“The journey is the reward,” says Cedric Notz, CEO and founder of Float, a Capital-as-a-Service (CaaS) for SaaS businesses. Cedric has an unusual story of grit from competing as an Olympic skier to founding a pioneering non-dilutive funding company for SaaS businesses. Cedric’s career is proof that discipline and persistence can create remarkable outcomes.
Here are the key growth lessons from his Olympic and entrepreneurial journey that sales and professionals and entrepreneurs alike can apply to their own roles.
1. Seek challenges that energize you, not defeat you
Cedric’s Olympic journey taught him the importance of resilience. “The journey is what really matters,” he says. Whether on the slopes or in the boardroom, Cedric believes challenges should energize you, not defeat you. Sales professionals and entrepreneurs can take this mindset into their work, turning obstacles like inaccurate data or inefficient processes into opportunities to innovate and improve.
2. Growth lessons for every entrepreneur: Be persistent but flexible
One of Cedric’s early entrepreneurial lessons was the need to pivot. Float began as a factoring company, but Cedric realized the market was too crowded. “Being persistent is good, but not being flexible is bad,” he explains. He shifted Float’s focus to non-dilutive funding for SaaS companies, which proved to be a winning strategy. In sales, persistence in refining processes must be paired with flexibility to adapt to changing sales needs.
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3. Focus on the journey, not just the destination
Cedric stresses the value of enjoying the journey rather than obsessing over end goals. “If you only focus on the destination, you’ll never be satisfied,” he says. For sales teams, this means celebrating small wins such as improving CRM accuracy or streamlining a workflow, rather than waiting for large-scale success to validate their efforts. The journey of daily improvement is where true growth happens.
4. Understand the power of specialization
Cedric credits much of Float’s success to its early focus on a niche market: SaaS companies. “Be laser-focused and really good at one thing,” he advises. This is a key principle for sales. Instead of trying to fix every issue at once, focus on solving one critical problem, for example lead routing or pipeline visibility, and expand from there. Specialization builds credibility and creates measurable impact.
5. Build complementary teams
As one of the most important growth lessons, Cedric highlights the importance of co-founders or team members with complementary skills. “I’m more strategic, so my co-founder is very operational,” he says. For sales teams, having a mix of analytical, process-driven individuals and creative problem-solvers ensures a balanced approach to challenges. Collaboration between diverse skill sets is essential for success.
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6. Simplify processes with technology
Float’s core value proposition lies in its simplicity. Founders can apply for funding in minutes, thanks to automation and data integration. Cedric sees this as critical to Float’s success: “We use technology to make everything as smooth and effortless as possible.” In sales, leveraging technology to automate tasks like lead scoring, forecasting, and reporting frees teams to focus on high-value activities that drive growth.
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Conclusion
Cedric Notz’s journey growth lessons from the slopes to the startup world is a testament to the power of grit, resilience, and focus. His insights apply just as well to sales and entrepreneurship: embrace challenges, focus on incremental progress, and harness technology to create efficiency. Whether you’re fine-tuning a CRM or scaling a sales team, Cedric’s lessons remind us that the journey itself is the ultimate reward.
