<![CDATA[Sales Was Just The Start]]>76c6c423-2e98-57a0-8f90-2101ea98b55eThu, 08 Oct 2026 07:30:20 +0000Captivate.fm Alex Kremerhttps://artwork.captivate.fm/2f84847e-9c31-4b05-a9db-be069f552077/SWJTS-logo-final.jpgSales Was Just The Start Alex Kremer Alex KremerMost people think the goal is to close the deal. We think that's just the trailhead. Sales Was Just the Start is a show about everything sales cracks open: the ego, the inner game, the relationships, the meaning, and the money. Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell bring on founders, leaders, and friends for honest conversations that move between entrepreneurship, dating, spirituality, and high performance, because real life doesn't stay in one lane. If you're ambitious and you're tired of pretending the outer game is the whole game, you're in the right place. New episodes every other week. Sales was just the start.https://sales-was-just-the-start.captivate.fmtrueepisodicnopodcastConsistency Over Perfection | Sales Was Just the StartConsistency Over Perfection | Sales Was Just the StartLauren and Alex break down what actually goes into building a personal brand online, picking pillars, finding your voice, and surviving the LinkedIn-lunatics phase. They get into why the compliments you're most afraid to receive are usually pointing straight at your brand.

Episode Navigation:

05:11 — What a “Clem” is, and the first real lesson either of them got in personal brand and reputation

06:23 — Fitting into the corporate mold early on, and the parts of themselves it pushed down

10:03 — Lauren’s investor-mandated LinkedIn experiment, and how it became her top revenue driver

13:18 — Alex’s post-layoff commitment to posting daily, and treating the whole thing as an experiment

19:40 — Picking your pillars: the mistake most founders and sellers make building a brand

28:04 — The exercise for finding your voice: asking people for the best compliment they’ve ever received

35:03 — The line that reframes personal brand: “You are who you think others think you are”

42:32 — The quote on power, vulnerability, and staying credible while being honest

45:21 — Advice for starting small: “baby steps” and picking the first thing you’re willing to open up about

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

]]>Lauren and Alex break down what actually goes into building a personal brand online, picking pillars, finding your voice, and surviving the LinkedIn-lunatics phase. They get into why the compliments you're most afraid to receive are usually pointing straight at your brand.

Episode Navigation:

05:11 — What a “Clem” is, and the first real lesson either of them got in personal brand and reputation

06:23 — Fitting into the corporate mold early on, and the parts of themselves it pushed down

10:03 — Lauren’s investor-mandated LinkedIn experiment, and how it became her top revenue driver

13:18 — Alex’s post-layoff commitment to posting daily, and treating the whole thing as an experiment

19:40 — Picking your pillars: the mistake most founders and sellers make building a brand

28:04 — The exercise for finding your voice: asking people for the best compliment they’ve ever received

35:03 — The line that reframes personal brand: “You are who you think others think you are”

42:32 — The quote on power, vulnerability, and staying credible while being honest

45:21 — Advice for starting small: “baby steps” and picking the first thing you’re willing to open up about

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

]]>92444c0e-9ec9-4c91-bf86-816f1858baa3Thu, 08 Oct 2026 03:30:00 -040048:48truefullBuilding Trust With Yourself | Sales Was Just the StartBuilding Trust With Yourself | Sales Was Just the StartLauren 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

]]>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

]]>4cd586ea-e93a-42a2-b4a5-203bb02d88c5Thu, 24 Sep 2026 03:30:00 -040053:54truefullThe 5 Skills Every Salesperson Needs to Become an Entrepreneur | Sales Was Just the StartThe 5 Skills Every Salesperson Needs to Become an Entrepreneur | Sales Was Just the StartAlex Kremer and Lauren Goodell break down the five mindset skills, attunement, uncertainty, resilience, quarterbacking a team, and vision, that turn top sales performers into founders.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — The number was never the destination, it's the trailhead

01:45 — Skill 1: Attunement and curiosity

07:11 — Skill 2: Being willing to sit in uncertainty

11:31 — Skill 3: No fear of failure, and the resilience to keep going

17:28 — Skill 4: Becoming the quarterback, delegating, trusting, and calling the play

21:35 — Skill 5: Clarity of vision and the why behind it

26:53 — Tying every deal back to the real problem you're solving

28:28 — Selling the vision, whether to a customer, an investor, or your own team

28:54 — Lauren's top skill: resilience, and where it came from

32:08 — What each of them is working on right now: quarterbacking and vision

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

]]>Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell break down the five mindset skills, attunement, uncertainty, resilience, quarterbacking a team, and vision, that turn top sales performers into founders.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — The number was never the destination, it's the trailhead

01:45 — Skill 1: Attunement and curiosity

07:11 — Skill 2: Being willing to sit in uncertainty

11:31 — Skill 3: No fear of failure, and the resilience to keep going

17:28 — Skill 4: Becoming the quarterback, delegating, trusting, and calling the play

21:35 — Skill 5: Clarity of vision and the why behind it

26:53 — Tying every deal back to the real problem you're solving

28:28 — Selling the vision, whether to a customer, an investor, or your own team

28:54 — Lauren's top skill: resilience, and where it came from

32:08 — What each of them is working on right now: quarterbacking and vision

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

]]>72d9e892-c514-471d-8c9d-63bce3d93bc7Thu, 10 Sep 2026 03:30:00 -040035:54truefullThe Weight Behind the Win | Sales Was Just the StartThe Weight Behind the Win | Sales Was Just the StartIn this episode, Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell get vulnerable about the depression, gender dynamics, and burnout culture hiding beneath their early sales careers, and land on a framework for building a career without losing yourself in it.

Episode Navigation:

00:49 — The Microsoft Academy of Collegiate Hires and starting out at 22

02:11 — Meeting in Atlanta and the speaker who planted the seed

04:56 — Walking into a boardroom as a 22-year-old woman in state and local government

08:36 — Why “sales was just the start”: sales as an operating system, not a career

09:49 — Crushing quota while quietly struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts

15:13 — Being the only woman on the team, and the CFO who changed everything

20:22 — Hustle culture, burnout, and learning to rest without guilt

25:03 — The “Sacred Third”: neither burnout nor escape, but a third way

29:46 — A full-circle dream: returning to inspire the next class

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

]]>In this episode, Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell get vulnerable about the depression, gender dynamics, and burnout culture hiding beneath their early sales careers, and land on a framework for building a career without losing yourself in it.

Episode Navigation:

00:49 — The Microsoft Academy of Collegiate Hires and starting out at 22

02:11 — Meeting in Atlanta and the speaker who planted the seed

04:56 — Walking into a boardroom as a 22-year-old woman in state and local government

08:36 — Why “sales was just the start”: sales as an operating system, not a career

09:49 — Crushing quota while quietly struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts

15:13 — Being the only woman on the team, and the CFO who changed everything

20:22 — Hustle culture, burnout, and learning to rest without guilt

25:03 — The “Sacred Third”: neither burnout nor escape, but a third way

29:46 — A full-circle dream: returning to inspire the next class

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

]]>28dba064-0fb0-4198-bde5-3904ebecc225Thu, 27 Aug 2026 03:30:00 -040035:14truefullSales Was Just the Start: Meet Your Hosts, Alex & LaurenSales Was Just the Start: Meet Your Hosts, Alex & LaurenIn this first episode, co-hosts Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell trace their friendship back to a Microsoft training program over a decade ago. They reframe sales as a trailhead for self-discovery rather than a scoreboard. And they lay out why this show trades the highlight reel for the whole game.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — Cold open: recording day one and why they're doing this podcast

00:26 — How they met: the Microsoft Academy of Collegiate Hires and the “MARK” program

04:17 — Redefining sales as humanity, not persuasion

05:44 — Introducing Alluviance and Sell with Goodell

09:32 — The breakdown that became a breakthrough

12:28 — Setting the show's vision: vulnerability over the highlight reel

15:37 — What's ahead: guests behind the mask, starting with Scott

19:30 — Reframing failure: “fail fast, learn faster”

21:07 — The Gap and the Gain: measuring progress instead of distance

24:15 — Community and mentorship as the foundation of growth

About Your Hosts:

Alex Kremer is the founder of Alluviance, a community built for sales leaders and founders doing the inner work alongside the outer grind, through retreats, coaching, and a mastermind community. Before leaving corporate life, he spent 15+ years in tech sales and leadership at companies including Microsoft, DocuSign, and Outreach. He lives with his wife, Alexia, who has also become a leader within Alluviance's community and retreats.

Lauren Goodell is the co-founder and CRO of Clustr, which helps organizations build real AI fluency and adoption starting with their people, and speaks and consults on human-first sales and AI through Sell with Goodell. She previously spent nearly a decade in enterprise sales at Microsoft and Salesforce before founding the sales tool Zinnia, which has since wound down. She's based in Charlotte.

Connect:

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

]]>In this first episode, co-hosts Alex Kremer and Lauren Goodell trace their friendship back to a Microsoft training program over a decade ago. They reframe sales as a trailhead for self-discovery rather than a scoreboard. And they lay out why this show trades the highlight reel for the whole game.

Episode Navigation:

00:00 — Cold open: recording day one and why they're doing this podcast

00:26 — How they met: the Microsoft Academy of Collegiate Hires and the “MARK” program

04:17 — Redefining sales as humanity, not persuasion

05:44 — Introducing Alluviance and Sell with Goodell

09:32 — The breakdown that became a breakthrough

12:28 — Setting the show's vision: vulnerability over the highlight reel

15:37 — What's ahead: guests behind the mask, starting with Scott

19:30 — Reframing failure: “fail fast, learn faster”

21:07 — The Gap and the Gain: measuring progress instead of distance

24:15 — Community and mentorship as the foundation of growth

About Your Hosts:

Alex Kremer is the founder of Alluviance, a community built for sales leaders and founders doing the inner work alongside the outer grind, through retreats, coaching, and a mastermind community. Before leaving corporate life, he spent 15+ years in tech sales and leadership at companies including Microsoft, DocuSign, and Outreach. He lives with his wife, Alexia, who has also become a leader within Alluviance's community and retreats.

Lauren Goodell is the co-founder and CRO of Clustr, which helps organizations build real AI fluency and adoption starting with their people, and speaks and consults on human-first sales and AI through Sell with Goodell. She previously spent nearly a decade in enterprise sales at Microsoft and Salesforce before founding the sales tool Zinnia, which has since wound down. She's based in Charlotte.

Connect:

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

]]>42b4be77-f136-4016-ac80-4f40d093868dWed, 12 Aug 2026 14:42:00 -040031:28truefull