Companies don’t grow because they have a “Sales” sign hanging over a cluster of cubicles. They don’t grow because they bought the most expensive CRM on the market or because they hired a VP with the perfect resume.
They grow because people—individuals—take personal ownership of revenue.
There is a terminal illness that strikes growth-stage companies, and it usually starts with a hand-off. It’s the moment someone decided that “Sales” is a function rather than a behavior. It’s the moment leadership started treating rev gen like a hot potato instead of the very oxygen in the room. (Sales. Is. Everything.)
Look… if you think revenue is someone else’s problem, you might not be a builder; you might be a passenger. And in a high-growth environment, passengers get left behind at the station.
I know that’s not you, so let’s quickly patch up any disconnects in your org around sales.
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The Dangerous Myth of “That’s Sales’ Job”
The fastest way to kill a business is to treat revenue like someone else’s problem.
This myth shows up in subtle, toxic ways. It’s the Product team building features in a vacuum while ignoring buyer feedback because “selling is for the reps.” It’s the Marketing team celebrating “Lead Gen” numbers while the actual quality of those leads is bankrupting the company’s CAC. And it’s the Founder who hires three AEs and thinks they can finally stop talking to customers.
When you silo sales, you silo accountability. Suddenly, everyone is “busy,” but no one is closing. Marketing is busy posting. Product is busy coding. Sales is busy “prospecting.” But if the bank account isn’t growing, none of that “busyness” matters.
Remember: Revenue isn’t a department. It’s the score. And everyone on the field is responsible for the scoreboard.
Why Founders Can’t Opt Out of Sales
This is the hard truth for every founder: You are, and will always be, the first and best salesperson for your company.
I’ve seen too many founders try to “outsource” sales before they’ve found product-market fit. They hire a “heavy hitter” hoping they will bring a magic playbook. But sales isn’t just about revenue; it’s about Market Truth. When a founder sells, they aren’t just looking for a check. They are sharpening the positioning. They are hearing the objections firsthand. And they are building the conviction that eventually fuels the entire organization. If a founder won’t sell it, no one else should.
Founder-led sales isn’t a “phase” you grow out of; it’s a standard you set for everyone else. Sales is leadership, and leadership cannot be outsourced.
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Sales as a Company-Wide Skill
We need to stop thinking of sales as “making calls” and start thinking of it as Influence. Influence isn’t optional in business.
- Product: If you aren’t prioritizing what buyers will actually pay for, you aren’t “innovating”—you’re practicing an expensive hobby.
- Marketing: If you aren’t speaking in outcomes that move the needle for a CFO, you’re just making pretty pictures.
- Customer Success: Renewals and expansion aren’t “support” tasks. They are sales tasks that require the same level of conviction and strategy as the initial close.
When the whole company views sales as a personal responsibility, the feedback loops get shorter. The conviction gets deeper. You stop arguing about “who did what” and start focusing on “did we win?”
The Personal Responsibility Shift
The moment you take personal responsibility for revenue is the moment your career accelerates.
There are two types of people in the business world: those who see sales as something done to them, and those who see it as something they own. The “Owner” doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. They don’t blame the market, or the leads, and they don’t hide behind a job description.
High-performers realize that their value is tied to their ability to drive outcomes. If the pipeline is dry, they don’t complain to the marketing department—they pick up the phone! Or if a deal is stalling, they don’t wait for a manager to tell them what to do—they find a way to add value that gets the prospect back to the table.
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What This Looks Like in Practice
This is 100% all about behavior.
- Reps: Own the quality of your pipeline, not just the activity. Don’t tell me you made 50 dials; tell me you found three real problems you can solve.
- Leaders: Get closer to the conversations. If you haven’t listened to a call or sat in on a demo this week, you aren’t leading; you’re just reading reports.
- Founders: Stay involved in the big deals. Your presence isn’t just “support”—it’s a signal of commitment to the customer.
The Long Game: Owners vs. Entitled Sellers
If sales is “someone else’s job,” your growth will always be fragile. You’ll have slow learning cycles, weak accountability, and a culture of finger-pointing.
But when sales is personal—when everyone from the CEO to the junior developer understands that revenue is the result of solving problems for people—you build a resilient company. And you naturally create a culture of conviction.
Departments don’t create growth. People do.
The next time you’re tempted to say, “That’s a sales problem,” stop. Look in the mirror. Because in a company that wins and dominates its market, revenue is everyone’s responsibility.
So what part of the revenue cycle are you personally responsible for today? If you can’t answer that, you likely need to find clarity and re-read this article.
I trust that this will help you get back on track and drive true business outcomes.
You’ve got this.
Johnny-Lee Reinoso
For more hard-hitting b2b sales tips, follow Johnny-Lee on Instagram and YouTube