Garrett Jestice's Linkedin Analytics

I'm pumped to be speaking at the All In Agency Summit on May 1st! Ever wonder why some agencies grow effortlessly while others struggle despite working twice as hard? After helping dozens of agencies build scalable growth engines, I've seen what makes a difference. In my session, "10 Tips for Faster, More Efficient Growth," I'll share the best practices that help agencies scale without burning through cash or sanity. Here's a sneak peek at what I'll cover: → Why simplicity beats complexity in agency growth → How to build repeatable case studies your prospects can't resist → The critical reason you should sell first, market second → Why most agencies fill their funnel before plugging the holes (and why that's backward) This virtual event is completely FREE and packed with 25 expert presenters sharing actionable agency strategies. My friend Chris DuBois has put together something special for agency owners and leaders. If you're running an agency or leading an agency team, this is definitely worth blocking your calendar for. Hope to see you there! Register here: https://lnkd.in/gxPSNTVJ

Your website says one thing. Your sales team says another. Your product does something else entirely. I once watched a sales rep actively discourage prospects from visiting their own company website. Let that sink in. This isn't rare. I've seen this pattern repeat at dozens of B2B startups: → Marketing tells one story → Sales tells another → Product builds something else entirely → The website is so out of date, who knows what it's claiming The misalignment isn't just embarrassing––it's killing your conversion rates. Here's the truth most founders miss: The fastest way to align your GTM teams isn't another strategy offsite or slide deck. It's redesigning your website and sales pitch together. When you force everyone to agree on the exact same language, you have to answer the hard questions: → Who are we really built for? → What problem do we actually solve today (not tomorrow)? → How are we genuinely different? → Why should prospects care right now? When sales, marketing, and product finally align on these answers, your website and sales pitch transform from liabilities into your most powerful GTM assets. Want a quick test of your team's alignment? Pull up your homepage right now and ask each department leader to explain who you serve and why. If you get different answers, you've found your real GTM problem.

I'm a Christian. It's been a part of my life as long as I can remember. And today is a special day for Christians around the world. Today we celebrate when Jesus rose from the dead–something that happened over 2000 years ago but still brings hope to millions of people, including me. The Easter story shows us that even after our darkest days, new beginnings are possible. What looks like the end can actually be the start of something beautiful. In my life, this hope has helped me through tough times and made the good times even better. Rarely do I post about religion because I never want to offend those who might not believe the same way I do. But today felt right to share what brings me hope. This is one of my favorite Easter videos, which perfectly captures the meaning of this day. I hope you'll enjoy it. Even if you're not Christian, I hope you can join in celebrating hope and fresh starts today. We all need to remember that our struggles don't define our whole story. He lives! And because He does, everything changes.

In the past two years, here are a few of the services and offers I've either considered or tried to sell: → Website messaging & positioning → Full website design + copy projects → Sales enablement stuff (case studies, pitch decks, one-pagers) → Messaging & brand strategy for marketing agencies → 1:1 founder coaching → Group coaching for early-stage founders → Messaging + design subscription service → Fractional CMO & PMM retainers → Customer research services → A marketing matchmaking/referral service → Win/loss interview packages → Various consulting frameworks and concepts Some of those offers landed. Others didn't. Some made money. Others just looked good on paper. But most importantly, many helped me figure out what 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 to the companies I work with. What I've learned through all of it: Most B2B startups don't need more tactics. They need clarity and team alignment before they scale. The founders I've worked with aren't asking for another playbook or growth hack. They're asking: → Who exactly are we trying to reach? → What do we say to make them care? → Where should we focus our limited time, team, and budget? I've seen this over and over. Companies building websites, hiring marketers, or launching campaigns—before they've figured out who they're targeting, what they're saying, or how they will grow. That leads to: → Vague messaging that doesn't convert → Random acts of marketing that burn cash → Team confusion on what matters most → Bad hires who quit (or are fired) in 6 months So that's where I've landed. I help sales-led B2B startups and agencies fix their go-to-market strategy—before they waste money on marketing that won't work. It's 8 weeks of deep focus to get your team on the same page, clarify your message, and build a GTM plan you can actually use. You'll walk away with customer profiles based on real data, messaging that clicks, website copy ready to use, and a clear plan for where to find your best customers. It's not flashy. It's not a "scale to 7-figures overnight" kind of thing. But it's what most teams 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 need before they hire, launch, or spend more money. That's what I'm building from here forward. Ready for some clarity? Let's talk.

I took a 60-minute nap at 2 pm on a Thursday afternoon last week. I wasn’t sick. Wasn’t recovering from a late night with the kids. Just decided to close my laptop after finishing client work and let myself rest. Five years ago, this would have been unthinkable to me. Napping felt lazy. Wasteful. Like I was stealing time from more "productive" activities. You see, I've always been the hardworking guy. Never the smartest or most talented, but I could outwork anyone. That's how I made high school sports teams, graduated with a solid GPA, and landed every job I've had. But that approach had me feeling burnt out just as I was starting my own business a few years ago. So, I made a conscious decision to redefine success: → Teaching myself to do "chill work" → Setting boundaries on hours → Distinguishing between what's needed vs. desired → Realizing I don't need $500k/year to be happy I'm in a season of life with four kids between 3-12 years old. I want to coach their teams, attend their games, and yes, occasionally take a midday nap. Maybe someday I'll return to the grind. But right now, I'm embracing this phase where I work hard when needed, then close my laptop guilt-free on a Thursday afternoon. Life moves in seasons. Which season are you in right now?

The best person to grow your startup isn't who you think it is. 5 years ago, I was adamant that full-time in-house hires were the only way to scale a startup effectively. I was wrong. After 2 years in consulting, I've completely changed my perspective. The most valuable growth resources for early-stage companies are often specialist freelancers and consultants. Why? → They've accumulated 10x the experience across diverse companies → They've refined their processes through constant iteration → They're constantly selling and delivering results → They know failure means they're gone tomorrow In-house teams often get comfortable. They fall into routine. They lose that urgency to prove their worth every single day. But consultants? They wake up every morning asking: "How do I get better results?" "How do I deliver faster?" "How do I refine my process to be more effective?" This is why we're seeing more startups reduce the size of their in-house teams, instead building a small core team that manages work across specialists. This shift is accelerating as founders realize they get better, faster results this way. What's been your experience? Do you agree? P.S. Had a great conversation about this and more with Josh Porter on his podcast. Check it out. #startups  #b2bmarketing

No consultant on earth can invent product-market fit for you. I'm seeing a trend lately: Consultants promising to create "the one killer offer that will 10x your business." These promises sound great. Who doesn't want a shortcut to big growth? But after working with dozens of B2B companies, here's what I've learned about growing a business: Product-market fit isn't something you decide in a meeting room. It's something you PROVE by selling to real customers. Consultants can suggest offers to try. They can help you find which offers your customers already like. They can help refine your message so it's clearer. But they can't magically create a sure-win offer out of nowhere. I've been guilty of wasting time on this myself. I once spent a week whiteboarding "perfect" service packages for Prelude Marketing without talking to a single prospect. I created fancy slides and pricing models based on what I thought would work. Reality check: none of them stuck. What ultimately worked was doubling down on the strategic alignment workshops that my clients were already happy with. The fastest-growing companies: → Test their ideas with real customers → Really listen to what customers say → Make changes based on sales data, not hunches → Are willing to drop what isn't working, even if they love it Don't waste time hunting for a magical offer. Start testing what works. Your market will tell you exactly what it wants to buy. Are you listening? #startups #pmf

Product-Market Fit = Boring, But Brilliant Here's a wild startup secret: The best businesses are actually kind of boring. Most founders love new ideas. We want to change things up all the time. But real success? It's super predictable. Imagine a business where every sales pitch sounds exactly the same. Most people would think that's terrible. But it's actually amazing. Think of it like a well-oiled machine: → Same type of customer → Same problem to solve → Same winning message When something works, you don't need to keep reinventing the wheel. As one founder I know says, "Success starts to look boring when you're just doing the same thing over and over. That's the flywheel." Want to win? Stop chasing excitement. Start chasing consistency.

Most founders make the same website mistake their first time around. They spend weeks perfecting their website before they've even made a single sale. I've seen it countless times with the startups I work with. Here's the truth: When you first start a business or side hustle, you probably don't need a website at all. Focus on selling first, building later. But eventually, after you've validated your offer and understand your customer's problem, a strong website becomes crucial. How crucial? A recent study found that 100% of B2B buyers visited the vendor website before purchasing. Let that sink in. The problem is that most B2B homepages are confusing messes of jargon, vague value props, and misaligned messaging. That's why I've developed a straightforward 4-step framework for B2B homepage messaging that actually resonates with your ideal customers. I'm excited to share this framework at adplist.org's #DontSettle2025 virtual conference on April 23rd! If you're a tech professional looking to break free from the 9-to-5 and build a successful side hustle, this event is specifically designed for you. At my session, you'll walk away with a clear process for creating homepage messaging that converts visitors into customers—something I've helped dozens of B2B founders implement successfully. Ready to create messaging that actually converts? Join me and 30+ other industry leaders on April 23rd. Grab your ticket at DontSettle(dot)adplist(dot)org.

The hardest growth stage for startups is going $0-$1M. The next hardest stage? $1M-$5M. Why? Because it's often at this stage where companies realize they don't have enough resources to continue serving all the different customer segments they've sold to. They're going to have to focus, niche down, and pick a beachhead segment to go after to continue scaling. How do you know you're at this stage as a founder? Here are a few common symptoms: → Your team is stretched thin trying to serve multiple types of customers with different needs → Your product/service roadmap has become a wishlist from various customer segments, making prioritization nearly impossible → Customer acquisition costs are rising because your marketing speaks to everyone and resonates with no one → Sales cycles are getting longer as your team struggles to articulate specific value props for each prospect → Your churn rate is increasing because you can't deliver exceptional experiences across all segments → Team members disagree about which customers are "ideal" based on their personal experiences → You're making custom product/service modifications for specific customers, creating a maintenance nightmare → Marketing campaigns generate leads, but they're all over the place in terms of fit and quality → Revenue is growing, but profit margins are shrinking due to inefficiencies in serving diverse segments I've guided dozens of founders through this exact inflection point. The companies that succeed are the ones willing to make tough choices about who NOT to serve. The most counterintuitive growth strategy? Narrowing your focus. What segment would you double down on if you had to choose just one? --- At Prelude Marketing, I help B2B startups navigate this inflection point by defining their ideal customer segments, messaging and positioning, and go-to-market strategies that drive focused growth. DM me if you're feeling these symptoms. I'd love to explore if I can help.

Here's the simplest path to product-market fit most founders overlook. After years of reading everything I could find on product-market fit, Rob Snyder's framework is the one I keep coming back to when working with founders who need this help. Here's the gist: Product-market fit is simply your ability to consistently replicate a single successful customer case study. That's it. Not some complex framework. Not a magical metric. Just finding one perfect customer success story you can reliably repeat. Here's a clear 4-step process that I've seen work when founders apply it: 1) Design your case study hypothesis (who needs what, exactly?) 2) Use the case study to sell more of the case study 3) Debug the case study as you go (listen carefully to what works/doesn't) 4) Repeat steps 2-3 obsessively; ignore everything else In helping founders implement these insights, I've observed where most get stuck: → Living in "theoryland" (endless research, never selling) → Focusing on product features instead of customer outcomes → Trying to please everyone (diluting their value proposition) → Treating product and GTM as separate functions → Seeking diverging options when they need to converge on what works The path to PMF isn't fancy. It's finding one customer type (same buyer), solving one problem (same product), through one growth channel (same way), with consistent results. What's getting in the way of you finding PMF?

Can I be honest about something? I hate most multi-day email courses. You know the ones I'm talking about: "Master LinkedIn in 5 Days!" "Become a podcast expert by Friday!" Here's my unpopular opinion: just give me ALL the dang content when I first sign up. I signed up for a few of these courses recently. Each promised amazing insights delivered "conveniently" over 5-7 days. But here's what actually happened: → I was excited and ready to learn on day one → By day three, I had lost context between emails → By day five, they were sitting unread in my inbox As a marketer, I understand the strategy. Drip campaigns boost engagement metrics and reduce overwhelm. But as a founder and busy professional, the experience is frustrating. When I request information, I want it immediately–not parceled out over a week when my priorities have shifted. The best "lead magnets" I've seen recently? Comprehensive guides delivered instantly. One download (or no download), complete value, no waiting. What do you think? Am I just grouchy and impatient, or do you also prefer getting all the content at once?

Revenue ≠ Product-Market Fit I was on a call with a $5M+ agency last week that wanted to 10x their valuation in 24 months. When I asked about their best clients and repeatable wins, they couldn't answer clearly. They were selling different services to different industries with varying results. Despite their impressive revenue, they were still in the "finding fit" phase of business. Here's what I've learned working with dozens of B2B companies: → Revenue can come from brute force sales (push) → Product-market fit comes from repeatability (pull) → Scale requires focus on what's working best The most dangerous trap for founders is mistaking revenue for readiness to scale. You might be doing well financially but still lack the focused, repeatable success pattern needed for true, sustainable growth. Before you invest in scaling, ask yourself: "Could we sell the same thing to the same buyer in the same way with the same results over and over?" If not, you're not ready for scale. You're still proving the model. Ask yourself: What feels more familiar in your business right now: experimentation or repeatability?

If you've followed me for a while, you know I love working on website messaging. So why did I tell a client this week to ignore their weak homepage? Because I spotted their real problem: few people were coming to their site in the first place. Look, even the best homepage won't help if nobody sees it. Here's what I asked them: "What's the single biggest bottleneck in your GTM funnel right now?" Then, I encouraged them to focus on that one thing and ignore everything else. Their problem wasn't their website. They weren't reaching the right people at all. So instead of tweaking their homepage, we: → Got clear on who their ideal customers really are → Wrote personal messages to reach out to them → Found where these customers hang out online A few days later? Two meetings on their calendar with perfect-fit prospects. If you're not focusing on your primary bottleneck, you're just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Better to win with an imperfect homepage than have the perfect message that no one ever reads.

You hired a great marketer. But they're failing. Here's why: The silent killer in marketing isn't lack of talent. It's lack of clarity. I've seen this scenario play out countless times: A company hires an experienced marketer with an impressive track record, only to watch them struggle after a few months. The problem usually isn't the marketer's abilities. It's that they're trying to execute without foundational GTM clarity. Think about it––without crystal-clear agreement on: → Precisely who your ideal customer is → Your exact positioning and messaging → Which specific acquisition channels to prioritize (and why) → How success will be measured Your marketer is basically playing darts blindfolded. Many companies cycle through multiple marketing directors. Each with stellar credentials. Each departing frustrated and "underperforming." The real issue? When leadership teams haven't aligned on their ICP or positioning. When different departments want different things from different channels. When success metrics change constantly. But when leadership teams document and commit to these fundamentals, suddenly their marketing hires become "brilliant." (And by the way, the same principles apply to your sales and customer success teams and the agencies you hire. They all need this clarity to execute effectively, too.) Remember: Great marketers need great foundations. Without GTM clarity across your organization, even the most talented marketing professional will struggle to deliver results. --- 👋 I'm Garrett Jestice. I help B2B founders fix their GTM strategy before they waste time and budget on marketing that doesn’t work. Founder at Prelude Marketing Writer at GTM Foundations Former SaaS CMO | Dad of 4 | BBQ Judge

If I were a founder starting marketing from scratch, here's what I'd do first: Sell. That's it. Just sell. I know that sounds simplistic, but your earliest sales conversations are the most valuable marketing research you'll ever get. When I advise startup founders, they're often shocked that my first recommendation isn't a fancy marketing strategy. It's talking to actual humans who might buy your product. The reality is that most founders overcomplicate early marketing. They try to build elaborate funnels before understanding who's supposed to enter them. Here's the founder's path to great marketing: → Have real sales conversations first (no marketing team needed yet) → Identify your true best-fit customer (the one who bought quickly and got results) → Interview them deeply about their journey to finding you → Get your leadership aligned on who you serve (this is harder than it sounds) → Craft positioning using your customers' actual language (not yours) → Test your messaging in live conversations (refine based on what works) → Update website and sales materials to speak directly to your best customers → Choose ONE go-to-market motion and ONE channel to master → Prioritize clarity over creativity (in messaging, strategy, and execution) I've watched dozens of B2B startups waste 6+ months creating complex marketing strategies when they should have been having conversations. The most successful founders I work with understand that clarity comes before scale. Always. What would you add to or change about this list?

Full-service agencies are dying. I had a conversation yesterday that confirmed what I've suspected for years: The "we do it all" business model is fundamentally broken. And with increasing competition, it's only getting harder for generalist agencies to stand out and scale. Here's why full-service agencies struggle to scale beyond $5-10M: When you're selling everything to everyone, you're selling nothing to no one. The most successful B2B companies I work with aren't trying to be one-stop shops. They've identified a specific problem they solve better than anyone else and built a repeatable process around it. This isn't just theory. I've watched dozens of agencies hit the same growth ceiling: → Phase 1: They start by experimenting with different services (finding product-market fit) → Phase 2: Smart ones focus on ONE offering to ONE audience (scaling) → Phase 3: Only after mastering focus can they expand offerings (growth) Most agencies try to skip Phase 2, adding services without proving demand or developing a cohesive process. Your prospects don't want "a little of everything." They want someone who has solved their exact problem dozens of times before. If you want to offer multiple services, wrap them in a unique process that solves ONE core problem exceptionally well. "We do it all" just sounds like "we're not the best at anything." What's the ONE problem your company solves better than anyone else?

Well, this was a surprise. A friend sent this to me the other day. I didn't even know I was on a list like this. When I first started my company two years ago, I made a commitment to post on LinkedIn 5 days per week. Not to become a "creator" or chase followers or make lists. It was about something much simpler: staying top of mind with potential clients and building trust with my audience to drive actual business. And despite my many weaknesses (like overthinking almost everything), it's worked. I've built a business that supports my family and helps my clients achieve real results. That's still the only goal that matters to me. → Not vanity metrics → Not follower counts → Not fancy lists Just whether my content builds awareness, creates trust, and drives business impact. That said, sometimes it's good to pause and acknowledge progress, even when you feel like you're just getting started. Grateful for everyone who has supported me since I set out on my own two years ago. Thanks for coming along on this journey. The real reward has been connecting with so many amazing people like you.

Industry experience is overrated when hiring marketers. I've worked with 20+ startups across completely different industries over the past 2 years, and here's the truth: it usually takes me less than a week to get up to speed in a new industry (at least enough to be effective). Any talented marketer worth their salt can rapidly immerse themselves in: → Your customer's world → Your competitive landscape → Your product's unique value What ACTUALLY matters when hiring marketers: → Have they worked with your business model before? A marketer who has mastered B2B SaaS will probably struggle with B2C e-commerce. The channels, sales cycles, frameworks, and key metrics are fundamentally different. → Have they worked with your company stage? Marketing a seed-stage startup requires drastically different skills than scaling a Series B company. Early-stage needs experimentation and flexibility; growth-stage needs systems and scalability. I've seen too many founders pass on exceptional marketers because they hadn't worked in their specific niche, only to hire someone with industry experience but no relevant business model expertise or stage-appropriate skills. Next time you're hiring, focus on finding someone who understands your business model and company stage. Let them figure out the industry nuances. Marketers: What do you think? Am I wrong?

I'm a framework junkie (and I make no apologies for it.) I'm constantly studying and borrowing frameworks from others because they help me make sense of complex problems without starting from scratch every time. These are some of the framework masters I've learned the most from the past few years: April Dunford: Positioning Emma Stratton: Messaging Anthony Pierri 🎸: Homepage positioning & messaging Luke Stevens: Positioning & messaging Hannah Shamji: Customer research Ryan Paul Gibson: Customer research Claire Suellentrop and Georgiana Laudi: Customer research Rob Snyder: Product/market fit Bob Moesta: Jobs to be Done Jay Melone 🪜: Offers Bryan Brown and Sangram Vajre: Go to market What I've found after years in marketing: The right framework is like a shortcut. It won't guarantee success, but it dramatically increases your odds. Which framework experts have shaped your thinking? Is there anyone I should add to my list?