Bridgehead Prepared for Darren at Santé
For Darren

Liquor Store Sales Playbook

Darren, we’ll build your new AE’s first 100 accounts in 10 days. The first 25 are below, and they’re yours either way.

If your AE seat stays open another quarter, ignore this. If it doesn’t, the next two minutes are worth it.

What we noticed

You raised a $15M Series A on October 6, and your own Series A post says you cut the sales cycle by 48%, from 35 days to 18.

Your Account Executive and SDR roles have been posted since February 11, and both are still open.

  1. February 11 Account Executive and SDR roles first posted
  2. February 12 $7.6M seed announced
  3. October 6 $15M Series A, led by FINTOP
  4. November 9 Both roles still open; the first 25 accounts are on this page

What changes for your new AE

Your new AE starts day one with 100 accounts you approved and drafts written to the first five, instead of spending their first weeks finding them. Your playbook already tells them how to talk to stores by state; this tells them which stores to call first, and why now. With deals closing in about 18 days, every week saved on finding accounts is a week sooner to their first close.

Your first 25 accounts

Picked from how you describe your buyers on Verticals and in your posts. Each one has the reason it’s here and the source.

Yours either wayKeep these 25 whether or not we ever talk.
Cut any you wouldn’t callTell us why, and we replace it. We keep going until you’d keep at least 80 of the 100.
  1. K&L Wine Merchants New York, NY; also the Bay Area and Los Angeles · store count not stated
    1

    They just took over a 1934 spirits-heavy Manhattan shop and are renovating while it trades, so two catalogs and two ways of running a store are being merged right now.

    Signal: Mar 2, 2026 Source
    Buyer: CEO or VP of Strategic Growth and Partnerships
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  2. Wine Dad's Hoboken and Jersey City, NJ · 3 stores
    2

    Three stores in two Hudson County cities means three counts and three sets of pricing to keep straight, and the article mentions no delivery or online ordering.

    Signal: Jul 10, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Co-founder and owner
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  3. Wally's Wine & Spirits Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Malibu, CA; Las Vegas · 4 stores
    3

    A premium LA operator that just added a fourth store with a new format and a grab-and-go food counter, which is when the register and catalog setup gets tested.

    Signal: May 22, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Owner or President
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  4. Beach Liquors Northwest Florida · 6 stores
    4

    They already sell online, deliver and run an app across six stores with a new pour-by-the-glass bar at the newest one, so the channel and register data has to line up now.

    Signal: Sep 4, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Co-owner
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  5. Tequila Ranch Paramount, CA; opening in Arcadia · 1 store, second on the way
    5

    A spirits specialist that already ships nationwide is taking over another liquor store's site for its second location, so a second register and one online catalog have to line up.

    Signal: Oct 2, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Owner
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  6. Lifted Spirits Jersey City, NJ (Journal Square) · 1 store, opening soon
    6

    A new store choosing its register and catalog setup before it opens is the one moment nobody has to migrate off anything.

    Signal: Oct 28, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Co-founder
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  7. Barrel Blends Wine & Spirits St. Louis area, MO · 4 stores
    7

    Four stores built on memberships and events, plus an owner already using AI for analytics, which is the buyer who reads the pitch about agents for receiving and reordering.

    Signal: Aug 17, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Partner and Director of Business Development
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.
  8. Folkways Wine and Spirits North Salem, NY and Wilton, CT · 2 stores
    8

    Their first two-store jump crosses a state line, so two licenses, two tax setups and one shared catalog of small-producer wine arrive at once.

    Signal: Feb 18, 2026 Source
    Buyer: Co-owner
    Why it’s ranked here

    A strong fit.

    • An independent or regional operator, one to about 30 stores.
    • A big wine and spirits catalog, where receiving and pricing across thousands of SKUs eats staff hours.
    • Sells online already, or is about to, or leans on third-party apps to do it.
    • Something changed in the last nine months: a new store, a new owner, an acquisition, a remodel or a launch.
    • In a state where licensed stores can sell online and deliver. State-run stores are out.
    • Looks like the stores you already serve: urban premium independents and multi-store operators like Joe Canal’s and Pink Dot.

Your new AE’s first 100 accounts, in 10 days

The first 25 are above, and they’re yours either way.

Email Kash

We build a handful of these a month, for founders hiring now.

10 days

from kickoff to your team running it

  • 100 accounts you approve, each with the reason
  • Drafts to the first five, in your voice
  • Your team runs it without us
  • Any account you cut, we replace

How does Santé sell?

An outside read from your Verticals episode, your posts, your AlleyWatch interview, your site and your postings, built to be corrected: tell us anything that’s wrong. Tap a clip to play it from that moment.

Verticals, episode 177 clips · February 11, 2026
  1. Who buys
    “about 90% of the market is independently owned and operated.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 1:36
  2. Who buys
    “we have focused very much on cold calling the store and finding out when the manager or the owner is going to be available.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 42:05
  3. Who buys
    “it's fragmented at the front door, but it's interconnected at home.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 44:17
  4. The problem
    “every delivery you have this paper invoice, and you have to enter that into your point of sale system.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 12:09
  5. Why you win
    “They drop a file into their server it puts a bot in there and then it extracts all the data”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 54:19
  6. When a store moves
    “there are five legacy players in market that are vertical specific. They occupy about 26% of the industry.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 51:32
  7. When a store moves
    “a couple of them have even been like sunset and are like requiring that their customers like fold into a generic platform.”
    Darren, Verticals, episode 17, 52:06
In your posts and interviews4 quotes
  1. Who buys
    “They care about saving time, reducing labor costs, and moving inventory.”
    AlleyWatch interview, October 7
  2. Why you win
    “These entrepreneurs are so eager to thrive with Santé, they’ll complete an entire migration in 2 days.”
    Your Series A post on LinkedIn, October 6
  3. Why you win
    “While most liquor stores rely on legacy systems or generic POS software adapted from restaurants, Santé is vertically integrated with liquor-specific logic.”
    AlleyWatch interview, October 7
  4. Why you win
    “Having the best product in market has allowed us to cut sales cycles by 48%, going from 35 days to 18 days per deal.”
    Your Series A post on LinkedIn, October 6
What your customers sayFrom santehq.com/customers
  1. “Before Santé, we were buried with receiving invoices across all of our locations.”
    Liquor Market, Massachusetts · santehq.com/customers
  2. Pop & Pour, Bronx
    “Atlantic Systems was old and clunky. It’s refreshing to have a new system that’s easier for me and my staff.”
    Yajaira Gonzalez, Pop & Pour, Bronx · santehq.com/customers
  3. “We’ve always had separate vendors for POS, eCommerce and merchant services.”
    Leiser’s Liquors, Flushing · santehq.com/customers
  4. “We switched both of our stores to Santé after 26 years with LiquorPOS”
    Aaron, Joe Canal’s · santehq.com/customers
  5. Southbridge Wine & Market, Agawam
    “We looked at all the options in the market before opening our store, and Santé was clearly the best fit for a liquor store today.”
    Dan Newcomb, Southbridge Wine & Market, Agawam · santehq.com/customers

Words you use

  • “1980s tech”
  • “operating system”
  • “agents that go to work for you”
  • “Get your time back”
  • “white-glove onboarding”
  • “Industry Experts”
  • “hidden fees”
  • “Endless Aisle”
  • “Make the Switch”
  • “rip and replace”
  • “go live”
  • “complacency”

How the list learns your calls

In the first session you react to accounts like these: keep or cut, and why, the way you’d tell a cofounder. Each reason becomes a rule you can read, the pool re-scores, and ten more show whether it learned. Keep eight of ten and the hundred is built on your rules.

  1. You cut one on the call, and say why
  2. It becomes a rule
  3. The pool re-scores
  4. Ten more test it

Which questions can only you answer?

Your episode and your posts don’t say which stores you’d never spend a meeting on, or what an owner has to see before they switch. About 30 minutes of you reacting to real accounts answers these.

  1. 1

    Which store shape closes fastest for your team: one store, a handful, or twenty and up?

    Row 6 is a store that hasn’t opened; rows 9 and 11 run twenty or more. Your answer reorders the list.

  2. 2

    When a chain buys a store, does the decision move to the parent?

    Row 17 (Applejack, now under ABC) and row 19 (Lee’s, now under Spec’s) stay or go on this one.

  3. 3

    Is there a store count where you’d stop?

    Row 23 (Twin Liquors, 100+ stores) is here to find that line, and row 25 (Publix Liquors) tests whether a corporate parent is ever a fit.

  4. 4

    Which states need their own script before an AE dials?

    Row 22 (Massachusetts) and row 24 (Arkansas) depend on it.

  5. 5

    Does a store that hasn’t opened yet belong in an AE’s first week?

    Row 6 (Lifted Spirits) hasn’t opened yet, and row 18 (34 Wines and Spirits) opens its flagship this month.

What does your Account Executive’s first morning look like?

Without

The CRM you have now. The early weeks go to learning which accounts you’d call, and why.

With · Account Executive, first morning

  • KLK&L Wine MerchantsDraft written
  • WDWine Dad'sDraft written
  • Wally's Wine & SpiritsDraft written
  • BLBeach LiquorsDraft written
  • TRTequila RanchDraft written

A hundred accounts you approved, the rules behind them and drafts to the first five, so their time goes to buyers.

From week two, your mornings too: one brief, drafts to approve, every message sent by you.

How the 10 days run

What happens in the ten working days?

November 16, 2026 to December 1, 2026. About a day of your time in total.

  1. Before by November 16

    You send the customers you’d clone and three deals that went wrong, plus 10 to 20 emails or posts you wrote. “How you sell” is drafted from your talks and posts.

    You: 20 minutes
  2. Day 1 November 16

    The playbook session: we fill the gaps and correct the draft together. Your CRM is connected.

    You: 2 hours
  3. Day 2 November 17

    Your first rules are written; a few hundred companies are scored against them.

    You: none
  4. Day 3 November 18

    You review the first 25 (talking it through is fine).

    You: 30 minutes
  5. Day 4 November 19

    Your reasons become rules; you see the re-score and judge 10 more. First touches are written in your voice to the accounts you kept, and you read ten. Touches start logging to the CRM.

    You: 30 minutes
  6. Day 5 November 20

    The hundred is built. The research tool is set up; you test it on three accounts you know.

    You: 15 minutes
  7. Day 6 November 23

    The morning run is set up; your first morning, with us.

    You: 30 minutes
  8. Day 7 November 24

    You review all hundred, and any cut is replaced. Team training, session one.

    You: 1 hour 20 minutes
  9. Day 8 November 25

    Your first morning on your own. Training session two, hands-on for each person.

    You: 1 hour plus your morning
  10. Day 9 November 30

    Your second morning on your own. Each person on your team runs the morning alone.

    You: your morning
  11. Day 10 December 1

    Your third morning on your own. A week of touches is in the CRM. Handover sign-off.

    You: 30 minutes plus your morning
Kash Badami

Who builds it?

The person in the video does the work with you, from the first session to the handover.

$100M+in deals sold in a single year
$0 to $10MARR in 12 months, for a company I built
  1. “Kash and I built ERT Credit together in 2021. He took my MVP and turned it into a SaaS that hit $10M ARR in twelve months.”

    Jordan Anderson, CEO, PayStreetgobridgehead.ai/about

  2. “Analytical in approach, technologically-knowledgeable, and earnest in conviction, Kash was able to drive pipeline in a notoriously challenging tech region.”

    JBJason Brandt, Managing Director, Sales, ePlus inc.LinkedIn recommendation, April 2020

Where does this go from here?

Three options. Each one is fine.

Not a fit

Say so in a line, and that’s the end of it.

Not now

Keep the 25 and the read on how you sell, and share them. When the role fills, the offer stands.

Talk with Kash

Ask Kash to call you, or email him. He calls to set up a 30-minute strategy session. Bring your cofounder or your sales leader.

Your new AE’s first 100 accounts, in 10 days

The first 25 are above, and they’re yours either way.

Email Kash

We build a handful of these a month, for founders hiring now.

10 days

from kickoff to your team running it

  • 100 accounts you approve, each with the reason
  • Drafts to the first five, in your voice
  • Your team runs it without us
  • Any account you cut, we replace

Santé sales playbook, in brief

Santé sells a liquor-specific point of sale and operating system to independent wine and spirits stores. Darren Fike puts about 90% of the market as independently owned and operated.Pulse 2.0: Series A coverage, Verticals, episode 17

Owners describe the problem as being “buried with receiving invoices across all of our locations,” typing each delivery’s paper invoice into the point of sale, and running separate vendors for POS, eCommerce and merchant services.santehq.com/customers, Verticals, episode 17

The team cold calls the store to find out when the owner or manager is in, and wins on an easy switch: the store’s data is loaded for it, a migration can finish in two days, and Darren reports sales cycles cut from 35 days to 18.Verticals, episode 17, Your Series A post on LinkedIn

The first 25 accounts for a new Account Executive are wine and spirits retailers, each scored on six rules and backed by a dated, sourced signal such as a new store, a new owner or an acquisition: thirteen strong fits, eight in the middle and four edge cases that test the rules.

Prepared by at Bridgehead · November 9, 2026 · Every source

Questions founders ask

Can’t my AE build this when they start?

They can. But wouldn’t you rather they were selling? Reps spend 28% of their time selling, and the average new AE takes 6.2 months to ramp. This replaces the weeks they would spend building the list and learning what you already know.

28%: Salesforce, State of Sales (7,700+ sellers, 2022) · 6.2 months: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies)

How much sooner does my new AE get to work?

From day one, because the accounts you approved and the first drafts are waiting. The average new AE takes 6.2 months to ramp, and at a $200K median OTE that is about $103K paid before they are fully productive. Only 48% of AEs hit quota.

6.2 months: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies) · $103K: arithmetic ($200K median OTE × 6.2 months ÷ 12); Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies) · 48%: Bridge Group, 2026 AE report (158 companies)

We tried an outreach tool and it sounded like a robot. How is this different?

Nothing goes out on its own. Every account on the list is one you approved, every draft is written to one person, and you send each message yourself. It learns your voice from what you’ve written and from every edit you make.

How much of my time does it take?

About a day, spread across the ten working days: the 2-hour session on how you sell, short list reviews you can talk through, two training sessions and your first mornings. The hours your AE gets back go to selling, where reps spend just 28% of their time today.

28%: Salesforce, State of Sales (7,700+ sellers, 2022)

What happens after you leave?

It keeps learning. Each week it proposes rule changes from what your cuts, replies and silences showed, and you approve or reject each in a line.

Where does my data live?

In your own accounts: your Claude, your CRM, your files. Nothing runs on anyone else’s side, and any rule can be changed in plain English.

How is it priced?

The first engagement is one fixed price for the ten days. It depends on how many people we train and which systems we connect, so Kash quotes it on a short call. After handover, you can keep us on a retainer to keep supporting your sales process and refining it, if you choose that route.

The research behind this page 15 sources · 3 postings · 22 customers · 76 stores looked at

Your talks and posts

  1. Verticals, episode 17, February 11, 2026
  2. Your Series A post on LinkedIn, October 6, 2026
  3. Your seed post on LinkedIn, February 12, 2026
  4. AlleyWatch interview, October 7, 2026
  5. santehq.com
  6. santehq.com/customers
  7. santehq.com/features
  8. santehq.com/about
  9. Santé blog: the Series A, October 6, 2026
  10. Santé blog: the seed round, February 12, 2026
  11. Santé blog: the cost of tech for your liquor store, June 3, 2026
  12. Santé blog: best POS system for liquor stores
  13. Pulse 2.0: Series A coverage, October 6, 2026
  14. Y Combinator company page
  15. Santé company page on LinkedIn

Your open roles

  1. Account Executive, first posted February 11, 2026
  2. Sales Development Representative, first posted February 11, 2026
  3. Growth Marketer, first posted July 26, 2026

Your customers

Joe Canal’s · Wine Cellar of Queens · Leary’s Liquor Cabinet, Darien · Liquor Market, Massachusetts · Spirits of Carmine, West Village · Leiser’s Liquors, Flushing · Carmine St. Beers · Wine Gems, Bronxville · Beacon Hill Wine & Spirits, Boston · Egan’s Spring Lake Liquors · Bronx Wine Co. · The Corkscrew, Springfield, IL · Old Metairie Bottle Shop, New Orleans · Discovery Wines · Main Street Liquors, Nashville · Pop & Pour, Bronx · Southbridge Wine & Market, Agawam · Housebar · Le Dû Wines · Pink Dot · Morton Williams · Guulp Market (santehq.com/customers and your posts). Customer photos are from santehq.com/customers.

How the 25 were picked

76 stores found and scored on 6 rules; the 25 chosen to teach: 13 strong, 8 middle, 4 at the edges. Logos are from each store’s own site.

  • Sources: Beverage Dynamics (Top 100 Retailers and Retailer of the Year, 2026), local business news, trade press and the retailers’ own pages, each opened and saved on November 9, 2026.
  • Two first-draft rows were dropped because their own websites say “Powered by Santé” (Uncorked Hoboken, Orange Wine & Spirits). Every account site that loaded was checked for that line.
  • None of the 25 appears on santehq.com/customers.
  • Where a source says nothing about online sales or delivery, that rule scores low. It means not shown in the source, not absent.
  • Store counts the sources don’t give are marked unverified on the row.
  • Rows 17 and 19 now belong to larger chains (ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Spec’s), so the decision may sit with the parent.