April 10, 2025

Salvatore Tirabassi – How to Make Your Sales Team 10X More Effective

Today, James sits down with private equity expert Salvatore Tirabassi. They explore what makes a founder investable, how private equity firms assess opportunities, and the key elements that drive value creation post-investment. Salvatore reflects on his career in investment banking and private equity, and what it really takes to scale a business with confidence. Packed with wisdom from years of working with founders, this episode is a must-listen for anyone considering taking on outside investment – or preparing to pitch.
The Gross Profit Podcast
The Gross Profit Podcast
Salvatore Tirabassi - How to Make Your Sales Team 10X More Effective
Loading
/

Show Notes

In this episode James Kennedy sits down with Salvatore Tirabassi, a seasoned private equity investor and advisor, to discuss the critical factors that drive business value and successful investment outcomes. Salvatore shares his experience in the world of private equity, what he looks for in a great founder, and the strategies that help companies scale with confidence.

About Salvatore Tirabassi:
Salvatore Tirabassi is a private equity investor with a career spanning two decades, advising and investing in high-growth businesses across sectors. With a focus on strategic value creation, Salvatore partners with founders and management teams to unlock long-term potential and build sustainable success. His insights are grounded in hands-on experience and a deep understanding of capital markets, operations, and entrepreneurship.

What You’ll Learn:

  • What Makes a Great Founder: Salvatore shares the traits and behaviors that make founders stand out and attract investment.
  • Private Equity Insights: Learn what private equity firms look for in potential portfolio companies and how deals are structured for long-term success.
  • Scaling with Purpose: Discover the key operational and strategic levers that help companies scale effectively after an investment.

Episode Highlights:

  • “Salvatore, when you’re evaluating a founder or a team, what qualities stand out the most?”
  • “Can you walk us through the investment process and how you determine if a company is the right fit?”
  • “What are some of the most common challenges you see companies face after taking on private equity funding?”

More about Salvatore’s Role:  With a strong background in both investment banking and private equity, Salvatore Tirabassi brings a strategic and pragmatic lens to building businesses. His approach focuses on aligning vision with execution, and partnering closely with leadership teams to navigate complex growth challenges. Whether advising or investing, Salvatore is committed to delivering lasting impact through thoughtful, founder-centric collaboration.

The Gross Profit Podcast

More Episodes

Merushka Chetty

Joey Albertson – CFO Found $2.5M Unbilled Revenue

In this episode, James sits down with fractional CFO Joey Albertson – founder of The Profitability Project – to unpack the “$2.5M mistake” she uncovered within 30 days at a B2B SaaS company. They get tactical about balance-sheet reconciliations, fixing SaaS billing leaks, and how Joey’s Clarity → Structure → Profitability framework delivers fast, measurable results (without a six-month wait).

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Jaime Medina – The Singing CFO

In this episode, James Kennedy sits down with Jaime Medina, founder of The Startup CFO (tscfo.com), to unpack non-dilutive ways B2B SaaS founders can extend runway before their next equity round. Drawing on Jaime’s path from physics PhD to McKinsey to fractional CFO (now leading a 38-person team across Spain and Germany), they dive into European public funding, soft loans, grants, tax incentives, and – most surprisingly – bank financing for SaaS. You’ll hear how to present unit economics to credit risk teams, run multiple debt processes in parallel, and realistically save 10–20% dilution on the next raise. Bonus: why the best CFOs play offense (growth) and defense (controls)… and why Ring of Fire is a crowd-pleaser at karaoke.

Listen Now »
Merushka Chetty

Milán Golovics – Hungarian VC: Government Funding Ruined Startups

In this episode, James sits down with Milán Golovics, founder of BAO Contracting and a former VC associate turned startup operator/CFO, to unpack the realities of building and funding hardware in Central & Eastern Europe. From Hungary’s unique venture landscape to rethinking a “hardware-only” sale into a subscription model, Milán shares crisp, tactical lessons for seed-stage founders – and the CFOs who support them.

Listen Now »