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EdSales Edge Show
EdSales Edge is the strategy podcast for education founders, consultants, operators, and leaders selling into education.
For years, this show was known as Breaking the Grade, a space to challenge the status quo in education and think differently about how change actually happens. That mission hasn’t changed.
But the work has.
Over time, one thing became clear:
Education founders don’t just need inspiration.
They need clarity.
They need real strategies for selling into schools.
They need predictable ways to generate leads.
And they need to understand how trust is built in a system that doesn’t move fast, and doesn’t give many second chances.
EdSales Edge was rebuilt to match that reality.
Hosted by Josh Chernikoff, a two-time education founder who’s built and exited companies in this space, the show breaks down how selling into education actually works—across B2C, B2B, B2B2C, and B2E—always through the lens of how education institutions really make decisions.
This is not a show about hacks, shortcuts, or quick wins.
Education doesn’t work that way.
On EdSales Edge, you’ll hear:
- Real strategy for selling into education systems
- Conversations with education decision-makers who explain how buying actually happens from the inside
- Stories from founders, CEOs, and operators who’ve built real traction selling into schools—what worked, what didn’t, and what actually moved deals forward
- Teachings from the EdSales Elevation Experience, the system used to help education founders move from unclear and invisible to trusted and in demand
You’ll learn how to:
- Define your Perfect Client
- Pull the right credibility lever
- Move from being hidden… to trusted… to building a real lead engine
Josh is joined by his good friend and mentor, John Gamba—Director of Innovative Programs and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Penn GSE, and a former education founder who’s led companies through real growth and successful exits. John brings the institutional lens, shaped by years inside districts, universities, and education systems, seeing how decisions get made when the doors are closed and what earns trust over time.
Together, they sit on both sides of the table, the builder side and the system side, so the show stays grounded in reality, not sales theory.
If you sell into education and you’re tired of guessing,
guessing who to talk to,
guessing how decisions get made,
guessing why interest doesn’t convert—
this show is built for you.
EdSales Edge
Clarity. Credibility. Real traction.
If you sell into education, this is where you earn your edge.
EdSales Edge Show
Best of 2025: John Gamba on How Education Founders Can Rebuild Trust, Visibility, and Pipeline Through Authentic LinkedIn Strategy
Some episodes don’t just offer sales tactics; they redefine how education founders think about visibility, trust, and lead flow. This one did.
When John Gamba joined Josh for a candid LinkedIn Live conversation, it wasn’t just another talk about personal branding; it was a deep dive into how education founders can turn an authentic online presence into real-world partnerships, pipeline, and predictable revenue.
John, entrepreneur, investor, long-time education innovator, and Entrepreneur in Residence and Director of Innovative Programs at Penn GSE, broke down how today’s founders can win attention without losing authenticity.
Together, they unpacked what truly builds credibility in the digital age, and why education founders who lead with voice, vulnerability, and value always outperform those chasing trends.
From leveraging platforms like ERDI to connect with district leaders, to mastering LinkedIn commenting and storytelling that drive genuine engagement, this episode turned into a masterclass in credibility-based marketing.
And when the conversation shifted to AI-generated “slop,” John didn’t hold back. He reminded every education founder that your humanity is your headline, the thing that separates connection from noise and trust from vanity metrics.
Originally streamed as a LinkedIn Live in March 2025, this replay captures a moment when authenticity wasn’t just a buzzword, it was the difference between being seen and being sought after.
🚨 Your next contract won’t come from another cold DM, it’ll come from consistent, credible visibility.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
1️⃣ From Presence to Pipeline
How to use LinkedIn to build relationships that convert, without ever sounding salesy.
2️⃣ Visibility that Builds Credibility
The difference between posting and positioning, and how authentic engagement outperforms paid ads.
3️⃣ The Power of Platforms, conferences and summits
Why relationships with decision-makers still drive the education market, and how to show up where they are.
4️⃣ Avoiding AI “Slop”
How to balance technology with authenticity, and make sure your content sounds like you, not a bot.
5️⃣ Consistency as a Growth Strategy
Why education founders who show up daily, with clarity and value, always attract the right clients and partners.
If you’ve ever felt invisible online, struggled to turn posts into pipeline, or questioned if authenticity still works in an AI-driven world, this episode will reignite your voice and your strategy.
📩 DM me “LINKEDIN” and I’ll show you how education founders inside the EdSales Elevation Experience rebuild credibility, community, and consistent lead flow through LinkedIn.
📤 Know a founder who’s posting but not converting? Share this episode, it’s the clarity they’ve been missing.
✍️ Love the show? Subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so more education founders can turn presence into profit and authenticity into advantage.
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