I Didn’t Flinch: A Sales Call, A Mirror, Thank You Notes. A Turning Point.

Link To Call Transcript

Call Participants:
1. Owner of a leading TikTok UGC ad agency
2. Me (Kaeya Majmundar, SwayID Founder)

Observation:
I’m no longer shouting into the void. I’m having real, grounded conversations with the right decision makers.
This wasn’t an associate or a “friend-of-a-friend” intro. It was the owner of a UGC ad agency, and it was cold. Proof I have access to my ICP and that I’m not theorizing anymore.

Special Thank You:
To my mom — for reading every single one of these newsletters, commenting, admiring, and giving me feedback. You make introspection feel like celebration. Your readership is the reason this still feels fun. Thanks Mummy :)

Purpose:
To test our new sales pitch angle using the Challenger Sale methodology: Teach, Tailor, Take Control.

Observation:
I’ve graduated. I’m not just experimenting or throwing spaghetti at the wall anymore. I’m wielding a structured, enterprise grade sales playbook that is working. “Challenger Sale” isn’t a buzzword. I’ve made it my own. This shows I’ve shifted from hustler to strategist.

Special Thank You:
To George Goldenberg — my first mentor who drilled into me the value of structure and discipline. GG, I know I irritated the living daylights out of you with my “youthful exuberance.” But I’m still hoping you’ll take me for ice cream again someday.

Anchor: “Have you ever dealt with an Angry Agatha?”

Observation:
I created a persona who’s memorable, emotional, and visceral. “Angry Agatha” sticks.
I didn’t just name the enemy. I made her personal.
This is intimate execution of Category Creation 101.

Special Thank You:
To Christopher Lochhead — the "godfather" of category design and co-author of Play Bigger, my favorite book since 2018ish. Fun fact: Chris is proudly a dyslexic paperboy who got thrown out of school at 18. Love it.

Challenger Sale Method Breakdown: Teach, Tailor, Take Control

Observation:
I’m not quoting theory. I’m applying the model with precision to a niche domain.
I’ve been stuck in the precursor “learn” mode, thinking I was executing for five years.
Now I’m doing all three — fluently. I’m guiding the conversation, not reacting to it.

Special Thank You:
To Neal Goyal — for introducing me to this framework. It landed when I needed it most.

Website Confusion → Pivot Moment

Observation:
I didn’t flinch when he criticized the website. No defensiveness. I absorbed it and used it to test the new narrative. Took the hit with grace. Self-regulation in motion.

Special Thank You:
To Nisha Dua, co-founder of BBG Ventures — for asking me, “Are you seeking feedback or validation?” almost daily for two years.
Thank you for holding up the mirror, trusting it would click someday.

It clicked.

And it wouldn’t have without you doing exactly what you did — precisely the way you did it.
All of it.

To be honest, I still wonder — every single day — whether you shaped me by chance,
or if you always knew you were molding me on purpose.

And why you even took an interest in me to begin with.

“Can I run my new pitch by you?”

Observation:
Subtle but important — I invited feedback while steering the flow. This is consultative selling. A high-trust move that flipped the dynamic.

I trust myself.

“Class action lawsuits—not FTC fines—are the real threat.”

Observation:
This was my “aha” line. I reframed the industry’s understanding of risk. Most founders talk about problems; I redefined what the actual problem is. That’s how market narratives shift.

Special Thank You:
To Dekel, founder of AccessiBe, for showing me what it looks like when compliance becomes a category-defining wedge.

“If you can get sued for wearing a red shirt…”

Observation:
I brought emotion into the pitch — not for drama, but for clarity. I’m not just selling a tool; I’m selling psychological protection. That’s deeper. That’s sticky.

Special Thank You:
To Christine Hunsicker, Founder of CaaStle — for calling out my theatrics early on so I could eventually learn to wield the skill with tact, not chaos, or shall I say…“Kaeyos” ;-)

Lawsuit Probability Matrix

Observation:
I turned an abstract risk landscape into a repeatable framework.
This is me stepping into thought leadership — codifying mental models that anchor the category.

Special Thank You:
To Rohan Gupta, co-founder of Quillbot and childhood friend — for first talking me through a similar matrix like this during my first lawsuit scare years ago.

TikTok Shop + AI Testimonial Example

Observation:
Real example. Real pain. Real client.
The moment the agency owner leaned in.
I’m not talking hypotheticals anymore. I’m solving real problems for real ICPs.

Drunk Elephant Case Study

Observation:
I used precedent and nuance — instinctively — to make the point: this isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about proving good faith. I’m not guessing anymore.
I know this like the back of my hand.

SwayID = Lawsuit Deterrent

Observation:
I’ve moved beyond utility.
SwayID doesn’t just help — it prevents. That’s a moat. That’s a wedge.

Deel Analogy + Alex as Angel

Observation:
A very big deal that Deel is now naturally the perfect mental model for this product.
Deel is a very big reason why we can even exist.

Special Thank You:
To Alex :)

“Minimum viable compliance layer”

Observation:
This is me selling scale, not just safety. I’ve learned to package ease + value in a way that’s light, not fluffy.

Special Thank You To:
To Dekel again. If you see this, you’ll know why — and grin.

AccessiBe Comparison + Curve Prediction

Observation:
I’m pattern matching now. Naming the curve. Showing how compliance markets evolve. I’m thinking in systems — not snapshots.

Special Thank You:
To Claire Biernacki, Principal at BBG Ventures — for leading the investment in me ahead of the curve.
I didn’t trust myself when we met.
And I didn’t know that.
But I did always know: first I’m sour…
Hopefully we’ll get another sweet treat one day. 🍪

"Two types of businesses..."

Observation:
I drew the line. Not everyone is a customer…and that’s the point. I’m not chasing dollars. I’m choosing alignment. I finally know who we’re not for.

Special Thank You:
To Kavinda — for sticking it out with me from the jolly beginning through the bitter end.

“We don’t sell fear. We sell peace of mind.”

Observation:
That’s brand. That’s positioning.
And it sounds like someone who finally, fully believes in what she’s built.
Not just because she survived. But because it’s working.

Special Thank You:
To Katie Palencsar — for believing in me before I believed in me. Before anyone did.

Prospect: “You’re like teflon coating?”

Observation:
Bullseye. When your customer repeats your core value prop in their own words — you’ve struck product-market fit. I didn't have to convince. They got it.

Special Thank You:
To Pappa, who always told me:
“Kaeya, you’ve gotta be teflon coated. Nothing should ever stick.”

Me: “Exactly.”

Observation:
No fluff. No oversell. Just clarity and control. This is the calm confidence of a founder who’s finally in flow.

Refinement Notes

Observation:
I’m effectively my own metacognitive agent now.
Not just improving — observing myself, refining.
This second-order thinking is the daily craft.
It’s not just “build a product” anymore.
It’s shape me to shape the message, shape the market, shape the world.

Special Thank You:
To Susan Lyne, co-founder of BBG Ventures. Matriarch.

Final Introspection:

I’m not the same 27-year-old founder who started this company in 2020.
I’ve gone from chaos — “Kaeyos” — to clarity.
From scattered to strategic.
From reactive…to the one holding the pen.

Special Thank You:
To Amy, founder of Anthemis Female Innovator Lab by Barclays. My first check.

Kaeya

PS: A final thank you to Cameron — the most disarming human I’ve ever known.
For nudging my journey — our journeys — as deep inside ourselves as we dare to go.
Not just toward intellectual clarity and evolution, but toward emotional lineage.

Thank you for helping me weave together who shaped me, what I survived, and how I’m now wielding all of it, deliberately.
With you, leading by example.

The Thank You Notes you modeled for me in your own work. They’re emotional ledger entries.

Receipts of growth.

Love.