In this episode of Growth Unlocked, Kieran Krohn sits down with Ryan Tuckwood, co-founder and CEO of SWISH Sales Coaching, and one of the few entrepreneurs to ever land investment from three sharks on Shark Tank Australia. Together, they explore how sales has evolved from boiler room tactics to a human-first, trust-driven approach that actually drives more revenue.

From sleeping on a bathroom floor with just 31 cents to building a global sales coaching brand, Ryan shares how early lessons from his mother shaped a core value he still carries: always give more than people expect. He also unpacks how understanding human behaviour, not sales tricks, is what actually closes deals today.

Whether he’s sharing wisdom from Richard Branson on Necker Island, redefining how leaders should hire, or building brand love through over-delivery, Ryan’s insights are both practical and profoundly human.

Key Takeaways:

• You don’t need to be liked to close sales, but you must be trusted.
  

• Sales cultures fail because leadership is fixated on pressure, not people.
  

• “Do the work before the work, deep research is the foundation of meaningful outreach.
  

• Cold calling isn’t dead; lazy calling is.
  

• Your brand should be a community, not just a logo.
  

• Build your team like a dinner party, only invite people you’d truly enjoy working with.
  

• Founders must eventually fire themselves from roles they’ve outgrown.
  

• Playfulness isn’t a distraction, it’s a success multiplier (thanks, Richard Branson).

  
  

Chapters:

00:00 – Ryan’s Rock Bottom & Unlikely Start

02:00 – Early Beliefs, Family Values & Overdelivering

04:39 – Why “Selling with Integrity” Isn’t Optional

08:42 – Sales Pressure & The Problem with Commission Culture

12:06 – Shark Tank Prep: The Work Before the Work

15:24 – How Personalised Outreach Won a Government Tender

21:34 – Turning SWISH into a Movement, Not a Company

22:22 – Likability vs. Trust: The Truth About Influence

28:34 – Where AI Should Stop and Humans Should Start

35:14 – Life Lessons from Richard Branson on Necker Island

39:45 – The Dinner Party Test: Redefining Ideal Clients

42:10 – Letting Go to Level Up: Leadership & Team Growth

43:53 – How to Connect with Ryan & Learn More

VALUABLE RESOURCES

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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/

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