From Legacy to Revenue Factory

When David Koss stepped into the president’s chair at Hunter Wire, it wasn’t just a generational baton pass, it was a pivot point. 

Third-generation leadership often carries more weight than power. Legacy, expectation, and pressure all come bundled into the job description. But what David found, and what he’s actively shaping today, is a playbook for modern growth that blends the bold risk-taking of his grandfather with the cautious precision of his father. 

In Episode 18 of Driving Growth, David and I discussed how he's turning a legacy manufacturer into a customer-obsessed, system-driven growth engine. We cover how he’s building a repeatable revenue system, why “saying no” is essential to scale, and what it means to close the loop between sales, ops, and delivery. 

It’s a case study on how to evolve a business without diluting its identity and turning core values into a competitive edge. 

1. Leadership means balancing risk and realism 

David grew up on the shop floor. He’s welded wire, swept floors, and handled customers. But no experience prepared him quite like the moment he officially bought the company from his father. 

“The successes belong to my team. The failures belong to me.” 

That awareness shapes how he leads with clarity, focus, and a strong sense of responsibility. 

He channels two forces: 

• His grandfather’s “every idea is worth exploring” mindset 
• His father’s structured, detail-driven discipline 

What results is a hybrid leadership style that’s grounded in data, open to opportunity, and allergic to complacency. 

The takeaway: great growth leaders know when to accelerate and when to brake. They move fast, but only after they’ve run the math. 

2. Stop chasing every sale: Know your Hedgehog 

When times are tough, the instinct is to chase every dollar. David learned the hard way that not every sale is a good one. 

“If your winning percentage is over 90%, you’re doing something wrong. You’re leaving money on the table.” 

That insight reflects the kind of discipline most leaders avoid: saying no. Or at least, “maybe, let me think on it.” 

At Hunter Wire, their growth isn’t shotgun, it’s a rifle scope. They focus on what they do best, then go deeper into the networks of existing customers, using the Hedgehog Concept from Good to Great as their guide. 

It’s a reminder that focused growth outweighs scattered growth. 

Want to build a revenue factory? Start by getting clear on your niche. Not just what you make, but what pain you solve, for whom, and why you win. 

3. If your sales system relies on heroes, you don’t have a system 

Many manufacturers rely on tribal knowledge or individual “rainmakers” to hit revenue targets. 

David’s taking the opposite approach: standardize and systemize. From forecasting to fulfillment, he’s working to build a machine that doesn’t require his constant intervention. 

“We’re selling solutions. And we’re building relationships that last through generational handoffs.” 

That doesn’t mean being robotic. It means building systems that preserve your strengths while removing the friction of gut-based decision-making. 

David’s team uses account-based forecasting, deep customer understanding, and long-term relationship mapping — all of which mirror the Bowtie model of Go-to-Market systems we talk about at Roadmap. 

Repeatable. Measurable. Adaptable. That’s the Revenue Factory approach. 

4. Your value proposition lives or dies in delivery 

You can talk about value all you want, but at Hunter Wire, they show it. 

“It’s not a catchphrase. It’s who we are.” 

Their core promise? Solutions and relationships. That means delivering when others won’t, even if it’s Friday night at 11 p.m. 

Too many businesses disconnect sales promises from operational capacity. Not Hunter Wire. 

Their front office runs lean. The same people who close the deal are responsible for delivery. That alignment eliminates the disconnect between what’s promised and what’s shipped. 

The lesson: people talk about how you delivered, not what you said you would. 

5. Boundaries aren’t barriers. They’re the guardrails that make sustainable growth possible 

David doesn’t just build systems for growth. He builds guardrails to protect it. 

He sets clear financial limits with his bank and holds the line, even when lenders offer more. 

David involves his spouse in business decisions and conversations, especially during tough times. He learned that trying to protect her by staying quiet was the wrong approach. Support networks can’t help if they don’t know what’s going on, so don’t shut them out. 

He says no to misaligned opportunities, even when the cash looks good in the short term. 

“Pay yourself first. Set your guideposts early. And don’t let growth outpace your discipline.” 

In short: he’s building a company that scales with discipline, grows with guardrails, and brings the right people into the conversation, especially when things get hard. 

Final thought: Modern growth means closing the loop 

Hunter Wire is a manufacturing company built on legacy. A company shaped by discipline, customer focus, and clear decision-making.  

Sales and operations aren’t separate conversations. The same people who make the promises are responsible for delivering on them. That tight connection ensures customers get what they were sold, not just what’s convenient to produce. 

Customer feedback doesn’t sit in a silo. It informs strategy, shapes relationships, and helps the team decide where to grow next. That feedback loop keeps them relevant and responsive, even in a traditional industry. 

And perhaps most importantly, the company’s past isn’t something to outgrow. It’s something to build from. David draws on the risk-taking spirit of his grandfather and the grounded discipline of his father to guide how Hunter Wire grows today. 

This is what it means to close the loop: not just aligning functions, but building a company where decisions, actions, and outcomes are connected. 

For leaders in traditional B2B businesses, this isn’t just a smart strategy. It’s a reminder that you don’t need to abandon your foundation to grow. You need to connect it to what comes next. 

Want to see how this works in your business? 

Download the Revenue Factory Toolkit to get the Go-To-Market math, forecasting models, and system frameworks we use at Roadmap. 

Listen to the full conversation with David Koss on Episode 18 of Driving Growth below.