Five things I wish every startup founder knew about marketing

Five things I wish every startup founder knew about marketing 🌟

Having worked with growth in dozens of startups, a few things keep coming up - over and over again.

Earlier this week I got the question:

What do you wish every startup founder really understood?

Here are my five top ones:

• Listen to customers and prospects. The most successful startups I’ve worked with put understanding their customer as a main priority. If there's one thing separating those that grow with those that don't - this is it. (It's surprising how many companies still don't.)
• Set a common ground. It’s common for people in a startup, even within one team, to have different definitions of the vision, mission and core values. These are fundamental in achieving focus, priorities and coherent messaging. Especially in a world that have an increasing amount of touchpoints between employees and the world. Bring everyone in alignment behind one vision and one set of values 🚀
• Make marketing assumption-proof. I’ve seen businesses build growth initiatives on assumptions, and the result is many months and runway wasted, unhappy investors and a bruised ego or two.
• Cultivate a beginner’s mindset. Keep an open mind to experimentation and testing. Don’t block yourself by thinking “I tried this once and it didn't work.”
• Forget about doing ‘all the things’. Double down on your strengths, and the strengths of your team. Work with what you have. Add T-shaped expertise skills as needed.