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.

Simply Scale

We scale tech companies from $3M to $100M by automating Salesforce.

Founder & CEO

Talent Stacker | Salesforce Career Development Program

Talent Stacker has helped 1000+ members learn Salesforce and get hired in the industry.

Dedicated Salesforce Consultant Coach

Salesforce Consultant Coach 

Apex Hours

Global platform to learn and upskill in Salesforce

Salesforce Author

Salesforce Ben

Author for the largest dedicated Salesforce news site in the world

Vercel

Sr. Salesforce Admin

HealthEquity

Sr. Applications Admin

Divvy

Podium

Salesforce Admin

Walmart eCommerce

Business Analyst / Salesforce Admin

Senior Business Specialist

Partner Operations

Member Services

Founder @ Simple Salesforce • Automating Salesforce to make your business more money

Over the past 2+ years, we've built over 37 Salesforce orgs in the tech industry for our clients.

The best part?

Every single one of these companies one saw:

→ Time saved
→ Increase in revenue
→ A simplified Salesforce they could use to scale

In other words -- their businesses skyrocketed.

RECENT GOOGLE REVIEW:

"Jordan has been incredible to work with - he has played a major role in building the foundations of our Salesforce GTM engine, both on the Marketing and CS sides, and the impact he has made has been significant. His Salesforce and Pardot experience runs deep and his knowledgeable experience, in addition to patient and communicative style, has enabled us to move fast with high quality. Thank you Jordan for all of your partnership - hope our paths cross again!" - Carol, VP of Operations


HOW WE WILL HELP YOU:

• Automate Your Data Entry: We specialize in setting up Salesforce to automatically handle data entry tasks. This means less manual work for your team and more time for important tasks.

• Ensure Accurate Data: We make sure that the information in your Salesforce system is correct and up-to-date. Accurate data is key for making good business decisions.

• Deliver Projects on Time: We know how important deadlines are for the business. This is why we pride myself on maintaining a 98% on-time delivery date for my clients. 

• Instant Feedback: We integrate myself into your team's workflow by joining your preferred communication platform, whether it's Slack or Microsoft Teams. You'll receive regular updates, can ask questions anytime, and get immediate responses, ensuring that everyone is always on the same page.

• Provide Clear Documentation: After setting up your system, We'll give you easy-to-understand guides and recorded videos. This way, your team can use Salesforce effectively and make the most of the new tools.

WHO AM I?

My Portfolio:
→ I'm the Founder & CEO @ Simply Scale, consulting for MM high growth companies.
→ I mentor aspiring salesforce admins via my social platforms, newsletter, & DMs. 
→ I send a private Salesforce career growth newsletter to 6,000+ subscribers.
→ I've built an online audience around Salesforce of 100,000+ followers.
→ I'm an author at SalesforceBen, world's largest salesforce resource.

My Salesforce Credentials:
→ Salesforce Administrator Certified
→ Security Specialist
→ Trailhead Ranger (265+)
→ Business Admin Specialist
→ App Customization Specialist
→ Lightning Experience Reports & Dashboards Specialist

Jordan Nelson

When the client says "It should be easy, it’s just Salesforce."

Founder & CEO @ Simply Scale • Grow Faster by Automating Salesforce

After working with 5 tech unicorns, I’ve noticed something.

The happiest companies? The ones with clean Salesforce orgs, consistent reporting, and reps who actually follow process... 

All do one simple thing:

They think before they build.

Every. Single. Time.

Unhappy companies?
They react to a problem and build immediately.

• Random fields. 
• Random automations. 
• Random dashboards.

And randomness eventually becomes revenue loss.
Here’s the habit that fixes everything:

1. Define the problem on paper
2. Map the steps of the process
3. Decide who owns each step
4. Decide when automation matters
5. Only then open Salesforce

It’s not a fancy tool.
It’s not a huge project.
It’s a discipline.

And in some cases takes you like 30 mins to do.

But that 30 minutes saves you:
• 6 wasted months
• 10 broken automations
• Hundreds of manual tasks
• Thousands in consultant fees
• And millions in lost pipeline

Salesforce is powerful BUT only if you give it a brain.

The brain comes first.
The build comes second.

JSESSIONID

Taplio

li_at

Talks about #consulting, #salesforce, and #careergrowth

CEO @ Simply Scale • Automating Salesforce for B2B Tech

I never planned on working in Salesforce.
It found me by accident.

Here’s how it happened:

I wasn’t technical.
I wasn’t “business savvy.”
I was making $15 an hour in customer service at Jet(dot)com.

Then I moved into partner operations.
Then a business analyst role.
And one day…

The entire legacy Salesforce team got cut.

My manager looks at me and says,
“Guess what. We own Salesforce now. Time to learn it.”

So I dove in.

Trailhead at night.
Resetting passwords during the day.
Breaking things.
Fixing things.
Repeating.

And when I realized what Salesforce pros were earning
I thought...
This might be my way out.

I didn’t have deep experience.
I had a stack of Trailhead badges,
a few buzzwords
and a willingness to move faster than anyone else.

I applied for a Salesforce role @ a tech company

And I got it.

That job changed my entire trajectory.
Not because I was special.
But because I finally backed myself
long before anyone else did.

Today, we help mid-market tech companies turn Salesforce into the growth engine it was meant to be - not the messy & frustrating system most teams live with.

If your CRM is slowing down your business, DM me “CRM” and we’ll talk.

Short list of life-changing Salesforce habits:


1) Decide with data, not assumptions.

2) Clean your org weekly, not yearly.

3) Don't be "too good" for trailhead.

4) Customize when needed, not wanted.

5) Sandbox is where you live, not visit.


Your business changes when you give more than you take.

Just spoke with the head of sales at an $8M ARR company who told me: "Salesforce is broken". I hear this all the time and the problem is almost never Salesforce. It's how it's set up & how people think about it.

Here’s what’s actually broken:

Data entry → reps double type instead of selling
Integrations → tools don’t talk, so leader flies blind
Reporting → generic dashboards hide the real problems

These aren’t Salesforce problems. They are people and process problems.

Fix the setup.
Trust the system.
Grow faster.

After 8 years of Salesforce exp

Here are 3 crucial lessons learned:

→ It's impossible to know everything
→ Learn to accept and be honest about it
→ Hire teammates who can fill the gaps

Everyone has something to bring to the table.

Most companies think the choice is simple:

1. Hire a Salesforce Admin
2. Hire a Consulting Team

But the right answer depends on what your business actually needs.

Here is why so many companies choose a consultant:

• You get senior experts on day one
• You can start and stop whenever you want
• No extra costs like benefits, training, or insurance
• You avoid expensive mistakes that slow teams down
• You use proven playbooks from dozens of other companies

But here is the other side:

• They cost more per hour than a full time hire
• Consultants are not inside your company every day
• They need time to learn your people and your processes

So what should you do?

If your system is built and you need steady care...
→ Go with an Admin.

If you need new systems built & strategy...
→ Go with a Consultant.

There is no universal winner.
There is only the right fit for the stage your business is in.

Most companies choose wrong because they do not match the hire to the problem. Get that part right and everything else gets easier.

Admin vs. Consultant

10 Big Businesses You Didn't Know Use Salesforce:

Salesforce powers some of the biggest names in business.

It's not just for tech-savvy startups—the names on this list will surprise you.

10 big businesses that rely on Salesforce to fuel their success:

1) Coca-Cola

You think they have it all figured out on their own, right? 

But even this beverage giant trusts Salesforce to keep its sales flowing. 

25,000 Coca-Cola employees use Salesforce to manage strong customer relationships worldwide.

2) Adidas

From soccer fields to city streets, Adidas crushes their sales goals with Salesforce. 

Over 80% of Adidas' global salesforce uses Salesforce to engage with their customers.

3) T-Mobile

Keeping us connected on the go, T-Mobile relies on Salesforce to manage its customer base. 

72,000 T-Mobile employees use it to keep the lines clear and the deals rolling in.

4) Spotify

Ever wondered how Spotify knows exactly what song to recommend? 

It's all thanks to Salesforce analyzing user data. 

They have over 345 million active users, and use it to fine-tune their marketing efforts.

5) Amazon Web Services (AWS)

The internet's backbone, AWS trusts Salesforce to maintain its customer relationships. 

3.1 million AWS employees use Salesforce to keep the cloud running strong.

6) Marriott International

Checking into a Marriott hotel? 

You're in for a personalized experience, courtesy of Salesforce. 

They use Salesforce to tailor guest interactions and manage their sales pipeline. 

And with over 7,000 properties worldwide, it's quite the production.

7) American Express

This US credit card titan relies on Salesforce to deliver top-notch customer service. 

They have more than 21,000 employees using it to ensure that every transaction is a smooth one. 

8) Unilever

From your morning routine to your afternoon snack, Unilever brands are everywhere. 

They have over 200,000 employees using Salesforce. 

They use it to manage their entire portfolio of consumer goods.

9) Schneider Electric

Powering progress and sustainability, Schneider Electric leverages Salesforce to manage its sales pipeline. 

With over 10,000 users, they use it to stay ahead of the game in the energy management sector.

10) Toyota

Driving innovation in the automotive industry and optimizing its sales operations with Salesforce. 

Toyota has over 5,000 users assisting customers and ensuring an exceptional experience.

These are a handful of the big businesses worldwide that trust Salesforce. 

From beverages to technology, Salesforce is their secret ingredient for growth.

So why not join the ranks of these industry leaders? 

Reach the full potential of your business with Salesforce. 

Let's take your business to new heights.

Shoot me a DM to scale your Salesforce

10 Big Businesses Using Salesforce

99% of struggling businesses we help have 1 thing in common...

They don't have a "brain" for the company.

Here's a scenario:

Everyone’s in their own silo.

• Marketing’s in HubSpot.
• Sales is using Google Sheets.
• Support lives in Slack threads.
• Finance runs through QuickBooks.

Information’s scattered.
Nothing talks to each other.
The whole system slows down.

THIS is why Salesforce exists!

You can store all your business data here.

But here’s the thing most companies miss:

Salesforce only works well if you wire it for the business you’re building. 

Not the one you used to be.

If your team’s stuck:

• Missing follow-ups
• manually pulling data
• OR relying on memory…

That’s not a team problem.
That’s a systems problem.

Fix the system, fix the business.

Learning Salesforce is 80% figuring things out.

And 20% screaming “WHEN DID THIS CHANGE?!”

When I first started Simply Scale

It was just me.
I wore every hat.
Sales. Delivery. Support. Billing.

If I wasn’t working, nothing was moving.
Every hour I billed was tied directly to my own time.

That worked for a while.
But eventually… I hit a wall.

Because you can’t scale a business
when everything depends on 1 person.

So I made a choice

Stop being a freelancer.
Start building a company.

And that meant…
Hiring people I could trust.
Handing off work I thought only I could do.
Building systems so clients got consistency no matter who delivered.

Today, Simply Scale isn’t just me anymore.
 It’s a group of professionals who bring skills, experience,
 and perspectives I don’t have on my own.

And honestly?
That’s one of the things I’m most proud of.

Because now Simply Scale isn’t just my effort.
It’s a business that stands on its own.

Scaling hasn’t been easy.
Far from it actually.

But building something bigger than myself
has been worth every lesson along the way.

What I’ve seen work in Salesforce over and over, is less AI & more human.
It's Ops Managers who sit with their stakeholders.

Not a kickoff meeting.
Not a requirements doc.

Real time. Real work.

They listen to:

• Where reps get stuck
• How sales actually qualify a lead
• What support does when things go sideways
• How renewals really happen, not how the slide says they do

Because the truth is, the raw process lives in people’s heads.
And in Slack...
And in side conversations after meetings...

If you don’t see that, you’ll build the wrong thing in Salesforce.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

Salesforce should mirror reality.
Not aspiration.

Before building anything, strong Ops leaders do discovery by asking:

• What happens first
• What usually breaks
• Where people create workarounds
• What decisions feel slow or unclear

Only then do they touch Salesforce.

And when they do, the system finally sticks.

Because every field has a reason.
Every workflow removes friction.
Every dashboard answers a real question someone already has.

This is why the best Salesforce setups feel boring.
They don’t show off features.
They quietly make work easier.

Salesforce isn’t an Ops tool.
It’s a translation layer.

Your job isn’t to build software.
It’s to understand people well enough to encode how the business actually works.

Get that part right, and Salesforce becomes much less complicated.

Companies after realizing they can always just blame everything on the Salesforce team

7 essential soft skills every good employer looks for in a candidate:


McKinsey & Company ran studies.

They found that companies with a diverse workforce are 35% more profitable.

But being diverse at heart means more than having one “diversity hire” on your team.

Here are the 7 soft skills you should look for in all your employees:


1) Changeability

Changeability involves being receptive to feedback.

This is someone who seeks opportunities for growth.

They adapt their approach and mindset when needed.

They stay agile and responsive in a rapidly changing world.

But this isn't just good for their personal development...

It also adds to your organizational resilience as a company.


2) Conflict resolution

This includes:

• Listening to all parties, 

• Identifying underlying issues, 

• Finding mutually agreeable solutions

People who can resolve conflicts are super important for your team.

They help to create a positive work environment with less disruptions for everyone. 


3) Attentiveness

Someone who is attentive is an active listener and pays close attention to details.

Whether they're working on a task or having a discussion, they're fully engaged. 

As a team, this makes for better communication and understanding. 

And leads to more accurate work and completed tasks.


4) Empathy

This is understanding and sharing the feelings, thoughts, and perspectives of others.

Someone with empathy listens to their colleagues. They show compassion and support.

It leads to a workplace where people can collaborate—which is essential for growth as a company.


5) Fostering a positive work environment

The ideal workplace is one where open communication, respect are commonplace. 

It's a place where your team can recognize each other's achievements in a genuine way.

It leads to boosted morale and better employee engagement.

Your team will be more creative and satisfied as a result.

This is what makes your company a great place to work.


6) Ease in working in diverse environments

You're looking for a person who can respecting and value other people's differences.

Someone who can accept different cultural perspectives.

A team member who can work well with individuals from varied backgrounds.

Companies who have this type of work culture are unstoppable.


7) Team work

The ability to collaborate well with others.

You want someone who is a great communicator. 

Someone who can contribute towards shared goals and projects.

This is THE most requested soft skill.

It's essential because it allows people to work with others without causing drama. 

If your team can't work together, you have a huge problem at hand.

7 Soft Skills Needed

4 simple steps to be a Salesforce hero:


Step #1: Sit @ your desk

Step #2: Grab your keyboard

Step #3: Type what you did on your ticket

Step #4: Click save


Here’s the secret...

Document your work & they will build shrines for you.

I failed my 1st business.

Not a glamorous “learned a billion lessons and exited gracefully” way.

I mean I actually failed it.

I spent 4 years running a car wrap company in my early 20's.

I had no clue how to:

• Say no
• Price work
• Lead people
• Manage legalities
• Or scale something to 6 figures.

Was I working hard? Yes.
Was I working hard in circles? Also yes.

Some weeks we’d crush it. 
Other weeks I didn't want to look at our spend.

• Undercharged constantly.
• I took jobs I shouldn’t have.
• Tried to be everything to everyone.

And eventually… the math stopped working. 
The stress piled up. And I shut it down.

That decision felt like a punch to the gut. 
Like admitting I wasn’t cut out for entrepreneurship. 
Like I "wasted" 4 years of my life.

But looking back?

It was one of the most important chapters of my life.

Here’s what it taught me:

• Passion isn’t a business model. 
Loving what you do is great but if you don't know how to operate, manage
employees, or invest money you may never see again... it ain't gonna work.


• Failure isn’t final. No one moment defines you. 
Closing that business cleared the path for the one that actually worked.


• Risk is unavoidable. Stupid risk is optional. You don’t have to bet the house. You just have to bet enough to learn something.


• Every mistake compounds into wisdom later. I didn’t know it at the time… but those lessons became the foundation for the business I run today.


If you’re in your 1st (or 2nd… or 10th) venture and it feels like everything’s breaking...You’re not broken. You’re learning the part nobody puts on Instagram.

Keep going. You’ll be shocked how the failures you hate now become the building blocks of the life you want later.


PS. Here's one of first videos I paid a videographer to make of a car I wrapped

When you start the task you said you were almost done with

CEOs after creating 1 custom field in Salesforce:

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David Fastuca

Jordan Nelson

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