Founder & Partner @ Kanvas | Foster Innovation, Develop Business Strategy, Drive Growth

Katie Nowak

Here are 3 common growth mistakes I see...
...even in great businesses!

✨ Growth isn’t measured.

If you pay more for a customer than the revenue they generate over the course of working with you... it's not worth it!

(9.9 times out of 10)

As a result, you need to know which channels are actually working for you.

At a minimum, track how much it costs you to acquire one new customer in each channel... and how much they’re worth over time!
​
When you see those side‑by‑side, it gets a lot easier to stop “nice to have” activities and double down on what is actually driving toward your goals.
​
✨  Growth isn’t unique.

Don't copy the same growth playbooks as everyone else! Please!

If you want to acquire customers efficiently (less cost), you usually need to do something a little different (unique growth channel) that you're well-positioned to outperform in (competitive advantage).

Ask yourself:
+ Where do my customers live, work, and play?
+ In what moments are they most likely to make a buying decision?
+ Which of those moments are least crowded by my competitors?
+ In which of these unsaturated moments could we best deliver, based on our strengths?

...that’s where your best growth experiments often live.
​
✨ Growth ideas are too far outside your core competency.

When growth feels slow, it’s tempting to chase whatever’s trendy, like AI, influencers, complex partnerships... the list goes on.

Instead, your best growth bets usually build on the things you already do well!

Example:

Let’s say you run a local landscaping business. You’re excellent with people, building teams, securing new clients, and making yards beautiful. (Maybe you should come by my yard 🤣 )

A “shiny” growth idea might be launching a consumer gardening app. You would need engineers, designers, growth marketers... and probably a new team to help you navigate it all.

More grounded growth ideas might be:
+ Introducing a simple referral program for existing customers
+ Partnering with local realtors or HOAs who already trust you
+ Adding a seasonal package (spring clean‑up + fall prep) 
+ Offering an annual subscription for your best clients

Same ambition (more revenue) but now you’re stacking growth on top of your strengths instead of inventing a whole new business model!

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What resonated most with you across these growth prompts?

What would you add to the list?
 
Drop your thoughts in the comments and let’s chat. 😎 

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I'm Katie Nowak, an innovation leader, new venture designer and investor sharing examples & lessons weekly.

Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

Innovation Leader, New Venture Designer, Speaker @ Kanvas || Investor @ Altra Venture Partners

If nothing on your calendar scares you a little…
… you might be underestimating yourself 🤯 

I’ve always joked that life lives on the perimeter of your comfort zone.

If you’re always outside of your comfort zone, you’ll burn out.

…but if you’re always inside it, you’ll miss out on exciting life experiences!

I often reflect on my comfort zone balance across any given week, month, quarter, or year.

In doing so, I’ve defined 3 levels of ‘good scary’:

✨ Level 1: You can do it today, but you’re nervous.
✨ Level 2: You need help or prep to pull it off.
✨ Level 3: You have no idea how, but you’re committed.

My challenge to you is to pick a Level 1 or a Level 2 ‘good scary’, and give it a try this week.

You can use that momentum to build toward Level 3!

So tell us -

What’s one thing on your list this week that scares you a bit… but you know you’re capable of?

Share in the comments so we can cheer you on.

PS - I’ll be sharing a Level 3 scary of my own, soon! The picture is a hint. :)

—
I'm Katie Nowak, an investor, innovation leader, and new venture designer sharing examples & lessons weekly. Follow me + hit 🔔 to stay tuned.

Persona Media

We believe in the power of thought leadership to drive your influence, build trust, and serve at scale.  Our clients have included leaders at SANS Institute, Center for Internet Security, World Economic Forum, AWS, Upwork, Salesforce, Gateway Church, Asset Funders Network, Phillips Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, along with startups, founders, speakers, consultants across the U.S.  

Our current clients include global leaders and organizations in national security, AI, cybersecurity.  

Each engagement is carefully assessed for fit, and accepted if we can provide meaningful value to you and your audience. A tailored team and work plan is built around you and your influence objectives.

CEO; Thought Leadership Strategist

I speak on the why and how of modern thought leadership. I’ve spoken at CMO Huddles, National Cybersecurity Alliance’s Convene Conference, various ERGs, network events, meetings and on panels, virtually and in person. If your audience needs to represent your brand, I can show them how.

Guest Speaker

Today's leaders share their own thought leadership journey. And I teach the tactics of personal writing, speaking, monetization, B2B revenue, and how to serve at scale. Shape the future of your field.

Host | How To: Thought Leadership podcast

SecurityBiaS

Advisor

Level Up Ventures

Mentor

DIY Influence

You’re a leader. Now it’s time to become a thought leader. So we built a learning network! Learn to market yourself and monetize your subject matter expertise in a supportive community. It’s time to bet on yourself.

Founder

SecureTheVillage

Head of Thought Leadership

The Webby Awards

Jury Member

Chief

Member

Citizens Committee for New York City

Chief Marketing Officer

Communities Foundation of Texas

Assistant to the Chief Philanthropy Officer

UC San Diego

Corporate Communications

Thought Leadership Strategist | AI, Cybersecurity, National Security | 15-year founder | Social media obsessed | Build your influence to serve at scale.

If you’re reading this, you have influence. Everyone does. It’s just a matter of how adept you are at welding it to get what you need done. Stick around to learn from a thought leadership strategist for startups, executives, and orgs in AI, cybersecurity, national security. 

I’ve seen thought leadership win when marketing impact is dull in an AI-powered world and the customer journey is fragmented and self-driven. 

I’m obsessed with how ideas spread, how people earn trust, and how our brightest minds can serve at scale. 

Equally obsessed with sharing these ideas that I learn in client work and studying the leadership field with all interested in expanding their influence. 

In my work, I advise and create thought leadership toward revenue and influence, and to help clients create a more secure tomorrow. 

At my firm, Persona Media, now 15 years in, my team and I develop and execute visibility strategies, from idea and interview to live thought leadership content. We embed within executive and stakeholder ecosystems, partnering with your organization's comms, product, and policy teams to align with strategy behind what’s being built and align thought leadership to bring about those revenue and influence objectives. 

Every message we craft is grounded in trust, discretion, and a deep respect for the complexity and consequence of their work. A handful of examples of our work: 

Our client engagements often begin with board members in quiet conversations asking our help to make their C-suite comfortable and confident (palatable!) on camera. 

We work alongside crisis comms to adapt statements into something palatable the humans and social platforms. 

We take keynotes from our clients and turn them into TikToks, blogs, articles in major publications that your PR team can work with. 

Our thought leadership content becomes the best performing marketing content on your brand channels.

I am based in Dallas with my brilliant communications strategist and YouTuber husband and two daughters. Here, there’s always a notebook open, books consumed, nerding out over 'the future of,' sci-fi, and tech, cooking avoidance, and the outdoors. 

I teach weekly, speak often, and host the How to Thought Leadership podcast. My first book, coming in 2026, is a reinvention field guide to align on what you want, what the market wants from you, and how to MVP that brand in AI-first world.

Julie Michelle Morris

If you told me a few weeks ago I’d be cancelling Otter, my favorite AI tool? But a tool with more utility won me over shockingly fast. 

I won’t try OpenClaw despite its helpfulness for managing communication. My learning time is maxed out, and for client communication, there is no room for me-built experiments. 

Lindy has filled a major tool gap: 
Calendar, email, and schedule management 

How I’m using it -  

- Find something on my calendar. Add new events. Find options for recurring meetings. Send meeting invites. Find windows of project time. 

- Monitor my email for client questions, text me to alert, with links back to that email. Draft replies, or at my request, sends email once approved. 

- Records meetings better than Otter - Incredibly actionable and accurate meeting tasks, takeaways 

- Sends me a daily calendar, top cyber and AI security news brief, alerts for news naming my folks. Easily customizable.

But this is the BEST part: 
All that can be done via iMessage (text!)

I’m younger Gen X that absolutely uses text message, phone Slack etc. 

It’s only a few bucks more a month than Otter. 

The cost of change here: Minimal impact. 

Claude Code was able to export my old Otter transcripts so I’m not losing that valuable reference info. It will organize those transcripts in folders by client and done. And be able to refer to them easily. 

Really pleased a few weeks in. 

If you are here for the micro business, we’d love to see that on your roadmap. 

Not an affiliate, just blown away that this kind of functionality is HERE!

Head of Thought Leadership. AI, Cyber, National Security

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