Why Zuma Went from 3 AEs to 0 and Closed More Deals, with CEO Shiv Gettu

Most founders scale GTM by hiring more reps. Shiv Gettu did the opposite.

If you don't know him, he’s the Co-founder & CEO of Zuma, an AI leasing agent that qualifies renters, books tours, and does rent collection.

In this episode, Shiv breaks down how Zuma went from three Account Executives to none. Instead of scaling headcount, he brought in one high-powered sales leader, and it worked. Revenue and pilot volume hit record highs.

But getting there wasn’t easy.

In our convo, Shiv walks me through:

1. The go-to-market mistake Shiv says set them back multiple quarters
2. How he ran a 93-interview search process to find the perfect hire
3. Why cold outbound is failing, and how he’s building relationships at scale through podcasting and a four-month RV tour

This episode is a masterclass in founder-led sales, hiring, and building a go-to-market motion that doesn’t look like everyone else’s—but works.

Whether you’re at $0 or $10M ARR, this one will challenge how you think about growth.

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