What happens after the rocket ship stalls? We sit down with David Abbey, CEO and founder of Penny AI, to unpack the ride from pandemic-fueled hypergrowth to a bruising market reset—and the rebuild that followed. David shares how the team pivoted from an enterprise-focused AI CRM to Endlss, a polished influencer and affiliate marketing platform designed for founder-led D2C brands that need leverage, not overhead.
Together we dig into why influencer marketing is now marketing for small brands, and how generative AI can finally cut the manual grind: sourcing right-fit creators, personalizing outreach at scale, and tracking collaborations without drowning in spreadsheets. David explains the strategic switch from “ship fast” to “delight on first use,” why onboarding and opinionated workflows matter in a crowded SMB tool stack, and how tight ICP focus sharpened messaging and sales motion.
We also go behind the curtain on layoffs, survivor morale, and the culture shock of losing a major customer overnight. David walks through a transparent playbook—showing the books, briefing A players early, and resetting around fewer, higher-impact priorities—that helped the team stay aligned and deliver some of their best product quality ever. His leadership lens favors autonomy and trust: elevate the people you have, double down on strengths, and fill the gaps honestly. The closing takeaway is personal and practical: control your state. Whether it’s back-to-back VC pitches or tough customer news, the ability to reset your mindset may be the most valuable skill a founder can cultivate.
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