Susanne Ekström

I Coach CEOs to Build Winning Companies Where People 💜 to Work (SME:s) | +$30M Client Profit Generated | Top Ranked Management & Leadership Creator Globally (#1 in Sweden) | Serial Entrepreneur

💡 Are you enthusiastic about waking up in the morning to be the master strategist of your company, or are you dreading another day spent fighting fires and not getting anything significant done?

👋 Hey! I'm Susanne, a CEO Coach, entrepreneur, #1 international bestselling author, and the founder of BeASmarterLeader and SEE Management.

𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: To guide CEOs like you in reaching the top of your game.
I specialize in turning your big business dreams into reality, making your company richer, your team happier, and your business more robust.
And if you're up for it, we'll boost your bottom line by $499k in 99 days.


𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈 𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞: Back in 2001, life was amazing. I co-owned a big Swedish dot.com company and started our Netherlands office. I invested my heart, time, and money into it. But then, everything fell apart when the company went bankrupt. I lost everything, and it was devastating—going from a dream job to no job at all.


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠: We made these 4 epic failures!
⛔ We didn't delegate effectively
⛔ We weren't ready for massive growth
⛔ We didn't have streamlined processes in place
⛔ We, the C-Suite, stopped listening to our people


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝: Combining 20+ years in management consulting, over a decade in leadership, and hard-earned lessons from my dot.com collapse led me to develop a foolproof system to help CEOs like you:
✅ Boost your profits
✅ Keep your best people
✅ 'Buy back' +8 hours a week
✅ Build a scalable business model for growth


Great leaders aren't born; they're made.
True transformation can be challenging, so I've designed my system to help you save time, reach your potential, and become a top-notch CEO. 


𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫: Strategies to:
⭐ 'Buy back' your time so you can lead, not be 'all-over the place'
⭐ Create a CEO role that you'll absolutely LOVE having
⭐ Create space for innovation & big-picture planning
⭐ Create trust, structure, and sustainable growth
⭐ Build a winning, scalable company culture



𝐌𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: CEOs of SME companies on the U.S. East Coast, Canada, and Europe.
But why is this Swedish lady targeting the U.S. and Canada?
The mindset around the importance and value of a coach differs in the US and Canada from the rest of the world. I also love to speak English.
𝘚𝘔𝘌 = 𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮-𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦


𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩: Book a 15-minute Opportunity Call today!
👉 https://calendly.com/susanne-ekstrom/15mincall

Susanne Ekström
📞 +46 70 205 40 44
✉ susanne@beasmarterleader.com
🌐 www.beasmarterleader.com

Founder & CEO | BeaSmarterLeader

🔥 We help CEOs and Owners of Companies with $5-20 Million in Revenue, Strategically Work ON the Business Instead of Being Stuck IN it.

BeaSmarterLeader is 100% dedicated to helping CEOs and Owners across dynamic industries scale business operations and obtain unparalleled marketplace advantages to unlock transformative, growth-driven futures.

As the Founder & CEO, I work confidently with you while providing all of the dynamic tools and coaching methodologies required to take your business to the next level with The CEO Profit System!

Ultimately, I’m here to help enable the conditions for your peak performance, and you'll drive your business forward in ways previously unimagined. Sign up today to double your profits and cut your daily workload by 50% in less than 4 weeks!

👉 www.beasmarterleader.com/ceopsli (With a Large Discount)

Ever hired someone brilliant… but “a little odd”?
🤔 Maybe they avoided small talk.
🤔 Could never sit completely still.
🤔 Had problems with eye contact.
🤔 Laser-focused on obscure details.
🤔 Struggled with time management.
🤔 Or asked questions no one else dared to ask.

You might have chalked it up to personality.
But what if it was neurodiversity?

Yesterday, I shared a personal post about my son and me, both navigating life with ADHD and autism in different ways. Today, I want to discuss what that looks like in your company.

Because here’s the truth:
You already have neurodivergent people on your team.
- Some have been diagnosed.
- Most haven’t.
- And many won't dare to tell you even if they have been diagnosed.

If you don’t know how to lead them, you’re leaving potential (and revenue) on the table.

CEOs ask me, “How do I support these folks without lowering the bar?”
That's the wrong question.

The right one is: "How do I design a culture that brings out the best in every kind of brain?"

Especially when one of those brains might be… your own. 💜 

Because many of the founders and execs I coach have ADHD or autism themselves, and they’ve spent decades compensating, masking, or white-knuckling through systems that were never built for them.

Tomorrow, I’ll share about how to leverage neurodiversity as a leader, without burning out or losing control.

𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 - look around your team.
- Who’s been labeled “difficult,” “intense,” or “disorganized”?
- What might change if you saw them through the lens of neurodiversity?
- And most importantly, do you know what it means to be neurodivergent?

This is personal for me. As a mom. As a founder. 
Because when we get this right, everyone wins.


👉 Anything you'd add?

PS. I'll add the link to yesterday's post in the comments.

I Coach CEOs to Build Winning Companies Where People Love to Work (SMEs) | +$30M Client Profit Generated in the Last 5 Years | #1 International Best-Selling Author | Serial Entrepreneur

How do you know if someone on your team might be neurodivergent?
Short answer: You often don’t.
Longer answer: You notice patterns. And you lead accordingly.

Because not everyone will tell you they have ADHD or autism.
Some don’t even know themselves.
But their behavior might whisper it.
If you’re listening.

As a mom to a son with ADHD and autism, and in my work with founders and teams, I’ve learned to watch for two kinds of signs:

𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀
- Asks unexpected questions that challenge assumptions
- Hyper-focused one moment, totally distracted the next
- Struggles with transitions or shifting between tasks
- Strategic brilliance, but forgetful with logistics
- Comes across as blunt, intense, or “too much”
- Thrives with structure… or resists it entirely
- Sensitive to noise, light, or smells

𝗣𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝘂𝗲𝘀
- Avoids or resists eye contact
- Constantly fidgeting or can’t sit still
- Forgets next steps unless written or visual
- Looks disengaged, but later recalls everything
- Tunes out during long explanations or detailed talks
- Needs headphones, sunglasses, or quiet spaces to focus
- Paces while thinking or prefers movement to concentrate

These aren’t flaws.
They’re flags that someone might need something different to thrive.

Not lower expectations, but more transparent communication, better scaffolding, or more autonomy.

You don’t need a formal diagnosis to support someone’s best work.
You just need to notice how they work best, and meet them there.

That’s not therapy.
That’s leadership. 💜 


👉 Anything you'd add?


PS. This is my 4th and last post on neurodivergence, for now.
I'll add the links to my previous posts in the comments.

If your company can’t run 30 days without you, you don’t own a business.
You 𝙖𝙧𝙚 the business.

I was sitting with a CEO who was exhausted.
He told me, “𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴.”

That’s the reality for many CEOs.
The business runs, but only because they’re pushing every lever.
It feels responsible. It feels necessary.
But it’s also the ceiling on growth.

Here’s what I see again and again:
❌ Culture depends on their mood that week.
❌ Decisions get stuck waiting for their approval.
❌ The CEO’s calendar is owned by everyone but them.
❌ They delegate activity, not ownership, so work bounces back.

And then the shift happens.

When the CEO reclaims their time, everything changes:
✅ They spend hours painting the bigger picture instead of chasing details.
✅ Their leadership team starts owning results, not just tasks.
✅ Culture becomes the engine, not the weight.
✅ The company scales beyond them. Finally.

That’s when leadership becomes lighter.
That’s when growth feels possible again.

If your company had to run for 30 days without you, what would break first?
If you don’t like your answer to that question, send me a DM.
We’ll discuss how to make the change. 💜 
 
 
👉 Anything you'd add?

From pitch black to a life worth living in 2,5 months.
How I helped my son turn his life around.

I’m a single mother of two sons, and one of them has autism and ADHD.

Little over 2,5 years ago, he had been home for 4 years, 24*7.
❌ Not going out at all
❌ Not attending school
❌ Not having any IRL friends
❌ Not doing ANYTHING with his life

So, about 30 months ago, I started transforming our relationship completely.

This led him to move to a specialized boarding school and ‘restarting’ his life!

From being 4 years behind in school when he started, he’s now on track to graduate from high school in 3 months' time (only 1 year behind).

If you are a parent of a child or children with autism and/or ADHD, and you’re:
😢 Feeling you’re failing your kid
😢 Feeling love and affinity is lost
😢 Feeling like everything is hopeless
😢 Feeling like there’s nothing more you can do

I GET YOU! 💜
This is how I felt for many years.

HOW COULD I MAKE THIS POSSIBLE?
I attended a course, and while I was participating, it hit me hard.

〰I want to FIX my son!
〰Because this is NOT the life I was supposed to have.
〰AND I’m the reason we’re stuck!

Even if we have a great relationship, something needs to change.

I need to shift the way I speak to him and the way I listen to him.

I also realize – I can love him for everything he is and also for everything he isn’t.

For me, my kids are the most important thing in my life.

Seeing one of them not ‘participating in life’ has been totally devastating.

But now, I see a future for him. 💜

This video shares one of the questions I got when I spoke at the LeadHERship Unveiled, a 3-day virtual summit, about my journey as a person, a CEO coach, and a mother.

PS. If you know a parent like this, please tag them in a comment.

PPS. The link to my whole speech is here: https://lnkd.in/eyNk_WeQ



👉 Anything you'd add?

In 5 words or less, what advice would you give a CEO who's always busy and never has time?

If you're a CEO with ADHD or autism, you're not wired for business-as-usual.
You're wired for vision, velocity, and out-of-the-box thinking.

You can’t lead the way everyone else does, and you don’t have to.

You’ve probably been told to be more organized, more consistent, more emotionally neutral, more… something.

As a mother to a son with ADHD and autism, and also in my coaching work with neurodivergent founders, I’ve seen:

💫 Pattern recognition that’s lightning-fast
💫 Brains that leap to insights no one else sees
💫 Creative thinking that breaks through walls others never question

You’re not “too much.” You’re exactly enough when you stop trying to lead like someone else.

The key isn’t to mask or muscle through.
It’s to design a business that matches your brain. 💜 

It’s about building systems around your strengths and delegating tasks around your struggles.
- Hire great people who love the details
- Set check-ins so nothing relies on memory
- Shape your role around what energizes you

This isn’t about doing less.
It’s about doing what only you can do.
And building the right team to do the rest.

Neurodivergent leadership isn’t a liability. It’s a competitive edge.
But only if you stop fighting yourself...
and start building systems that fit.


👉 Anything you'd add?

PS. This is my 3rd post on neurodivergence. I'll add the link to my previous posts in the comments.

PPS. This is how my son explains what his ADHD/autism brain sounds like:
https://lnkd.in/e3JxK3VP (video credit to connorcallec, it's not my son)

The Day I Earned My Place -- with a Kebab Pizza!!
When I was new at a management consulting firm, I was invited to join a colleague at a client site.

As soon as I arrived, the CEO told me:
“We have a special tradition for new consultants, haha, you’ll see.”

At lunchtime, he took me to a pizzeria and said,
“This is your challenge. No other consultant has ever finished this.”

He ordered me the "House Special” - a kebab pizza loaded with sauce, fries, and extra everything.

I thought, "This is my moment," so I ate the whole thing.

He looked at me and said, “Wow. Not even I have finished it. I always leave the crust!”

And then he said, “I’m in love. Shall we go home and share 2 kilos of tenderloin?”

That afternoon, as we walked around the office, he kept telling people:
“She ate the whole pizza. She ate the 𝙒𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙀 pizza.”

Looking back, it was more than just a funny memory; it was also a test of my resilience.

Here’s what I learned about leadership from that pizza challenge.

- 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀
It wasn’t about the pizza. It was about showing up, saying yes, and giving something your best shot - even when it’s uncomfortable, unusual, or hard. 

- 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁
Had I refused or given up halfway, the outcome might have been different. Often, people respect the effort even more than the result, but in this case, finishing was what mattered.

- 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 “𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀”
Whether it’s the first big client meeting, a difficult decision, or (yes) a giant pizza, teams test how you show up under pressure. Leaders remember that and help others succeed in those moments.

- 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿
Yes, we laughed. But I also felt accepted. Leaders create moments that people remember. Those moments often mix challenge, kindness, and fun.

Sometimes leadership starts with a pizza. 💜 


👉 Anything you'd add?

Uncomfortable conversations - how do you deal with them?

Are you approaching them head-on, delaying them, or sticking your head in the sand and hoping they will solve themselves somehow?

This is what I'll be talking about in today's episode of 'Uncomfortable Conversations' on e360tv.

Hi all - time for a poll!
What do you say about this one? :)

If you could travel back in time and relive your life, would you choose the same career/life?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

Zoltan A. Vardy

I teach B2B founders how to close more enterprise deals faster using The Launch Code 🚀 Generated $2 billion in B2B revenue in my 30-year career📣 Speak about B2B sales & entrepreneurship

Struggling to sell your B2B tech product, even though you know it’s great?

I’ve been there. After 30 years in B2B sales — from leading $150M revenue teams at NBCUniversal to building my own startup — I’ve closed $2B in revenue by learning how to make skeptical buyers say “yes.”

That’s why I built The Launch Code, a proven blueprint trusted by 200+ founders in 26 countries to turn sales from a constant struggle into a repeatable growth engine. It’s designed to help founders win 3+ high-ticket clients per quarter.

👉 I created The Launch Code by blending my two worlds:

• Corporate sales leadership at the highest level

• Startup founder grit, speed, and focus

The result: a sales system that gives startup founders corporate-level structure without losing startup agility.

What you’ll learn with me:

✅ How to FOCUS your offer & message so buyers instantly get it

✅ How to STRUCTURE your sales process so you close more with less stress

✅ How to SCALE your sales so you stop doing it all yourself

Who I work with:

• Early-stage founders → use my video course + mentoring to land your first consistent high-ticket clients.

• Scaleup founders → work 1:1 with me to scale faster, build a high-performing team & break revenue ceilings.

Why listen to me?

🔹 Closed $2B+ in revenue
🔹 Carried $150M revenue responsibility as SVP at NBCUniversal 
🔹 Built & sold my own company
🔹 Investor in multiple startups
🔹 Author of The Launch Code & keynote speaker

📩 DM me if you’re ready to win 3+ high-ticket clients per quarter and turn sales into your growth engine.

Investor & Board Member

• The Launch Code is a blueprint that helps B2B tech founders sell and market to enterprise customers.
• Worked with 200+ founders from 26 countries.
• I share The Launch Code via a personal mentoring program, an on-demand course and a course + mentoring package.
• Startup accelerators can choose a course + group coaching package.

AI won’t fix your broken sales process.

50 ambitious founders in one room in Prague.
One big theme.

AI is powerful.
But it won’t save weak fundamentals.

What actually moves the needle in early-stage B2B?
Founder-led sales.

Not outsourced belief.
Not premature hires.
Not “let’s automate it and hope.”

We unpacked:
✅ Why founders should run the first 20-30 sales conversations themselves
✅ Why bad qualification kills more deals than bad pitching
✅ Why hiring a sales rep too early is often a very expensive mistake
✅ And why clarity beats AI tooling every single time

I could feel the shift in the room.
And in conversations with founders who bought a copy of The Launch Code, my book on founder-led sales.

Ideas turning into action plans.
Noise turning into structure.

My favorite moment?
The fireside chat with my former client, Radek Novotný, co-founder of Superface.ai.

No theory.
No LinkedIn soundbites.
Just what actually works inside an AI-first startup building real revenue.

Huge thanks to  Innovate Prague , Czech Founders, and Startup Kitchen  for curating such a sharp group of builders.

Now I’m curious: If you’re an early-stage B2B founder...

👉 What’s harder right now?

Building pipeline -- or building the right sales structure behind it?

Let’s compare notes.

#b2bsales #founders #startups #entrepreneurship

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TLC Book

Stop waiting for the perfect time! Get a FREE chapter of my book on founder-led sales and start growing➡️ https://tinyurl.com/4js3p86z

TLC Book #2

Discover the mindset and strategies to master founder-led sales—sign up for a FREE chapter ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/4js3p86z

TLC Book #3

Startups thrive on hustle.
Scaleups thrive on systems.

Where are you on that journey?

TLC-High-ticket deals

Early-stage founder? Learn how The Launch Code will help you close more high-ticket deals➡️ https://tinyurl.com/yseb2h7v


Club Globalis Link

TLC Buy Book Amazon

Unlock the blueprint to mastering founder-led sales. The Launch Code is NOW AVAILABLE on Amazon➡️ https://mybook.to/thelaunchcode 

Online Book Release Registration

Hungary Book Release

Yes! Sign me up for The Launch Code book release event in Budapest ➡️ https://lu.ma/8lh2r7qb

Romania Book Release

Yes! Sign me up for the founder-led sales event in Bucharest ➡️ https://lu.ma/82n6akdm

TLC Book - Free & Buy

Get The Launch Code's first chapter FREE or buy it on Amazon - CLICK HERE ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/3wcn2tb8

Nothing Ventures podcast

Watch or listen here ➡️
1️⃣ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/dM5ZyNHq
2️⃣ Apple: https://lnkd.in/dg7KjR_E
3️⃣ YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dj3k2EEP

TLC-Accelerate rev growth

Ready to boost revenue growth? Check out The Launch Code and learn how ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/ytnbzd74


Speaker Reel Plug

For those who missed it — here’s what those four lucky people saw 👇

https://youtu.be/hYaXkDkF80U

Next time, bring friends. I’m worth the ears. 😇

Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast

Watch or listen to the podcast here ➡️
1️⃣ YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/wfu4yrvx
2️⃣ Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/48kkkm3a
3️⃣ Apple: https://tinyurl.com/3297nnra

Startup Revolution podcast

📽️ Watch the podcast episode here ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/a42knu5m

LaunchPod podcast

📽️ Watch the podcast episode here ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/3nadxxxa

Make It Happen Mondays Podcast

Watch or listen to the podcast here ➡️
https://tinyurl.com/48uatz4s

TLC Audio Book

Buy The Launch Code audiobook here ➡️
✅ Amazon: https://mybook.to/thelaunchcode
✅ Audible US: https://tinyurl.com/2v9nau72
✅ Audible UK: https://tinyurl.com/y9mreb4p
✅ Apple Books: https://tinyurl.com/yspdadu4


Warsaw Events - Sept 2025

Register here to attend these events ➡️
✅ Google For Startups: https://tinyurl.com/ybrvr864
✅ Venture Cafe Warsaw: https://tinyurl.com/4k6hancc

Benson Boone

What was your “front row moment” with a brand, artist, or company?

That point where you went from interested to fully invested?

👇 Drop it in the comments — I’m collecting examples for a follow-up post.

Office vs Home

✅If you're in-office full-time: what’s the biggest upside for you?

▶️And if you're remote-first: what do you think people miss most about the office?

Fire my client

This wasn’t an easy decision.
But I’ve learned the hard way: saying “no” early often protects your time, energy, and reputation later.

Curious to hear from other consultants, coaches, and founders:

What’s your biggest red flag in a new client relationship?

TLC Bootcamp

Curious how we structure the TLC Bootcamp behind the scenes?

Drop a message and I’ll DM you the 3-pillar framework I use to build a founder’s sales system from scratch.

VP Training

Get my free video training that helps founders:
•	Cut the fluff
•	Test their message with prospects
•	Increase clarity (and conversions)

👉 Check the link: https://tinyurl.com/2cd6cndv


Quit or conquer

Will you quit at 5PM today, or conquer what's left?
Reminder: consistency beats intensity. Every time.

👇What’s ONE thing you're committed to finishing today?


Measure to manage

If you’re not sure what to track, start with one metric tied directly to revenue.

For example:
→ Weekly sales calls booked
→ Email response rate
→ Avg. deal size by funnel stage

Clarity beats complexity.
What’s your go-to metric right now?


When to give up

TLC Tour Thanks

Vicket value prop

One thing that surprised us in this case: the product didn’t need to change. Just the way it was explained.

Messaging gives you strategic clarity about who it’s for and what changes for them.

👉 What’s one positioning mistake you’ve seen (or made) that cost traction?


Founder not product

Someone messaged me after this post and said:
“Selling still feels like begging.”

Totally get it.
That feeling is more common than you think...even in the boardroom.

But what if sales wasn’t about asking…
…but about offering clarity, direction, and momentum?

What’s your biggest mindset shift around sales?


Annual accomplishments

Reading through my own list made me realize how much I overlook the small wins.

But those “small” moments -- the tough calls, the messy fixes, the late-night emails -- often deliver the real breakthroughs.

What’s one underrated win you’re proud of this year?


Destination Plan

PRO TIP: If you're stuck on Step 2 (milestones), reverse-engineer it:

👉 Ask: “What would need to be true by Q1 to hit my year-end goal?”

This makes your strategy way more actionable.


Do less, not more

⚠️ Reminder: Saying “yes” to everything is saying “no” to what matters.
Drop your “STOP” below - your clarity could help someone else.


Spartan recommitment

Recommitment doesn’t need confidence. Just a first step.

What’s one small move you’re making this week?


VP Training podcast

I mentor entrepreneurs to help them build a repeatable, founder-led sales process that doesn’t collapse under stress.

If you're tired of winging it or second-guessing your strategy, let’s talk.

📩 DM me if you're ready to sell with structure (and sanity).


Czech Founders event

ANK book launch event

This is exactly why people hate cold emails.

One fake reference and trust is gone.

What’s the worst or most ridiculous cold email you’ve ever received?

Hetkoznapi Peldakepek podcast

medient-consulting

central-european-theme-parks-ltd

the-launch-code

mentor-equity

Co-founder & CEO at Superface, recognized by Gartner - an Agentic Skills platform enabling AI agents to accomplish complex tasks | Serial B2B Entrepreneur | 🌊🏄‍♂️ Surfer, Kitesurfer, Snowboarder

Innovate Prague

Czech Founders

Startup Kitchen

Sales & GTM Advisor to Scale-Ups | Scaling Founder-Led Businesses from $1M to $10M ARR | $2B+ Closed | Ex-SVP Global Sales, NBCUniversal | Keynote Speaker

Tegnap délelőtt újra bebizonyosodott számomra.

A cégalapítói értékesítés nem elmélet.
Hanem napi túlélési gyakorlat.

Az MVÜK Zrt. közösség tagjaival telt ház előtt beszélgettünk arról, hogyan lehet rendszert építeni az improvizáció helyett.

Mert a legtöbb alapító nem sales rendszert működtet.
Hanem hősként menti a bevételt.

És ez egy ideig működik.

Ami igazán megfogott, az a kérdések minősége volt:

✔️ Hogyan delegáljak úgy értékesítést, hogy ne essen vissza a bevétel?
✔️ Mikor válik a cégalapítói értékesítés a növekedés akadályává?
✔️ Hogyan lesz a “kapcsolati tőkém” helyett skálázható rendszer?

Pont ezért szeretek ilyen közegben beszélni.

Itt mindenki első kézből felel a bevételért.

A délelőtt számomra különösen fontos volt: ez volt A növekedés kódja c. könyvem debütálása.

30 év. 200+ vállalkozás.
Egy azonnal használható rendszerbe sűrítve.

Köszönöm a meghivást Iglódi Csaba-nak és Janos Horvath-nak, és a jelenlévő vállalkozóknak az aktív figyelmet és a bátor kérdéseket.

👉Most hozzátok fordulok:
Alapítóként hol akad el jelenleg az értékesítési folyamatod?
______________________________
For my international audience: 

Yesterday morning reminded me of something important:

Founder-led sales is not theory.
It’s daily survival.

At a full-house session with company owners, we discussed how founders can move from improvising revenue to building scalable sales systems.

The real challenge isn’t closing deals.
It’s knowing when founder-led sales becomes the bottleneck to growth.

The event was also special because it marked the debut of the Hungarian version of my book, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙚 — 30 years and 200+ companies distilled into a practical, immediately applicable framework.

#b2bsales #founders #növekedés #vállalkozás

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Cold emails like this destroy trust, not build it.

I received this message last week, claiming:

“As mentioned previously, we have a family office interested in investing in your industry...”

Here’s the thing: 
❌ I never spoke to this person. 
❌ I don’t have a team member who shared my info. 
❌ I’m not an investable business. I’m a solopreneur.

This is the kind of lazy outreach that gives cold emails a bad rap.

It’s vague, impersonal, and misaligned. 

The result? A missed opportunity -- and a burned bridge before the first conversation even begins.

Cold outreach can work. But only when it’s done with:
✅ Precision: Know who you're talking to (and why). 
✅ Context: Reference real interactions, not imagined ones. 
✅ Relevance: Tailor the ask to match the person’s reality.

Want to build meaningful business connections? 

Start with respect. 
Do your homework. 
Show genuine intent.

If you’re sending emails that sound like this, it’s time to upgrade your approach.

Ever received one like this? 

👇Drop a comment — let’s raise the bar.

#solopreneur #founders #coldoutreach #trustbuilding #b2bmarketing #salesethics

graphical user interface, text, application, email

You’re not building a product. You’re building a business.

Had a conversation with a SaaS founder recently. Brilliant team. 

Beautiful roadmap. Zero traction.

Why? 

Because they were obsessing over features... and ignoring the one voice that actually matters:

👉 The person who’s supposed to buy it.

This is the most common trap I see with tech founders: They build for what’s possible, not for what’s needed. 

They fall in love with the product, instead of the problem.

A business only exists if someone pays for what you’ve built. 
Until then, it’s just a project.

Talk to your buyers more than your backlog. 
Revenue is the loudest form of product validation.

#founderlessons #saas #b2bsales #productmarketfit #startups #buildwhatmatters #techfounders #customerdiscovery

Some moments make you stop and realize how far the journey has taken you.

Business Fest Szeged provided one of those moments.

In one day:

➡️I shared lessons from working with 200+ founders across 24 countries about founder-led sales and building predictable revenue.

➡️ Entrepreneurs lined up to buy copies of my book A növekedés kódja (The Launch Code) at the Líra stand.

➡️And I had the privilege of chatting on stage with Attila Kecsmar, co-founder and CEO of Antavo AI Loyalty Cloud.

A company I invested in more than 10 years ago.

Today, I support it as chairman.

Watching Antavo grow into a global category leader has been an incredible journey.

Days like this remind me of three things:

👉 Share what you learn. 
👉 Support great founders early. 
👉 Keep showing up.

You never know where consistent effort will lead.

But with focus, agility, and persistence, progress compounds.

So I’m curious...

👉 What long journey are you building today?

#b2bsales #founders #startups #entrepreneurship

“I didn’t hear anything new... but I needed to hear it again.”

That’s the feedback I often get when I speak at events on B2B sales and entrepreneurship.

For a long time, I wasn’t sure how to take that. 
Was that a compliment? 
A critique?

But I’ve come to realize -- it’s neither. 
It’s something better:

💡 It’s clarity. 
💡 It’s timing. 
💡 It’s the right message, said the right way, at the right moment.

Because in sales, leadership, and startups -- the real challenge isn’t knowing what to do. 

It’s doing it consistently. 
It’s hearing something obvious... and finally having it land.

That’s what I aim for when I speak. 

Not just to inspire, but to anchor the truth in a way people can’t ignore.

If you're planning a team offsite, leadership session, or corporate event -- and you want someone who’ll say what needs to be said (with zero fluff), let’s talk.

#speaker #salesleadership #entrepreneurship #founderlife #startuplessons #growthmindset #clarityoverhype

Miért nem záródnak a nagyobb B2B ügyleteid miközben az ajánlatod jó? 🤔

A legtöbb cégalapító nem az értékesítéssel küzd.
Hanem azzal, hogy nincs mögötte rendszer.

Ha B2B cégalapító vagy, ez most neked szól.

Az elmúlt 30 évben 2 milliárd dollár értékű B2B megállapodás lezárásában vettem részt.

Pontosan látom, hol és miért akad el a növekedés.

Most egyedi lehetőséged van velem személyesen végigvenni:

✅ Hol szivárog a bevételed?
✅ Miért nem konvertálnak a nagyobb dealek?
✅ Hol kellene fókuszálnod?

Ha 𝗺á𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝟮𝟱-𝗶𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗱 a lira()hu-n 𝘼 𝙣ö𝙫𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙙é𝙨 𝙠ó𝙙𝙟𝙖 című könyvemet, részt veszel az előrendelési nyereményjátékban.

🥇 60 perces stratégiai konzultáció Velem
🥈🥉 Partvonal ajándék könyvcsomagok

Ne inspirációt keress.
Építs rendszert.

Március 25-ig még beszállhatsz.

👇Keresd a linket az első kommentben.

I realized something amazing the other night. 

For the first time, many of the people who shaped my career journey can now read The Launch Code in their own language.

We celebrated the release of the Hungarian edition of my book, A növekedés kódja, now available in bookstores across the country.

When I looked around the room, I concluded this wasn’t really just a book launch event.

It was a celebration of...

✅ My amazing former colleagues from TV2 Média Csoport Zrt.
✅ Clients who trusted me years ago, and 
✅ Friends and family who influenced the person I am today. 

They all filled the space at KLUSTER Co-working. 

And each conversation felt like revisiting a different chapter of my journey.

Seeing people from so many stages of my life reminded me that no company, no book, and no milestone is ever built alone.

Thank you to everyone who shared this special day with me.

A special thank you to clients Ákos Gergely DOQSYS Business Solutions Ltd. and Peter Kalmar [eureka]  for joining me on stage to share their stories and how our work together helped them build their companies.

And finally, thank you to Enikő Mária Domján, who's supported The Launch Code and me for six years, and who brought her "A game" as event hostess.

👇 So here's what I want to know: if you could gather people from every chapter of your life in one room…

Who would be there?

#entrepreneurship #founders #startups #leadership

If you’re not passionate about the problem, you’ll never survive the process.

Spoke to a founder recently who's building an event networking app.

The goal? 
Help participants connect more easily at business events. 

Sounds promising... until I asked a simple question:
“How many events have you actually been to?”

“...One.” 

And the idea wasn’t even his. It was his co-founder’s.

There it was. 

No insight. 
No energy. 
No connection to the problem.

Just someone going through the motions, building a business they didn’t believe in.

And here’s what happens when you do that: 
👉 You stop talking to users 
👉 You avoid the hard conversations 
👉 You build features no one asked for 
👉 You burn cash chasing activity, not traction

Founders! You can’t fake passion. 

You have to want the outcome. 

You have to feel the pain you're solving.

Otherwise, you're just writing code and burning runway.

Build what you care about, or don’t build at all.

#founderlessons #startupmistakes #eventtech #foundermarketfit #startups #productmarketfit #passionmatters #buildwhatmatters

A növekedés nem stratégia kérdése.
Hanem rendszeré.

𝗠á𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝟭𝟮-é𝗻 𝗮 Business Fest Szeged-en két oldalról vizsgáljuk meg a növekedés kérdését.

Az előadásomban megmutatom, miért a tudatosan felépített, alapító-vezérelt értékesítési rendszer a túlélés és a skálázás alapja bizonytalan piaci környezetben.

26 ország, 200+ alapító tapasztalata alapján egy konkrét, azonnal alkalmazható bevételnövelő rendszerrel fogsz távozni.

A fireside chat során Attila Kecsmar-al, 𝗮𝘇 Antavo AI Loyalty Cloud 𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗽í𝘁ó-𝗖𝗘𝗢-𝗷á𝘃𝗮𝗹 arról beszélgetünk, hogyan járult hozzá ez a szemlélet az Antavo globális növekedéséhez.

Elmeséli...

✅ Hogyan lesz egy szegedi startupból globális, enterprise SaaS vállalat?
✅ Mi változik, amikor a helyi ambíció nemzetközi növekedéssé válik?
✅ És hol bukik el a legtöbb cég skálázás közben?

Stratégia az egyik oldalon.
Valós skálázási tapasztalat a másikon.
Rendszer és végrehajtás.

Ez a kombináció különbözteti meg a stagnálást a valódi növekedéstől.

A rendezvényen debütál a könyvem magyar kiadása is:
𝘼 𝙉ö𝙫𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙙é𝙨 𝙆ó𝙙𝙟𝙖 (The Launch Code) – a helyszínen elérhető és dedikálom.

Ha B2B alapító, CEO vagy sales vezető vagy,
és nem inspirációt, hanem rendszert akarsz – 
ott a helyed.

👉Találkozunk Szegeden?

________

For my international audience...

On March 12 at Business Fest Szeged, I will give a keynote on why structured, founder-led sales is the foundation of survival and growth in tough markets. I'll also lead a fireside chat with Attila Kecsmar, co-founderr & CEO of Antavo, about what it takes to scale an enterprise SaaS business from Szeged to a global market leader.

I will also debut the Hungarian edition of my book, The Launch Code, called A Növekedés Kódja, available on site with book signing.

#vallalkozas #startup #ertekesites #novekedes #businessfest

No, your outreach isn’t bad.
It’s just not relevant.

Bad messages talk about you.
Great messages solve their problem.

Use this 5-step structure next time:
👉 Desired outcome
👉 The pain they feel now
👉 Your solution
👉 Simple CTA
👉 Proof it works

It takes 15 seconds to read.
But instantly makes you worth talking to.

Most founders overcomplicate it.
Buyers don’t want poetry. They want clarity.

💬 How would your outreach change if you rewrote it from your buyer’s perspective?

#outboundsales #b2bsales #founders #startups

This one is for my Hungarian network 🇭🇺

Hadd kezdjem egy kényelmetlen kérdéssel.
Alapítóként, cégvezetőként vagy B2B szolgáltatóként volt már olyan érzésed, hogy

✅  jó a termék,
✅ van érdeklődés,
✅ mégsem záródnak a nagyobb megállapodások?

A legtöbb alapító nem a terméke miatt nem nő.

Hanem mert az értékesítés nincs rendszerbe rakva.

A tavaly megjelent The Launch Code könyvem most magyarul is elérhető

A növekedés kódja: Értékesíts úgy, mint a legsikeresebb vállalkozók címmel,
 és március 17-én személyesen is beszélgetünk róla Budapesten.
📍 KLUSTER Coworking

Ott lesz velem két korábbi ügyfelem: Ákos Gergely és Peter Kalmar.
 
Ez nem motivációs este lesz.

Amiről szó lesz:

💭 Hogyan lesz az ad hoc értékesítésből működő struktúra,
 a bizonytalanságból fókusz.

💭 Hogyan lehet cégalapítóként magabiztosan lezárni nagyobb B2B ügyleteket.

Ha B2B-ben építed a céged, szerintem érdemes ott lenned.

Találkozzunk március 17-én. 🚀

Regisztráció és további információk az eseményben! 👇

KLUSTER

CEO @ DOQSYS Business Solutions Ltd. | S2P Automation Advisory | SAP Ariba Expertise | Digital Transformation | Strategic BPO Solutions

Work shouldn’t suck! | Founder & CEO @ [eureka] | Transforming workplace culture through immersive learning journeys | Learning experiences designed for remote and teams, powered by play. 🧠🎲

A legtöbb vállalkozás nem a termék miatt akad el.
Hanem az értékesítés miatt.

Ha cégalapító vagy, ezt az eseményt nem érdemes kihagynod.

𝗠á𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝟭𝟳-é𝗻 a KLUSTER Coworkingben (Astoria) mutatjuk be 𝘼 𝙣ö𝙫𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙙é𝙨 𝙠ó𝙙𝙟𝙖 című új könyvemet.

De ez nem egy klasszikus könyvbemutató lesz.

Egy őszinte beszélgetés arról, hogyan tudják az alapítók az értékesítést
küzdelemből → tudatos, felépíthető és skálázható rendszerré alakítani.

Vendégeim két sikeres ügyfélem és alapító:

👉 Ákos Gergely (DOQSYS Business Solutions Ltd.)
👉 Peter Kalmar ([eureka])

Beszélgetünk a saját növekedési tapasztalataikról.

Mi működött.
Mi nem.
És mit csinálnának ma másképp.

A beszélgetés után közönség Q&A, ahol felteheted a legégetőbb B2B értékesítési kérdéseidet.

A helyszínen dedikált példányt is vásárolhatsz a könyvből.

A részvétel ingyenes, de a helyek száma korlátozott.

Ha érdekel, regisztrálj – és találkozunk március 17-én.

👇Link az első kommentben

#b2bsales #startups #founders #entrepreneurship #novekedeskodja

When startup growth slows, founders usually respond the same way:
More leads.
More calls.
More activity.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: more conversations don’t necessarily mean more revenue.

In B2B sales, one of the biggest hidden growth levers is qualification.

When founders confuse curiosity with buying intent, pipelines fill with “opportunities” that were never real deals.

The result?
Time lost.
Energy drained.
Forecasts built on sand.

The founders who scale fastest learn a simple discipline early: disqualify faster.

In my latest newsletter I also explore:
• Why structure transforms chaotic sales into predictable growth
• A podcast throwback to the principles behind The Launch Code
• And the remarkable story of a solo developer who built a billion-dollar AI project

Because in the end, success in sales rarely comes from intensity.

It comes from discipline.

View newsletter: Master your B2B startup sales

When growth slows, most founders default to one solution: More leads. More calls. More activity. But in B2B sales, volume rarely fixes the real proble

Open article: The hidden growth lever most founders miss by Zoltan A. Vardy • 2 min read

The hidden growth lever most founders miss

This is exactly where most outbound strategies break down.

Not because cold outreach doesn’t work, but because it’s done without discipline.

At The Launch Code, we emphasize one core principle:
👉 Relevance beats volume. Every time.

Spray-and-pray emails don’t just fail, they actively damage your credibility.

Strong outbound is built on:
✔ Clear targeting
✔ Real context
✔ Genuine intent

When you get this right, cold outreach stops feeling “cold”, and starts opening real conversations.

If your pipeline isn’t converting, it’s often not a volume problem. It’s a qualification and messaging problem

Ever received one like this?

👇Drop a comment, and let’s raise the bar.

taplio

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The Battle

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