Lauren and Alex get real about the exact moments that pushed each of them out of a comfortable sales career and into founder mode. Lauren's seven-figure wake-up call at Salesforce, Alex's leap from Outreach into Alluviance and the fear, timing, and self-trust it actually took to make the jump.

Episode Navigation:

03:01 — Lauren’s path from Microsoft to Salesforce, and the entrepreneurial itch she didn’t notice at the time

05:48 — Hitting a seven-figure year at Salesforce, and realizing the money didn’t fix what was missing

07:01 — The financial advisor’s advice that changed everything: “Why don’t you do it now? Life is short.”

18:44 — What “feeling alive” actually meant, and why Lauren chose it over stability

24:45 — Zinnia’s pivot from offsite retreat planning to sales-intelligence software, and why LLMs upended it

30:08 — Alex’s exit from Microsoft to Outreach, and the three questions that shaped his next move

36:13 — Bringing Wim Hof breathwork into team meetings, and the pushback that came with it

42:53 — How “Alluvium” went from an invented word at breakfast to Alex’s company, Alluviance

53:13 — The two questions Lauren asks anyone wondering if it’s time to leave

Connect:

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@SalesWasJustTheStart

Sales Was Just the Start: saleswasjustthestart.com

Alluviance (Alex Kremer): alluviance.co

Sell with Goodell (Lauren Goodell): sellwithgoodell.com

Clustr (Lauren Goodell): getclustr.ai

Resources:

How to crush your quota without crushing your soul - https://ruvbi.share.hsforms.com/2rGW9QG0MTuao6rwF1rkEiw

The 4 masks of sales - https://ruvbi.share.hsforms.com/2NM3dwRaFTAKnZIWUZm7kGQ

The 5 day inner game reset challenge - https://ruvbi.share.hsforms.com/2W1Ko6wnZQPazEVXSwXVD1A