 Do Hard Things.
“The reason most people say ‘either/or’ is because they’re very confident in that thing, but not the other.” - Morgan Ingram
Most execs don’t lean towards social selling because they didn’t use content to get to where they are.
They say:
“Make more calls.”
“Send more emails.”
“Host more events.”
Why? Because it’s what worked for them.
They didn’t close deals on LinkedIn when they were sellers.
To them, content and social selling feel like foreign concepts.
They think:
"Influencers? Dancers? That won’t drive pipeline."
But that’s the past.
We’ve got to leave it in the past.
We’re in a new world now.
Social selling wasn’t top of mind for them, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be for us.
We either adapt or we get left behind.
“Culture starts from the top and trickles its way down to the rest of the team.” – Megan Prince
If you want to build an amazing culture, start by being the example.
Leadership sets the tone.
No individual is greater than the team.
Strong foundations create strong teams.
Always act in the best interest of the group.
That goes for everyone.
Be accountable.
Own your actions.
As a leader, you’re not just setting the pace, you’re driving it.
Practice what you preach.
Grow constantly.
Learn relentlessly.
Knowledge is power.
And leadership is responsibility.
“Economics tells you what is, and reminds society of where it should be, and where it ought to go.” – Seung Paik
What’s the purpose of economics?
In the confusion, chaos, and uncertainty of life, economics helps you find a guiding point, a framework to move forward with clarity.
It draws a necessary tension between what is and what should be.
It asks:
Where are you now?
Where do you want to be?
And what forces are shaping the gap between the two?
Economics tells us: in a market with high demand, prices will rise.
But then comes the deeper question: Is that a good thing? Is that right?
Want to learn more about the rollercoaster curve and how leadership fits into the bigger economic picture?
Tune into the latest podcast episode with Seung Paik.
And don’t miss his upcoming book, Leadernomics, launching September 9th. Pre-Order now!
“Love and sales got discovered at the same time for me.” - Jason Marc Campbell
Jason’s first girlfriend came from a sales interaction.
Not a pitch. Not a trick. Just a real, human moment.
And that’s how he’s seen sales ever since:
Not as pressure.
But as presence.
As connection.
When you sell something good, there’s happiness on the other side.
Sales doesn’t have to feel like a drag.
It doesn’t have to feel manipulative or transactional.
When you’re in it for the right reasons…
To help.
To serve.
To make life better for someone else…
Your results follow.
We talk about all of that in this episode:
Mindset. Ethics. Fulfillment.
And how falling in love and falling into sales can sometimes look the same.
“It’s okay if you look around and no one is like you. It’s okay to be the first.” - Devan Felano
Being the first can feel lonely.
Uncomfortable. Even intimidating.
But it’s also powerful. Inspiring. Transformative.
Have thick skin.
Prove yourself.
Be the most prepared in the room.
Earn their buy-in.
Get to know people.
That’s how you grow. That’s how you lead.
Don’t just take up space, shape it.
Become a trusted voice.
Become a better leader.
Make it easier for the next “first.”
“I wasn’t willing to pick plan B.” - Brian Burke
That’s not just a quote.
It’s a mindset.
Brian started flipping phones on eBay in college.
Then he made a pivot most wouldn’t:
Laser focus on Apple only.
No distractions. No backup plans.
Because when you’re obsessed with what you’re building, you don’t need a safety net.
You need grit.
You need resilience.
You need to treat customer service like it’s your product.
Most people chase convenience.
Brian chased excellence.
This episode is for the builders.
The sellers.
The ones who refuse to settle.
If you’ve ever been tempted to compromise, don’t.
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