How To Win at Early-Stage Sales (With the Guy Who Helped Take Snyk From $0 to $100M+)

Are you building a sales org from scratch? Or rebuilding one in the middle of an AI boom? If so, this episode is your field guide. CJ sits down with Ethan Schechter, SVP of Global Sales and Customer Success at Qodo (and the guy who helped take Snyk from $0 to $100M+ in revenue), to talk about the wild days of early-stage sales leadership. Ethan shares how he navigates “basecamp” moments and the “smile” and “cry” days of year one. He explains his approach to hiring for a new org, building internal trust while over-communicating, designing incentive structures for the early days, trading dollars for speed through discounting, and staying competitive in the fast-changing era of AI. The episode ends with an entertaining roast of LinkedIn’s cringe posts, from fake ARR math to self-given nicknames and beyond.—LINKS:Ethan Schechter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanschechterQodo: https://www.qodo.aiCJ on X (@cjgustafson222): https://x.com/cjgustafson222Mostly metrics: RELATED EPISODES:A CFO's Guide to Understanding Sales Teams, featuring Snyk's Ethan Schechter — —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Preview and Intro(02:07) Sponsor – Navan | Rillet | Pulley(06:10) Ethan’s Career as an Early-Stage Sales Leader and Understanding Equity(10:04) The “Basecamp” Mindset and Restarting Strong(12:33) Building Out Your Rules of Engagement(14:25) Sponsor – Brex | Aleph | RightRev(18:45) Navigating the “Smile and Cry” Days of Year One(24:03) Ethan’s Approach to Hiring for a New Org(27:38) Building Trust With Founders as a New Sales Leader(30:19) Incentives: Creating a Commission Plan for the Early Days(34:10) Why You “Can’t Divide Zero”: Handling Deal Splits(35:52) Other Early-Stage-Isms or Philosophies(38:52) Discounting at an Early-Stage Company(41:17) Selling in Today’s Environment: Competitive Trap-Setting(44:47) Budgets for AI Products: Experimental ARR(45:50) Monthly Deals and Decision Cycles in the Current Environment(47:33) Remaining Competitive in the Era of AI(51:08) The Lighter (and Cringier) Side of LinkedIn(1:03:01) Wrap—SPONSORS:Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense solution that helps finance teams streamline reconciliation, enforce policies automatically, and gain real-time visibility. It connects to your existing cards and makes closing the books faster and smarter. Visit https://navan.com/runthenumbers for your demo.Rillet is the AI-native ERP modern finance teams are switching to because it’s faster, simpler, and 100% built for how teams operate today. See how fast your team can move. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/metrics.Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetrics.Brex offers the world's smartest corporate card on a full-stack global platform that is everything CFOs need to manage their finances on an elite level. Plus, they offer modern banking and treasury as well as intuitive expenses and accounting automation, bill pay, and travel. Find out more at https://www.brex.com/metricsAleph automates 90% of manual, error-prone busywork, so you can focus on the strategic work you were hired to do. Minimize busywork and maximize impact with the power of a web app, the flexibility of spreadsheets, and the magic of AI. Get a personalised demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRightRev automates the revenue recognition process from end to end, gives you real-time insights, and ensures ASC 606 / IFRS 15 compliance—all while closing books faster. For RevRec that auditors actually trust, visit https://www.rightrev.com and schedule a demo.#SalesLeadership #StartupSales #SalesStrategy #SalesCompensation #discounting This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com