Taproom Talks

Ditching the 'Black Book': The Data-Driven Sales Pivot That Secured £2.5 Million - Colin Manson Pt.II

22 Apr 2026

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Send us Fan MailIn this episode Kenny Dooley is joined by Colin Manson of Xergy/ Proteus (formerly Xodus) for round two, diving deep into the realities of scaling a tech business. Ever wondered what the biggest mistake a founder can make when building a brand new product? Colin gets candid, sharing that trying to sell 25 ideas at once was "utter madness" for a startup, and why keeping your product idea as lean as possible is the ultimate secret weapon for getting to market fast. Now, having secured an oversubscribed funding round of nearly £2.5 million, Colin reveals how Proteus is shifting from relationship-based selling (the "black book") to a disciplined, data-driven sales approach. He details the strategic pivot, including partnering with a sales-as-a-service company and building pipelines across four key regions, including Australia and the UK.It’s not all successful funding rounds and global domination, though. Colin gets refreshingly honest about the seven-year journey, revealing the "dark moments" of loneliness and the heady, scary feeling that the business might not make it. He also delivers unfiltered, must-hear advice for any company considering overseas expansion, contrasting the challenging, payment-delayed landscape of the Middle East with the more welcoming opportunities found in the Australian market. He even shares the hilarious story of realizing his initial dismissal of a 400-page sales playbook was wrong, and that the company is now following it "to the letter". Pull up a chair and grab a drink for this brilliant conversation that offers genuine insight into the mind of a mature entrepreneur.

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13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

01 Jan 1970

Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

01 Jan 1970

El Partidazo de COPE

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Taproom Talks

Ditching the 'Black Book': The Data-Driven Sales Pivot That Secured £2.5 Million - Colin Manson Pt.II

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Other recent transcribed episodes

13:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

10:00H | 21 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

12:00H | 20 DIC 2025 | Fin de Semana

2ª PARTE | 06 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 22 ENE 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

3ª PARTE | 04 MAR 2026 | EL PARTIDAZO DE COPE

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