Why do great teams stop speaking up?

According to Erika Till, it isn't because they stop caring. It's because they stop believing anyone is listening.

In this episode of ChatGTM, hosts Michael Beck and Chad Horn welcome Erika Till, Founder of Rise Light Co., for a conversation about leadership, trust, communication, and the culture every organization says it wants but few know how to build.

Drawing from years spent helping technology companies scale, Erika explains why employee experience ultimately defines customer experience, how communication breaks down as companies grow, and why leaders must create environments where people feel safe enough to challenge ideas, share feedback, and contribute to the vision.

This conversation explores:

✔ Why great teams eventually go silent
✔ Why employee experience drives customer experience
✔ The hidden cost of toxic high performers
✔ Why culture isn't pizza parties or perks
✔ Building trust through better leadership
✔ The disconnect between sales, operations, and executive leadership
✔ The power of asking better questions
✔ How founders can build organizations people genuinely believe in

Whether you're a founder, CEO, operator, sales leader, HR executive, or fractional leader, this episode offers practical leadership lessons that apply to every growing organization.

Erika Till
Founder, Rise Light Co.

Connect with Erika on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikatill/

ChatGTM is the podcast where hospitality, retail, SaaS, and Go-to-Market leaders share the ideas, strategies, and stories shaping the future of business.

Hosted by Michael Beck, CEO of Inc Tank GTM, and Chad Horn, each episode features candid conversations with founders, executives, innovators, operators, and thought leaders helping organizations grow smarter.

If you're passionate about:

• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Fractional Leadership
• Hospitality Technology
• Restaurant Technology
• Revenue Growth
• AI
• Leadership
• Company Culture
• Customer Experience

...you're in the right place.

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Connect with ChatGTM & Inc Tank GTM

🌐 https://www.inctankgtm.com

Follow Michael Beck:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbeck/

Follow Chad Horn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-horn/

#ChatGTM #IncTankGTM #GoToMarket #GTM #FractionalLeadership #Leadership #CompanyCulture #EmployeeExperience #CustomerExperience #RevOps #HospitalityTechnology #RestaurantTechnology #ExecutiveLeadership #Founders #B2BSaaS

What do professional baseball, restaurant technology, AI, and sales leadership have in common?

More than you might think.

In this episode of ChatGTM, hosts Michael Beck and Chad Horn sit down with Erik Wetzel, Vice President of Sales at Buyers Edge Platform, to explore the leadership principles that separate good sales organizations from great ones.

Erik's journey began on the baseball field, where he learned that championships aren't won by swinging for home runs. They're built through consistency, discipline, resilience, and showing up every single day. Today, he brings those same lessons to one of hospitality's fastest-growing organizations, helping restaurant operators solve complex challenges while leading high-performing sales teams across the Buyers Edge Platform ecosystem.

The conversation explores why discovery wins deals, how AI is transforming sales without replacing human leadership, why rejection is a necessary ingredient for growth, and what it really means to build a culture where people thrive.

Whether you lead a sales team, run a restaurant, build technology, or simply want to become a better leader, this episode is packed with practical insights you can put to work immediately.

• Erik's transition from professional baseball to sales leadership
• Why consistency always beats chasing home runs
• The leadership philosophy behind Buyers Edge Platform
• Building trust with restaurant operators
• Why discovery is the foundation of every successful sale
• How great leaders motivate instead of intimidate
• AI's role in the future of sales organizations
• Lessons from John Davie's growth strategy
• Creating resilient sales teams
• Why culture always outperforms fear

If you're building, scaling, or leading a go-to-market organization, this conversation belongs on your playlist.

🎙 Guest
Erik Wetzel
Vice President of Sales
Buyers Edge Platform

Learn more:
https://www.buyersedgeplatform.com

Connect with Erik:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-w-286454230/

Subscribe for more conversations with the executives, founders, operators, and innovators shaping the future of hospitality and restaurant technology.

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#ChatGTM #SalesLeadership #HospitalityTechnology #RestaurantTechnology #BuyersEdgePlatform #Leadership #RevOps #GoToMarket #ArtificialIntelligence #Hospitality

Everyone is talking about AI.

Almost nobody agrees on what an AI agent actually is.

In this episode of ChatGTM, Michael Beck and Chad Horn sit down with Sterling Douglass, Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, for a conversation that cuts through the hype and focuses on what AI is actually doing inside real businesses today.

Sterling explains the difference between AI workflows and AI agents, why most companies are implementing AI incorrectly, and how Chowly is using AI to help restaurant operators drive more revenue through marketing, online ordering, SEO, Google Ads, and customer engagement. Rather than chasing flashy demos, Sterling shares what it takes to build AI systems that deliver measurable business outcomes.

The conversation also explores Claude Code, prompt engineering, leadership during technological change, AI adoption inside organizations, and why critical thinking has become even more valuable in an AI-first world.

If you're a restaurant operator, founder, technology leader, marketer, or simply trying to understand where AI is headed, this episode is packed with practical insights you can put to work immediately.

In This Episode

• What an AI agent actually is
• AI workflows vs. AI agents
• Why most AI projects fail
• Claude Code and "vibe coding"
• How Chowly is embedding AI into restaurant marketing
• Building products that create measurable outcomes
• AI adoption inside growing companies
• Leadership during rapid technological change
• The future of restaurant technology
• Why critical thinking matters more than ever

About Sterling Douglass

Sterling Douglass is the Co-Founder & CEO of Chowly, a restaurant technology company serving more than 17,000 restaurant locations across the United States. Since founding Chowly in 2015, Sterling has helped transform the company from a POS integration platform into an AI-powered digital commerce and marketing platform focused on helping restaurants grow revenue through online ordering, SEO, Google Ads, loyalty, and guest engagement.

Sterling is also the co-host of the AI for Restaurants podcast alongside Aaron Newton, where they explore practical AI implementation, automation, and the future of restaurant technology without the hype.

Connect with Sterling

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sterlingddouglass/

Learn more about Chowly
https://www.chowly.com

Listen to AI for Restaurants
https://aiforrestaurants.ai

About ChatGTM

ChatGTM brings together founders, operators, investors, technologists, and industry leaders who are building the future of hospitality, retail, AI, and go-to-market strategy. Hosted by Michael Beck and Chad Horn.

Follow the ChatGTM Podcast:

https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/chatgtm-podcast

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#ChatGTM #SterlingDouglass #Chowly #AIForRestaurants #AIAgents #ArtificialIntelligence #ClaudeAI #Anthropic #RestaurantTechnology #RestaurantMarketing #RestaurantLeadership #HospitalityTechnology #OnlineOrdering #DigitalMarketing #Innovation #Leadership