TK Kader’s Post

🚀 GTM: The Worst Moment - Navigating the Challenges as a Founder ?! As a founder, there’s no sugarcoating it: the Go-to-Market (GTM) phase can be the toughest part of the entrepreneurial journey. Reflecting on my own experience, I want to share the hardest moments and the lessons learned. 🔍 Market Validation and Fit: One of the most challenging times was realizing that our initial product wasn’t resonating with the market as we had hoped. The uncertainty was crushing. We had to pivot quickly, listen to customer feedback, and adjust our strategy, which tested our resilience and adaptability. 💰 Resource Constraints Operating on a shoestring budget during the GTM phase meant that every expenditure was scrutinized. The pressure to make every dollar count while trying to create a significant market impact was immense. This forced us to prioritize ruthlessly and innovate constantly. 🏆 Competitive Landscape Facing established competitors was intimidating. We struggled to differentiate our product in a crowded market. The sleepless nights spent analyzing competitors and refining our unique value proposition were some of the hardest but most crucial moments. 🤝 Execution Challenges Coordinating multiple functions—marketing, sales, product development, and customer service—was a logistical nightmare at times. Miscommunications and misalignments were frequent, and getting everyone on the same page required constant effort and strong leadership. 📈 Customer Acquisition Building brand awareness from scratch felt like an uphill battle. Convincing our first customers to trust and invest in us was particularly challenging. We learned the importance of delivering exceptional value and customer experiences to build credibility and gain traction. 🚀 Scalability When we started gaining momentum, scaling operations to meet demand was another tough hurdle. Ensuring our technology and customer support systems could handle rapid growth was a stressful and demanding process, full of trial and error. 🔄 Feedback Loop Continuously iterating on our product based on customer feedback was exhausting but necessary. Balancing this with other GTM activities stretched our resources thin and tested our commitment. Despite these challenges, the GTM phase was also where our vision began to take shape. It taught us invaluable lessons about perseverance, adaptability, and the importance of staying customer-focused.

🌟 Navigating GTM Success: The Critical Eight 🌟 In our journey to redefine the Go-To-Market (GTM) landscape, understanding the core pillars is not just beneficial; it's essential. As someone passionate about shaping successful GTM strategies, I've delved into the intricacies of what makes these strategies work. Let's explore the significance of the eight foundational pillars that are paramount for any GTM endeavor: 1️⃣ Total Relevant Market (TRM): Recognizing the full scope of your market is the starting block. Without this clarity, every other effort is just a shot in the dark. 2️⃣ Market Investment Map: Knowing where to allocate your resources can be the difference between thriving and barely surviving. It's about making informed decisions that drive growth. 3️⃣ Brand & Demand: These are two sides of the same coin. A strong brand creates demand; understanding how to fuel both simultaneously is key. 4️⃣ Pipeline Velocity: Speed is of the essence in converting leads to sales. The faster you can move, the better your bottom line will look. 5️⃣ Customer Time-to-Value: The quicker your customers see value in your offering, the stronger your relationship will become. It's a direct path to loyalty and satisfaction. 6️⃣ Customer Expansion: Growth doesn't stop at acquisition. Expanding your reach within existing accounts is a goldmine waiting to be tapped. 7️⃣ Revenue Operations: Streamlining your operations for maximum revenue efficiency is non-negotiable. It's the engine room of your GTM strategy. 8️⃣ Leadership & Management: None of the above is possible without visionary leadership and meticulous management. The right people, making the right decisions at the right time, can propel your GTM efforts to new heights. These pillars are more than just components; they're the very essence of a robust GTM strategy. Ignoring even one can lead to missed opportunities and growth stagnation. As we navigate these complex territories, let's keep these pillars as our guiding lights. Together, we can not only understand our market but redefine it. Join me in this exploration, and let's unlock the full potential of our GTM strategies. 🚀 Thanks GTM Partners, Sangram Vajre, Bryan Brown, Karthiga Ratnam, Lindsay Cordell and Team

Founders, as we approach FY 2025, it's time to take a hard look at your go-to-market strategy. Whether you're navigating hyper-growth or refining product-market fit, the decisions you make now will impact your trajectory for years to come. During a recent AMA with Madrona portfolio company CEOs, Anna Baird and Loren Alhadeff explored the elements of a successful FY 2025 plan. From focusing on core priorities to aligning your teams around shared revenue goals, they compiled five actionable insights to help you drive growth in the year ahead. Read the full guide below to learn how to position your startup for success in FY 2025 -- but here's a summary to kick it off! *Stay focused: Pivoting too often leads to lost momentum. Follow Warren Buffet’s 5/25 rule—identify your top 5 priorities and commit to them for real impact. *Customer-first: Align your GTM strategy with what your customers need, not just what your team wants to push. Listen to their pain points, and build from there. *Cross-functional alignment: Revenue is everyone’s responsibility. Sales, marketing, customer success, and product must all contribute to hitting shared revenue goals. *Equip your GTM team: Ensure your sales reps have fair territories and the tools they need to succeed. Focus on realistic quotas and sustainable growth. *Pipeline is lifeline: Without a strong, healthy pipeline, even the best strategies will fall short. Set clear pipeline creation goals and review progress regularly. https://lnkd.in/gMsYFVhb

WEEK 4: #ANTLER 🚀 GTM Strategy Lessons from Antler: Why Founders Need to Think Bottom-Up I’ve been reflecting on some of the key takeaways from the GTM session at Antler, and I wanted to share a few things that really resonated with me as a founder: 🔑 Bottom-Up Approach Beats the TAM, SAM, SOM Method Instead of trying to calculate the Total Addressable Market (TAM) from the top down, a more effective approach is to start from the bottom: potential customers × revenue per customer per year. This gets you closer to reality. Remember, GTM and strategy are everything! That’s exactly where I’m at in the Antler program, and the execution part is happening now. 🔄 Why Isn’t Your Product Resonating? If you’re struggling to get traction, it could be one of three things: - You’re pitching to the wrong vertical or industry. Try finding adjacencies—where else could your product fit? - Wrong ICP. You might be barking up the wrong tree in terms of the customer size or profile. - Messaging is off. Or, maybe you're too early to the market. Right now, I’m working through all these points. It’s a constant process of refining and testing. 📈 The End-to-End Solution vs. Point Solutions Here’s where I disagree with the hyper-focused approach. While it works for many AI startups, I’m a first-time founder and I’ll say it as it is: customers don’t want a point solution—they want a real, working, end-to-end product. A hyper-thin ICP and hyper-focused offering might get you initial funding, but from what I’ve learned, that’s not enough anymore. Customers want comprehensive solutions that solve broader problems. Jason M. Lemkin I am with you on this. 🧪 Structured GTM Execution and A/B Testing I realized I wasn’t approaching GTM in a methodical, structured way, and it was making it hard to track who I met with and what messaging worked. I’ve learned that cold emails might not be ideal, but A/B testing different versions of my messaging is critical. This process of testing and tracking feedback across customers is how I’m moving forward. 💡 Lesson Learned: Focusing solely on large customers early on was a misstep, and I’m shifting my strategy. I hope this experience can help other founders rethink their GTM approach, too. #FounderLife #GTMStrategy #Antler #AI #CustomerSuccess #Startups #LessonsLearned #FirstTimeFounder #AIBusiness #Growth Jake O'Shea

🔑 Successful companies don't leave their growth to chance. They weave a go-to-market (GTM) plan into their fabric. What's the GTM magic? It's the strategic compass that guides you to reach your target customers and gain a competitive edge. 🚀 Why It Matters: GTM isn't just about selling; it's about awareness, interest, and revenue. Picture it as a roadmap that aligns product development, sales, and marketing. With a well-defined GTM strategy, you can weather challenges and maintain a competitive edge. 🔍 Action: Whether you're a startup or an established business, craft your GTM strategy. Validate product-market fit, refine offerings, and set a growth course. Let the GTM light lead your way! ✨ 🔗 Read the full article from our founder Seth Temko. Check it out 👇 https://rdar.li/Bd8rvXa #GrowthStrategy #BusinessSuccess #GTMMagic 🚀🌟

Pickworth GTM has been doing more strategy work lately, thanks in large part to the contributions of my colleague Chris Franckhauser. But a friend was recently asking me why - what’s the relationship between strategy work and go-to-market? Everyone wants leads, and assumes they’ve already got the strategy. But often we find that the foundation is missing (or at least incomplete). You can have the best GTM function in the world, but without those pieces in place it’s going to struggle. Some ways I think GTM can add value in shaping those strategy conversations: 👉 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁: The GTM team is in market talking to customers. They have a pulse on trends, customer preferences, which competitors are highly regarded and which aren’t, what features everyone wishes existed, etc. Hugely helpful in trying to determine where to play and how to win. 👉 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Making sure the strategy aligns with market needs and customer realities. 👉 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: The GTM function is ultimately responsible for bringing the strategy to market. They can and should inform the strategy team on what success will take in terms of time, resources, etc. 👉 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: For companies that prefer lean or agile methods, the GTM function can quickly test hypotheses in market and help course correct before committing to a direction. 👉 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: The GTM team is used to being accountable for results. They can help the strategy team bring that same rigor to decision-making. Many companies are starting their strategic planning process for 2025. Even if you aren’t working with a firm like Pickworth GTM, I’d highly recommend giving a GTM leader a seat at that table.

10/10. Working on strategy always pushes against the trigger-happy founder's desire to work work work. They tell themselves it's Get(ing) Stuff Done, but w/o pausing to ask WHY you're doint it, it's just busy work... So quick tip!! Before you hit send on your next email blast, sit down to your next batch of cold calls, or book tickets to your next trade show: take 2 minutes to write down "WHY" you're doing it. What's the DESIRED OUTCOME you hope to see from this action. Then look at your email copy/script/attendee list, and ask yourself "is this going to get me that outcome? Or do I need to tweak this." Hit the right audience. Tell them something that's GOOD NEWS to them. Make a clear ask. Follow up. Always remember Rule #1 of Sales: have fun!!

In my 15+ years as a SaaS Founder and GTM advisor, I’ve found that Founders who embrace GTM win… and Founders who outsource it to a Fractional CMO, Junior Marketer, or Agency lose. Why? 1. Founders embracing Founder-led GTM talk to 100X more customers as they work to figure out their ICP, their Message, and how they land their customers. This allows them to build a better product and iterate on market feedback faster. 2. Founders embracing Founder-led GTM gain experience on what good sales and marketing feels like. Because of this experience, they hire better Salespeople and better Marketers. 3. Founders embracing Founder-led GTM have more successful GTM hires because they can hire caliber talent from the traction. The new hires have an initial playbook they can build off of. If you’re an early stage SaaS Founder and would like to join the Founder-led movement and finish 2024 strong, grab a complimentary copy of my 5-Point SaaS Growth Strategy Guide. Just follow the link in the comments below (choose recent comments in the dropdown if you don’t see it.) 👇

I've seen so many SaaS companies struggle with what seems like an irreparable GTM motion. Typically signals of a broken GTM are one or more of these: 1. Consistent Misses on Targets: The company frequently misses its sales targets, and not just by a small margin—often falling short by upto 50%. 2. Low Quota Attainment: A significant number of sales reps achieving less than 50% of their quotas. 3. High Sales Turnover: Top sales talent often leaves because of poor earnings and what they now perceive as low odds of success. 4. Ineffective Pipeline Conversion: Early-stage pipeline conversion is less than 20% 5. Low Close Rates: The company wins just 5-10% of deals (when it should be at least 2x-3x that). So what happens next? Theres a temptation to declare the GTM strategy unworkable. And so one of a few things happen: - Restructuring: The knee-jerk reaction is to fire the sales team, which leads to more chaos and lost time if the root issue isn't about the people. - "Strategic Pivots": A switch to a product-led growth model or a focus just one one kind of customer. While sometimes necessary, if this keeps happening its very destabilizing and give the appearance of strategic indecisiveness. - Hopes and Prayers: Founders believe that with time, newly implemented changes will yield results. The risk here is waiting too long without seeing improvement, which just results in prolonged underperformance. The thing that goes underappreciated is that addressing these challenges needs more than just surface-level fixes. it requires a deep, analytical approach to understanding how you sell, the market, and the company’s strategic alignment. Most critical is a unified understanding of metrics by everyone on the team - which generally is not the case and where everything falls apart. This is when you see constant arguments by people that don't understand the data and those that do. Without this, any attempt at troubleshooting or recalibrating the GTM strategy is going to fail and the startup is already dead. They just don't know it yet.

Excited to share this with my LinkedIn Fam. We just hit our one year anniversary at Pickworth GTM. It’s been an absolute whirlwind. We passed $700k in revenue (and will clip 1M in 2024), from 14 signed engagements. I don’t know what I expected when we started, but it wasn’t that. I’m not going to do the “it’s not about the money thing” either. I’m in sales. Of course it is 🙂. But it’s a testament to our early clients who took a leap of faith, who trusted us to serve them well. And I’d like to think we’ve honored their trust. Some highlights: 💪  $74,000,000 in pipeline creation. Not wishy-washy, “I think this might close pipeline”. But qualified prospects and accounts, with intent and clear next steps. 💪  Secured a pilot for $3,000,000 in 4 weeks for an early stage healthcare startup, delivering an unprecedented ROI in an astounding short period of time. 💪  Landed a Fortune 200 client that asked us to break into two accounts, one in the top 50 and one in the top 5. Within 2 weeks we accomplished the objective. 💪  Expanded our service offerings to include the full GTM stack: Strategy, Ideation, Design, Growth, Commercial Modeling, Deal Closure, Expansion, Talent Acquisition and of course, Business Development. 💪  Sourced C suite, Heads of, key hires and advisors to our client companies. From the start our vision wasn’t to make clients dependent on us, but to give them what they need to do it themselves. Part of that is process. Part of that is a culture shift. But part of it is helping them land some ballers who can make it happen once we’re gone. It’s also a testament to the team. I always planned to hire. But if I’m honest, I didn’t think I’d be able to get folks of this caliber this quickly. They’ve all said it’s because of the mission. They want to be a part of something great, and are convinced we have the foundation in place to make it happen. I know the founder is supposed to be the one selling the team. But in a weird way they’ve sold me on what we’re doing just as much. I’m more excited than ever. Thank you. Thank you to the clients for taking the risk. To their teams, for taking our recommendations and running with them, and to my own team for joining me on this crazy ride. I can’t wait to see what year two has in store for us.