Hunters and Unicorns

• Inside the Mind of a $4+ BILLION Sales Leader, w/ Brian McCarthy

  In this episode of Hunters & Unicorns, East Coast Elite, we sit down with Brian McCarthy, President of Global Revenue and Field Operations at Rubrik. With a remarkable track record scaling high-performing teams and navigating through IPOs, Brian shares the foundational principles that shaped his leadership, putting people first, leading with love, and building structures that drive consistent performance. We explore how Brian transitioned from star seller to visionary leader, how he earned unshakeable team loyalty, and why systems like WANs can revolutionize your sales coaching. If you're serious about leading at scale with integrity, this is a must-watch. 🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 – Intro & First Sales Job 04:20 – Choosing Leadership Over Sales 08:00 – WANs: Coaching with Metrics 12:10 – Building Loyalty Through Care 16:15 – Sales vs. Leadership Thinking 21:00 – IPO Learnings & Pressure 26:10 – Territory, Quota & Fairness 31:25 – Love-Driven Leadership 36:20 – Hiring for Intellect & Agility 42:05 – Structuring First-Line Teams 48:40 – Closing Advice & Reflections 💥 3 Biggest Lessons 1. Real leadership is people-first – Helping someone grow, even if it means leaving your team, is true leadership. 2. Structure drives consistency – Weekly Activity Numbers (WANs) give both clarity and accountability to teams. 3. Love creates loyalty – When leaders genuinely will the best for their people, performance naturally follows. 🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel! 🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog 💬 Notable Quotes “If this is better for you and your family, leave. I will help you get promoted.” “You either really care about people and their development, or you don’t.” “Love is willing the best for others—and that’s how I lead.” #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

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• SALES SOS, Episode 2 - How to hire A-Players

  In this episode of Sales SOS, Hunters & Unicorns co-founders Ollie and Simon go head-to-head on one of the most misunderstood, yet business-critical skills in sales leadership: how to consistently hire A-players. Drawing from two decades of experience working with the world's most elite sales teams, we break down the true mindset, mechanics, and strategy behind world-class recruitment — and why most leaders are getting it completely wrong. What we cover: Why the super-rep mindset is killing your team-building potential The 3 stages of a winning recruitment process: Pipeline. Discovery. Close. The 3 WHYs vs the 3 WHY NOTs — the ultimate framework to avoid dropouts Feedback loops, debrief sessions, and how to control the narrative between interviews Why you should never make an offer unless you know they’ll say yes Backchanneling: how the best CROs use it to recruit like assassins — and how to avoid blowing it up Whether you're a first-time hiring manager or a seasoned VP, this is your playbook for hiring without luck or guesswork. 🔗 Subscribe & Connect If this episode resonated, drop a comment, like the video, and hit subscribe. We’re here to help you build teams that win.

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• SALES SOS, Episode 1 - Career Defining Moves

  After 200+ episodes and thousands of hours with the world’s top SaaS sales leaders, Hunters & Unicorns presents Sales SOS raw, practical conversations that dive deep into the mindset, strategies, and frameworks behind elite career growth in tech sales. In this episode, Hunters and Unicorns very own Simon and Ollie answer four critical questions every ambitious sales professional should be asking: 1. What’s the common thread among top-tier CROs? Discover the power of “Career Champions” and why no one gets to the top alone. 2. Why are you being overlooked for promotions? It’s not always about performance. We unpack how alignment, visibility, and internal champions dictate career momentum. 3. How do you position yourself as the irresistible first pick? We share hard-earned insights into how the best salespeople get fast-tracked for leadership roles. 4. How do you break the glass ceiling — and stay there? From skill mastery to the right strategic choices, we talk about what it really takes to go all the way. This episode is for ambitious AEs, aspiring leaders, and current managers ready to level up with clarity, intent, and strategy. If this episode hit home, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe. We drop practical gold every week. #SaaSSales #CROCareer #TechSalesLeadership #SalesSOS #HuntersAndUnicorns

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• Great Leaders UK with Marina Ayton

  In this episode of Hunters & Unicorns, Great Leaders UK, we sit down with Marina Ayton, VP UK&I at Wiz and co-author of The Female Sales Leader, to explore her remarkable journey from first-line to second-line leadership and back again. Marina shares hard-won lessons on building and recruiting world-class teams, navigating rapid promotions, overcoming imposter syndrome, leveraging EQ alongside IQ, and championing diversity in sales. Whether you’re an aspiring sales leader or a seasoned executive, Marina’s playbook offers actionable insights to elevate your career and drive lasting impact. 🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 – Intro & Career Beginnings 01:30 – Transitioning from first line to VP 06:00 – Building the First Enterprise Team 12:00 – Transition to Major Deals Leadership 18:00 – Stepping into Second-Line Role 24:00 – Crafting Vision & Enabling Teams 30:00 – When to Step Back & Pivot 36:00 – Imposter Syndrome as Superpower 42:00 – EQ vs. IQ in Modern Sales 48:00 – Writing The Female Sales Leader 54:00 – Reflections & Future Outlook   💥 3 Biggest Lessons 1. Embrace Humility & Listen First – Early listening builds credibility; understand before imposing change. 2. Leverage EQ to Drive Trust – Emotional intelligence is irreplaceable; it underpins long-term partnerships and diverse teams. 3. Purposeful Career Moves – Stepping back into roles refines understanding of where you add value at scale. 🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this deep dive, please like/share and subscribe to our channel! 🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog   💬 Notable Quotes “Imposter syndrome can be a superpower if you let it drive you to earn your seat at the table.” “Leaders must give teams the tools to imagine the art of the possible.” “EQ is never replaceable by AI; it’s what builds genuine partnerships.” #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

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• Great Leaders UK with Alice Carlisle

  In this episode of Great Leaders UK, we sit down with Alice Carlisle, VP UK&I at Wiz, to uncover how she rose from first-line leader to one of the most sought-after roles in the cybersecurity industry. From taking a struggling ZScaler team and transforming it in under three quarters, to embodying Wiz’s values of confidence and humility, Alice’s journey is proof that authenticity and unrelenting work ethic drive lasting impact. She delves into the hard lessons of leading through fear-based tactics early in her career, learning the Force Management Playbook at AppDynamics, and then applying it to close LogicMonitor’s largest deal ever. Ultimately, we focus on how Alice builds culture, leading by example, caring genuinely for people, and creating internal champions, so that teams win together, not just as individuals. Whether you’re scaling a hyper-growth sales org, building a new culture, or simply looking to be a better human in leadership, Alice’s playbook is packed with actionable insights on driving growth through customer success and winning with authenticity. 🙌 Thanks to our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 – Intro 05:00 – Why Alice Was Chosen for Wiz 10:00 – Wiz Values: Humility & Authenticity 15:00 – Leadership Evolution: Leading Without Fear 20:00 – Early Work Ethic & Foundations 25:00 – Learning the Playbook at AppDynamics 30:00 – Applying Playbook at LogicMonitor 35:00 – Career Pivots & Decision to Join Zscaler 40:00 – Turning Around the Zscaler Team 45:00 – Building Culture & Final Reflections 💥 3 Biggest Lessons Authenticity Over Authority – Leading by fear alienates; leading by genuine care and humility builds lasting loyalty. Learn & Apply Fast – When you join a Playbook organization, absorb everything like a sponge and execute immediately – that’s how you prove its value. Culture Eats Strategy – Even in hyper-growth, small ritualistic acts (e.g., cleaning up after yourself) set the tone for accountability, trust, and team unity. 🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro If you enjoyed this deep episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel! 🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog 💬 Notable Quotes “People see through it as much as you might think they don’t. You have to genuinely care.” “Being right is not very valuable. It’s more important to be valuable than be right.” “The most important thing for me is I genuinely give a shit about people more than anything.” #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

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