I built GrowSpotlight to $1.6M ARR
Founder-led sales end to end. I wrote the cold outbound and handled the sales calls. I closed 250+ clients myself over 5 years.
AS
Arjun Shukla
Founder-led sales for startups
Hi, I'm Arjun Shukla.
Engineer turned founder turned revenue leader. I built GrowSpotlight to $1.6M ARR through founder-led sales, then helped Rosebud grow from $1M to $2.5M ARR in <1 year.
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Achievements
The work is finding buyers and staying involved until the deal is closed and retained.
I took Rosebud from $1M to $2.5M ARR in <1 year
I worked on the paid funnel and lifecycle motion, then led outreach to an 800+ cohort of practitioners.
How I work
Core traits
I ask questions and use the numbers. When the work gets hard, I stay with it.
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Relationship building
I like people and ask good questions. That helped me win trust with 200+ clients.
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Learning quickly
I take feedback well and learn new markets quickly.
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Staying with hard work
I have a high pain threshold. I will do unglamorous work when it helps a buyer understand the value.
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Working from numbers
I use numbers to decide what to do next.
Principles I follow
I keep a few books close because they shaped how I sell and operate.
- Breakthrough Advertising I meet the market where its awareness already is.
- Alex Hormozi - $100M Offers I try to make the offer specific.
- The Sales Acceleration Formula I build pipeline with a process I can measure.
- Amp It Up I like pace and direct accountability.
- Zero to One - Peter Thiel I look for the thing others are missing.
Work
Rosebud
Head of Growth
AI journal for personal growth. $6M seed led by Bessemer, with 776, Initialized, Fuel, Avenir, and Tim Ferriss. 150K+ users, 5,311 ratings.
I helped take Rosebud to $2.5M ARR. My work covered paid funnel strategy, creative testing, landing-page flow, lifecycle motion, and outreach to an 800+ cohort of practitioners.
Mason Interactive
VP of Sales
Eight-figure performance-driven digital marketing agency across paid media, SEO, email, creative, and lifecycle marketing.
I integrated GrowSpotlight after acquisition, rebuilt the offer and sales motion, and grew pipeline to a post-merger record of 3M+.
Growth services business for software, SaaS, and digital companies; acquired and merged into Mason Interactive.
I built the company to $1.6M ARR on founder-led sales: cold outbound, discovery, proposal, close, renew.
Booz / PwC
Strategy consulting
Corporate strategy and operating model work for complex organizations.
I spent 5 years in corporate strategy, building board-level narratives, commercial cases, and operating models for billion-dollar decisions.
Engineering
Systems foundation
Engineering foundation across physical systems, constraints, flow, and throughput.
I spent 3 years in engineering, including piping and pumpwork at Tooheys, and learned to diagnose constraints, flows, throughput, and tradeoffs.
Selected projects
A little more
Wife and kids
I keep family as my center of gravity.
Sports
I like American football, rugby, cricket, and anything with a bit of competition.
History and geopolitics
I like ancient history and why people move the way they do.
People
I like meeting new people and getting past small talk.