Humility Drives All Successful Founders | Richard Blundell, Founder of Vencha

Tech Salescraft has recently hosted a series of truly phenomenal guests with an attuned understanding of what it takes to thrive in the start-up world. And Richard Blundell, Founder of Vencha, furthers this conversation with James, tracing the dynamic journey that led him to the start-up world. Richard’s impassioned conversation and critical insights into the founder journey make this a true masterclass in start-up excellence; we gain exclusive insights into the sales function at this stage, what it takes to attract and curate a brilliant team, and the resilience and humility needed to succeed.

“Founders have to have the humility to say ‘I got it wrong’. We’re not very good at this in Britain. Politicians never do it. I think if a politician turned around and said, ‘you know what, I got it wrong’, people would empathise with that. We all make mistakes and we all get it wrong.”

Mistakes are a catalyst for growth; and are often synonymous with the founder journey. One answer to mistakes is resilience. Richard reveals that resilience is crucial to succeeding as a salesperson; being told “no” on a regular basis must be a factor that spurs you on, not dampen your entrepreneurial spirit. This often comes from difficult experiences; it isn’t often an innate trait. Richard reveals to us how you can identify this throughout the interview process, highlighting the importance of picking up on signs of humility, as well as those core sales skills.

“F1 teams will ask: what can I do to make my car go faster? And that’s what I spend 90% of my time doing. That’s where I have the humility to invite others in to see beyond the vision and expectations of the Founder.”

We can undoubtedly become blinded by our own enthusiasm and conviction in a product. Seeking external, independent guidance is vital to assessing the extent to which your product is actually addressing marketplace demands. Richard shares his experience of seeking external influence, and the role that played in contributing to better marketplace fit, recognition of opportunities and guiding growth beyond your own remits. Applied to the context of F1, Richard highlights how multi-faceted the start-up experience is; and the impossibility of managing it all on your own. Acquiring new perspectives should be seen as an opportunity, not a sign of “weakness”.

This episode of Tech Salescraft is a faultless exploration of what it takes to accomplish the extraordinary in sales.

You can watch the full episode now on YouTube, or listen across all major podcast streaming platforms here.