In this episode Kieran Krohn sits down with Scott Brinker, VP of Platform Ecosystem at HubSpot and the “godfather of martech.” Scott shares why AI agents are the biggest shift in marketing since the internet, and how they’re reshaping the way companies create, sell, and serve customers.

From data strategy to customer service automation, Scott unpacks the real-world applications of AI agents, how businesses can prepare for the rise of “buyer agents”, and why adaptability is now the ultimate competitive advantage.Key Takeaways:AI agents mark the biggest marketing shift since the internet Content still matters, visibility has simply moved up the funnelBusinesses must adapt to how LLMs and buyer agents consume dataThe best companies will use AI to turn unstructured data into insightGovernance and real-time data enrichment are now criticalMarketing efficiency gains should be reinvested into creativity and experimentationFuture marketers will need to market to AI agents, not just humansChapters:00:00 – Teaser01:22 – Why AI Is a General Purpose Technology03:38 – The Death (and Rebirth) of Content Marketing06:41 – Shifts in Search, YouTube, and Community Platforms08:30 – AI Tools vs. AI Agents Explained11:47 – The Rise of Customer Service Agents13:36 – Data Quality and Why It Matters More Than Ever16:16 – Organising and Governing Company Data18:59 – Always-On CRMs and Dynamic Data Enrichment22:07 – Structuring Conversational Data for Insight24:15 – AI’s Impact on Marketing Teams and Efficiency27:42 – Reinvesting Efficiency Gains for Growth31:20 – The Rise of Buyer Agents34:30 – Where to Start with AI Agents36:08 – Building a Culture of ExperimentationVALUABLE RESOURCESGrade your website’s performance to find conversion opportunities & generate more qualified leads: https://scalestation.io/free-website-graderABOUT KIERANKieran Krohn is a renowned GTM professional, entrepreneur, investor and business growth expert.His background is growing and scaling HubSpot’s business in Australia and New Zealand by developing their partner ecosystem. Over the last decade, he has held a number of roles in channel and direct sales as well as leadership where he built a high performing sales team. He has been awarded key accolades as the top performer 4x in the region and achieved Presidents Club 7x consecutively. His mission is to help business founders achieve the freedom they set out to when they left the corporate world, and build valuable businesses that will create financial certainty for generations to come.Connect with Kieran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierankrohn/AI agents, marketing technology, HubSpot, data strategy, automation, buyer agents, martech, content strategy, CRM, business growth#AIinMarketing #GrowthUnlocked #ScottBrinker #HubSpot #MarTech #BusinessGrowth #MarketingStrategy#Podcast #Businessmodel

In this episode, Kieran Krohn speaks with Sidney Minassian, founder of Impact Ladder and seasoned entrepreneur. Sidney shares his Founder’s Playbook, how to scale without burning out, build brands that stand out, leverage partnerships, and develop people. He also reveals why optionality and self-leadership are essential for creating companies that attract investors and thrive long-term.

Key Takeaways:

Brand, partnerships, and people are the growth engine

Founders must own everything but also learn to let go

Self-leadership shapes company leadership

Be known for one thing, niching creates power

Always be exit-ready to unlock optionality

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:09 Sidney’s Founder Journey & Exits

03:29 The Playbook: Brand, Partnerships & People

05:42 Building a Memorable Brand in a Noisy World

09:10 Why Authentic Connection Matters

11:24 The Three Founder Mistakes to Avoid

16:47 Scaling from $20M to $200M

19:05 Designing Companies Investors Want

23:38 Owning the Category & Building Authority

28:16 Optionality: Always Be Exit-Ready

34:33 Self-Care, Detachment & Systems Thinking

41:37 What Sidney Would Build in 2025

46:03 Where to Follow Sidney

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Grade your website’s performance to find conversion opportunities & generate more qualified leads: https://scalestation.io/free-website-...

ABOUT KIERAN

Kieran Krohn is a renowned GTM professional, entrepreneur, investor and business growth expert.

His background is growing and scaling HubSpot’s business in Australia and New Zealand by developing their partner ecosystem. Over the last decade, he has held a number of roles in channel and direct sales as well as leadership where he built a high performing sales team. He has been awarded key accolades as the top performer 4x in the region and achieved Presidents Club 7x consecutively.

His mission is to help business founders achieve the freedom they set out to when they left the corporate world, and build valuable businesses that will create financial certainty for generations to come.

Connect with Kieran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierankrohn/

keywords

entrepreneurship, scaling businesses, founder playbook, brand partnerships, self-leadership, optionality, investor attraction, business growth, AI in business, personal branding

#FoundersPlaybook #StartupGrowth #BusinessLeadership #GrowthUnlocked #SidneyManassian

In this episode of Growth Unlocked, Kieran Krohn speaks with Mark Roberge, former CRO who helped scale HubSpot from $0 to $100M ARR and author of The Sales Acceleration Formula. Now co-founder of Stage 2 Capital and lecturer at Harvard Business School, Mark shares how AI is transforming sales from art into science, why discipline beats growth-at-all-costs, and what it takes to build sustainable revenue engines in 2025 and beyond.

Key Takeaways

AI is turning sales from an art into a science

The future of selling is buyer-facing time approaching 100%

Don’t scale because you raised money — scale when you’re ready

Product-market fit and go-to-market fit must come before hiring sprees

Experimentation is key: treat GTM like a product

Sustainable growth beats reckless hypergrowth

RevOps may become the CRO of the future

Chapters:

00:00 – Teaser: AI Transforming Sales

01:09 – Lessons from Scaling HubSpot

04:19 – AI Agents in Sales Enablement

07:01 – Ideal Customer Profile & AI Targeting

11:05 – Future of Sales Roles with AI

15:12 – Navigating Tech Consolidation & Anxiety

17:06 – Trade-offs: Hypergrowth vs. Sustainable Growth

23:19 – Treating Go-To-Market Like a Product

27:44 – Frameworks for Prioritization & Experimentation

33:00 – What Will Separate Winners by

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Grade your website’s performance to find conversion opportunities & generate more qualified leads: https://scalestation.io/free-website-...

ABOUT KIERAN

Kieran Krohn is a renowned GTM professional, entrepreneur, investor and business growth expert.

His background is growing and scaling HubSpot’s business in Australia and New Zealand by developing their partner ecosystem. Over the last decade, he has held a number of roles in channel and direct sales as well as leadership where he built a high performing sales team. He has been awarded key accolades as the top performer 4x in the region and achieved Presidents Club 7x consecutively.

His mission is to help business founders achieve the freedom they set out to when they left the corporate world, and build valuable businesses that will create financial certainty for generations to come.

Connect with Kieran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kierankrohn/

Keywords

AI in sales, revenue growth, HubSpot, SaaS scaling, sustainable growth, experimentation, go-to-market strategy, RevOps, sales enablement, entrepreneurship

#AIinSales #SaaSLeadership #GrowthUnlocked #MarkRoberge #ScienceOfScaling