
Episode #137
How to Build a Sales Team Without Losing Your Voice with Steve Caton
Many founders become successful because they learn how to sell, but the same strength can eventually limit the business. In this episode, Dustin Riechmann talks with Steve Caton of Alteza Solutions about recognizing when founder led sales has become a bottleneck and making the transition to a sales team without losing the trust, values, or passion that made the company successful. Steve explains why founders need enough firsthand sales experience to understand their market, what must be documented before another salesperson can succeed, and how pipeline problems reveal that the founder is stretched too thin. Dustin and Steve also share practical lessons from their own transitions, including how to transfer the founder's voice, integrate sales into the company culture, and stay involved as a rainmaker or subject matter expert rather than the person closing every deal. If you are building toward seven figures or trying to grow beyond them, this conversation offers a practical path to creating more predictable revenue while freeing your time for the work only you can do. Chapters: (00:00:00) When founder led sales becomes a ceiling (00:05:00) Pipeline warning signs that the founder is the bottleneck (00:10:00) Why founders need direct conversations with buyers (00:15:00) Reallocating the founder's time toward rainmaking (00:20:00) Building the foundation before hiring a salesperson (00:25:00) Transferring the founder's voice without copying the founder (00:30:00) The founder's long term role in sales (00:35:00) Staying involved as a subject matter expert (00:40:00) The what breaks audit and deal advancing actions (00:44:00) Identifying and overcoming your sales plateau Links and Resources Website : https://altezzasolutions.com/about Steve Caton on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton/ Dustin on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinriechmann/ 7 Figure Leap : https://7figureleap.com/ Thanks so much for joining us this week. Want to subscribe to 7-Figure Leap ? Have some feedback you’d like to share? Connect with us on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review!






