How Alter Egos Help Entrepreneurs Conquer Sales Calls and Investor Pitches

When Eliud Kipchoge laces up his shoes on race day, he isn’t just a man running 26.2 miles. He becomes something more. Something different.

He becomes an unstoppable force.

Kipchoge is calm, disciplined, even soft-spoken in everyday life. But when the race starts, the gentle family man transforms into an unbreakable machine. The doubts fade. The fear evaporates. There’s only belief, precision, and execution.

Kipchoge once said, “Only the disciplined ones in life are free.” That discipline allowed him to shatter the two-hour marathon barrier. But it wasn’t just his legs that carried him—it was his mind. His alter ego. A part of him that refused to accept limits.

Entrepreneurs face the same mental marathon when they walk into an investor pitch or sales call. Fear whispers. Doubt creeps in. Rejection looms.

Your everyday self—the one who second-guesses, hesitates, overthinks—can’t win those moments.

That’s why you need to build your own Titan.

Sales and Pitches Are a Mental Race—Your Everyday Self Isn’t Built for It

Entrepreneurs love to say ‘I’m not a salesperson.’ Or ‘I hate pitching.’ They let their identity dictate their behavior.

But here’s the truth: Sales is the lifeblood of your business. Pitching is the gateway to growth. And your everyday self isn’t equipped to survive those arenas.

Your everyday self is designed to protect you from rejection. From discomfort. From the sting of a ‘no.’ But sales and pitching demand the opposite. You have to lean into risk. Embrace discomfort. Chase the ‘no’ to get to the ‘yes.’

That’s why world-class performers build alter egos for these moments—identities immune to fear, rejection, and hesitation.

Kipchoge doesn’t race as the man who worries about what others think. He races as The Titan—the version of himself who cannot be broken.

You must do the same.

Step 1: Identify Why Your Current Self Avoids the Arena

First, get brutally honest. When you step into a sales call or investor pitch, what shows up? Is it the entrepreneur who doubts whether they’re worthy? Is it the founder who’s afraid of hearing ‘no’? Is it the operator who’d rather hide behind email than make the ask?

That’s your everyday self. And it’s normal. But it’s not built for these moments.

Recognize the patterns. The hesitation. The avoidance. The over-explaining. The fidgeting. Those are signals your real self is trying to play it safe.

You need to replace it with a persona designed to thrive in the arena.

Step 2: Craft Your ‘Titan’ Identity

This is where the real work begins. Give your sales or pitch persona a name. Kipchoge becomes The Titan. You might become The Closer. The Gladiator. The Convincer.

This persona is unshakable. Bulletproof. Immune to rejection. They see every ‘no’ as a step closer to ‘yes.’ They never over-explain. They never apologize for the value they bring.

Give them a look. A tone of voice. A posture. Make them real. The more vivid the persona, the easier it is to step into them when the bullets start flying.

Step 3: Use Artifacts and Activation Rituals Before Every Call or Meeting

Your alter ego needs a trigger. Something that flips the switch from your everyday self into The Titan.

It could be a specific pen. A bracelet. A watch. Or a physical gesture like rolling your shoulders back, clenching your fists, or breathing in a certain pattern.

Pair this with a ritual phrase. Kipchoge is known for his mantras. You need yours. It could be something like, “I am the closer.” Or “No one can out-believe me.”

These artifacts and rituals anchor your body and mind to the persona, making the transition faster and more reliable, especially when nerves spike.

Step 4: Practice the Persona in Low-Stakes Settings First

Don’t wait for the high-pressure investor pitch to deploy your alter ego. Test it in safe arenas first. Use it on cold calls. Internal team sales meetings. Even practice pitches to friendly audiences.

Let The Titan get reps.

The more you activate the persona in small situations, the more natural it becomes when the real stakes appear.

Identity, like muscle, is built through repetition. You can’t expect to summon The Titan out of thin air. You have to train them.

Step 5: Let Your Titan Evolve as Your Confidence Grows

Your sales and pitch persona should evolve with you. In the early days, it might need to be aggressive, hungry, relentless—The Fighter. As you mature, it might evolve into The Strategist—calm, collected, knowing the room will bend to you in time.

Kipchoge’s Titan wasn’t born overnight. It was forged over years of disciplined training and relentless belief.

Let your persona grow with your skills. But never stop using it. Because every new arena, every new pitch, brings fresh fears. And your everyday self will always look for the exit.

Your Titan ensures you never take it.

Parting Advice

The world doesn’t reward timid, apologetic founders. It rewards the bold. The believers. The closers.

So stop walking into sales calls and investor pitches as your everyday self. Step into the persona built for those moments. The one who doesn’t flinch. Who doesn’t overthink. Who doesn’t fold when the pressure rises.

Be like Kipchoge. Be like The Titan.

Because no one is coming to save you. You either win the mental battle, or you lose the race before it starts.

Next Steps

Want more no-nonsense strategies to forge an elite entrepreneur identity? Listen to the Built by Discipline podcast where I break down identity, mindset, and alter ego tools every founder needs to win the inner war and dominate the boardroom.