PODCAST · business
Behind the Funnel
by Yarek Matacz
Most companies don’t have a lead problem — they have a funnel problem. Behind the Funnel is a business podcast that breaks down how B2B companies actually acquire customers and scale revenue. Hosted by Yarek Matacz, founder of JPM Media and Co-Hosts Nick Cross and Marcus Sousa. The show goes beyond surface-level marketing advice to explore the real systems, strategies, and decisions that drive predictable growth. Each episode features conversations with SaaS founders, operators, consultants, and B2B leaders who are actively building and scaling companies. Instead of theory or generic “growth hacks,” these discussions unpack the acquisition engines behind real businesses — from outbound systems and paid acquisition to funnel architecture, offer design, and sales processes. Listeners will hear what w
Episodes
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Why Most AI Investments Fail (It's Not the Tool)
Every advantage your company has right now is already expiring. That's the premise behind the Durable Advantage Cycle, the framework at the center of this conversation with Arun Pattanayak, a former Microsoft Data and AI Executive and fractional CTO who's spent 20+ years inside companies like...
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Marc Petitpas on Leadership, Grief, Business & Rebuilding Your Life From Scratch
This was one of the most honest conversations we’ve had on Behind the Funnel. Marc Petitpas has led some of the biggest organizations and venues in Canada — from opening BMO Field as its first General Manager, to leadership roles with MLSE, the Air Canada Centre, Fusion Homes, and beyond. But…
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AI Isn’t the Advantage. Integration Is | Amir (BlackOps)
Episode Summary AI is everywhere. But most businesses are still using it wrong. In this episode of Behind the Funnel, I sit down with Amir Samani from BlackOps Studio to break down why most AI systems fail and what real integration actually looks like inside a business. We go deep into why...
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Enterprise Marketing Secrets Most Small Businesses Miss | Angelo (Jacker Digital)
Episode Summary Most businesses focus on tactics. Very few understand the systems behind them. In this episode of Behind the Funnel, I sit down with Angelo Masters Jr., founder of Jacker Digital, to break down what actually changes when you move from small business marketing to enterprise-level...
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You Can Build Anything… So Why Are You Still Stuck? (The AI Efficiency Trap Explained)
Episode Summary AI made execution easy. Too easy. Now the real problem isn’t how to build — it’s what to build. In this episode of Behind the Funnel, I sit down with Samim Safaei again to break down something most people won’t admit: They open ChatGPT, Claude, or any AI tool… and sit there with...
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AI Didn’t Fix Growth… It Made It Harder | Samim From Siift.ai Explains Why
Episode Summary AI was supposed to make building a business easier. But instead… it’s exposed a completely different bottleneck. In this episode of Behind the Funnel, I sit down with Samim Safaei from SIFT to break down what’s actually happening behind the scenes right now. We go deep into why…
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Beyond Chat AI: The AI Playbook That Keeps Founders Focused
Solo or small team? Then you know the drill: 40 chat threads, half-finished docs, and no clear next step. In this episode, Samim Safaei, co-founder of SIIFT.AI, breaks down how their “Founder’s Compass” turns messy ideas into structured, repeatable validation — without losing speed. We cover: Why...
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Not Just Bake Sales: The $400B Nonprofit World—And the Data OS Powering It
Most people underestimate nonprofits. They’re not small or slow—they’re a $400B U.S. engine (trillions globally) that run on trust. Our guest Cyrus Kazi, co-founder & CEO of Quantably, explains why trust is a data problem—and how his team built an “operating system for impact” that finally…
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Kill the Meeting Chaos: How Tweenlin Uses AI to Free Your Calendar
Sick of living in your calendar? Founder Dario De Santis (Tweenlin) breaks down how his team is cutting the meeting overload—turning endless 1:1s and “quick syncs” into fast, human conversations without scheduling gymnastics. We dig into: The real cost of meeting sprawl (and why remote work made…
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Stop Hiring, Start Automating: AI “Employees” That Scale You
On this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Trey DeMobile, founder of Immersive Agentics, to unpack how small teams (from 2–15 people) are plugging in AI “employees” to reclaim time, reduce busywork, and tighten security without adding headcount. We dig into practical…
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Inside the $1T Ad Machine: How Revenue Arc’s 50% Rev-Share Model Delivers 5–8× ROAS
This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Andrew Barrow, founder of Revenue Arc, a white-label programmatic ad agency running campaigns for household names—and flipping the traditional agency model on its head with a 50% gross revenue share back to partners and lifetime referral...
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How Alphana Turns 1 Video into 30+ Pieces of Content (and Why Labels Are Paying Attention)
This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Sebastian Mourra, founder of Alphana.ai — a platform built to help creators, businesses, and even record labels turn one piece of content into 30. We dive into how Alphana is building the future of content repurposing, going beyond short...
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AI + Compliance: The $100B Problem Lily Yeoh Says Nobody Is Solving
This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Lily Yeoh, co-founder and CEO of C1Risk, to explore how her company is reshaping compliance and risk management with automation and AI. With over two decades in cybersecurity—from cryptography at Texas Instruments to consulting at...
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How Simon Groom Scaled Consulting Into a SaaS Platform for 5,000+ Small Businesses
This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Simon Groom, CEO and co-founder of Magnify B, to unpack how he and his co-founder, David, turned decades of consulting experience into a SaaS platform that’s now helping thousands of small businesses save time, cut costs, and scale smarter....
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How Dan Gudkov Helped Accounting Platforms Double Client Capacity with Automation
This week on Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Dan Gudkov, founder of DoDocs AI, to unpack the journey from legal tech to a global automation solution that’s helping companies eliminate manual data entry and double their client capacity. Dan shares how DoDocs pivoted after customer...
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9,000+ Deals Closed: How Jeremy Nielsen Built Sally.co to Fix SPVs
In this episode, I talk with Jeremy Nielsen, founder of Sally.co, the all-in-one platform that makes Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) simple, clean, and headache-free. Jeremy has overseen more than 9,000 SPVs and took all that experience to build Sally — the first system that puts everything in…
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How James Saves Businesses $2M+ with Automation (From Red Dead Redemption to Local SMBs)
In this episode, I talk with James from Nimblo — a 20+ year tech veteran who’s worked on everything from World of Warcraft and Red Dead Redemption 2 to United Healthcare. Now he’s using that same expertise to save small businesses millions by cutting out wasted time and automating repetitive…
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AI Hacker Agents & the Crypto “Shark Tank” That Could Change Everything
In this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Jace Lander, founder of ONEX Technology, who went from running a structural steel company to building some of the wildest tech I’ve seen yet. We talk about Whale Tank—a crypto “Shark Tank” style launchpad for vetted projects—and OKX…
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The Solar Industry's Dirty Secrets—and How PVCA is Cleaning Them Up | Luke Pollinger (PVCA)
What happens when solar becomes a get-rich-quick scheme? Luke Pollinger, founder of PVCA (Photovoltaics California), has spent the last 20+ years fixing the mess others leave behind. From abandoned utility projects to broken microgrids, PVCA steps in where others walk away. In this episode, we...
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Agrivoltaics Isn’t a Trend — It’s the Future of Solar Farming | Iain Ward, Founder of SolAg
From cranberry bogs to clean power—this episode is a deep dive into how agrivoltaics could change the solar industry forever. Yarek Matacz sits down with Iain Ward, founder of Solar Agricultural Services (SolAg), to explore how thoughtful solar development can preserve farmland, support farmers,...
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Shawn Young | The Truth About 6-Figure Solar Sales — And Why Most Reps Still Go Broke
Is the solar industry built on hype… or hard work? In this no-filter episode of Off the Grid on the Record, we sit down with Shawn Young — a true solar warrior who’s led teams, knocked doors, built businesses, and weathered every storm this industry could throw at him. If you're in solar sales…
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Mr. Sunshine on Greedy Sales Reps, Broken Promises & Fixing Solar from the Inside Out
Guest: Michael Janzen, aka Mr. Sunshine — industry veteran, consumer advocate, and founder of Mr. Sunshine Saves Topics Covered: 00:00 – Intro: Who is Mr. Sunshine? 02:00 – From wannabe rockstar to solar disruptor 04:00 – Why most reps are trained wrong 06:00 – Shutting down 50+ shady solar...
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From Solar Hustle to Nuclear Playbooks: How Adil Malik is Reinventing Energy Deals
Episode Title: From Solar Hustle to Nuclear Playbooks: How Adeel Malik is Reinventing Energy Deals Guest: Adeel Malik – Vice President, IntelliSun Host: Yarek Matacz – Off the Grid on the Record Description: What does it take to go from knocking doors to winning government contracts? In this raw...
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The Master Electrician Who’s Cleaning Up the Solar Industry | Bill Clinton, EcoGen Services
What happens when you install solar panels the wrong way? Bill Clinton (not that one), VP of Operations at EcoGen Services, has seen it all—from catastrophic fires to near-grid failures. In this episode of Off The Grid On The Record, Bill shares: The solar wiring mistake that burned a home to the...
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From Cigars to Solar: How Peter Roth Accidentally Built a Call Center Machine
Peter Roth started in cigars. Now he runs a lead gen machine that fuels solar companies in 30+ states—and he's just getting started. In this episode, we talk: The psychology behind effective cold outreach Why most solar lead gen models are broken by design The real reason Facebook ads don’t work...
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Daniel Wier: From Tech Exec to Solar Ethicist | Off-Grid Leadership & Local Impact
What do Fortune 500 call centers, paintball, and 20MW solar installs have in common? Daniel Wier. In this episode of Off the Grid on the Record, I sit down with Daniel Wier, founder and CEO of Commonwealth Solar, to unpack how a Kentucky-based installer is reshaping the clean energy conversation...
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Nobody Talks About This Solar Problem (But It’s Costing Millions)
Solar panels don’t clean themselves — and neglect is killing system performance. But nobody talks about it. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, Yarek sits down with Paul West, founder of Peak Solar Pro, to explore the other half of the solar industry: maintenance, prevention, and...
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Solar Industry Insider Exposes What Most Sales Reps Won’t Tell You
Corey McDonald isn’t here to sell you solar. He’s here to protect you from it. With over two decades in the industry — from building the first utility-scale solar farms in Missouri to advising federal energy policy — Corey has seen the good, the bad, and the brutally dishonest. Now, through MC...
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He Was Managing 19 Energy Projects—Then Built the AI That Solved the Nightmare
When Bryan Villano was managing nearly 20 renewable projects, he hit a wall: contract overload. That wall turned into his startup, Contract Power—an AI-powered SaaS tool built for the energy sector’s most ignored pain point: documents. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, we dive into:...
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From Crisis to Clarity: How Carol Ann Wentworth Built a 94% Retention Search Firm with Zero Fluff
What if hiring wasn’t about checking boxes—but matching energy? In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, we sit down with Carol Ann Wentworth, the founder of Wentworth Executive Recruiting and author of A Mindful Career. With 25+ years of experience and a 94% retention rate, Carol Ann is…
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He Turned Tap Water Into a 7-Figure Sustainability Business
Bruce Plant is the co-founder of Wallop Water — a hydration company turning heads in the global events and construction industries by eliminating plastic bottles entirely. In this episode, we dive into how a side hustle born from festival waste became a scalable, IoT-powered solution delivering...
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Quit His 6-Figure Job. Built a Solar Empire. Here's the Playbook.
Lee Faisal didn’t just start a solar company—he rewired how clean energy is sold, delivered, and trusted in Australia. As the founder of Amazon Energy, Lee took his background at a multinational panel manufacturer and flipped the playbook—focusing on face-to-face installs, transparent pricing…
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How Luke Makar Is Building a No-BS Solar Brand in America’s Toughest Market
He was set to become a lawyer. Now he’s building one of the most trusted solar companies in Florida. Luke Makar, founder of Aspire Solar, joins me to talk about what it really takes to launch a solar company in one of the most volatile markets in North America. No shortcuts. No bloated sales…
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From Teacher to Policy Disruptor: How Michelle Knox Built Wind Solar USA From Scratch
Michelle Knox, founder of Wind Solar USA, shares how a single question over drinks sparked a 16-year journey into clean energy—and led her to take on utility monopolies, author a statewide Solar Bill of Rights, and build a customer-first solar company in rural Illinois. In this episode: Building…
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The $300M Clean Energy Bottleneck Nobody Talks About | Monroe Jett
Before a single solar panel gets installed or a battery storage site breaks ground, there's one critical factor that can quietly kill the entire deal: title work. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, Yarek sits down with Monroe Jett — real estate veteran and founder of Title Leader —…
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How a 4-Person Team Built a $200M Clean Energy Pipeline (And Why Sub-5MW Projects Are the Future)
This is how you scale renewable energy with zero fluff. Shane Bartel runs Climate Capital — a 4-person team managing a $200M pipeline of solar + battery projects across Australia. No hype. Just ruthless execution. In this episode, he breaks down: Why <5MW solar projects are the secret weapon The...
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No Gimmicks. No Pressure. How This Solar Company Built Trust and 7-Figure Word-of-Mouth — Freddy Petkus
How do you scale a solar company without cold calls, pressure tactics, or generic pitches? Freddy Petkus figured it out — and built Critical Mass Solar into one of New England’s most trusted local solar providers. In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Freddy to understand how his no-BS,...
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How This Roofer Hit 7 Figures & Took Over a Local Market with Solar Shingles – Dakota Weddle (Big Lick Roofing)
How This Roofer Hit 7 Figures & Took Over a Local Market with Solar Shingles – Dakota Weddle (Big Lick Roofing) 📌 YouTube Description (and Podcast Show Notes) Most roofing companies play it safe. Dakota Weddle did the opposite. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, Yarek Matacz sits…
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Solar Isn’t the Problem—Marketing Is: Nathan Zale on Breaking Through the Noise
Solar companies don’t fail because the tech isn’t good — they fail because the message doesn’t land. In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, Yarek sits down with Nathan Zale, founder of Zale Media and OutScale.com, to unpack how small solar businesses can overcome the biggest growth…
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Solar on RV? How Monument Solar Is Powering the Off-Grid RV Movement | Off the Grid, On the Record
Today on Off the Grid, On the Record, we’re diving into a corner of clean energy that’s growing fast but often overlooked — solar for RVs and off-grid adventurers. Our guest, Kenson, is the founder of Monument Solar — a Utah-based company designing high-performance solar systems for full-time...
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Elastic Energy: Tree Sap, Soccer Balls & the Future of Battery Storage | Samuel Bendek
In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, host Yarek Matacz chats with Samuel Bendek, co-founder and CEO of Elastic Energy, a revolutionary cleantech startup using tree sap to rethink how we store energy. Samuel shares how growing up in Colombia, bouncing soccer balls at 15, sparked an idea...
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Off-Grid Power, On-Point Leadership: Inside Australia's Top Caravan Innovator
What does it take to build smarter caravans and a stronger trades culture? In this episode of Off the Grid, On the Record, we sit down with Jacqueline Bold, founder of Bold Trailer & Caravan Repair Centre, to talk: The rise of off-grid solar and battery setups in caravans Why one-size-fits-all...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Most companies don’t have a lead problem — they have a funnel problem.
Behind the Funnel is a business podcast that breaks down how B2B companies actually acquire customers and scale revenue. Hosted by Yarek Matacz, founder of JPM Media and Co-Hosts Nick Cross and Marcus Sousa. The show goes beyond surface-level marketing advice to explore the real systems, strategies, and decisions that drive predictable growth.
Each episode features conversations with SaaS founders, operators, consultants, and B2B leaders who are actively building and scaling companies. Instead of theory or generic “growth hacks,” these discussions unpack the acquisition engines behind real businesses — from outbound systems and paid acquisition to funnel architecture, offer design, and sales processes.
Listeners will hear what w
HOSTED BY
Yarek Matacz
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Behind the Funnel have?
Behind the Funnel currently has 42 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Behind the Funnel about?
Most companies don’t have a lead problem — they have a funnel problem. Behind the Funnel is a business podcast that breaks down how B2B companies actually acquire customers and scale revenue. Hosted by Yarek Matacz, founder of JPM Media and Co-Hosts Nick Cross and Marcus Sousa. The show goes beyond...
How often does Behind the Funnel release new episodes?
Behind the Funnel has 42 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Behind the Funnel?
You can listen to Behind the Funnel on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Behind the Funnel?
Behind the Funnel is created and hosted by Yarek Matacz.
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