The 5% Shift: How Small Tweaks Create Massive Sales Growth

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Milan Kohut, we are joined by Kate Lalak, the founder and principal consultant of The Engine Room. Kate shares her journey from a 17-year corporate career in marketing and sales leadership to launching her own consultancy eight years ago, a move she describes as the hardest but best decision she's ever made. She discusses the pivotal realization that many business owners and teams have a fundamental misunderstanding of sales, viewing it as a pushy, transactional process rather than a form of problem-solving, and how this insight became the core mission of her business.

Kate delves into her unique approach to sales and leadership training, which focuses on shifting the dial for experienced teams by just 5-10% through practical, tailored workshops and coaching. She explains her philosophy using a simple, powerful analogy about solving a dinner problem to reframe sales as a process of curiosity and connection. The conversation also explores the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship, her strategic decision to avoid full-time employees in favor of a contractor model for simplicity, and her plans for scaling in the year ahead by investing in marketing, developing online tools, and finding the right balance between time, money, and impactful growth.