The High Performance Sales Leader

E48: Why $1–5M ARR Is the Most Dangerous (and Fun)

Pree Sarkar Season 1 Episode 47

Ever feel like you're doing everything “right” at a startup, but still can’t scale past the $5M mark? Or wonder how some leaders seem built for chaos while others burn out?

Kanika Pandey has done it again and again. She’s built multiple go-to-market engines across early-stage startups, weathered the chaos of founder-led sales, and learned the hard way how to scale from $0 to $5M ARR. But her story goes beyond sales.

After a stroke, a failed startup, and the loss of her biggest pillar of strength, Kanika found clarity through Olympic weightlifting, resilience through loss, and purpose in building companies the right way.

In this raw and unfiltered episode, you’ll hear why most founders get the $1–5M ARR stage completely wrong, how to test for founder delusion, why early-stage selling is built for women, and why conviction beats consensus—every time.

Kanika's story isn't about theory, it’s about grit, conviction, and learning how to lead even when everything breaks.

Let’s get into it.


Connect with Kanika Pandey:
👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanika-pandey-959aa3a/

Connect with The High Performance Sales Leader Host:
👉LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preesarkar/

Hiring or replacing someone in the next 90 days?

We partner with tech sales leaders who are time-poor and under pressure, and introduce them to top performers without wasting time or risking average hires, so they can build winning teams and careers.

Message pree@ultratalent.com today!

Hiring or replacing someone in the next 90 days?

We partner with tech sales leaders who are time-poor and under-pressure, and introduce them to top performers without wasting time or risking average hires, so that they can build winning teams and careers.

Message pree@ultratalent.com today!