Guiding B2B SaaS Companies to unlocking Revenue-Driven Success. Founder & Head of Growth @ Marked.

Over the past decade, I've dedicated my career to helping B2B SaaS companies focus on revenue-driven marketing operations that result in tangible growth. 

As the former founder of Marked, a respected agency in Belgium, I have worked with over 50 clients worldwide, providing sustainable growth solutions.

My mission is to empower B2B SaaS businesses by setting up revenue programs that generate consistent and sustainable growth. My approach is centered around practical strategies that drive real results. Nothing fluffy, real action.

What I Offer:
→ Coaching for CMOs & B2B Marketers: Tailored coaching to enhance skills and strategic thinking.
→ Fractional CMO Services: Providing leadership and expertise on a part-time basis to drive your growth.
→ Strategic Trajectories: Developing comprehensive plans that align with your business goals.
→ Building Revenue Systems: Crafting and implementing systems to ensure steady revenue growth.

Notable Clients:
I've had the privilege of working with leading B2B SaaS companies such as Mouseflow, Robovision, 6clicks, Sequesto, Froomle, and Accurat.

Key Achievements:
→ Assisted over 50 clients worldwide
→ Established Marked as a respected agency within Belgium
→ Advised startups through Belgian accelerators

If you're interested in learning more about how I can help your business grow, visit my personal site or subscribe to my newsletter for the latest insights and strategies.

Learn More:

Personal Site: xanmannekens.me
Newsletter: b2bmarketerscompass.com

Let's connect and explore how we can drive growth for your business together.

Xan Mannekens

I found my spark.

18 months ago, I left Marked to explore what's next.

Since then? 
→ Worked with amazing founders 
→ Helped scale some exciting businesses 
→ Built strategies that actually moved the needle

But something was missing.

That feeling when a project clicks. 
When you can't stop thinking about it. 
When work doesn't feel like work.

Then I saw Brent Luyckx's new project.

We met during a PEAK Coaching dinner ages ago.
When I saw what he was building, I reached out immediately.

It just clicked.

Health and sports aren't just hobbies for me, they're obsessions.
I genuinely want to understand every detail about how to optimize performance, recovery, and longevity.

So when we talked about Superhlth, everything aligned.

I'm excited (understatement) to announce I'm joining Superhlth as CMO & Go-to-Market Lead.

Finally found that project that gives me the spark.
The one where my personal passion meets professional purpose.

Let's build something incredible.
And I'm taking you guys along with me on the journey.

CMO & GTM Lead @ Superhlth | Helping you understand your body like never before.

A few weeks into Superhlth.

And boy, I have been loving it.

I've been: 
→ Learning the tech inside out 
→ Meeting the incredible team 
→ Working on everything from strategy to execution

One of those things? A new website.

Am I a web developer? Hell no.
Do we need an upgraded version while we wait for the final one? Yes sir.

So off we go.

That's exactly what I love about the startup journey.

You don't get to pick and choose what's "your job."

You see what needs to happen. 
And you make it happen.

Some days I'm building go-to-market strategy. 
Other days I'm fumbling through website builds.

Both are equally important when you're building something from scratch.

But every single thing I'm doing helps me learn more about the product, the tech, and the user experience and it makes me better at my actual role.

You can't build great marketing if you don't intimately understand what you're marketing.

This is startup life. 
And I'm here for it.

We just created & shipped our new Superhlth website in a matter of days 🚀

Speed over perfection. 
Execution over endless iterations.

We combined 4-5 Framer templates, pulled the best building blocks, and got it live. 

The goal wasn't to create something flawless, it was to move forward and unlock the next phase of our go-to-market strategy. Whilst building our fully custom website in the background.

So we're live and ready for feedback. 
If you spot anything that needs attention or have thoughts to share.
I'm all ears.

This is what building in public looks like. 
Let's go team.

Ship, learn, iterate.
Check it out and let me know what you think 👇

Last week I told you I found my spark with Superhlth.

But here's the full picture.

After leaving Marked 18 months ago, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what actually matters to me.

Two things kept coming back:
- Working on projects that cross paths with my passions.
- Helping and challenging people, giving back through coaching and guiding.

Superhlth checks box #1 perfectly.
Now I'm checking box #2.

I'm joining Better Growth to co-host the 12-week GTM Accelerator program.

Why?

Because I've seen too many talented founders struggle with the same growth challenges: 
→ No clear strategy 
→ Wasted budget on tactics that don't stick 
→ Flying blind without the right data

The Accelerator program gives teams the frameworks and systems to make growth predictable, controlled, and scalable.

And I get to work alongside some incredible co-trainers and hosts who push me to be better. Thierry, Tim, Peter 🚀 

We're kicking off 2026 with an event on February 26 in Gent about building future-proof growth organizations.

Link in the comments.

2026 is shaping up to be something special.
Let's go, team BG! 🚀

PS: AI generated picture due to lack of real ones. Thierry, I'm sorry our faces changed a bit if you zoom in.

Content positioning & storytelling for consultants who do great work but struggle to explain it

For the longest time, I couldn’t explain what I do for a living: My day job, my consulting work - every time someone asked, I’d slip into a two-minute monologue.

Sounds familiar? 

Probably! Because most consultants have this problem. 

They can do the work. But explaining it clearly? That's where they get stuck.

And here's what happens: if you can't explain what you do, your content can't either.

You post consistently. Get engagement. But from the wrong people. Other consultants. LinkedIn enthusiasts. Not your actual target clients.

The problem isn't your content tactics. It's unclear positioning.

When you're trying to serve everyone, you attract no one specific.

I learned this the hard way. Now I help early-stage consultants and people starting their own solo business venture fix the same problem.

Here's how I work:

- We start with positioning clarity - who you actually serve and what makes you different
- Then we break down your expertise into 3-4 content pillars that express that positioning
- From there, we build a content strategy that attracts your target market
- And finally, I show you engagement strategies to build relationships with the right people

I don't write content for you. I don't teach LinkedIn growth hacks. I help you get strategically clear so your content can actually work.

Results clients see:

- Content that attracts their actual target market, not just generic engagement
- Client conversations from LinkedIn instead of just comments and likes
- Clearer differentiation in their space - people understand what they do
- Positioning clarity that makes content creation easier and more effective

If your content attracts engagement but not clients, your positioning probably needs work.

Book a Positioning Reality Check. 

30 minutes & we'll figure out what's actually broken.

Let's chat 🤘

Simon Schmitz

I'm turning 33 today (holy macaroni!)

One year ago, I was just starting to gain real traction on LinkedIn. 

Here's what nobody tells you about your first year building a consulting business.

You'll undervalue your work.

I started my offers way too low because I was lacking the confidence in my abilities. 

Figured I needed to "build a track record first."

Wrong. Underpricing doesn't build credibility. It completely undermines it.

I spent months creating content and networking because it felt productive. 

And what I was really doing? Hiding from direct sales conversations.

As a result, you'll attract the wrong audience first.

I spent months chasing the wrong ICPs and pretended to be someone I just wasn't.

The people who actually need my help? 
Consultants like me, figuring out their positioning in real time.

Here are the most important lessons I learned last year:

- Underpricing your work doesn't build credibility, it destroys it.
- You're credible enough for people one step behind you, and that's exactly who needs your help.
-In most cases, consultants don't need generic content tactics - they need positioning clarity that makes content work.
- Your first real paying client teaches you more than any course ever will.

What I got wrong:

I thought year one would be about proving I'm credible enough.

Really, it was about accepting that being one step ahead is exactly what the right people need.

One year in. Still figuring it out. 

But a lot clearer on who I'm figuring it out for.

Cheers to that.

Content positioning strategist helping consultants attract the right clients through their content, not just engagement

If your posts get engagement but no clients, you're skipping one critical step:

A consultant asked me last week why his content wasn't converting.

I looked at his last 10 posts. On first glance, they look pretty good with solid engagement.

To see what was really going on, I asked him three questions I asked him three questions:

- What's your positioning in one sentence?
- What makes your methodology different?
- Who's your ideal client?

He couldn't answer any of them clearly.

That's the exact problem I'm helping consultants fix. If this sounds familiar, join the waitlist: https://lnkd.in/e4GC7niM

And that's usually a sign for the following

His content was getting engagement because it was helpful.

But it wasn't converting because nothing about it was specific to who he serves or how he's different.

Yes, helpful content can be great to showcase your expertise, but if you only post that kind of stuff, you will never attract enough clients. 

No reason to hire you specifically.

Trust me, I've been there myself.

Spent months creating content that people loved but didn't convert.

Because I was skipping the hard work of getting clear on who I serve and what makes me different.

In broad terms, here's what we need to do right now:

1. Get clear on your positioning first
2. Then create content that expresses it

That's what I'm helping consultants work on in the community I'm building.

We're focusing on the positioning work before the content work.

Because once you're clear on who you serve and how you're different, the content writes itself.

And it actually converts.

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9 out of 10 LinkedIn profiles overlook this - and it’s quietly sabotaging their pipeline.

Most solo consultants treat their LinkedIn profile like a boring a$$ resume.

I see this every day.

And it drives me nuts.

A resume is passive (unless it's one of those crazy Canva templates).

But your LinkedIn profile needs to instill action.

Remember, your profile has ONE job:

Getting the right person to take the right next step.

If your visitors can't answer these 3 questions in seconds, you've lost them:

- What expensive, urgent problem do you solve for your clients?
- What makes your approach unique?
- What's the next step visitors should take to learn more?

Want to turn your profile into a lead generation tool?

Then shoot me a DM for more info.

Starting something new with high expectations? 

That's how most people set themselves up to quit.

I usually start with the opposite thought.

I'm probably gonna suck at this.

New job. New hobby. New sport. Doesn't matter.

It sounds negative, but it's weirdly helpful.

It lowers the pressure and makes quitting harder.

Jiu-Jitsu was a good example: 

Some people walk in thinking they'll dominate .I walked in hoping I wouldn't embarrass myself.

Same with work: Every new role, I assume I might bomb in the first month.

And then… I don't.

Things click slower sometimes, but I don't panic because that was part of the deal in my head from day one.

Here's what I've learned:

Low expectations don't kill motivation, but unrealistic ones sure do!

So if you're just starting to post on LinkedIn, or starting anything where results feel public, take the pressure off.

Let it take longer than you want.

Most people don't quit because they're bad but because they expected to be good too fast.

You don't need to be great on day one.

Instead, just show up and not expect perfection.

What's something you've been putting off because you're worried you'll suck at it?

Content positioning & storytelling for consultants who want warm leads

I'm a 32-year-old German who moved to the US 8 years ago.

No plan besides getting my masters degree. 
Not a lot of research. But ready for a cool adventure.

Most people think moving to a new country means endless plot twists (and trust me, there were some).

But the real twist is I moved here and built a nice simple life.

As an example, here is my day yesterday

 1. wake at 7, brush teeth, pet Maggi, coffee
 2. open computer, clear notifications
 3. 30 minutes of DMs, post, reply
 4. onboarding call with an amazing new client
 5. log into work, knock to-do's out
 6. head to jiu jitsu, train for an hour
 7. same lunch as always at 13:00
 8. meetings till 17:00
 9. log out of Slack
 10. draft next week's content
 11. a few more DMs
 12. dinner at 19:00
 13. hang with my wife
 14. Battlefield 6 at 22:00
 15. read a book and sleep at 23:30
 16. do it all again the next day

Working from home is strange because the cool moments hide inside small routines.

But that's also where everything compounding lives.

If you're waiting for a move, a rebrand, or a viral moment to make life interesting, try this first:

- Make one day work so well it's worth doing it again the next day.
- Then repeat it until it pays you back (literally and figuratively).

That's been the real cool upgrade.

What's one boring thing you'll keep doing because it compounds in the long run?

If you’re a consultant who decided to use LinkedIn to get clients, here’s a metric most people ignore:

Everyone talks about follower goals.
And I’ve done that too.

But follower count isn't the shiny tool it's made out to be. 

What actually matters is engagement in the right places.

Posting consistently helps, yes.
Sharing useful insights helps, yes.

But if all you’re doing is publishing and waiting, you’re playing the slowest version of the game.

Early traction doesn’t come from reach.
It comes from proximity.

So instead of obsessing over:

- follower count
- impressions
- likes on your own posts

I’d track different things in your first months:

- How many ideal clients you’ve added and followed
- How many thoughtful comments you leave under their posts
- How often your name shows up where they already pay attention
- How many DMs start because someone recognizes you

That’s the real warming phase.

People don’t hire you because of your viral posts, but because you’ve been “around” long enough to feel trustworthy.

Follower growth looks good on a dashboard.
But relationships are what move pipelines.

If you’re starting out, I’d rather see 30 right people notice you than 3,000 random ones scroll past.

I’m currently putting together a small community for consultants and solopreneurs who want to work on this kind of stuff together. 

Positioning, content, and actually getting clients without turning LinkedIn into a cringe fest.

You can join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/eddcNCzZ

Craving real engagement? Ditch the flawless wins. Use these 5 storytelling shifts instead.

Most entrepreneurs turn their wins and fails into boring case studies not even their mom reads.

- Listing metrics
- Mentioning fancy strategies
- Including out of context screenshots

The result? 12 likes and zero comments.

People don't connect with data points.

They connect with the human parts of your journey.

Here are 5 ways to turn client experiences into stories:

1. Start with the mistake
2. End with the lesson
3. Show awkward moments
4. Include your thoughts
5. Admit what you didn't know

Your biggest client win means nothing without context.

People scroll past perfect case studies.

But they stop for honest moments that remind them of their struggles.

Real stories build trust faster than any testimonial.

No bs. 
Just your experiences doing the heavy lifting.

Save this for your next story worth telling.

Right now I'm building a community for consultants and solopreneurs. The pricing question is doing my head in.

Do I price it high because I know the value?

Or price it low to get more people in?

Here's what I've decided:

Start low. Get the ball rolling. Then increase incrementally over time.

Early members get rewarded for:

- Trusting me from day one
- Helping grow the community with me

Could I make it free?

Sure. But that would:

1. Signal to people there's nothing worth getting
2. Create a dead group in weeks
3. Undersell my value

Not my plan.

I also don't want one of those groups where people just shamelessly self-plug their stuff.

You know the ones.

Someone posts "Hey everyone. Check out my new course on Instagram growth."

Then crickets.

Or worse, 10 other people reply with their own links.

What I want instead:

- Real collaboration
- Actual networking
- Bouncing content ideas off each other

A place where you can say "I'm stuck on this hook" and get genuine feedback.

Not just "great post. btw here's my thing."

The pricing strategy does two things:

1. Attracts people who are serious
2. Rewards early believers

Because if you're willing to pay something (even if it's low), you're showing up differently.

You're invested.

You'll actually participate.

And that's the whole point.

Building something valuable together.

Not just another dead LinkedIn group collecting digital dust.

Do you think low-priced communities work better than free ones?

Yes or No?

Can't seem to attract new consulting leads? Check this out:

I asked 3 people what one of my client does for a living, according to their Linkedin profile.

None of them could tell me.

Not because they're dumb. Because his offer wasn't clear.

Bear with me:

If people can't explain what you do in 10 seconds, you're losing sales.

So I use this 3-step check with every client:

🐱Step 1: The Grandma Test
- Can your grandma explain what you do? If she can't, your offer is too complicated.
- Strip away the jargon and remove the fancy words.
- Make it so simple a 10-year-old gets it.

🐱 Step 2: The Problem-Solution Gap
- Does your offer clearly connect a problem to a solution?
-Most people talk about WHAT they do. But nobody cares about that.
- They care about the problem you solve. 
- If I can't see the before/after in 5 seconds, it's not clear enough.

🐱 Step 3: The Competitor Test
- Could your offer description apply to your competitors?
- If yes, it's too generic. "I help businesses grow" - cool, so does everyone else.
- Your offer needs to be specific enough that it ONLY makes sense for you.

Here's what happened after we fixed my client's offer:

- His discovery calls went from 20% to 60% show rate
- People stopped asking "so what exactly do you do?"
- He started getting referrals because people could actually explain his work

The truth is: A confused mind doesn't buy.

So run your offer through these 3 checks.

If it fails even one of them, simplify it.

Because the easier it is to understand what you do, the easier it is to sell.

Have a good weekend guys and gals!

I just talked to someone who spent almost $4,000 on a LinkedIn coach.

And yet, he learned nothing about getting clients.

This is just yet another reminder: A lot of people are teaching the right thing, but in the wrong context. 

They're teaching you how to pump your engagement metrics and impressions on your content. 

Which is cool. 

But it's not what gets you hired as a consultant or coach.

When the real problem is that nobody knows what the hell you actually do for your clients.

I broke down 6 signs you're optimizing for engagement instead of clients.

(If you've rewritten your headline 6 times this month, start with slide 2)

Swipe if your content performs but your booking link collects dust.

How to attract clients with content

Getting likes is easy. Getting clients from those likes isn't.

As you may know, I'm building a peer community for consultants who get engagement but not clients.

Because I keep having the same conversations: "I'm posting. Getting a few likes. But not landing the right clients."

The usual pattern: Random offers, discount requests, long sales cycles.

Here's the funky thing about building a consulting business:

You can't really reverse engineer it from watching the people already at the top.

You need people who are figuring it out at the same time you are.

I'm building a peer community for exactly that. Not a course. And not a guru mastermind. 

(Join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/eH_tZgu5

Just consultants & solopreneurs solving it together.

What you'll get:

- Clarity on what you actually sell and who buys it
- Content angles that attract clients who convert
- Feedback from people solving the same problems
- Shorter sales cycles because your positioning does the work
- Accountability that keeps you testing instead of guessing

I'm starting with founding members locked in at $50/month. Price increases as the community grows.

Here's the math: If this saves you one week in your sales cycle, it pays for itself multiple times over.

But in order to really hit the ground running, I need your specific input:

1. Would you use weekly group calls, or would async feedback work better for you?
2. What's the biggest positioning question you're wrestling with right now?
3. If you could get ONE thing from a community like this in the first 30 days, what would it be?
4. At $50/month, what would make you think "this is worth it" vs "not for me"?

This isn't a sales post. 

I just want to build something useful.

Dankeschön!

I charged my first content positioning client $500.

My brain immediately went: "That's way too much for what you just did."

Then I saw she face when the positioning clicked. She didn't flinch at the price. She thought it was a bargain.

The difference between what I thought I delivered and what she experienced? That's the gap most consultants never close.

You can't evaluate your own work the way your clients do. Especially when you've just solved the exact problem they've been stuck on for months.

Here's what changed for me: I stopped waiting to become the world's leading expert. I just needed to be one step ahead of the person I'm helping.

My client needed someone who recently figured out the positioning mess she's dealing with. That was me.

If you're waiting to "feel qualified" before charging real money, you're tracking the wrong metric. Your confidence level isn't what matters.

Client results are.

And here's the sucky part: You'll probably never feel qualified enough. That voice in your head doesn't disappear when you hit some magic number of clients or years of experience.

It disappears when you stop listening to it and start listening to your clients instead.

What's something you've been undercharging for because you don't feel ready yet?

3 myths I believed before signing my first consulting client.

When I started consulting work, I had it all figured out.

Plot twist: I didnt

Here's what I believed vs. what actually happened:

I believed: I need a website before I can take clients
Reality: First client came from a conversation, not a website

I believed: I should lower my prices until I have 10 testimonials
Reality: Underpricing made me annoyed, not booked

I believed: If I post 5x/week, the clients will come
Reality: 3 good posts beat 5 crappy ones

I believed: "Consultant" means having all the answers
Reality: "Consultant" means knowing how to find the answers

The gap between what we think we need and what actually works is where most consultants get it twisted.

I'm putting together a community for consultants and solopreneurs working through exactly this kind of stuff. 

Positioning, content, actually getting clients without turning LinkedIn into a cringe fest.

You can join the waitlist here: https://lnkd.in/e3iW-4QH

What's something you believed when you started that turned out completely wrong?

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The Battle

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