Founders MUST Close Their 1st Deals. Love it.
Think you’re not a “salesperson”? Perfect. Learn to close B2B deals using mental models made for product-first founders.
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Course overview
Go from sales-avoidant to confident B2B closer in every conversation
You’ll stop dreading sales and start leading them. This course gives you precise mental models—no scripts, no sleaze—for mastering every key early-stage B2B conversation. You won’t change who you are. You’ll gain a clear, repeatable way to navigate sales as a founder, using your natural instincts with structure that works.
You’ll learn:
How to enter any call with clarity using the 90-Second Opener framework
How to use the Discovery Map to reveal real, urgent problems without pushing
How to get past Gatekeepers by aligning with their priorities, not bypassing them
How to run a Value-First Demo that feels like solving, not pitching
How to lead Stakeholder Alignment calls that surface hidden agendas and unite decision-makers
How to close confidently using the Exec Q&A + Negotiation Ladder without caving on price or energy
Each model is:
Simple enough to memorize
Flexible enough to adapt in real time
Grounded in real founder conversations, not theory
You’ll build mastery through:
Walkthroughs of actual founder cases
Live practice with coaching and feedback
Paired drills that help you recognize and respond to each move in the “sales dance”
Tools to synthesize your own conversations and improve after every call
By the end, you’ll have five mental models hardwired into your thinking—enough to handle any early B2B deal with confidence and clarity. No more guessing. No more hoping the other person leads. You will.
Who is this course for
01
Technical or product-focused founders who feel allergic to sales but know they must close the first B2B deals themselves.
02
Early-stage founders who want a repeatable way to lead sales conversations without relying on pressure, persuasion, or personality shifts.
03
Solo or founding teams who are tempted to hire a salesperson too early and need to prove what works before scaling revenue.
Prerequisites
You need to be one of the first 5 team members
This is for those who haven't done tons of B2B sales but after generating tons of revenue are likely to fill other leadership roles.
You need to have actual prospects in mind
To train and spar you'll need real material that matters to you.
You probably should watch this short video
https://youtu.be/58Wax3TCyCc
What you’ll get out of this course
Acquire the 5 flexible mental models to guide each type of strategic convo: discovery, gatekeeping, demos, negotiations, and exec probing.
Navigate discovery conversations with open-ended questions that surface real problems and urgency, as they fit a mental model for value.
Practice a flexible, responsive “sales dance” instead of memorizing static scripts. Relational-ity will maximize the trust you need.
Read hot phrases in conversation and pivot with precision instead of panic.
Confidently open any sales call with a 90-second framework that builds curiosity, not pressure.
Stick to price because you understand how to find, work with, and hold to value.
What’s included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Isaiah McPeak in a real-time, interactive format.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Legit Practice
You'll get chances to TRY your new found skills.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
Course syllabus
14 live sessions • 20 lessons
Week 1
- 📄
Can you actually enjoy sales, while also securing revenue and PMF foundations?
Aug
28
Welcome and Kickoff – Trust, Ways of Being, B2B Sales Dance... and some light improv games
Thu 8/283:30 PM—5:00 PM (UTC)Aug
28
Optional: AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Thu 8/285:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)Optional- 📄
What to bring to Dojo
- 📄
2-Min Video on Course Materials Outline (note doesn't include live dojos!)
- 📄
Offers Part 1: Problem Statements (5 min)
- 📄
Offers Part 2: Match Problems with Solving Features --> Outcomes
- 📄
Offers Part 3: Unique Value Prop
- 📄
Funnels Part 1: What Your Funnel is Building Towards
- 📄
Funnels Part 2: Build Your Funnel
- 📄
Funnels Part 3: Marketing with Landing Pages
Intro, Trust, Ways of Being, and Embracing the Dance of B2B Sales
We'll learn the macro-model for trust that is the foundation for remaining micro-models in this course.
How to come prepared for a dojo session
Self-Paced Shorts to Align Your Funnel to Value
I made all these short videos for FOUNDERS (not enterprises) to show them the nitty-gritty of what this really looks like in the earliest stage. I've been told they're the best... judge for yourself.
Week 2
- 📄
Overview of Sales Conversation Process
- 📄
Discovery Conversations
- 📄
Discovery Conversation Cards ("Battle Cards")
Sep
4
Session 1: Elite Discovery Mental Model + Skills (The Discovery Wheel)
Sep
4
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Short Video Reinforcements
Week 3
Sep
11
Session 2: Discovery --> Landing Problem Statements
Sep
11
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Week 4
- 📄
Gatekeeper Conversations
- 📄
Gatekeeper Examples
- 📄
VC Gatekeepers
Sep
18
Session 3: Acing Gatekeepers/Decision Process Discovery
Sep
18
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Video Reinforcements
Week 5
- 📄
The Demo
- 📄
Pinwheel.com Demo Example
Sep
25
Session 4: Sensational Demos (NOT product walkthroughs) // Use Decks as RAM
Sep
25
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Video Reinforcements
Week 6
- 📄
Negotiation Overview
- 📄
Negotiation Examples
- 📄
Untitled lesson
Oct
2
Session 5: Negotiation Conversational Practice (NOT your "ZOPA" negotiation)
Oct
2
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
Video Reinforcements
Week 7
Oct
9
Session 6: Guide to Being High-Value Vendor when Procurement Line-Item Compares Your Quote
Oct
9
AMA with Isaiah McPeak
What people are saying
Rasa
Jeannette
Mindy
Young Han
Meet your instructor
Isaiah McPeak
Isaiah McPeak
Isaiah is a 5x founder who’s led both product and go-to-market from zero to millions—without ever becoming “that sales guy.” He’s built and scaled revenue engines at startups like Pinwheel, Skribe, and Vendidit, and coached hundreds of technical and product-minded founders to close their first B2B deals with clarity and confidence.
Isaiah didn’t start out loving sales—he used to hide behind landing pages and hope someone else could figure out revenue. Now he teaches exactly how to lead high-trust conversations that convert, using mental models that feel natural and repeatable.
He’s helped founders land six-figure contracts, go head to head vs. the world's top competitive sales folks and win, and helped founders scale their own systems before hiring reps. He loves helping and fall in love with the dance of selling—not the pressure.
Career highlights
Coached Shark Tank celebrity investor and billionaire John Paul DeJoria in high stakes presentation
Went head-to-head vs. McKinsey and won massive Fortune 500 contract
Built first $1M funnel 5x, closing most deals as the product-focused founder
Built successful startups on micro deals to large, with top deal closing over $30M
Coached ten 1st-place national champs in collegiate and high school speech and debate (was a top 5 champ 5x also)
Course schedule
1hr Meeting Per Week + 10-min of video
Thursdays
1130pm - 1230pm CT (930 PT, 1230 ET)
Aug 27, 2025 - Oct 5, 2025
Weekly Dojo Trainings
1 hr per week
The Dojo is where we truly train. There are AMAs after for extended help, plus short reinforcing videos.
Learning is better with cohorts
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects
Interactive and project-based
You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams
Learn with a cohort of peers
Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you