IllumiDesk

Responsible for developing, implementing and driving revenue generation capabilities for Illumidesk, an innovative, AI-enabled, e-learning solution.

Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)

Leadlify

Co-founder and Co-CEO of a Lead Generation agency supporting growing businesses across the globe.

Co-Founder & CEO

Axcelora - Making the Cold Call Obsolete

Axcelora provides strategic business development services to retail-oriented service provider startups bringing unique solutions to market. Axcelora vets the companies, their value proposition and execution track record before agreeing to a partnership that enables connecting them with key decision makers at appropriate retail companies across the globe.
As an Associate Partner, Anthony leads the technology practice as well as providing support to strategic international markets.

Partner

Stratégique Enterprises, S.A.

Identify strategic investment opportunities in startup organizations that have the potential to deliver disruptive product and/or service offerings to the marketplace. Analyze and assess growth potential and provide operational leadership, strategic management, and business development support to facilitate maximizing go to market execution.

Additionally, Stratégique Enterprises, S.A. provides strategic management & business development services to companies seeking to scale their business in North America or exploring entrance into the Latin America region, leveraging Panama as a jump point.

President 

On The Dot Global

On The Dot Global is a purpose driven Community Engagement SaaS company based in Austin, TX. It's mission is to positively impact the lives of all by enabling organizations to simplify how they communicate, collaborate and engage their constituent communities. 

As the Head of Growth & Operations, Anthony's role is to lead the key functions that interface directly with the marketplace, including Sales, Customer Success, Product along with overall Operational capabilities. Working with the Founder to define strategic direction and translate into execution across the company, preparing On The Dot to progressively scale its market impact. This includes defining the sales motion, developing sales playbooks and annual plans, defining post-sales operations, identifying marketing opportunities to drive growth, developing the revenue and operational scaling plan, leading strategic partnership efforts (e.g. Blackbaud) & product roadmap evolution.

Head of Growth & Operations (COO)

CEO Connection

CEO Connection is the only membership organization in the world focused exclusively on mid-market CEOs. We connect thousands of mid-market CEOs with each other and to people, information and resources which will help them succeed.
As VP of Strategic Partnerships & Sponsors contracted under Stratégique Enterprises, Anthony developed and led the growth efforts to expand the partnership ecosystem by identifying and collaborating with unique solution providers that would benefit from a symbiotic relationship with CEO Connection and its members.

Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Sponsors

MandaoApp 

MandaoApp is an innovative, lifestyle enhancement  technology platform, developed with the sole mission of maximizing everyone's most valuable asset - Time. Headquartered in Delaware, USA with the Latin America Operational office based in Panama. 
Under Stratégique Enterprises, Anthony angel invested and joined the team as COO to work on driving operational efficiencies and prepare the business to re-emerge from a strategic reset action with stronger growth dynamics. Specifically, Anthony improved financial reporting, built the operational go-to-market plan and identified growth & scaling opportunities to support building a defensible moat for the business model.

Chief Operating Officer

Dell

General Management responsibilities for Customer Care, Order Management and Sales Support Call Center Operations for the Western Hemisphere (Americas). Includes oversight of over 850 people based in 5 countries supporting Canada, US & Latin America (including Brazil). Also incorporates responsibilities as the Site Lead for the Commerical Sales Operations organization located at Dell's site in the Republic of Panama.

General Manager, Global Sales Operations - Americas Region & Panama Country Lead

Leading the Sales organization responsible for driving Software Solutions & Infrastructure as well as Parts & Ink (P&I) for Dell's Small & Medium, Public & Large Enterprise businesses across North America.

Vice President of Sales (CSO), Dell North America Software Solutions & Infrastructure

General Manager responsibility for driving revenue growth across Public & Large Enterprise customers in the Western Hemisphere (excluding Brazil) of Dell's Software and Peripheral solutions portfolio as well as leading the development of the Latin America Public Mid Market Sales strategy and execution. 

Additional responsibilites included driving Post Purchase Warranty, Parts & Ink and Outside Warranty Repair Sales across the Western Hemisphere.

Managed through multiple transitions of sales teams from the US to Panama to facilitate the optimizating the scalability of the business growth potential.

Vice President (GM), Americas Software & Peripherals and Latin America Mid Market Sales

Leader of the Inside Sales organization for US Major Public Accounts covering Education, State & Local Government accounts in the Global Public Group, accounting for over $3.5B in revenue.

Vice President, Inside Sales, US Major Public Accounts

COO responsibilities, including directing key activities that drive Sales execution, Business Management capabilities as well as New Business Development for the  Americas Retail Sales organization. In addition, owned responsibility for directing the Inside Sales organization,  Lifecycle Planinng, Process Improvement, Sales Support, Sales Programs and Business Management activities across multiple lines of businesses. Responsible for over US$2B in revenue.

Chief Operating Officer, Americas Retail Division

National Sales Director (Chief Sales Officer) for a retail sales organization with up to 190 locations in 37 states and up to 1700 person sales force generating over $500 million in revenue annually.

National Sales Director (CSO), US Direct Stores Division

Assistant Sales Site Director in a US Consumer Sales phone queue of over 300 Call Center Sales agents.

Assistant Site Director, Consumer Sales

Regional Sales Director leading Inside Sales of a US Consumer Sales Site in Round Rock, TX, spanning 200 Call Center Sales agents. Responsible for driving profitable revenue growth on every call by aggressively developing the sales team to optimize primary KPIs, including Close Rate, Revenue per Call, Margin per Call, Financing Rate and Services Revenue per Unit.

Regional Sales Director, US Consumer Sales

Work closely with the Site Lead and Sales Snr. Leadership team to identify and drive key Strategic projects that improve execution of key performance driving processes in the call center and across the Consumer business. Lead national projects and initiatives, develop a team of Process Leads to execute identified initiatives and projects.

Sales Operations Director, US Consumer Sales

Responsible for strategic management of the “tied to the box” Services portfolio for Transactional desktop and notebook systems across the Americas (Consumer & Commercial segments).  Actions included:
- Analysis and assessment of portfolio performance
- Developing recommendations and launching new offers via collaboration with multiple function and segment groups
- Recommending as well as facilitating customer studies to deepen the businesses understanding of the marketplace.
Developed, launched and managed multiple service offers that collectively added an incremental $11 margin per unit across both Dimension and Inspiron product lines.

Snr. Product Manager - Services

AAM Consulting, Inc (dba AAMCI)

Founded and developed a business management consulting firm of 12 associates that assisted Non Profit Organizations create, develop and execute business development strategies for their organizations and constituents.
Successfully expanded the practice by forming a network alliance with six other boutique consulting firms, providing an expanded range of services under the AAMCI banner, generating over $850k in billing revenue after a year of operation.

President/CEO

Rutgers University

Double concentrations in Marketing and Strategic Management. Won the Leo Wotjenko Award and had the second highest GPA in the 2003 Class. Inducted into the Geta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

MBA Student

At IllumiDesk, we are reshaping the e-learning landscape, leveraging powerful AI tools to enhance learning outcomes. As Chief Revenue Officer, my focus is on cultivating robust revenue streams and positioning our offerings at the forefront of the industry. My leadership at Leadlify, as Co-Founder and Co-CEO, complements these efforts with a deep understanding of customer engagement and sustained business growth across diverse markets.

Our team excels in constructing strategic revenue models and fostering key partnerships that accelerate market entry and expansion, particularly in the dynamic landscape of e-learning. This collaborative approach, anchored in my expertise in new business development and CRM, supports our goal of delivering transformative educational experiences and driving the growth of both IllumiDesk and our clients.

The quota strategy that made our numbers jump by 28%—and it all started on the sidelines of a kids' soccer game.

Here’s what surprised me:

Watching my son's team, I realized the coach never treated each player the same. Every kid had their own target—one worked on defense, another focused on passing, another just had to run without tripping over the ball.

No cookie-cutter drills. No endless group sprints. 
And it worked. Every player got better, fast.

So I brought this to our SaaS sales team at On The Dot.

We stopped pretending every region or rep had the same shot at quota. Instead:

- We dug into past numbers, territory by territory.
- We looked at local market size, competition, and what made each place unique.
- We set quotas that matched each area's real growth potential.
- We changed comp plans to reward improvement—not just hitting a single number.

Here’s what happened:

Total performance shot up 28%. 
Regions that struggled before were leading the charge.

That’s the real lesson: treating everyone “equally” isn’t always fair—or smart. 
What works is setting ambitious but realistic targets for each situation.

As we say in Jamaica, "Different pot bubble different way".

Curious if anyone else has tried the “unfair” quota model. 
How do you think about goals when every territory looks different?

#SalesGrowth #SalesQuota #SalesLeadership #CompPlans #RepDevelopment #SalesPerfomance

Anthony McKenzie

Fractional COO/CSO/CRO | SaaS Growth Expert | Revenue Strategist

No alternative text description for this image

For those in the Austin, TX area that are a fit for a Field Sales Director role, this is an opportunity to work with an absolutely dynamic business and people leader in Shawn Trotter.

We're #hiring a new Field Sales Director in Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area. Apply today or share this post with your network.

Most SaaS companies will never hit real growth.

And it’s not because their product sucks.

They’re obsessed with another feature. Another update. Another “wow” moment to win the market.

But the truth?

Features don’t scale companies. Operations do.

I’ve watched teams pour money into building. Tweaking. Shipping. Praying for some breakout.

But the SaaS companies that actually scale?

They make process their secret weapon:
- Sales has a clear, simple playbook. No guessing.
- Teams are held to real accountability. No hiding.
- Onboarding is frictionless. Churn drops like a rock.
- Metrics are brutal. If it doesn’t move the number, it gets cut.

Discipline beats innovation—every time.

You can have the most “innovative” product in your space. If your engine is broken, you’re going nowhere.

I’ve seen companies double ARR just by getting ruthless with process.

Stop searching for magic features.

Fix your operating model. Build the right habits. Growth gets simple.

What’s the process upgrade that changed everything for you? I want the unfiltered stories.

JSESSIONID

li_at

Worked with Richard Chen, MBA many years back, has always been an excellent people leader, would encourage anyone that fits the bill to consider this opportunity. Good company + great manager = you win.

Global Partner Strategy and Operations at Cloudflare

Join me on the journey to build a Partner-first organization at Cloudflare! 

https://lnkd.in/g9tpfYPz

This high-impact, high-visibility role will help shape how our Americas business drives growth through the Partnering-route(s) to market.

Open article: Principal Partner Strategy and Operations Manager - AMER by job-boards.greenhouse.io

Principal Partner Strategy and Operations Manager - AMER

Building scalable SaaS growth isn't just about bigger budgets or more features—it’s about architecting intentional systems that let you scale smartly, not just quickly.

Over the last three decades, I’ve seen too many companies chase rapid ARR only to hit scaling headaches down the line—broken processes, unclear handoffs, and burned-out teams. Sustainable SaaS revenue comes from operational alignment: seamless onboarding, clear success metrics, and relentless focus on customer value throughout the lifecycle. It’s tempting to prioritize short-term wins over foundational resilience—but that’s where most stumble.

If you’re ready to unlock your next phase of growth, challenge yourself: are your operations truly optimized for scale? What old habits do you need to break today so your business doesn’t break tomorrow? Let’s start a conversation—what has been your biggest roadblock in scaling sustainably?

When you're building a business, dialing in a repeatable sales process and rigorously tracking CAC vs. LTV is what separates scalable startups from the rest.

Why 73% of Startups Miss Their Revenue Targets (And How to Be in the 27%)

We've seen it happen over and over: promising startups with great products that can't crack the revenue code.

The pattern is always the same:
❌ They build first, then figure out go-to-market
❌ They assume product-market fit means sales will be easy
❌ They underestimate the complexity of B2B buying cycles
❌ They hire salespeople without defining the sales process

The 27% who succeed? They do this differently:

✅ They validate their sales process before scaling
✅ They obsess over customer acquisition cost vs. lifetime value
✅ They build repeatable, measurable systems
✅ They iterate based on data, not assumptions

Real talk: At Leadlify, we've worked with 50+ startups. The ones crushing their targets aren't necessarily the ones with the best products. They're the ones with the best systems.

Revenue growth isn't about working harder. It's about working smarter with proven frameworks that scale.

What's been your biggest obstacle in hitting revenue targets? Have you found that process beats passion when it comes to consistent growth?

#RevenueGrowth #StartupGrowth #B2BSales #SalesProcess #GoToMarket #StartupStrategy #ScaleUp #SalesOperations #GrowthHacking

The 3-Question Framework That Changed Our Enterprise Sales Cycle

Enterprise deals always seem exciting at first. Then, out of nowhere, they stall. 

When I ran Dell’s Software & Peripherals sales team, we kept seeing the same pattern: 
Sales cycles were long. 
Forecasts were shaky. 
Deals slipped for reasons no one could explain.

We started digging. 
After looking at dozens of deals (won & lost); it became obvious. 
Most of the stalled ones had one thing in common: 
We skipped past basic qualification because a prospect sounded “interested.”

So, we built a simple process I now call the “Reality Check Framework.” 
Just three questions for every big deal in the pipeline review:

1. What’s the specific business problem we’re solving? 
If no one can explain it in plain English, the deal isn’t real.

2. Who has the actual budget authority? 
We need the name and title on paper. No guessing.

3. What happens if they do nothing? 
If we can’t explain the cost of inaction, the deal will stall.

Deals that didn’t have clear answers got downgraded - fast.

So, what happened? 
In two quarters, our close rate on forecasted deals went from 62% to 84%. 
Average sales cycle got 24 days shorter.

I’ve used these three questions everywhere since then - startups, big companies, you name it. 
They kill the wishful thinking that ruins forecasts.

What’s the one question you ask that always cuts through sales noise?

#EnterpriseSales #SalesCycle #OpportunityManagement #SalesGrowth #SalesLeadership #CROStrategy #SalesAttainment

What's the worst advice in early SaaS? 
“Hire a sales team now. Scale fast or die.”

I’ve heard this line more times than I care to admit. 
Fresh funding hits the bank, and suddenly, the answer to every problem is a room full of SDRs on cold calls. 
But here’s what no one told me until I’d burned through enough budget to learn it the hard way: 
You can’t brute-force growth before you’ve EARNED it.

I left Dell’s playbook behind and started working elbow-deep with scrappy SaaS founders. Most were making the same mistake -- trying to copy enterprise sales before they even knew who wanted to buy.

Here’s the playbook I wish I’d had ten years ago, learned from trenches, not textbooks:

Stage 1: Do It Yourself 
- Talk to 30 real customers. 
- Listen more than you pitch. 
- Write down every time someone says “No thanks” or “This is amazing.” 
- Figure out how to sell with no process so you can build one that actually works.

Stage 2: Make your first sales hire - carefully 
- Don’t look for a “rainmaker.” Look for someone curious, hungry, willing to figure stuff out. 
- Build a basic script and share your battle scars of what worked & what bombed. 
- Nail down 3-5 ways you know a lead is real. Qualify or move on. Time is precious.

Stage 3: Build (slowly) 
- Split up tough jobs -- let someone hunt, someone else close. 
- Get your basic sales tech in place. No shiny objects, just what helps you track and learn. 
- Stop expecting everyone to “figure it out.” Teach new people how you actually win deals.

Want an old-school truth? 
“One-one coco full basket.” 
It’s an old saying from my birth country, Jamaica. You fill your basket one coco at a time. 
Net: You don’t get to skip steps just because you raised a round.

Most founders who rush end up with a sales team guessing what matters and chasing ghosts. 
The ones who win are patient and don’t cut corners.

If you’ve been in the trenches, I want to hear it: 
What stage tripped you up the most? 
What’s one lesson you wish you’d had before you built your first sales engine?
#StartupSales #SalesLeadership #ScalingRevenue #CROLessons #SalesGrowth #LeadGeneration #FounderSales #FounderMistakes

For my HR network in the NY area, a great opportunity to work with an excellent HR leader in Jessica Gasser. Worked with her many moons ago at Kings Supermarkets, where she was an phenomenal HRG. 

https://lnkd.in/eHFqCKFY

The 5-Minute Sales Coaching Method That Outperforms Hour-Long Sessions

During my early years as a sales leader, I used to believe effective sales coaching required lengthy sessions - detailed role plays, comprehensive call reviews, and extensive feedback.

I was reminded why that is folly during a weekend soccer practice with my 11yo son.

After 20 minutes of my well-intentioned coaching, he stopped me: "Dad, you're talking too much. Just show me one thing to fix."

His feedback hit home. I realized I was making the same mistake with him that I'd made early in my sales leadership career -- overwhelming with feedback instead of focusing on the highest-impact improvement.

At Dell, managing 300+ technology sales professionals across the Americas taught me that coaching effectiveness isn't about time invested—it's about precision.

I developed what I call "The 5-Minute Focus":

1. Review one recent customer interaction
2. Identify the single most impactful improvement opportunity
3. Demonstrate the better approach
4. Have them practice it immediately
5. Schedule a follow-up to check implementation

When implemented across my Panama-based global sales team, our conversion rates improved 12% in just one month.

What's your most effective sales coaching technique? How do you ensure it drives actual behavior change?

#SalesCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment #SalesPerformance #CRO #SalesDevelopment #LeadGeneration #SalesGrowth Leadlify #RepDevelopment #SDR #SDRTraining #AE #AccountExecutive

Want to unlock scalable growth in SaaS? Start by sharpening your operational lens.

After decades of guiding SaaS and tech organizations through periods of high-velocity scaling, I’ve seen one constant: Revenue growth without operational discipline is a recipe for chaos. Many companies obsess over adding features or ramping up sales teams, but overlook the systems and processes that keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

True operational optimization means more than just wringing out inefficiencies. It’s about aligning people, processes, and platforms so that each new customer—and every retained customer—adds value without breaking your structure. Ask yourself: How quickly can you pivot to new market demands? Is your onboarding seamless enough to delight customers and empower teams? Where are you still relying on heroics instead of consistent systems?

Curious—where have you found the biggest operational bottlenecks in scaling tech businesses? What’s worked (or not) in optimizing for both agility and efficiency as you grow? Let’s share some hard-won lessons from the field.

Emile Sayegh is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

This is a great practice shared by Keith Weightman, a fellow sales leader that actively works on improving processes to be as effective and scalable as possible. 

I've done a variation of this practice in the past and can attest that it works. His recent post was a reminder for me to get back to it and strive to engineer as many good days in a row.

Your great days are not a result of pure luck (there is a bit of that) - what makes it great is when you're prepared to take advantage of that "luck".

the-systematic-sales-leader.beehiiv.com

Stop hoping for good days (start engineering them)

RVP, Sales @ Bullhorn - I talk about creating systems for sellers to scale your impact, not your hours

Darren Estridge is one of the best sales leaders I've been fortunate to work with in my career. If his AE roles could be a fit, strongly encourage considering it. Guarantee it will be worth it.

Absolute Security is quickly growing in Federal and is hiring two Account Executives, one for DOD and one for CIV. If you have what it takes, please apply at the link below! 

https://lnkd.in/gf3CkbyR 

Jennifer Hopper David Robinson, MBA Mark Grace

Love this post Aaron Horne, SO spot on. 

The reality is that AI has made it much easier for anyone to do mediocre outreach in the name of scale. What that does is make it even more important for sales people to emphasize the human part of the process by doing deeper research and spend more effort truly understanding how their solution can actually help a prospect achieve their goals.

Sales teams need to leverage AI to differentiate by delivering unique, human driven insights vs. spray and pray with generic outreach that all sounds the same, because it is.
#sales #CROinsights #salesgrowth #startupsales #leadgeneration Leadlify #prospecting #sellingtoentrepreneurs #sellingtostartups

Founder & CEO, TabPref™ | Reimagining How the Service Industry Connects | Sip. Connect. Share.™️

Starting my own company rewired everything I thought I knew about sales.

So many pitches hit my inbox that feel spray-and-pray. No context. No clue what we do. If you’re selling to founders or execs, do the homework. Understand the business, the customers, and the outcomes we care about.

As a former SE, I also have a new level of respect for developers. Nothing is truly “plug and play.” Integration is hard. Security is real. Change management is real. Too many pitches lean on FUD, but it’s an outdated tactic that just erodes credibility. If your product is “the greatest thing ever,” great—what specific problem does it solve for me?

I get the pressure: quota, shareholders, keeping the lights on. But the only pitches that land are the ones that connect to the customer’s future, not just the seller’s target.

If you can, try this:
   •   Go deeper than you think you need to—map your value to my metrics.
   •   Be honest when there’s no fit. Move on, and check back when the timing or scope changes.
   •   Solve problems and be a partner. That’s how customers stay—and how champions remember you when they change companies.

People don’t remember who pestered them. They remember who helped them win.

For my Panama network, a good opportunity for those with PM skills.
*Para mi red de Panamá, una buena oportunidad para aquellos con habilidades de PM*

Agree with Jason Weaver - the person that gets their hands dirty building businesses is likely the better option than the person with the fancy resume that's never actually ran businesses. Looks like Starbucks learnt that lesson. How do you think things will turn out?

3x Founder & CEO | Angel Investor | Fractional CPO & GTM Advisor | Helping Companies Build & Scale Software Products

Resumes Don’t Build Companies, Operators Do
Starbucks just made a leadership change after only 17 months.

During that short stretch, the company’s value dropped from $114 billion to $74 billion. That is $40 billion erased.

The outgoing CEO spent decades as a consultant, advising businesses on what to do but never actually building one himself. And that is the problem I see across corporate America. We keep rewarding polished résumés instead of proven results.

Now Starbucks is turning back to an operator. Brian Niccol grew Chipotle from $7B to $70B and made Taco Bell a profit machine. The moment his hire was announced, Starbucks stock jumped $20 billion in a single day. Shareholders did not blink when he was handed a $113 million contract because they know he delivers.

Here is the reality:
Consultants can advise, but builders create. If you hire people who have never built anything, do not be shocked when value disappears.

Resumes are paper. Receipts are proof. Always bet on the operator.

#entrepreneurs #startups #hiring

Jesper Qvist is #hiring. Know anyone who might be interested?

New York, New York, United States (On-site)

Wow, this is big news!! Congrats Ian Goldberg, the iSport360, Inc. & Signature Athletics teams on the continued evolution of the youth sports content and media landscape! Another fellow Rutgers University B-school alum making serious waves, with more to come, I'm sure!!  #REMBA

SportsTech Founder, Making an impact on kids in sports, Helping brands connect with the fastest growing audience in youth sports.

💯 Today’s a big one at iSport360!

What started as a mobile app for sport parents and coaches evolved into something I never could’ve predicted😲 : a newsletter trusted by over 3 million parents in youth sports.

That journey taught me something powerful: content builds community.

Which is why I’m so excited to share that iSport360 has been acquired by Signature Athletics, and I’ve stepped into the role of CEO of Signature Media.
Signature Media is now the content and media engine of the #1 full-cycle youth sports platform. 

We’re here to:
✅ Tell the stories of sports families navigating the youth sports journey
✅ Connect brands with our audience through on-field and online activations
✅ Offer youth sports organizations newsletter content to drive engagement
✅ Elevate thought leaders who are shaping the future of youth sports

Our mission is clear:  Create value, build trust, and grow the game at every level.

Huge thanks to Dan Soviero, Kylee Renouf and the whole Signature Athletics team for believing in the power of content, as well as to my ALL-STAR team that got this deal to the finish line: Richard Marks, Joanne Pasternack, Jay Fulcher, Marlon Evans, Kip Quackenbush.

This game is just getting started🚀!

🔗 Learn more about what’s next for Signature Media.
https://lnkd.in/ehkZHbDv

Global Partner Program Executive Committed to Building a Better Internet | Architect of Award-Winning Partner Programs | Go-to-Market Strategist | Indirect Sales Growth Accelerator

I am looking for a Senior Partner Program Manager in Austin Texas to help drive awareness and adoption of our award-winning PowerUP program. If you have any referrals, please let me know.

https://lnkd.in/gycNbSss

Open article: Senior Partner Program Manager by job-boards.greenhouse.io

Taplio

Anthony McKenzie's Linkedin Analytics

's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}Anthony McKenzie's Linkedin Analytics

's Best Posts .css-qqfgvy{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);}(last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Anthony McKenzie's Linkedin Analytics

's Best Posts (last 30 days)