Season 1
You’re Doing
Growth
Wrong
For startup founders and marketers tired of learning about growth the hard way
![[S1E6] Katie Deloso: “Don’t sell them, just listen to them”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1715775983206-ZFEMHVKO6WZV4W3UAD49/s1e6_katie_deloso.png)
![[S1E3] Talking about (most common) early-stage startup mistakes with Lucy Heskins. Because nobody should have to *cry in marketing* alone](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1710334587500-CKPRUSWGG9J1GP3HM5M9/lucy_episode_cover.png)
![[S1E2] Heather Lawver: branding is not what you think it is. Plus: how to create pitch decks that get you funding.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1709123657877-MRPV1JGYV2YWCW315DVF/heather_episode_cover.png)
![[S1E1] Jocelyn Brady: Hustle culture is killing us](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1707918293882-SYW2O8S33XBX19FL058T/Jocelyn_pod_episode_cover.png)
Choose your own adventure by scrolling through published posts:
![[S1E5] Diane Wiredu, Lion Words: Not everyone gets to be the Liquid Death of B2B SaaS — and that’s OK.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1713973205124-O9LRCFXRLVPHZ8PWKJ2K/s1e5_diane_lion_words_cover_image.png)
[S1E5] Diane Wiredu, Lion Words: Not everyone gets to be the Liquid Death of B2B SaaS — and that’s OK.
There can be no converting copy without messaging, and there’s no messaging without figuring out your positioning first. But how do they all work together – and how do storytelling and brand voice fit in?
![[S1E4] Alan Albert: “We tend to think our first ideas are the best ones, and we run with them. But sometimes they're not the best ideas.”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/510fa084e4b060f86e73735a/1712317041820-7REKYWD6VBAVE0XF7BK3/S1E4_Alan_Albert.png)
[S1E4] Alan Albert: “We tend to think our first ideas are the best ones, and we run with them. But sometimes they're not the best ideas.”
On confidence, finding the best ideas, and running interviews that dig deep into customers’ “why”
When copy gets in the way of traction: how to solve for startup growing pains
Early-stage startups need to move fast and break things to find PMF, identify best channels to reach their customers, and attract early adopters. But as you start scaling, this approach may be slowing down your growth. This is how you can make your website help you meet your MQL goals instead of getting in the way.
A rocketship launch or a leap of faith?
Trying to speed up your startup growth may be slowing it down. If you’re focusing on quick fixes and not pattern-finding.
When my prospects say: “We have no time for this,” “We already know everything about our customers,” “We’ll just A/B test it,” or “Can you just write it?” — what I hear is: “We’re flying blind and kinda like it that way.”
(I have yet to work on a project where all of the research data lined up neatly with assumptions and guesses about conversion drivers for a specific target audience. Never ever has it happened — which is why we need the research phase in the first place.)
4 mindset traps that prevent you from running effective customer interviews
“Talk to your customers,” they said. But how do you actually get to those mind-blowing insights everyone’s talking about?
Yes, interviewing customers is complicated. But not the way you think.
Scheduling interviews, coming up with incentives (or choosing not to incentivize), deciding on the questions, and challenging yourself to turn on your camera are all table stakes. The biggest challenge: overcoming mindset traps that make you a crappy interviewer, without you even noticing.
Early-stage startups: are you making these survey blunders?
How to get honest and thoughtful answers to your survey questions — and prevent biases from derailing results (especially if your startup relies on them for growth).