Matt Barron
VP Sales at Echelix. Founder at Barron Tech. $70M+ co-sold through Microsoft over 10 years.I write about two things: how to build real pipeline through Microsoft co-sell, and how to turn corporate sales experience into a profitable solo business.
Create options before you need them
The Solopreneur Copilot P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ Create options before you need them! When I was in Mexico with my family on spring break – everyone napping, kids out cold – I was wide awake. Consumed. Deals I needed to close. Someone else’s urgency had followed me all the way to another country. That was 2023. The burnout was real. And what made it worse was realizing I’d built my entire financial life around a system that wasn’t mine to control....
Your MSFT pipeline problem isn't a tech problem.
Co-Sell Field Notes: Notes from a $70M Microsoft Services Seller P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ I was looking at AI tooling demos this week. One post showed Claude building a mobile app from a website URL. Type a sentence, get a working product. I haven't tested it yet, but even at half the promised capability, it changes the shape of the work. I bring this up because I see MSFT consulting firms making the wrong move right now. They're chasing more...
you are the bottleneck
The Solopreneur Copilot P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ I was going through my bookmarks last week and saw a post about Claude. Give it a URL and it'll build you a mobile app from the website. Not a native app, a mobile-optimized experience, but still. Type a sentence, get a product. I haven't tested it yet. I will. But even if it's 60% of what it promises, the point stands. Five years ago, if a consulting client said "we need a mobile version of our...
The wake-up call always shows up uninvited
The Solopreneur Copilot P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ This past week I got a text from an old college buddy. He told me about a mutual friend of ours who lives in Houston. Reminded me that I randomly bumped into him a couple years ago. He looked older than he should. Hair thin. Stressed in a way you feel before you see it. Two young kids will do that to you. Anyway - the text read that our mutual friend’s wife passed away in her sleep right after their...
The best apps come from problems you actually have
The Solopreneur Copilot P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ I've got a 14-year-old who cannot self-regulate his screen time. I know this because I've watched it for years. He'll play for 6 hours if nobody stops him. I tried rules. I tried conversations. I tried timers. All of them require me to be the enforcer, every single time, which is exhausting and adds friction to both of our days. So I'm building something. It's called Earned Screen Time. The idea is...
I closed a big deal Friday. Then I gave myself a B+ as a dad.
The Solopreneur Copilot P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ Closed a really big deal on Friday. Had a great weekend with the kids. Stayed off the phone most of it. I gave myself a B+ as a dad this week. The standard I want to operate at is higher than what I delivered. And I’m honest enough with myself to say it out loud. The myth The myth solo founders sell themselves is that the business and the family are on the same team. Win at the business and the...
Your product is your funnel (if you let it be)
Co-Sell Field Notes: Notes from a $70M Microsoft Services Seller P.S. read an web version of this email here: barrontech.kit.com/posts/ Your product is your funnel (if you let it be) I've been curating my LinkedIn outreach list this week. Adding names on Sales Navigator, engaging with content where it makes sense, building the lead list slowly and on purpose. And I caught myself almost making a mistake. I was about to discard accounts that didn't fit my services ICP. Smaller teams. No...