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Vertical market strategy and revenue growth for B2B companies.

Get Vertical with Mike McCalley focuses on vertical market strategy for B2B industrial and SaaS companies. McCalley, founder and chief growth officer of The Vertical Solution, interviews executives and growth leaders on sales alignment, demand generation, and market positioning within specific verticals. The show is built for B2B operators who want precise growth strategies, not generic advice.

21 episodes
Channel Brief·Get Vertical with Mike McCalley · 21 episodes
Updated Jul 15, 2026

Building Real Companies Means Leading People First

Get Vertical documents how founders and leaders who prioritize culture, relationships, and authentic problem-solving outperform those chasing growth alone. Evidence comes from founders, CEOs, and operators who built measurable outcomes by starting with people.

Get Vertical argues that sustainable business growth flows from leadership that builds psychological safety, invests in team relationships, and solves real problems—not from tactics or capital alone. The channel proves this through founder and CEO case studies: Luke Sigle prototyped SILO for 14 months after a single frustrating aid station moment; Robby Humble drove 20% YoY growth in Q3 cash collections at Penn Warranty using a 'leading with love' philosophy; Rob Peabody spent roughly 50% of his time fundraising and building investor relationships to scale VOMO, which eventually sold in 2022.

Drawn from Ultra runner Luke Sigle built SILO to solve a … and 2 more →

“How many people are you willing to hurt to make your product? If the answer isn't zero, we've got a problem.”

Wally Steidley, founder of The Safety Sherpa, on embedding safety culture

By the numbers

31%

U.S. employees actively engaged at work per Gallup 2025

18%

entrepreneurs who successfully launch startups

61%

B2B buyers who prefer rep-free buying experiences

50%

of Rob Peabody's time spent fundraising across VOMO lifecycle

What the channel argues

DataRobby Humble achieved 20% YoY Q3 cash collections growth at Penn Warranty through leading with love, no new products.→
DataOnly 18% of entrepreneurs successfully launch startups; relationship-building with investors and teams separates survivors.→
Data61% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience, forcing sales teams to rethink engagement strategy.→
InsightLuke Sigle's 14-month SILO prototype sprint was triggered by a real problem at mile 44 of Grindstone 100.→
InsightDrew Flowers built Trailhead Running Supply into the top 1% of run specialty stores in under 3 years by narrowing into trail running and building community.→

What you'll learn

•Why founders who obsess over solving one real problem for their own pain point often outpace those chasing market size.
•How psychological safety and 'leading with love' create measurable performance gains without requiring new products or marketing.
•Why relationship-building—not just pitch skill—determines which founders survive the first five years and attract capital.
•How niche focus and community become competitive advantages in crowded markets like specialty retail.
•Why B2B sales teams must shift from rep-driven selling to buyer-centric content and education as research moves pre-sale.

What to do about it

→Audit your leadership approach: measure whether your team surfaces problems early (psychological safety signal) or waits until crises force change.
→Map your actual customer problem, not your assumed market. Start with one frustration you personally experience or deeply understand.
→Shift sales messaging from rep pitch to buyer education: assume 61% of your audience will research independently and design content to serve that.

Who and what shows up

Luke Sigle

Founder, SILO; ultra runner

Built a gear company by solving his own frustration during ultramarathons, prototyping SILO for 14 months after Grindstone 100.

Robby Humble

CEO, Penn Warranty

Drove 20% YoY growth in Q3 cash collections through leading with love philosophy that prioritizes psychological safety and team engagement.

Rob Peabody

Co-founder and President, VOMO; VP Category Growth, Virtuous

Built VOMO from 2015 idea to acquisition by Virtuous in 2022, spending approximately 50% of his time fundraising and building investor relationships.

Wally Steidley

Founder, Indigo Compliance and The Safety Sherpa

Built two companies around the conviction that zero workplace injuries should be non-negotiable; designed The Safety Sherpa as the world's first fully mobile-friendly safety training platform.

Drew Flowers

Founder or leader, Trailhead Running Supply

Elevated specialty retail store into top 1% of run specialty stores nationally in under three years by narrowing into trail running niche and building community.

Questions this channel answers

Q

How do you build a startup that actually survives past year five?

By connecting and maintaining high-quality relationships with investors and team members; only 18% of entrepreneurs succeed, and relationship strength separates them. Rob Peabody spent roughly 50% of his time fundraising throughout VOMO's lifecycle because capital is inseparable from survival.

The Life of a Start-Up: VOMO →
Q

What leadership approach re-engages disengaged teams without new products?

Leading with love—combining nurturing and tough love—creates psychological safety that surfaces problems early and accelerates resolution. Robby Humble drove 20% YoY growth in Q3 cash collections at Penn Warranty using this approach alone.

A CEO’s Blueprint for Career Success: Leading with Love … →
Q

How do niche retail businesses compete against national chains?

By narrowing focus into a defensible niche and building community, not just curating products. Drew Flowers elevated Trailhead Running Supply into the top 1% of run specialty stores nationally by focusing on trail running and creating authentic community.

Get Vertical! Going from Idea to the Top 1% in Less Than… →
Q

How should sales teams adapt to buyer independence in research?

Recognize that 61% of B2B buyers prefer rep-free buying experiences and most research happens before sales contact. Sales must shift to buyer-centric education and content strategy rather than rep-driven pitching.

Get Vertical! Growing with Sales for Success →
Q

What makes a founder idea worth prototyping for 14 months?

A real, personal problem you cannot solve with existing solutions. Luke Sigle's SILO came from a frustration at mile 44 of Grindstone 100, not a top-down market hypothesis.

Ultra runner Luke Sigle built SILO to solve a problem no… →
Topics:Startup scaling and founder psychologySales transformation and buying behaviorLeadership culture and employee engagementNiche retail and community buildingHR and organizational change in global companies
Themes:Authentic problem-solving beats market sizePeople and culture drive measurable business outcomesRelationship-building is a scaling strategy, not a soft skill

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