Why Your Startup's Marketing Isn’t Working (And How to Fix It)
In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Mark Donnigan, a seasoned virtual CMO and go-to-market strategist known for helping post-Series A tech companies scale with precision. With a background in video technology, streaming, and category design, Mark brings decades of practical insights to the table on what it takes to move beyond initial traction and build a sustainable growth engine.
Together, they explore why so many engineering-led startups struggle to scale their marketing, what founders get wrong about hiring, and why understanding the customer journey is non-negotiable. Mark reveals the critical difference between volume and quality in outreach, the dangers of overvaluing brand-name hires, and how scaling today often means rethinking headcount in favor of better systems and tools.
From real-world founder anecdotes to lessons learned from giants like Nvidia, this conversation offers a roadmap for any tech leader looking to evolve from early traction to market dominance—without wasting time or burning cash.
Takeaways
Most startup marketing failures stem from brilliant founders not understanding how to build a market, not from flawed tech or product.
Founders should remain hands-on in go-to-market strategy far longer than they think—often for years.
Your best early-stage salesperson? You, the founder.
Misalignment with customer pain is the root cause of ineffective messaging.
Many engineering teams don’t truly listen to customers or experience the product from their users’ point of view.
Messaging must evolve with the customer’s buying journey; spray-and-pray approaches often backfire.
Scaling doesn't always mean hiring—sometimes systems, automation, or refined processes are more effective.
Hiring former big-tech talent can backfire; startup success demands scrappy, self-sufficient operators.
Know whether your motion is sales-led or product-led to define how marketing supports growth.
Talking to just 5–7 ideal customers can provide the clarity needed to realign your strategy.
Founders should read Play Bigger—Mark calls it “the Bible of marketing” for tech startups.
Tools like AI and agents can enhance output without bloating teams, especially in early scale stages.
Chapters
00:00 Intro: Why most leaders fail at hiring and marketing
02:11 Meet Mark Donnigan: Virtual CMO for post-Series A tech companies
03:49 Why founders struggle to scale marketing after traction
05:36 When (and if) founders should hand off go-to-market efforts
07:50 Diagnosing messaging failures and the role of listening
11:12 Customer immersion: The missing link in product-market fit
14:32 Slack, productization, and building for yourself
15:48 Scaling marketing: What does “scale” even mean?
17:18 Systems vs. headcount: Scaling smarter with AI and automation
21:24 Messaging cadence vs. volume: Mapping to the buyer’s journey
24:27 Why marketing funnels fail and journey mapping wins
25:48 The mistake of over-indexing on “big company” hires
28:50 The inertia myth: Why prestige doesn’t equal startup fit
31:55 Mark’s billboard advice: Get in the field, talk to customers
33:27 How many customer convos are “enough” for clarity
34:50 Favorite Book: Play Bigger and the power of category design
35:57 How to get Mark’s free marketing mini-books
36:25 Outro: Better leaders build better companies
Mark Donnigan’s Social Media Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdonnigan/
Mark Donnigan’s Website:
