🗣️ Guest: Carola Kamuff – Presentation Coach | Author of Quick Guide Management Presentation
🎧 Host: Alex Rawlings, Founder of Raw Selection

⏱️ Key Topics & Timestamps:

00:00 – Meet Carola Kamuff
Former M&A exec turned expert in coaching management teams for exit presentations.

01:54 – Why Communication Matters
Carola explains her shift from numbers to narratives and why people—not just slides—drive deal success.

02:49 – The Biggest Mistake
Teams often prepare too little, too late—focusing on slides, not delivery or messaging.

04:15 – Rehearsal ≠ Training
Rehearsals test flow. Training transforms behavior, delivery, team dynamics, and confidence.

06:41 – Crafting a Powerful Story
From stats to storytelling—how real examples bring presentations to life and increase credibility.

09:35 – Even Experienced Execs Benefit
Exit presentations are high-stakes. Even confident leaders gain clarity, alignment, and polish from coaching.

12:51 – Does it Really Move the Needle?
Yes—Carola shares a real example where coaching turned around investor perception and revived interest.

14:47 – High Impact, Low Time Commitment
Just a few focused sessions over weeks can significantly improve presentation outcomes.

16:14 – Three Keys to Success

1. Storyline that resonates
2. Cohesive team delivery
3. Objective, external feedback

18:38 – Carola’s Recommended Reads & Listens
📚 Resonate, Slide:ology, Talk Like TED
🎧 Think Fast, Talk Smart, The Moth
📘 German: Quick Guide Management Presentation by Carola Kamuff

20:05 – Connect with Carola
Find her on LinkedIn: Carola Kamuff

Key Takeaway:
Your management presentation can boost—or break—your valuation. Great slides aren’t enough. Confidence, storytelling, and preparation make the difference.

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Jamyn Edis, digital transformation expert, former VC-backed CEO, and NYU professor. Jamyn shares actionable insights on using AI, data, and automation to drive performance across private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

From dynamic pricing models and A/B testing to agentic AI and accelerating product cycles, Jamyn explains how to cut through the hype, identify real opportunities, and turn AI into measurable value.

⏱️ Episode Highlights

00:00 – Meet Jamyn Edis
30+ years in consulting (Accenture), corporate (HBO, Take-Two), startups, and teaching at NYU. Focused on the intersection of tech, data, and private equity.

02:23 – Common Mistake in PE
Most firms treat data as plumbing, not strategy. Shift from backward-looking reporting to predictive and prescriptive analytics.

03:48 – AI That Delivers ROI
AI must be embedded into daily operations, not stuck in R&D. Productize, operationalize, and commercialize—or risk irrelevance.

05:15 – How AI Builds on Data
AI is powered by historical data but creates forward-looking insights. Use it to improve pricing, marketing, and operations.

06:42 – Case Study: Take-Two Interactive
Jamyn led data science initiatives to optimize pricing and marketing—replacing gut decisions with data-driven experimentation.

08:08 – AI as PE’s Next Value Driver
AI is the new operating system for PE. After leverage and digital transformation, the next edge is intelligence at scale.

09:31 – Advice to PE Firms
Skeptical? “Get out before the business gets out of you.” Overwhelmed? Start small, build prototypes, and focus on real use cases.

11:04 – Agentic AI in Action
Jamyn shares examples of cutting development cycles, boosting campaign ROI, and improving customer service with AI agents.

13:26 – From Problem to Prototype
Diagnose real pain points, create business and technical requirements, and build targeted AI tools that solve specific problems.

14:50 – AI Won’t Replace Humans, But...
Those who use AI will outperform those who don’t. Jamyn explains Jevons Paradox and why productivity leads to new jobs.

18:46 – How Jamyn Diagnoses Opportunities
Structured discovery process, stakeholder interviews, and clear roadmaps to identify where AI and tech can drive value.

22:10 – Every PE Firm Needs an AI Stack
Soon, AI tools will be as essential as data teams or web developers. Invest now in people, platforms, and processes.

23:06 – The Future is AI + Human Judgment
Firms that embed AI deeply—and pair it with operator judgment—will unlock the next generation of alpha.

24:21 – Jamyn’s Book: The Fifth Horseman
An exploration of how AI mirrors humanity and transforms the way we live and lead. AI is trained by us—and reflects us.

29:07 – What Jamyn Reads & Recommends
Books: The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Understanding Media
Podcasts: Pivot, Ezra Klein
TV: Succession – “Still the best corporate training program ever made.”

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.

Guest: Brian Gustason, Operating Partner at Craig Group
Host: Alex Rawlings, Founder of Raw Selection

🔍 Episode Summary:

In this episode, Brian Gustason shares practical insights on building scalable go-to-market (GTM) strategies for lower-middle-market, PE-backed companies. With over 25 years of operating and advisory experience, Brian explains how to move beyond traditional, backward-looking due diligence and implement forward-focused GTM strategies across marketing, sales, and customer success.

He walks through a real-world case study of transforming a $30M founder-led business—covering ICP development, sales process creation, lead qualification, and customer retention. Brian also discusses how marginal gains across key sales metrics (win rates, ACVs, churn) can compound into significant growth and how CEOs, sales leaders, and boards can drive accountability and execution.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Brian’s background and role at Craig Group
01:30 – Why traditional due diligence often fails to assess growth
03:00 – Real-world GTM transformation of a founder-led distributor
06:00 – Building ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and prioritising markets
09:00 – Improving lead qualification and using pre-suasion techniques
14:00 – Structuring an effective, trainable sales process
17:30 – Playbooks, documentation, and AI tools to support sales
20:00 – Importance of coaching and ongoing process evolution
23:00 – Growth 2.0: Compounding small improvements across KPIs
27:00 – Who owns GTM? Role of CEO, sales leaders, and the board
29:00 – Brian’s content recommendation: The 80/20 Principle and his LinkedIn series

📚 Resources:

• Craig Group: www.craiggroup.io
• Connect with Brian on LinkedIn: Brian Gustason
• Book Recommendation: The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch

Raw Selection partners with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies to secure exceptional executive talent. We focus on de-risking executive recruitment through meticulous search and selection processes, ensuring top-tier performance and long-term success.

🔗 Connect with Alex Rawlings on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrawlings/
🌐 Visit Raw Selection: www.raw-selection.com

Looking to grow your team? Check out our Hiring Guides

for proven strategies, templates, and best practices to make smarter hires.