David Fastuca

Growth Forum

We help you build pipeline and expand customers–faster. Growth Forum is a leading sales learning platform providing a continuous live learning solution for high-growth companies.
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The traditional education system has let B2B companies down, with a complete lack of formal, structured education in sales and go-to-market.
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It means 100 million+ people across the world are learning on the job, and every person responsible for revenue is at constant risk of missing their targets and often do.
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Growth Forum is solving this skills crisis by bringing together by teaching structured, live online courses with high learning design principles.

Growth Forum's "Sales OS" program has generated over 547 million in new deals for its members since launching in May 2023.

CEO & Co-Founder

"How To Sell" Podcast

I'm a proud co-host along with Luigi Prestinenzi of the "How To Sell" podcast, a top-rated business podcast. Each week, we discuss the world of B2B sales and how you can apply what's working to your business to win more deals.

Top 1.5% Business Podcast (Co-Host)

The Sales Playbook

A step-by-step playbook on how to create a sales operating system that creates a flood of qualified deals. Written By Luigi Prestinenzi & David Fastuca

The B2B Sales Playbook: Launching March 2025

Warmly,

Warmly is the first autonomous revenue orchestration platform purpose built for SMB sized revenue teams. The platform orchestrates metadata from sales enablement tools, B2B intent, and enrichment tools to identify, track, and connect with website visitors who are ready to convert. By automatically aggregating data and integrating insights from various platforms, Warmly orchestrates the most effective next step to drive qualified conversations for the sales team.

Investor & Advisor

Entrepreneurs'​ Organization

Board Member

Entrepreneurs' Organization, or EO, is one of the world's largest mastermind groups, enabling more than 13,000 like-minded entrepreneurs to learn from and help each other via online forums, events, and educational and leadership growth opportunities.

EO Member

The Startup Network

The Startup Network is Australia's largest startup network. No matter where you are in your journey as a startup founder, you can be sure to find the support you need with an amazing community of like-minded founders.

Sales Program Mentor & Coach

Locomote

Founding Shareholder

July 2020 - We aquired 100% of Locomote back from Travelport.com.

Locomote is a technology-led corporate travel agency. Streamlining everything to do with booking and managing business travel. Into one easy-to-use platform, backed by our 5-star travel agents.

CMO & Co-Founder

Post 100% sale in 2016 and staying on for a 2-year handover of Locomote to Travelport.com I left the business in 2018.

Post Acquisition

Travelport.com acquires the majority stake of Locomote and pivots business from a technology-led end-to-end travel company to a technology platform reselling it to travel agencies globally.

Locomote rebranded as Travelport Locomote and becomes a product within Travelport.com.

2015 - Travelport.com (NYSE: TVPT) acquires an additional 3% of Locomote.com.
2016 - Travelport.com (NYSE: TVPT) acquires the remaining 48% of Locomote.com.

Leading product strategy, technology, engineering teams, concept development and overall direction of the now Travelport Locomote.

Co-Founder / Chief Marketing & Experience Officer

2014 - Travelport.com (NYSE: TVPT) acquires 49% of Locomote.com.

Locomote was developed to change the current travel management landscape by empowering organisations to have complete control and visibility of their global travel programme and travel supply chain. 

A low cost, low touch solution which reduces the reliance on traditional bookings, Locomote creates a completely new automated and innovative solution for travel management.

With a global reach, built as a scalable platform, Locomote is the only truly corporate-specific travel platform in the market with access to the largest array of travel content.

Fathom (YC W21)

Founded by Richard White, Ex-Founder & CEO of UserVoice.com, Fathom is a free app that records, transcribes & highlights your calls so you can focus on the conversation instead of taking notes.

Advisor

Venezia FC

Investor & Shareholder

Melbourne Victory Football Club

CEO & Co-Founder, Growth Forum | Proven Sales Systems Add Up To 57% More Deals in 8 Weeks or Less.

I started my entrepreneurial journey at just twelve years old. 

Back then, I used the school computer lab to make my business cards, and I sold designs to friends and family.

I’ve been obsessed with turning pressure into productivity ever since.

As the CEO & Co-Founder of Growth Forum and former Co-Founder of Locomote, I’ve learned what it takes to scale a business under pressure.

I know the challenges founders face.

You’re juggling endless tasks while also being relied on to prospect new leads and close deals.

Sales is the lifeblood of your business, after all.

That’s why we built our Sales OS program.

It’s a step-by-step blueprint for rapidly growing your sales while slashing your working hours in half.

Our goal is to equip you with the strategies and tactics that have helped countless businesses grow and thrive, even amidst challenging economic conditions.

I bet you're thinking:

“Will these methods work for me? Are online courses and coaching actually effective?”

The short answer: Yes. Otherwise, I would be in trouble ;-)

Our tailored approach meets your unique challenges and delivers real, tangible results.

So if you’re a SaaS or B2B founder ready to overcome sales hurdles, build a repeatable system, and create an overflowing pipeline…

👉 Head to my Featured Section and book your Free Sales Audit

Your team won’t do what you say.
They’ll do what you repeat.

Sales leadership today is not about more pressure.
It is about consistent direction.

Most GTM leaders still believe performance drops because of low motivation.

In reality, it drops because there is no operating rhythm.

I worked with a VP of Sales who adjusted strategy every few days.

The team wasn’t resisting change. They were reacting to chaos.

No one knew what “good execution” looked like on a daily level.

We rebuilt the foundation.

Here’s the exact structure:
• One clear daily focus for every rep
• 3-minute morning syncs using deal signals from Coach Pilot
• Weekly 1:1s based on actual behavior, not anecdotes

Within 3 weeks, pipeline velocity increased.
Call quality improved.
Forecast accuracy stabilized.

Progress is not the result of big pushes.
It is built through daily repetition.

That’s what real sales leadership looks like.
Clarity. Rhythm. And the discipline to protect both.

If you want the exact framework we used, DM me or comment CLOSE and I’ll send it to you for free.

CEO @ Coach Pilot • 2 SaaS Exits (75M Value) • Building an AI Coaching Agent That Can Help You Do The Same.

You think your team is underperforming.
But it’s not about effort. Or talent. Or product knowledge.

Here’s what reps are actually missing:
1) Clear next steps
→ Most reps leave calls with vague ideas, not committed actions.
→ Your system should make “what happens next” painfully obvious.

2) Buyer signals
→ Deals don’t stall because buyers disappear.
→ They stall because reps miss what buyers actually do.

3)Timing alignment
→ You don’t lose to better products.
→ You lose to better timing.

4) Follow-up rhythm
→ Top reps don’t “remember” to follow up.
→ They operate inside a rhythm that never lets momentum die.

5) Not your product
→ They’re not buying your CRM, your deck, or your logo.
→ They’re buying a system that helps them move 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

Most B2B teams close just 1 out of 5 deals.

Not because reps don’t try, but because they operate inside broken systems.

In SaaS, high-ticket deals now take up to 6 months and hundreds of interactions.

Here’s what this could look like for you.
You close 1 out of 3.
Your sales cycle drops from 6 months to 3.
Your reps stop guessing and start following clear instructions at the right time.

If you want to apply this framework and system, comment CLOSE and I’ll show you exactly how to do it for free.

“Let’s regroup next week”
= buyer slipped away.

That one sentence has killed more deals than bad demos.

Calls end without direction or urgency.
Everyone assumes the deal is safe. It isn’t.
Teams miss small shifts in intent.

They don’t act when the buyer starts pulling back.
The deal stalls. Follow-ups get ignored.
By the time you react, it’s too late.

One team had 17 mid-stage deals.

Coach Pilot flagged 11 at risk based on live signals.

We showed them exactly when to shift the ask or change timing.

Half of those deals closed.

What made the difference was a simple shift in how they ran the calls:
• Detect hesitation early
• Shift focus mid-call
• Confirm next steps before the call ends

Close rate jumped from 19% to 38% in 21 days.

Comment Coach Pilot or DM me and I’ll show you how it works in your environment including which deals you can restart or re-engage that you don’t even realize are still alive.

Sales and Marketing at CBF Labels

I'm passionate about sharing content & ideas on sales + marketing to help you level up your professional knowledge.

Outside my main role, I've been helping Ecommerce SaaS and AI companies with distribution and promotion.

If you’re looking to advertise to my audience, please send me a message so we can chat further. Thanks!

Jamie Dimond

99% of people get a degree, get a job, then stop learning.

High performers ensure after-hours learning is a habit. They're obsessed with learning and becoming 1% better each day.

I used to waste my lunch breaks while working in finance binge-watching Youtube. My people leader at the time suggested I make a change.

He gave me Ted Talks to watch instead. Later on he assigned me books to read like Carol Dweck "Mindset."

Over the next 2 years I got promoted constantly. 

All the learning changed how I viewed the world. It help me develop EQ instead of IQ. 

Bizarrely, the learning journey also helped me heal from mental illness. 

You don't learn once then earn for the rest of your career. No. Use self-learning to upgrade your career and explode your value.

Am I missing anything?

Credit: Tim Denning ( go follow him )

Working with smart people is great.
But it is not enough.

Because intelligence can solve problems.
But humility and kindness build cultures where problems don’t have to exist in the first place.

Here’s why it matters so much 👇

Kind and humble people:

They make collaboration effortless.
You don’t waste energy defending ideas or egos. 
You build together - faster, cleaner, and with more trust.

They create psychological safety.
When people feel respected, they speak up, share bold ideas, 
and admit mistakes early. 
That’s how teams innovate and grow.

They inspire long-term loyalty.
People don’t leave companies - they leave toxic dynamics. 
Working with grounded, genuine teammates keeps great talent around.

 Ways to practice kindness and humility at work:

Listen more than you talk.
You don’t need to have the loudest voice to have the strongest impact. 
Listening builds connection and earns respect.

Give credit - generously.
Acknowledging others’ work doesn’t diminish your own. 
It multiplies the trust and energy in your team.

Keep learning.
The moment you think you’ve “arrived,” you stop growing. 
Stay curious, stay open, and never let success make you unapproachable.

Kind people build strong teams.
Strong teams create big results.

Credit: Chase Dimond

Most people think social media managers just “post content.”

A nice graphic here, a caption there… and somehow, followers appear.

If only it were that simple.

The truth?
Social media managers are the Swiss army knives of modern marketing.

Behind every single post, there’s:
🧭 Strategy – understanding who you’re talking to and why.
✍️ Copywriting – turning thoughts into emotions that move people.
🎨 Design – making ideas visual, memorable, and on-brand.
📊 Analytics – reading the data, not just the comments.
📢 Ads – amplifying what works (and killing what doesn’t).
💬 Community – replying, engaging, connecting human to human.

It’s not just about pressing “publish.”

It’s about building trust, consistency, and brand recall one post at a time.

So the next time someone says “you just post memes all day,” smile, sip your coffee, and remember:
you’re not just managing social media.
You’re managing perception, connection, and growth.

👉 To every social media manager out there keep the brand alive, one post at a time.

Credit: Bind Reka (go follow him)

Once you understand this, you'll never look at logos the same way

Color psychology in marketing leverages the emotional and behavioral impact of colors to influence consumers

shaping perceptions of a brand and driving purchasing decisions

Colors can evoke feelings of trust (blue), energy (red), or health (green), but their meaning can vary by individual experience, culture, and context

Marketers use color strategically in logos, websites, and packaging to build brand recognition, create atmosphere, and promote specific actions, such as impulse buys or calls to action

Credit: Edgar Bitencourt

Don't hire the smartest person.

The best teams I’ve worked in weren’t full of geniuses.

They had good humans. 

People who worked as a team.

They asked good questions, shared credit, supported each other. 

And they never let ego get in the way of progress.

That’s what builds real culture.
And it all starts with who you hire.

(Credit: Dan Mian)

5 Ways To Build A Great Team Culture:

1️⃣ Hire For Character, Not Just Skills
↳ You can teach tools and systems.
↳ But you can’t teach curiosity, humility or drive.

2️⃣ Collaboration > Competition
↳ Reward those who lift others up.
↳ Knowledge hoarding kills momentum.

3️⃣ Growth Mindset 
↳ Encourage people to ask questions.
↳ It’s how teams learn, adapt & get better.

4️⃣ Keep It Light (But Focused)
↳ Great teams don’t take themselves too seriously.
↳ But they take the mission seriously — and they deliver.

5️⃣ Leave Egos At The Door
↳ Be kind, approachable & low-maintenance.
↳ Being easy to work with is an underrated superpower.

Tolerating a toxic employee is the fastest way to break trust and lose your best people.

Culture isn’t built by perks or policies.
It’s built by people.

Managers may have status.

But leaders create true impact.

Here is what impactful leadership is not:

- Neglecting professional development and training
- Not acknowledging and actioning feedback
- Micro-managing every single detail
- Avoiding difficult conversations
- Favouring people over others
- Setting unclear expectations
- Taking all the credit
- Ignoring team input
- Being inaccessible
- Resisting change

Impactful leadership is:

- Listening actively
- Taking full responsibility
- Treating everyone equally
- Being friendly and approachable
- Empowering everyone around you
- Having difficult but necessary talks
- Embracing change and adapting fast
- Accepting feedback and taking action on it
- Celebrating achievements no matter what size
- Providing clear guidance, especially in difficult times

The best leaders focus on:

↳ Setting the example
↳ How they make people feel
↳ Bringing the best out of everyone

It’s far more than a title.

Know a leader who’s changed your life?
Tag them below to show them they are appreciated! ⬇️

♻️ Repost this to support the leaders in your network.
Credit:  Chris Donnelly

Uncomfortable truth.. 

Work is NOT a family

A red flag we don't talk about enough? 

🚩 Companies that say "family" when they really mean "team" 

(Especially the big ones) 

I have worked in cultures like this, and I know how toxic it can be

This is a lesson I learned the hard way, but you don't have to

The "work-family" mindset : 

🚫 Blurs the lines between home and work 
Saying "no" feels like a betrayal and creates burnout
 
🚫 Makes feedback feel personal and targeted
This can drive internal divisions and personal attacks 

🚫 Sets unrealistic expectations 
People don't owe anything to the company except what they're paid for 
 

Work is important, but it's not on par with your family 

No matter how collaborative and supportive your team is 

Here's what a healthy workplace looks like:

● There are clear boundaries 
↳ A real work-life balance is nurtured and encouraged 

● Everyone maintains their perspective 
↳ Work comes first in the office, but life comes first outside

● There is a focus on respect, not "love." 
↳ You don't need to be family to trust and support each other 

Your family loves you unconditionally and is your support system 

Your team respects you and works with you toward shared goals 

P.S. Have you been part of a "work-family" culture? 

Credit: Hamza Rauf Khan

The fastest way to learn anything?

Start before you're ready.

Here's what most people do: 

→ Research for months 
→ Plan every detail 
→ Wait for the "perfect" moment 
→ Never actually begin

Meanwhile, the people who succeed are already figuring it out.

You can't learn to swim by reading about water.
You can't learn to code without writing messy code. 
You can't learn to sell without making awkward pitches.

The real education happens when you're doing the work.

Every successful person has this in common: 

→ They started with incomplete knowledge 
→ They learned by making mistakes 
→ They adjusted as they went 
→ They got better through repetition

The market is the best teacher. 

Customers are the best feedback. 

Experience is the best education.

Planning has its place, but action has the power.

Your idea doesn't need to be perfect. 
Your plan doesn't need to be bulletproof. 

Your skills don't need to be complete.
You just need to begin.

The road reveals itself as you walk.

Сredit: Noemi Kis✨

Most of your audience is not ready to buy.

The goal of marketing is that when they are ready to buy, your brand is top of mind.

Credit: Dmurr68 on Twitter/X

And the award for most creative resume goes to...





Credit: Libby Moyer

Marketing is a humbling profession.

Sometimes the idea you’re certain is going to work doesn’t work. Or the idea you know definitely won’t work for some reason does work. Or the thing that used to work stops working. You need to continuously learn, re-learn, and un-learn.

Credit: mkobach on Twitter/X

After two successful exits (Google & Zynga)

you need THIS "Decision Layer" to win deals 👇



What I call "Layer 3"

Let me explain:


1️⃣ Surface Layer (Table Stakes)
→ Company data
→ Basic tech stack
→ Team structure
→ Recent news
→ Public metrics


But this is where most stop.

Because it's easy to automate this research.

If you want your outreach to land?

You need to hit these layers:


2️⃣ Strategic Layer (The Context)
→ Growth vectors
→ Tech architecture
→ Market position
→ Competition map
→ Customer sentiment
→ Investment areas
→ Product roadmap


And how you really stand out?

Layer 3 "Decision Layer" data:

3️⃣ Decision Layer
→ Stakeholder dynamics
→ Internal processes
→ Budget ownership
→ Success metrics
→ Career motivators
→ Risk tolerance
→ Change appetite



👀 The reality in my experience?

95% of sales teams never reach Layer 3.

Because it requires:

→ Systematic thinking
→ Pattern recognition
→ Deep industry knowledge
→ Cross-functional understanding
→ Technical acumen

Most teams are under pressure to deliver.

And can't create the space / resources to hit layer 3.



But...

Those who master all 3 layers?

They don't just sell. They consult.


That’s how you’re seen as a strategic advisor in your deals.

That’s how you up your ACV and your win rate.

Credit: Jeff Chen

Without SEO, your brand is invisible.

This visual says it all:

Without SEO, no one can see your brand.

No one can listen to your message.

And no one will speak about your value.


SEO isn’t just about ranking on Google—it’s about visibility, trust, and communication.
If your ideal audience can’t find you, you don’t exist in their world.

So before you invest in flashy ads or branding, make sure your SEO foundation is solid.

It’s time to let your brand be seen, heard, and talked about!

Credit: SUMANT SINGH

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Jamie Dimond

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The Battle

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