Pete Kazanjy

CEO & Author at Atrium / Author of Founding Sales

Pete Kazanjy is the CEO and founder of Atrium (sales analytics SaaS), author of Founding Sales (Lenny's favorite sales book), and founder of the Modern Sales Pros community, who learned sales by doing rather than from a traditional background.

The Growth Architect The Growth Scientist

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 55%

Execution & Craft 65%

Data & Experimentation 55%

Growth & Distribution 90%

Team & Leadership 50%

User Empathy & Research 60%

Key Themes

founders doing sales themselves hiring first salesperson timing tactical sales improvement sales is not magical B2B founder sales sales analytics and efficiency

Episode Summary

Pete Kazanjy makes the case that founders should do sales themselves for an extended period before hiring, sharing tactical tips for getting better at sales without a traditional sales background. He covers when to hire your first salesperson, what to look for in their profile, common hiring mistakes, and why sales is a learnable skill that benefits every aspect of building a company.

Leadership Principles

→ Founders should do sales themselves for a long time before hiring their first salesperson
→ Don't be afraid of sales — people who say you need to be a born seller are just talking their book
→ Getting good at sales behaviors benefits you in a myriad of ways beyond closing deals

Notable Quotes

"Don't be afraid of sales. There's a lot of people who would love to tell you it's magical or 'you've got to be a born seller.' Those people are just talking their book."
— On encouraging founders and PMs to embrace sales as a learnable skill

"Getting good at those behaviors is going to benefit you in a myriad of ways."
— On why sales skills are valuable far beyond the sales function

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