Comments on: Founders Make the Best Startup Marketing Leaders

By: Matt Harrell

Matt Harrell — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:57:13 +0000

Great stuff. I have started to learn some of these things the hard way. I wish I had all your posts a year ago.

By: Neil

Neil — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:18:52 +0000

Excellent article! Thanks for posting.

By: Brant Cooper

Brant Cooper — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:26:12 +0000

Hi Sean, Nice post. You and I have been going around on this a bit ; ) and I think you’re on target here. An entrepreneurial marketer knows how to “use” and complement the natural skills of a non-marketing-oriented CEO.

By: pj

pj — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:19:22 +0000

This is a great article and a breath of fresh air in a world where developers think they don’t need the business guy. You have to build it, but sell it too…

By: Sean

Sean — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:09:37 +0000

Jason, thanks for the feedback. It wasn’t my intention to imply that “any” founder would make a great startup marketer. Instead, I’m suggesting that the best startup marketers I’ve met have been founders. In hindsight, probably one of the most important points of the blog post is that CEOs must take an active role in driving customer growth whether or not they have an interest in marketing. Nearly all of the risk and upside in a startup is in your ability to gain customer traction and then drive scalable customer growth. The CEO should not abdicate this responsibility to the marketer.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:15:50 +0000

I think this has some merits, but you assume that all founders have the marketing savvy or interest to do “Marketing.” I think your readers wouid be better served with a “Do you have what it takes to be a good marketeer” story line.

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:51:58 +0000

I remember reading some research a few years ago about the average tenure of CMOs in big corporates (by Booz Allen). The argument was that most CMOs get replaced with 18 months because they fail to live up to expectations.

I think the version of marketing leader you’re describing relates to what they called “Driver of Growth,” someone who partnered with the CEO, drives the marketing capability to propel the central agenda. It’s the agenda that matters, not the tactics.

A startup looking for that kind of help would surely be disappointed with the two alternatives the study turns up: marketing services provider (organising widgets), and marketing advisor (compliance).

Sure this study points to the Fortune end of things but I’ve always found the model fits smaller companies.

Founders who’ve been around the block focus on the primary agenda. Too many career marketers have come up through organisations bent toward service provision or compliance, put their attention on great execution, and miss the point.

On the other hand, if you’re a CEO with a head for marketing, hiring a service provider may be the way to go; someone who can deliver the outputs.

By: SF

SF — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:42:59 +0000

Sean – I just experienced the worst of this, first hand. Thanks for a great write up and a lesson to all the CEOs and CMOs of startups.

By: Philip Scott

Philip Scott — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:29:29 +0000

This comment really hit home for me… ‘his most important growth contribution was not getting in the way of the viral growth engine.’

As marketers we are always tempted to create something new. Yet new activity is not always the best way forward.

Philip

By: Chuck

Chuck — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:13:19 +0000

Agreed Sean. Those with the greatest vision for the product are best suited to drive creative, entrepreneurial and successful marketing. They really do go hand and hand. Good article.