"We grow apples and we sell them to apple buyers."
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Sales Tips you'll learn today on The Sales Podcast...
Meet Gui Costin, founder and CEO of Dakota, an investment services company that has helped clients raise more than $40B since its launch.
But Gui's story goes beyond just numbers—he's an innovator who's transforming what it means to build a successful workplace culture in the world of finance.
As the author of "Millennials Are Not Aliens" and "The Dakota Way," Gui brings new perspectives to marketing, leadership & sales in the investment world.
His people-focused approach has led him to build two companies generating $20 million every year by prioritizing what he believes matters most: people. (A strategy that has had him featured in Forbes, Inc., and appearing on Yahoo Finance's morning show!)
His "no-policy policy" fosters autonomy and trust, while his talent for engaging millennial and Gen Z workers challenges traditional management styles.
Gui's journey—from his initial career in real estate to founding Dakota—is filled with insights on building strong company cultures, modernizing sales processes, and adapting leadership styles that motivate and inspire teams across generations.
- Cultivating a Culture of Calm: How Trust and Autonomy Drive High Performance
- The No-Policy Policy: Empowering Employees in The Modern Workplace
- Selling in The Digital Age: Leveraging Content and Relationships to Reach RIAs
- Bridging The Generational Divide: Leadership Strategies for a Multigenerational Workforce
- From Founder to Coach: Guiding Your Sales Team to Success Through Mentorship
00:00 Introduction to Gui Costin and Dakota
02:23 Leveraging Content for Business Growth
04:02 Learning from Failure: The Birth of a New Business
06:09 Generational Perspectives in the Workplace
08:05 Results Over Reasons: A Mindset for Success
08:58 Transitioning from Employee to Entrepreneur
12:19 The Importance of Leadership and Mentorship
15:20 Creating a Positive Work Culture
18:11 Kindness vs. Niceness in Leadership
19:51 The Importance of Continuous Feedback
22:42 Hiring for Culture and Team Dynamics
23:58 Iterating on Existing Ideas
27:30 Identifying and Solving Acute Problems
28:18 Overcoming Excuses and Taking Action
32:32 Learning from Failures and Adjusting Strategies
34:12 The Value of Responsiveness in Business
38:41 Final Thoughts and Resources for Entrepreneurs
- 2018 invited 14 paying customers to meet and his meeting turned into a show.
- Product was born out of the content.
- Flush ROI down the toilet until...
- Provide a better service of something already out there.
- His business is simple.
- Dick Williams, his mentor, "results, not reasons."
- He's an owner who still carries a bag.
- 14 different jobs from 1989 to 2006 at good firms.
- Provide mentorship, focus, and growth so they stay and learn.
- He has had a great role model since 2005 who isn't afraid to make decisions.
- 77 employees with an open-door policy.
What's working? What's not working?”
- He likes feedback.
- Establish your core principles.
- We grow apples and we sell them to apple buyers.
- We treat everyone kind, but not nice because nice people don't give feedback.
- Serve people.
- No annual reviews. It was his worst experience.
- He now hires from his network.
- Recruit A players.
- You don't have to risk your financial life to be an entrepreneur.
- Revenue, revenue, revenue, then cash flow.
Steve Jobs was a great knock-off artist.
- Stop creating solutions searching for problems.
- Just process what are the most acute problems being solved today?
- It is a drug or a vitamin.
- Be the one person who can solve that problem.
- "Deadlines win."
"Turn your brain off."
- Stop overthinking.
- "Throw your hat over the wall."
- FITFO—Figure It The F*ck Out.
- "Walk the eight feet."
- Think about the real problem and how acute it is. See how others are doing it.
- "Most businesses aren't that responsive."
- Use that as your core metric.
GUEST INFO:
- Guest Site: Dakota.com
- Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guicostin/
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