Breaking Free from the Sales Trap with Steve Caton

What if saying yes to significance over money could unlock a decade of impact and lead you to build the business you were always meant to create?

In this episode, Steve Caton, founder of Altezza Solutions and fractional sales expert, shares his remarkable journey from rejecting his banker father's career path to becoming a champion for trapped founders. Through four pivotal relationships, each arriving at exactly the right moment, Steve learned the art of relational sales, the discipline of the sales process, the courage to choose significance, and the confidence to finally launch his own company. His mission? Freeing brilliant founders from the sales trap so they can lead their vision while spending more time at the dinner table with their families.

Steve reflects on how the right mentors at the right time shaped his career and why he believes the fractional sales model is a game-changer for emerging growth companies stuck between $1-5 million in revenue.

 

[00:06:00] What Altezza Does

• Altezza = Italian word for "altitude" (inspired by Colorado living)

• Provides fractional sales expertise AND execution

• Frees brilliant founders trapped doing sales instead of leading their vision

• Allows business owners to focus on what truly matters: building their extraordinary future

[00:06:40] The Sales Trap is Real

• Emerging growth businesses started by visionary innovators

• Founders know they need to stop selling but don't have the framework

• Can't attract top-tier salespeople without proper sales infrastructure

• Hiring inexperienced or commission-only reps almost always fails

[00:08:20] The Innovator's Journey

• Steve discovered he's wired as an innovator and starter

• Thrives in early-stage growth companies ($1-5M revenue range)

• Gets restless when companies become routine without innovation

• Spent career helping companies bring in their first real salesperson

[00:11:00] The COVID Pivot

• Waited until last son graduated college to start the business

• Launched during COVID pandemic, initially seemed like bad timing

• Actually worked in their favor: remote work became normalized

• Altezza operates 100% remotely, selling remotely

[00:12:00] The Sweet Spot Client

• Professional services or technology firms

• $1-5 million in revenue range

• Founder still trapped in the sales motion

• Highly relational, consultative sales needed

• Can sell remotely without boots-on-the-ground

[00:13:00] Three Service Models

• Do It Yourself: Client has sales infrastructure, just needs the right salesperson

• Done With You: Some documentation exists, needs tweaking and 90-day support

• Done For You: Everything lives in founder's head, must extract, document, and build systems

[00:14:40] Beyond the Numbers

• Stories of 40% sales increases and doubled revenue matter

• But the real win: founders getting home for dinner more often

• Client's wife thanked their salesperson: "My husband is home for dinner way more"

• Freedom founders dreamed of when starting their business

[00:17:40] Four Pivotal People

[00:18:40] 1. His Dad: The Passion

• Banking and finance background

• Ton of passion, drive, fire, and energy

• Steve internalized that drive but knew banking wasn't his path

• Couldn't envision putting on a suit and tie every day

[00:19:23] 2. David: The Relational Sales Master

• Left high-paying pharmaceutical job to start real estate company

• Invited Steve to get real estate license and sell with him

• 10 years older, taught Steve everything about relationship-driven sales

• How to build rapport, ask open-ended questions, and shut up and listen

• Made way more money in real estate than he would have in banking

[00:22:11] 3. Doug Sherman: The Process Guru

• Held record for highest math score on Air Force Academy entrance exam

• Sales consultant for companies like Boeing

• Helped Boeing overcome getting "their butt kicked by Airbus"

• Game changer: Taught Steve about sales PROCESS for the first time

[00:25:24] 4. Jerry Melek: The Significance Prophet

• Grandfather of kid on Steve's son's football team

• Career counselor and recruiter with strong faith

• Steve at crossroads: high-paying jobs vs. low-paying significant opportunity

• Jerry's challenge: "You told me you wanted significance. This is black and white. Which job is about significance? If you care about significance and not money, this is a no-brainer."

• Hit Steve right between the eyes, he was too fearful to do what he felt led to do

[00:29:00] 5. Don Martin: The Business Leadership Mentor

• Former Century 21 executive team member

• Gave Steve the tools to actually LEAD a company and be a business owner

• Helped Steve see he wasn't launching Altezza because of fear

• "God created you for this moment: see it, own it, have faith, take the step"

• Still there for challenges, rough days, pep talks, and "kicks in the ass"

[00:31:40] The Ripple Effect Moment

• Leaving the company Jerry helped him join

• Spontaneous going away party with his team

• One by one shared the impact Steve had on them

• Gave him caricature with signatures and encouragement

[00:34:49] The "Go With Others" Glass

• Gift from team member at that farewell gathering

• Reminder of ripple effects Steve won't get to see

• Still uses it 9 years later: an anchor to that meaningful season

• Physical reminder of choosing significance over salary

KEY QUOTES

"We don't get wherever we are in life by ourselves. It's always with the help that we get from other people we intersect with on the journey along the way." - Steve Caton

"When a company got to a certain size, I started getting super restless because God wired me as an innovator and a starter. When you put me in an early stage growth company, I'm thriving. As soon as it starts to feel routine, I get bored." - Steve Caton

CONNECT WITH STEVE CATON

🌐 Website: https://www.altezzasolutions.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scaton

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