I met Shuo Wang, Co-Founder and CEO of Deel, at an event recently.
In just 5 years, her company scaled from $0 to $1B+ in ARR.
What I witnessed next revealed everything about what separates billion-dollar founders from the rest.
Always Selling
I watched as she met person after person, always asking two questions:
- “How many employees do you have?”
- “Would you consider a new payroll provider?”
If the answer was yes, she’d get their number and say, “I’ll text you—let’s get time on the calendar next week.”
The Surprise
I was stunned.
I asked her: “Wait… how many people are on your sales team?”, thinking it must be tiny if she’s doing direct outreach.
She smiled: “1200.”
That’s when it clicked.
The Difference
She didn’t need to sell. She wanted to.
Because founders like her don’t waste opportunities—they create them.
I share more about what I’m building and investing in on my Now page.
Conclusion
This is how you build a $1B company in five years.
While others delegate and distance themselves from the front lines, unicorn founders stay hungry.
They see every conversation as a potential door to their next big break.