Pete Hayes

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Co-Author of #1 Amazon Best Seller "The Growth Gears" and Co-Principal of Chief Outsiders since 2010, Pete Hayes possesses an impressive track record of success in global marketing, promotion, brand development and consulting. He has held executive marketing positions with Fortune 100 companies, managing $50 million budgets, and he has also played key executive management roles in helping startups grow from first steps to over $1 billion in revenue. He enjoys speaking to CEO Peer Boards as well as to Business Schools.
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Recent Posts

When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark

When the Founder Is the Rainmaker: How to Scale Without Losing the Spark

Mon, Jul 7, 2025 | Posted by Paul Sparrow

In many founder-led businesses, the founder isn’t just the leader—they’re also the best (and often only) rainmaker. They land the big deals. They have the trusted relationships. They know the pitch inside and out because they are the pitch.

It works—until it doesn’t.

As the business grows, this model creates a bottleneck. Every new opportunity depends on one and only person. And it’s the same person every time. But there’s a downside. When that person is also responsible for running the business, mentoring the team, and shaping the vision, something eventually gives.

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