Ready to grow? Doing more is rarely the answer.

Hi friends,

As we wrap up this year (can you believe it?!), I asked founders what is the most useful additional support I can provide. Unanimously, founders said they want to hear more direct stories from other founders in the earliest stages of their business: how did they get their first 100 Happy Paying Customers?

And, there is a strong preference for founders building multi-million dollar businesses who identify as underestimated because of their unique stories or identities. We want more stories from founders with both a background like ours, and a vision for success like ours.

Moving forward, I’ll be sharing more of these stories in this newsletter, especially zooming into their go-to-market fundamentals and playbooks, and unpacking what other founders might be able to replicate.

How does this sound? Hit reply and let me know your thoughts on this concept as well as the below story.

Wishing you happy holidays. I hope you get the chance to unplug and enjoy with your loved ones.

Rooting for you always,
Sweta

A founder in my portfolio is approaching $1M ARR (annual recurring revenue). She came to me with an enviable problem:

• 😍 Her LinkedIn content is converting like crazy. Her word-of-mouth is strong. Her business is ready to scale.

• But there was one issue: All the marketing magic lived in her head.

• I reviewed her current customer data, job-to-be-done stories, and existing marketing (LinkedIn content, website, and newsletter).

Then we sat down for a deep-dive. Here's what we discovered:

• The magic isn't in the tactics

• It isn't in the platform

• It isn't even in the content strategy

  (though all these are on point 🎯)

The real magic is her deep understanding of customer stories.

So instead of trying to "replace" her marketing, I suggested:

+ Create a "Messaging Headquarters"

+ Document customer transformation stories

+ Build clear segment pathways (based on job-to-be-done)

+ Develop testing frameworks for her team to try LinkedIn

+ Infuse emotions and personality into ALL assets

+ Test new channels but do the above first

The goal? A system that could scale without losing the magic that's working from her personal touch.

Key lesson: Sometimes the best strategy isn't finding new channels - it's understanding why your current ones work so well and doubling down on that first. You may be surprised by how far you can get with founder-led marketing / sales and one main go-to-market playbook.

What marketing magic are you keeping in your head?

What else would you recommend to this founder?

P.S. This founder is Ashley Chang and we're doing a session on Sundays' journey to $1M ARR powered by Happy Paying Customers on Jan 16 at 1 ET/10 PT. You'll hear first-hand how customer obsession has been a critical part of Sundays' go-to-market success. Register here: https://tidycal.com/happypayingcustomers/sundays-road-to-1m-arr