Startup founders often sell visionary upside, but the majority of customers—especially in enterprise—purchase products to avoid pain or reduce risk (e.g., missing revenue targets). GTM messaging should pivot from the "art of the possible" to risk mitigation to resonate more effectively with buyers.

The "kingmaking" power of elite VCs is overstated in enterprise sales. While a top-tier brand can help with recruiting, it provides little advantage in acquiring customers, as most buyers are unfamiliar with the venture capital landscape. The product, not the investor, closes the deal.

Effective marketing isn't about telling your company's story. It's about inviting the customer into a story where they are the hero facing a problem. Your brand should act as the guide that provides the tool (your product) to help them succeed and win the day.

While VC pitches require an expansive vision, customer pitches are more effective when they're small and specific. After understanding their demand, describe your product narrowly as the exact tool that solves their immediate project. This precision builds confidence and creates pull.

Applying the "weird if it didn't work" framework to fundraising means shifting the narrative. Your goal is to construct a story where the market opportunity is so massive and your team's approach is so compelling that an investor's decision *not* to participate would feel like an obvious miss.

When evaluating a startup, don't accept analogous trends as proof of demand. For example, Drift's pitch deck used consumer messaging growth to justify B2B marketing software. A better approach is to find direct evidence of business users already struggling with the specific project the product addresses.

If your narrative is about a broad market problem (e.g., "data is growing") that isn't uniquely solved by your product, you're creating demand for the entire category, including your competitors. A powerful story must be built around your specific differentiator, making it a narrative only you can convincingly tell.

Not every brand has a compelling, authentic founder story. Instead of fabricating one, successful brands should build a strong philosophy and make the customer the hero of the narrative. This shifts the focus from the founder's journey to the customer's transformation.

Marketing often mistakenly positions the product as the hero of the story. The correct framing is to position the customer as the hero on a journey. Your product is merely the powerful tool or guide that empowers them to solve their problem and achieve success, which is a more resonant and effective narrative.