Dharmesh Shah

Founder and CTO at HubSpot. Helping millions grow better.

Career startup guy.

Author of the book &quot;Inbound Marketing&quot; (http://InboundBook.com)

Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Software Development, internet marketing,SEO

Founder and CTO

Founder of HubSpot, a venture-backed software startup.  HubSpot offers the industry's first inbound marketing system for small businesses.  The software is available as a hosted service (SaaS).

"Why should companies pay for SaaS (HR/CRM/ERP/etc.) when they could just vibe code them?"

I get variations of this question or comment with some regularity (granted, it's sometimes just me talking to myself). 

Here are some biased (but hopefully, well-considered) thoughts:

1) I am a big proponent and user of vibe coding (what I call "agentic coding"). I do it every day, 7 days a week, including Sundays. It's amazing.

2) My company, HubSpot is a software company. We have hundreds of professional engineers -- just about all of them use AI for product development too. They are brilliant and know how to build production-grade products.

3) Even with this powerful army of talent, the number of internal, core SaaS applications that we have replaced with a vibe-coded variant is exactly ZERO. The number of applications we plan to replace is also exactly ZERO. 

4) It's not the absence of talent that keeps us from rolling our own SaaS apps, it's the presence of focus. It would be silly to try and replace our HR, team collaboration, expense tracking and 100+ other SaaS apps we use when we can just buy them. Just doesn't make sense.

5) That's us -- as a software company at some scale. If you're a non-software company it makes even less sense for you. Doesn't matter how good the AI coding tools get. Let's say you *could* vibe code a replacement for that SaaS app you're using, who's going to maintain it? Who's going to keep up with industry trends? What are you going to do when the 20-something genius that vibe coded it over a weekend leaves the company?  Who do you call when there's a major bug? 

6) If you're a Fortune 500 company at some scale, perhaps you could pull this off for some discrete use cases and the tradeoffs are worth it. You have an IT/Engineering department that is larger than the population of some countries.  You can take on the pain in return for the positives.

For the millions of others, my advice is:

Spend every calorie possible on creating value for your customers.

Never spend more time debating the priority of a product improvement than it would take to actually go ahead and do it. 

Small improvements add-up and they're morale boosters for both customers and the team.

In the early times at HubSpot we had something called "daily delights". Basically, every day, the product team would *ship* at least ONE small improvement to the product that was noticeable by customers (and hopefully delight a few of them).

We're bringing a variation of that idea back whereby we find and fix those minor annoyances in the HubSpot product and drive some customer delight. I'm thrilled. 

Sometimes companies have a tendency to overthink things and undervalue the compounding value of seemingly inconsequential improvements.

BREAKING:  OpenAI launches GPT 5.2 and boy is it smart.

I got immediate value out of it.

I was struggling with getting Codex CLI to work through a tricky coding (actually deployment) issue I was running into.  I was going back and forth with the coding agent for almost a dozen rounds -- to no avail.

Was even desperate enough to try Claude Code with Opus 4.5.  No luck.

Then, saw the news about GPT 5.2.  Switched to it.  It took a couple of more rounds of prompting -- but it solved the issue.

Look forward to digging in more tonight with a late-night coding session for a major overhaul of one of my popular agents. 

Thank you OpenAI!

I build a lot of AI agents for myself, which I increasingly also share with others. 

I don't build AI agents to make people unnecessary.

I build them to make people unstoppable.

The latest McKinsey State of AI 2025 report just dropped and I'll cautiously say it's pretty good. (Cautiously, because I'm a bit leery of reports from big management consulting companies -- they're often very mega-enterprise focused and I'm a startup/SMB guy.)

Some quick takes and insights:

1. Most companies are still “AI-curious,” not “AI-capable.”

Eighty-eight percent are using AI somewhere, but two-thirds are still stuck in pilot mode. Translation: lots of glitter, not much gold.

2. AI agents are the new interns.

Sixty-two percent of organizations are experimenting with agents, but only 10 percent have them doing real work at scale. Early days—but the ones that figure it out first will have an army of tireless digital doers.

3. High performers think beyond cost-cutting.

The top six percent of companies don’t just use AI to save money—they use it to reinvent workflows and drive innovation. They’re not trimming fat; they’re growing new muscle.

My advice:
Experiment and play with AI. That's how you learn.
But don't stop there.
Lean in and truly leverage it.
Even if it's for small, discrete tasks.

The next frontier isn’t “using AI.”
 It’s working with AI.

At HubSpot we're investing in helping millions of SMBs make this transition -- just like we've done in the past. Everything from our featured agents like Customer Agent and Prospecting Agent all the way down to simple, task-oriented agents on Agent.ai.  

We're not interested in high-falutin', performative AI.  We focus on the practical: What can AI actually *do* for you?

What's the difference between a company's mission and vision?

Here's how I think about it...

A mission states who the company is, what it is pursuing and why.  It's describes what is (hopefully) happening *today*.

A vision describes where the company is going, what direction it's moving and where it aspires to be in the *future*.

For example, HubSpot's mission is to "help millions grow better". So, everything we do can be connected back to that mission. The products we build, the underlying platform it uses, our partner ecosystem, HubSpot Academy, our free tools, Agent.ai, our INBOUND conference...everything. It's all in service of that core mission of helping millions grow better. 

So, what's our VISION? Candidly, we're currently iterating on it. With the advent of AI, we think we can be more aspirational and set a higher bar in terms of what we can accomplish.

Evan Weber

Affiliate Finders

Affiliate recruiting made simple and scalable.

I founded AffiliateFinders.com to solve a major problem in affiliate marketing: finding quality partners takes too much time. Our platform gives affiliate managers and brands instant access to over 10,000 pre-vetted affiliates, influencers, and content creators across every niche.

We provide advanced filters, AI-powered profile scoring, and verified contact info so teams can identify and reach out to the right partners quickly and confidently. Whether you're growing an established program or starting from scratch, AffiliateFinders gives you the speed, clarity, and control you've been missing.

I oversee product development, strategy, and growth, and work directly with our users to continuously improve the platform.

Founder

Experience Advertising

I am a seasoned Growth Marketing Expert and Consultant with more than two decades of experience in driving business success across various industries. Having partnered with over 400 companies, I specialize in catalyzing revenue growth through tailored digital marketing strategies, proficient online advertising, and optimized conversion rate techniques.

My Journey:
My career is built on a foundation of understanding market dynamics and consumer behavior, translating these insights into actionable and successful marketing initiatives. This experience has equipped me with the ability to not only devise strategies but also execute them to deliver tangible outcomes.

Expertise:

Digital Marketing: I develop integrated marketing campaigns that resonate with target audiences and result in engagement and conversions. Using the latest tools and data analytics, I ensure that every campaign is fine-tuned for optimal performance.
Online Advertising: My approach combines creativity with analytics to craft advertisements that capture attention and generate leads. I am proficient in managing significant advertising budgets, ensuring the highest ROI through meticulous media buying and campaign optimization.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): I excel in analyzing existing conversion pathways and implementing strategies that refine the user experience, enhance funnel efficiency, and significantly increase conversion rates.

What I Offer:
“I can help any company grow” – This isn't just a statement; it's a promise backed by a robust track record of scaling businesses and boosting revenues. Whether it's launching new products, entering untapped markets, or revamping existing marketing strategies, I bring a wealth of knowledge and a proactive approach to overcoming challenges and seizing opportunities.

Growth Marketing Expert

Plotting out revenue growth strategies for companies of all sizes.

Proficient at all things affiliate marketing. I love the affiliate marketing channel and growing affiliate programs over time. My agency provides industry-best outsourced affiliate program management and recruiting. We are a leader in the space, that provides education and training for affiliate marketers of all backgrounds and skill levels. We have cracked the code on how to build an affiliate program as quickly as possible, by utilizing both proprietary and 3rd party data that other agencies and individual advertisers don't have access to, which is worth it's weight in gold, literally. 

Whether you need a competent, effective affiliate agency to grow your affiliate channel, or have the staff and would like affiliate channel consulting, we can help your affiliate channel grow over time like it should when managed properly. Call today! 954-662-8010

Affiliate Marketing Guru

Ecommerce strategy, affiliate management and recruiting, loving what I do, helping people in their quest to earn online

With my extensive background in digital marketing, I bring a wealth of knowledge and successful strategies to the table as a high level digital marketing and online advertising consultant. My journey in this field, evolving over years of hands-on experience, has equipped me with best practices and winning tactics that are invaluable to my clients. I'm not just a consultant; I'm a partner in growth, sharing all that I've learned from driving revenue growth for hundreds of companies.

My expertise is comprehensive, covering every facet of digital marketing. I excel in managing campaigns across all major ad platforms, and I'm particularly passionate about optimizing conversion rates. This relentless focus on improvement and results is a cornerstone of my approach.

What makes my consulting service unique is the personal touch I bring to each project. I believe in working closely with my clients, understanding their unique needs, and tailoring strategies that not only meet but exceed their goals. My clients often express how much they appreciate this collaborative approach, which goes beyond mere business transactions to forge lasting, productive relationships. With me, you're not just tapping into a service, but into a partnership that's fully committed to your digital success.

Elite Digital Marketing and Online Advertising Consultant

Publisher Finders

I created and designed this tool to help brands and companies looking to grow their affiliate programs, influencer programs, partner programs and other types of programs that deal with 3rd party publishers or websites. I call it the affiliate manager’s best friend!

Digital Marketing U.

Online courses and education in the digital marketing and social media industries.

DentalPlans.com

Coordinated online marketing channels including: SEO, paid search, email marketing, newsletter sending, partnership marketing, referral programs, and other online marketing partnerships.

Director of Marketing

Utopia's Treasures

Owner

👋 Welcome to my world of performance marketing, affiliate growth, and vibe-coded innovation.

I’m Evan Weber, a digital marketing veteran with over 20 years of hands-on experience growing B2C, B2B, eCommerce, and SaaS brands. I’ve helped nearly 500 companies over 18+ years get more out of every click, campaign, and customer relationship.

🚀 Just launched: AffiliateFinders.com, the ultimate tool for affiliate managers and brands to discover and connect with high-quality affiliates. If you manage an affiliate program, this will change the game.

💡 What I Do Best:
- Master-level media buying across Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Microsoft, and Criteo
- Multi-channel retargeting that turns interest into action
- Affiliate program growth and new publisher recruitment
- CRO strategy and funnel optimization
- One-on-one consulting with marketing teams, founders, and CMOs
- Selecting and integrating the best tools and AI solutions for better marketing outcomes
- Expert in every part of the customer lifecycle, from acquisition to retention to reactivation
- Making your internal team more effective with better strategy, execution, and decision-making

🧠 Always Evolving
I stay on the cutting edge of digital marketing, testing new strategies and leveraging AI to unlock better results. I know the ad platforms inside and out. I know what tools make the difference. And I know how to build strategies that scale profitably.

🔥 Work Directly With Me
I don’t pass clients off. I lead the strategy, optimize the campaigns, and stay in the trenches with your team. Whether you need full platform management, affiliate program growth, or help making your team more effective, I’m the partner that makes it all work better.

🏢 Experience Advertising
I founded Experience Advertising in 2007 to help brands grow smarter and scale faster. We’ve worked with nearly 500 brands and are still obsessed with performance.

🎸 Also Me
I still get out there and hoop. Deadly jumper. Park legend.
I love Jimi Hendrix, basketball, and vibe coding to the legendary Gary Numan.
That mix of rhythm, focus, and creativity drives everything I do.

📞 Let’s Talk
Need help with ad campaigns, affiliate growth, CRO, or empowering your team?
📧 evan@experienceadvertising.com
📱 954-662-8010

Shopify is running their misleading ads again, claiming that it’s a great way to become an entrepreneur. It’s really not. The vast majority of Shopify stores fail. The only way it is a good idea is if you have a great unique product or a great vendor source, or you’re an established brand. And then you still have to market it effectively which costs money. If you don’t have a great conversion rate, it will likely fail. I know this because I’ve done it myself and worked with many Shopify merchants. They may have collectively had a great Black Friday, but that’s because they have more big stores on their platform. 

A better idea is vibecoding a software that you can charge people monthly fees for.

A call with me can literally make you millions!

How Ecommerce Brands Can Finish the Year Strong in a Tough Economy (Spoiler: It Doesn’t Include Anything About GEO or AI Search)
🔥 Finishing the year strong in Ecommerce is not optional, especially in a tough economy.

I just published a full breakdown of how Ecommerce brands can squeeze the absolute most out of December and set themselves up for a powerful January and Q1.

These are the exact strategies I’ve used over the past twenty plus years working with more than four hundred Ecommerce companies. High intent optimizations, multi channel retargeting, CRO improvements, affiliate activation, email and SMS strategy, and more.

None of it is theory. It is the real playbook that moves revenue when it matters most.

If you want to finish December strong and hit January with real momentum, check it out and let me know if you want another set of eyes on your Ecommerce marketing strategy.

Let’s finish the year strong. 💪

View newsletter: Evan Weber's Marketing Updates

The definitive playbook from someone who has been driving Ecommerce growth for more than twenty years. When the economy tightens, Ecommerce brands fee

Open article: How Ecommerce Brands Can Finish the Year Strong in a Tough Economy by Evan Weber • 5 min read

How Ecommerce Brands Can Finish the Year Strong in a Tough Economy

You’re obsessing about coming up in ChatGPT and Gemini, yet your Google Ads  account is jacked up.

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The Battle

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Evan Weber

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