If you're exploring how AI is impacting sales, hiring, and team performance, this episode is for you.

Chris Black, CRO at Jolera, joins Paris to talk about how the company has grown into a global MSP with over 700 employees. He shares how they keep a startup mindset, the shift away from white-labeling, and how their channel partner strategy drives scale.
This conversation also covers the role of AI. It looks at where AI fits today, what most teams get wrong, and how it is already reshaping the way we hire, sell, and lead.

In this episode, you'll hear:

 * How to  build strong channel partnerships
 * Challenges with white label-service model
 * How AI supports sales and marketing
 * What to fix before using LLMs
 * The future of hiring and team performance

Tune in to learn what’s working in leadership, growth, and AI adoption today.

Resources and links mentioned:
🔗 Learn more about Jolera: https://www.jolera.com/
👤 Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-black-yyc/
📧 Email: chrisb@jolera.com
Connect with Paris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/

AI, Sales, and the Future of Work with Chris Black

Meet Aniq Rajabdeen, Head of Marketing at John Keells IT, the digital transformation arm of Sri Lanka’s largest conglomerate. With years of experience across the US and APAC, Aniq shares his frontline perspective on how enterprises are adopting AI, enhancing cybersecurity, and executing digital transformation initiatives.

This conversation covers the growing role of AI in marketing, productivity and the emerging frontier of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Aniq also gives practical advice for marketers and enterprises navigating digital change, including internal AI training and managing risks like hallucinations and data privacy.

Talk points:
1. What John Keells IT does: digital transformation across APAC and the Middle East
2. AI enablement for large-scale enterprises
3.The concept of “Bring Your Own AI” in corporate teams
4. How marketing teams can use AI for productivity and content creation
5.Emerging trends in Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI SEO
6. Cybersecurity threats and how AI is both a solution and a challenge
7. The future of work and upskilling for AI readiness

Resources mentioned:
1.John Keells IT – https://www.johnkeellsit.com/
2. ChatGPT – https://openai.com/chatgpt
3. Microsoft Copilot – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot/organizations

Connect with us:
1. Aniq Rajabdeen - https://lk.linkedin.com/in/aniqrajabdeen
2. Paris Childress -  https://bg.linkedin.com/in/parischildress

Subscribe to the podcast and leave a review if you enjoyed the episode.

Driving Digital Transformation, AI Adoption & Cybersecurity Strategy with Aniq Rajabdeen 

Search is changing. AI systems  now control how information is found and shown. In this episode, Andreas Voniatis,  “Dre,” joins Paris  to explain what this shift means for content strategy. His work focuses on helping brands appear in AI-generated responses. Andreas explains how large language models select content and why common SEO tactics are being filtered out. 



The conversation covers how to build content that aligns with AI preferences. It breaks down why AI ignores low-effort pages.  Dre teaches why reverse engineering AI outputs does not work, and why deep research and persona driven content now lead to visibility.

He outlines how AI surfaces sources based on originality, authority, and relevance to the user’s intent. He prepares marketers to adapt by shifting from ranking  output to high effort assets that reflect what audiences actually search for in context.


Tune in to hear how AI is reshaping visibility and why generic SEO content no longer works.


Connect with Dre: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-artios/

Learn more about Artios: https://artios.io/

Connect with Paris : https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/

Andreas (Dre) Voniatis on Gaining Visibility in AI Search with Audience-Focused Content

Jack Wilson, EVP at Amplify5, joins Paris to break down what causes GTM teams to stall. It’s not just bad leads or a slow pipeline. It’s misalignment, missed signals, and teams pulling in different directions.

Jack shares what goes wrong behind the scenes and how to catch it early. He explains how leadership gaps, vague targets, and rushed expansion plans set teams up to struggle. He also talks about where AI helps and where it doesn’t, and why trust still matters more than tech in B2B sales.

Stop guessing what’s wrong. Start fixing your go-to-market.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

 * How real alignment between sales and marketing drives better results
 * The 4 metrics Jack uses to diagnose any go-to-market team
 * The role of storytelling in sales and what Elvis Presley has to do with it
 * Why AI won’t replace human sellers any time soon
 * How to make international expansion work for your team


Amplify5,  helps companies scale through offshoring solutions that feel personal, flexible, and fast to activate. The company was built by leaders who once sat on the client side and knew what wasn’t working ; rigid contracts, slow execution, and partners who didn’t deliver. That same mindset shapes how Jack approaches growth, team structure, and long-term success.
Check them out here:  Amplify5 Website- https://amplify5.co.uk/

Connect with Jack on LinkedIn:http://linkedin.com/in/ironmanwilson
Connect with Paris Childress: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/
Remember to follow, subscribe and leave us a review on your favorite podcast app.

What Breaks GTM in B2B Companies  with Jack Wilson 

Want to learn how a bootstrapped cybersecurity company can outsmart well-funded competitors? Jitendra is Chief Marketing Officer  at Infopercept Consulting, a platform-led managed services provider in cybersecurity. 

In this episode, we talk about how to win CISOs’ trust, what really drives buying decisions in this space, and how to cut through the noise with creative outreach that actually gets attention.
If you’ve ever felt stuck trying to differentiate your security product in a crowded market, or you’re wondering how to prove marketing ROI without vanity metrics, this one’s for you.
We also explore the role of AI in marketing, the evolving buyer journey, and what Jitendra would never spend on—even with 5x the budget. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why Infopercept bets on use cases, not features
- How compliance drives buying decisions (more than security itself!)
- Why  Infopercept  avoids exhibitions and big conferences
- What fingerprint marketing is and how to build yours
- The power of highly personalized outreach for CISOs
- How AI is helping them scale insights and content creation

Resources and links:
1. Connect with Jitendra Bulani : https://www.linkedin.com/in/jitendra-bulani-21557510/
2. Connect with Paris Childress on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/
3. Learn more about Infopercept : https://www.infopercept.com/
4. Listen to  Barry Mainz Episode here: https://youtu.be/9HlYBu1pFCc?si=V32qyZgLCkCkNWMW

Let us know your biggest takeaway on LinkedIn!

Cybersecurity Marketing with Jitendra Bulani  :What Actually Works

In this episode, Paris speaks with Lalit Shinde, Chief Growth Officer at Sequretek. With over 30 years of experience in AI and cybersecurity, Lalit leads global growth, sales, and partnerships at the company. He also serves as a board member and mentor across multiple organizations in the tech space.

Lalit Shinde shares how his team built a cybersecurity company from the ground up and grew it to $25 million in revenue. He explains the mistakes many founders make when entering new markets, including overreliance on direct sales, unclear pricing, and targeting the wrong customers.

He discusses why channel partnerships offered a more effective path and how a clear focus helped drive growth. The conversation also looks at the role of AI in cybersecurity, including how to position it as a tool that supports human teams rather than replaces them.
Lalit also introduces Continuous Threat Exposure Management, a model that gives CISOs real-time insight into risk and offers a more practical approach than traditional risk assessments.

Topics Covered:

 1. Going from $0 to $25M in revenue
 2. Avoiding GTM and pricing missteps
 3. When and why to use channel sales
 4. AI’s real role in cybersecurity
 5. CTEM vs. periodic risk assessment

Tune in to refine how you build, grow, or improve your cybersecurity  brand.

How to Build Cybersecurity Companies Right with Lalit Shinde

What does it take to lead a cybersecurity company that protects some of the world’s most sensitive systems?

Barry Mainz, CEO of ForeScout, shares what he's learned about decision-making, trust, and communication in a high-pressure industry. This episode pulls back the curtain on how ForeScout operates—and what keeps it grounded.

Barry also talks about what gets a CISO to respond, how messaging shapes outcomes, and why internal alignment matters just as much as external strategy.

This is a clear, practical conversation about leadership, risk, and the people behind the systems.

What You’ll Hear 

 1. What messaging actually lands with security buyers
 2. How ForeScout balances AI automation with human control.
 3. What it takes to keep teams focused when the pressure doesn’t stop
 4. How ForeScout works with government and critical infrastructure
 5. The leadership habits that drive long-term trust

🎧 Like this episode?
Share it and leave us a review!  Then subscribe to get more real-world stories from the people doing the work.

Cybersecurity, Strategy, and Leadership: Barry Mainz, CEO of ForeScout

Paris interviews Ido Weisenberg, CEO of Voyantis, a company revolutionizing customer lifetime value (LTV) prediction with AI and machine learning. Ido shares  on utilizing predictive analytics to optimize customer acquisition, retention, and revenue growth for SaaS and consumer companies. He also discusses how aligning marketing and revenue goals can drive sustainable business success.

In this Episode:
- The role of AI in predicting customer LTV
- How predictive analytics improves ad spend efficiency
-Why finding the right co-founder is crucial for startup success
-How B2B SaaS companies can maximize ROI with value-based bidding
-Overcoming short-term vs. long-term revenue challenges
-The future of cookies and first-party data strategies
-How Voyantis helps companies scale with data-driven growth

Resources and Links
1. Voyantis -voyantis.ai
2. LinkedIn- Ido Wiesenberg
3. LinkedIn-Paris Childress

The Future of LTV with Ido Weisenberg| Voyantis.ai 

This 2024 blog post reviews advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs). Key themes include the breaking of the GPT-4 barrier, with multiple organizations surpassing its capabilities; significant improvements in model efficiency and price reductions, making LLMs more accessible; the rise of multimodal models incorporating vision, audio, and even live video; and the emergence of inference-scaling "reasoning" models. The author also discusses challenges like the prevalence of "slop" (unwanted, unreviewed AI-generated content), the difficulty of using LLMs effectively, and the uneven distribution of LLM knowledge. The overall purpose is to summarize the year's progress in the field, highlighting both achievements and remaining obstacles.

LLMs in 2024: A Year in Review

In this episode, Paris sits down with Anne Clara Laugesen,, the CMO and Head of ESG at Stella Energy and Viggo. Anne shares how Viggo disrupted the traditional Danish taxi market with its all-EV fleet. And how the strategic rebranding to Stella Energy set the stage to cater to international markets and industry competitors.



Tune in to hear the challenges of launching a sustainable ride-hailing service, how to market to B2C and B2B audiences, and why Stella Energy's fast-charging network is vital for the future of mobility.



Key Highlights:

00:00 Introduction 

00:22 Anne Clara's Background and Passion for Mobility

01:00 The Evolution of Viggo: From Startup to Success

02:05 Challenges and Innovations in EV Ride-Hailing

04:04 Rebranding to Stella: Strategy and Impact

15:00 Marketing Strategies for Viggo and Stella

31:23 Future of EVs

36:33 Conclusion.


Resources:

1. Viggo- https://www.viggo.com/

2.Stella Energy -https://www.stellaenergy.io/

3. Anne Clara Laugesen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneclara/

4. Paris Childress- https://www.linkedin.com/in/parischildress/

Disrupting Urban Mobility with EV Innovation- Anne Clara Laugesen

Paris Childress's Show

Every #SaaS company plays for high stakes, but what does it take to dominate the market right now? 🚀 Look no further than Paris Talks Marketing - the ultimate podcast for SaaS marketers, entrepreneurs, and business owners. Hosted by Paris Childress, we’re featuring deep dives into the latest industry trends with the top SaaS B2B founders and marketing leaders who reveal what it takes to succeed in B2B SaaS marketing. Join us as we share insights on testing new tactics and uncovering the latest developments from digital landscape giants like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Tune in and conquer the SaaS market today!

Paris Childress

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