Hunters and Unicorns

• How to Win Under Pressure: A High-Performance Playbook with Amber Selking

  In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Amber Selking, a high-performance coach with a Ph.D. in Applied Sports Psychology. Dr. Selking works with elite athletes, executives, and organizations to help them achieve their best. She's the mental performance coach for LSU football and the Chief Culture Officer at Lipper, a global manufacturing company. Amber unpacks the science behind high performance, explaining how thoughts, emotions, and mindset directly impact physical and professional success. We dive into practical strategies like mental rehearsal, self-talk, and reframing failure, offering actionable advice for anyone in a high-pressure environment. 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - Intro & background 03:00 - The core science of human high performance 08:00 - The impact of mental rehearsal on the brain 12:30 - Mental performance for high-pressure professionals 16:30 - Understanding the power of self-talk 22:30 - How to apply self-talk and mental drills 28:00 - The power of breathwork in high-stress situations 35:00 - A new perspective on setbacks and failure 43:30 - The importance of mindset in leadership 49:30 - The difference between positive and productive thinking 51:30 - Building a championship mindset   💥 3 Biggest Lessons: Thoughts Are Electrical Signals: Our thoughts are not just ephemeral ideas; they are real electrical signals that influence our emotions, physical state, and ultimately, our performance. To perform at a high level, you must take control of your self-talk and choose productive thoughts over unproductive ones. Mindsets Are Bicep Curls for the Brain: Just as repeated exercises build muscle, repeated thoughts build mindsets. These mindsets act like filters on your brain, shaping how you perceive and respond to challenges. By intentionally practicing certain thoughts, you can build a "championship mindset" to handle pressure and setbacks effectively. Embrace Failure as First Attempt In Learning: In high performance, failure isn't a sign of weakness—it's a form of data. By changing your mindset to view setbacks as valuable information, you can focus on rapid recovery and iteration rather than emotional volatility. This approach allows you to learn from your mistakes and quickly get back to the next play. 🙌 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 "I help people deliver their best when their best is needed... I teach science." "The brain doesn't know the difference between what's real and what's imagined. So mental rehearsal actually builds talent at the neurological level." "Winning's hard, guys... And mental performance isn't about the sunshine and roses of thinking everything's wonderful, but rather trying to drive the consistency that it takes to deliver your best when your best is needed." "What starts the process? ...Thoughts. Who controls your thoughts? ...We do." "In terms of our mindset, F-A-I-L, it simply stands for First Attempt In Learning." Tags: #highperformance #performancecoaching #huntersandunicorns

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• How I Landed a Job in Sales with a Cardboard Cutout, w/ Liam Mulcahy

  In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Liam Mulcahy, Operating Partner at Kleiner Perkins. Having worked with over 100 startups, from first-ever sales rep to operating partner, Liam shares his unfiltered playbook for success in the chaotic world of early-stage companies. We cover how to identify the right opportunities, what a founder-led sales motion looks like, the red flags to watch for in an interview, and the mindset needed to thrive in a high-risk, high-reward environment. Liam also shares his famous cardboard cutout story that landed him a job at MongoDB, a company he helped take public. 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - Intro 01:53 - The Operating Partner Role at KP 05:18 - From Mongo to VC 09:34 - The Cardboard Cutout Story 11:53 - Product-Out vs. Customer-In 13:30 - Intrinsic Motivation for Startups 17:39 - The "Revenue-Generating PM" 19:53 - Qualifying a Startup as a Rep 23:26 - The Player-Coach Myth 27:49 - Scaling a Sales Team with Pods 30:34 - Evaluating Pre-Revenue Companies 35:22 - Finding the Right Company 40:30 - Red Flags when Interviewing Founders 48:09 - Faster Enterprise Buying Cycles 50:13 - The Future of Sales and AI 55:16 - The Value of Sales Training 💥 3 Biggest Lessons: The DNA of a Founder: Look for founders who see sales as a first-class citizen and have a high emotional resonance with the problem they are solving, not just a homework assignment from a board. The "Player-Coach" Myth: The idea of a single person acting as both a top rep and a team leader is a "misnomer" that often leads to failure at an early-stage startup. It's better to hire great reps first, and then bring in a leader once the sales motion is proven. Bet on Yourself: The best early-stage hires have an intrinsic motivation to prove they can succeed in a chaotic environment. They are not just looking for a prestigious role but for a chance to build something from the ground up. 🙌 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 "What is the condition where a company would be so desperate and in pain they'd want what we have? And if that's the case, will they pay us anything?". "I bought a cardboard cutout of myself... It just said, can you see me working here?". "If I'm going to hire you as a founding sales rep, I need you to walk through the door on day one as a great sales rep. I can't have to enable you to do the actual function.". "The best early stage hires I've made is they're like revenue-generating product managers.". "If you ask me in 10 years, there're going to be more or less salespeople, I'd say less... the markets are getting exponentially larger... and the models are getting better, faster to be able to do full jobs.". #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse #EastCoastElite

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• The Playbook Behind MongoDB’s EXPLOSIVE Growth

  In this episode of The Playbook Universe, we sit down with Paul Cap, Chief Revenue Officer at MongoDB, to explore the core leadership principles and sales execution strategies that have driven one of the most explosive growth stories in tech. Paul shares his personal path from finance into sales, the pivotal mindset shifts that helped him lead at scale, and the mission-first approach that keeps MongoDB thriving. We dive into building high-performance teams, the early indicators of future CRO talent, and what separates great companies from the rest. Whether you're a first-line manager or a seasoned sales leader, this conversation delivers hard-earned lessons from the frontlines. 🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PG AI: https://www.getpg.ai Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered: 00:00 Intro 02:20 From Finance to Tech Sales 06:03 Lessons from 10+ Years at MongoDB 11:41 How to Spot Future CROs 16:32 Navigating Risk and Scaling with Vision 21:40 Coaching the Next Generation 27:15 Pressure, Competition, and Mental Agility 34:00 Culture and Character in Hypergrowth 40:28 Aligning Vision with Execution 47:10 Mission-Driven Leadership 52:40 The Real Role of a CRO 💥 3 Biggest Lessons: Longevity at a hypergrowth company comes from aligning with its evolving mission — not just meeting KPIs. Great CROs are developed early. The best ones were already overperforming as frontline reps. Culture isn’t built top-down — it’s reinforced daily by how leaders show up and how teams respond to pressure. 🙌 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:   / huntersun1corns   Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns   Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog 💬 Notable Quotes: “Your job as a CRO is to turn strategy into execution — at scale.” “You don’t just hire top talent, you cultivate it from within.” “Sales isn’t just a function. When done right, it becomes a culture.” #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

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• How Yotam Segev Built a $6B Cybersecurity Unicorn 🦄

  In this episode of the East Coase Elite series, we sit down with Yotam Segev, co-founder and CEO of Cyera, to explore the incredible journey of building a cybersecurity unicorn. From the early days of a "B-minus" idea, Yotam shares how a relentless focus on customer feedback, not internal opinions, became the company’s compass. He reveals the difficult but essential pivot from founder-led sales to building a world-class team, the qualities he looks for in top-tier sellers, curiosity, paranoia, and hunger and the mindset that propelled Cyera to nearly $100M ARR and a $6B valuation in just four years. 🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PGAI: https://www.getpg.ai & Selr: https://selr.ai 🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - Intro 01:55 - From the military to founding Cyera 05:30 - Why *** is the only compass that matters 08:02 - How top salespeople act 09:16 - The importance of a humble approach 12:22 - The hardest part of the early stages 16:01 - Validating a hypothesis with "dollars" 20:00 - The impact of moving to the U.S. 20:31 - From founder-led sales to building the first team 29:19 - The market transition 32:39 - The three characteristics of a great seller 37:05 - The balance between a playbook and excitement 40:02 - The importance of energy and mindset 49:43 - The core dynamic of the co-founder relationship 52:17 - Cyera's North Sta 54:47 - Why top talent should join Cyera   💥 3 Biggest Lessons: Your Compass is the Customer: Your opinions don't matter; building a great product means constantly listening to and learning from your customers' pain points. Sales is a Team Sport: In an early-stage company, a founder must stay engaged in the sales process to build trust, as a salesperson alone can't provide the same assurance. Mindset is Everything: The difference between an average and exceptional performer is often their attitude. Bring energy, curiosity, and a relentless drive to everything you do. 🙌 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 "Your idea sounds like a B-minus and that's a compliment. We're investing in the team, and if the customers tell us they want to buy that, we'll build it". "We don't build products according to those opinions. Maybe your mother. We build products according to the customers with a very attentive view to the customers' pain and to the guidance they're providing us". "A company only exists, the oxygen for a company is business. It's a net new ARR. That's the oxygen for these companies that we're all playing in". "The journey itself is the price. And it's not a full lack of ambition. Like we want to take over the world if we could and we're walking towards it". "The best sellers... are curious, genuinely interested, caring about the customers, the challenges, the pains, what they're trying to accomplish, why they're trying to accomplish it, why have they not accomplished it yet again and again and again". #softwaresales #huntersandunicorns #playbookuniverse

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• How to make EACH REP on a Team Successful w/ Austin Stefani

  In this episode of the East Coast Elite series, we sit down with Austin Stefani, CRO at DBT Labs, to discuss his career journey from EMC to his current role.   austin shares his fundamental principles for sales leadership, emphasizing the importance of making every individual on the team successful.   We learn about his focus on skill acquisition, the value of learning from challenges, and why empathy is crucial for both employees and customers. Austin breaks down his "playbook" for problem identification and how to apply it at various stages of a company's growth, from building a sales process and managing pipeline to scaling international teams.   🙌 Thanks to Our Sponsors! PGAI: https://www.getpg.ai Seller: https://selr.ai   🏹 Key Topics Covered 00:00 - Intro 00:58 - Flipping the org chart upside down 01:48 - The fundamental principles of sales 05:00 - Focusing on productivity 07:13 - Using frameworks for problem identification 09:17 - Translating a sales mindset to a leadership role 12:48 - Skill training and retention 18:56 - The benefits of non-linear career progression 24:00 - Learning through setbacks and hard times 32:27 - Why Austin chose to leave Rubrik for DBT 35:35 - Empathy as a core leadership trait 41:31 - The biggest challenges and learnings as a CRO 43:35 - The advantages of in-house company culture 49:55 - The playbook as a blueprint   💥 3 Biggest Lessons:   Flipping the Org Chart: Leaders are overhead, and their primary job is to make every individual sales rep successful.   Embrace the Hard Times: The only way to get through tough situations is through them, which is how you acquire new skills and become more resilient.   Playbooks are Blueprints: A playbook is a framework for problem identification, not a step-by-step instruction manual to be applied universally.   🙌 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://huntersandunico... Twitter:   / huntersun1corns   Instagram:   / huntersandunicorns   Blog: http://huntersandunico...   💬 Notable Quotes   "If you're in one job and you just go the next job and the job after that and you're just learning from people that are exactly like you, there's only so much skill that you can get."   "Productivity is like the most important metric and everything services that."   "The leaders that do that really well will be able to grow with the company."   "I think it's a blueprint, not an instruction manual."   "Trust is generated by the quality of the questions you ask. The amount of try it next time like try talking... If somebody comes and asks you... 'I need some advice or can I pick your brain', next time somebody says that try saying nothing but questions about 10 minutes into this. The person will reach across the table, grab your arm and say, 'Oh my gosh, you solved my problem.' And they'll leave and you'll just be like, 'I didn't say a word.'"

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