In the Mind of a Distributor
No one teaches you how to run a distribution business. There’s no playbook for navigating shifting markets, growing sales, or making the right bets on technology. The best distributors figure it out by talking to the right people and learning from experience.
That’s what In the Mind of a Distributor is all about. Each month, Benj Cohen—founder of Proton, the CRM built for distributors—sits down with industry leaders, from owners to operators to sales pros, to break down what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is headed.
If all goes well, listeners will leave each episode a little sharper, a little more informed, and a step ahead of the competition.
Podcasting since 2025 • 10 episodes
In the Mind of a Distributor
Latest Episodes
Growing a family-owned distributor to 250+ locations | Doug & Jack York
In this episode, Benj talks with Doug and Jack York of Ewing Outdoor Supply about what it really takes to run a successful family-owned distribution business across generations.Doug shares how he scaled Ewing to 250...
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22:38
Winning rural markets by going multi-vertical | Paul Kennedy
In this episode, Benj talks with Paul Kennedy, CEO of DSG, about cracking the code on multi-vertical distribution. Paul reveals how DSG profitably serves towns of 10,000 people by selling electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and waterworks all under one...
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19:24
Scaling an inside sales team from 0 to 90 reps | Ali Hasham
In this episode, Benj talks with Ali Hasham, CEO and Founder of Revenue Optics, about what it takes to build high-performing inside sales teams in distribution. With nearly 25 years in the industry, Ali shares how he built inside sales organiza...
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Episode 8
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22:25
Creating a winning growth culture | Gary Corless
In this episode of In the Mind of a Distributor, Benj sits down with Gary Corless, former CEO of PSS World Medical (now McKesson Medical-Surgical), to unpack how the company scaled from a $15M startup pulling orders in shopping carts t...
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Episode 7
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32:32
Merchandising massive product catalogs | Brian Walker
In this episode, Benj sits down with Brian Walker, Chief Product Officer at Grainger, to unpack how one of the largest distributors in the world approaches merchandising at scale.With over 2 million SKUs in their core business and an end...
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Episode 6
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21:41