Alexander Estner

I help early-stage SaaS founders build & execute their Go-to-market foundation to grow from €0 to €1 million ARR 🚀

3 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU 👇
1️⃣ GTM Advisory - Work 1-on-1 with me in bi-weekly GTM sprints
2️⃣ GTM Audit - Get a 360° assessment of your current GTM status quo + custom action plan
3️⃣ GTM Content - Bi-weekly newsletter +  Daily LinkedIn posts + Free GTM Library

P.S. You will find the links to all 3 in the featured section.

Among other things, I help you with:
👉 Creating your early/ideal customer profile (ICP)
👉 Working on positioning, messaging & value proposition 
👉 Choosing the right pricing for your business (pricing model, value metric & packaging)
👉 Implementing the right sales strategy (sales-led vs. product-led)
👉 Mastering 2-3 growth channels to continuously generate new deals/trials
👉 Setting up the right tech stack in sales, marketing & customer success
👉 Building your commercial teams.

Send me a DM on LinkedIn or book a free 15-minute intro call to learn more about my offering.

Startup Consultant for B2B SaaS

As a freelance startup consultant, I help early-stage B2B SaaS Startups quickly grow their business with a powerful Growth Strategy 🚀


I work on both, strategic and operational, levels and help you with the following topics.

► For Founders (Launch to Seed Stage):
- Clarify, validate and stress test your business idea
- Win first paying customers and kickstart growth for your SaaS
- Develop and implement a powerful B2B SaaS Growth strategy
- Find product-market fit and close your first funding (business angels & seed)

► For Startups (Seed to Series A Stage):
- Accelerate your growth to 5M€+ ARR
- Review or implement a powerful B2B SaaS growth strategy
- Optimization of direct & indirect growth channels
- Create a growth team mentality, track the right KPIs, and set OKRs

► For more information:
- check out my website (www.alexestner.com)
- subscribe to my FREE weekly newsletter for founders & early-stage startups (https://startupbusinesstips.substack.com/)

► Interested?
- Send me a DM on Linkedin

GTM is overwhelming, but this checklist will change how you think about it.

This checklist is your roadmap from €0 to €1M ARR.

90% founders start with tactics, skip the foundations. Then wonder why nothing sticks.

But GTM isn't just "getting customers". It's a systematic approach with 10 interconnected foundations.

1️⃣ Ideal Customer Profile
2️⃣ Positioning
3️⃣ Value Proposition & Messaging
4️⃣ GTM Collaterals
5️⃣ Pricing
6️⃣ Sales Motion
7️⃣ Channels
8️⃣ Forecasting & Planning
9️⃣ Internal Operating Systems
🔟 CRM & Tracking

Use this checklist to see what's lacking in your GTM Foundations right now, and start working on it to scale from 0-1mil ARR. 

PS: A few months ago I did my GTM Foundations series, go check it out at MRR Unlocked if you need help with your foundations. 

Link in the comments.

alex-estner

JSESSIONID

li_at

Talks about #saas, #b2bsales, #saassales, #saasgrowth, and #saasmarketing

'Hands-on’ GTM Advisor | Helping SaaS & AI founders build and execute their GTM foundation to grow from €0 to €1 million ARR with less trial and error👇

If you're stuck and don't know what kind of content to create, 

Use this hack to get content ideas immediately..

It's simple - create content based on the stages of awareness 

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 → 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

In this case, multiple competitors already exist for your product. Also, your ICP knows the category. They're comparing solutions.

Focus on creating content like:

-> Comparison pages (You vs. Competitor X)
-> Alternative pages (Best alternative to X)
-> Why you're superior for specific segments
-> Head-to-head feature breakdowns

You're not explaining the problem. You're helping them decide the best solution.

𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 → 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

Your category is rising but not yet standard. Your ICP is evaluating different approaches.

Focus on creating content like:

-> Why your category beats alternatives 
-> Category education ("What is X and why it matters")
-> ROI comparisons across approaches
-> Case studies showing category wins

You're not proving you're best. You're proving your category is the future.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 → 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁

You're building something new. Your biggest goal is to make the audience problem-aware.

Focus your content on:

-> Customer outcomes and pain points
-> Use case education ("Why doing X manually is costing you")
-> "New way vs. old way" breakdowns
-> Problem amplification before solution

You're educating the audience about the problem they are facing and how it is impacting them. 

Match your content to where your market actually is.

What stage is your market in?

P.S. Want to deep dive into content marketing. Check out the guide I've created with Matteo Tittarelli ⚡️ on mrrunlocked

B2B positioning, websites, launches & content | Duolingo streak keeper 🇯🇵

Let’s hear it from the founders who have successfully scaled their company from €0 to the 1€ million ARR and beyond.

In the latest mrrunlocked.com newsletter, 
I've asked 6 founders to share

❌ What went wrong and
✅ what worked

I asked each founder to share:

1️⃣ The painful mistake(s) they made in the 0-1 stage (that others should not make)

2️⃣ The best tips/things that worked for them.

You will learn from the insights of 6 amazing founders.

👉 Stefan Bader Co-Founder of Cello (Referral Software for SaaS)

👉 Andreas Michel Co-Founder of Ayunis / Locaboo (Software for municipalities)

👉 Hanno Lippitsch Co-Founder of Eversports (Software for sports venues)

👉 Simo Lemhandez Co-Founder of folk (The next gen of CRM)

👉 Adam Cleland Founder of asora (Software for modern family offices)

👉 Brice Maurln Founder of LGM For Sales & GTM (Software for Multi-Channel Outbound)

👇 What's your mistake or tip you wanna share?

P.S. The link to the full guide with all the insights is in the comments below.

CEO @ Cello | Referrals on Autopilot

Cello

Co-Founder & CEO bei Ayunis / Locaboo | SaaS 👨🏻‍💻 | GovTech 🚀

Ayunis / Locaboo

CEO at Eversports

Eversports

Co-founder @ folk CRM | Forbes 30U30

folk

CEO at asora | Software for the modern family office

asora

CEO chez LGM | Get more Replies with Multichannel Outbound.

LGM For Sales & GTM

I've asked 20+ experts on their best GTM advice for 0->1€ M ARR

We cover positioning, ICP, messaging, content, pricing, CRM/KPIs.

You will hear the best tips from experts, including

Anthony Pierri 
Jon Itkin 
Andrej Persolja 
Talya Heller G. 💡 
Matteo Tittarelli ⚡️ 
Toni Hopponen 
Douwe Wester 🟢 👉  
Björn W. Schäfer 
Ashley Herbert Popa 
Sara Stella Lattanzio
Romana Kuts  
Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz 
Rob Litterst 
Arnaud Belinga 🧊🔨 
Dirk Sahlmer 

And the best tips from founders, including
Andreas Michel 
Stefan Bader 
Adam Cleland 
Hanno Lippitsch 
Simo Lemhandez 
Brice Maurln 

The episode goes lives this sunday. 

👇 So sign up on mrrunlocked.com to get all tips in your inbox + a free gift: 50 top GTM infographics for free.

If you're a first-time founder, GTM is tough. 

To help you, I have compiled 9 of my TOP Infographics that are most important for your GTM when you're going from 0 to mil ARR⬇️

1) GTM Myths 

-> You need to unlearn what you're doing wrong, before you even get started in the right direction!

2) 360-degree GTM audit

-> Use it to understand the current state of your GTM - to identify your starting point. 

3) 3 stages till 1 mil ARR

-> 0 to 1 mil ARR is not one, but three stages. Understand each stage to know what to expect in your GTM journey. 

4) GTM Foundations for SaaS

-> This is like a beginner's overview of everything that makes up GTM. Refresh your GTM concepts.

5) GTM Foundations Checklist 

-> This is where things start getting real. Keep this checklist in hand to track everything you need, to build your GTM Foundations.

6) Your ICP changes over time 

-> ICP is one of the most misunderstood concepts in GTM. Understand the nuances related to your ICP thoroughly. 

7) The Power of Niching Down

-> If you don't niche down right now, you won't be able to scale tomorrow.

8) How to find your ICP

-> Once you know that it is important to have 1 ICP, use these 3 steps to actually find your ICP.

9) 6 phases of founder-led sales 

-> Through this entire journey of 0 to 1mil ARR, know that you (the founder) have to be involved in sales. Learn it through the 6 stages of founder-led sales. 

Hopefully, these 9 will give you a headstart in your GTM. 

---
You can access all of these Infographics for free on https://lnkd.in/eKJXxGzE

Most GTM playbooks are written for VC-backed startups.
So I asked Zdenko Zvada about underrated GTM tactics for bootstrapped founders

He's sharing the insights from 300+ conversations with bootstrapped founders.

My personal opinion: 
Most VC-backed startups should do the same - especially social listening, outreach to negative reviews, and staying longer in founder selling mode are key too.

When I work with founders, we mostly do this too.

But I'm curious: What other tactics work for you?

P.S. On Sunday, we're launching a full episode on mrrunlocked about GTM tactics for bootstrapped founders.

Bootstrapped GTM Tactics

I've asked 16 experts to share their best tip for 0-1€ million ARR

So let's hear what they recommend founders👇

 🎯 Positioning & Messaging

Anthony Pierri 
Nobody will care about your outcomes if they don’t know what product category you fit into. Choose one clear category or use case as your anchor and you’re already 80% ahead.

Jon Itkin 
Assess your market’s maturity before positioning. Early markets reward bold vision, mature ones need precision. Match strategy to reality, not someone else’s playbook.

Andrej Persolja 
Stay close to power users through a private channel like Slack. Their feedback shapes your roadmap, messaging, and what to double down on.

Talya Heller G. 💡  
Test your sales story before scaling; story-market fit comes first. Test with first 3–5 customers, pick a villain, frame the struggle, paint the payoff. Rewrite if it doesn’t close.

Matteo Tittarelli ⚡️  ️ 
Build a Messaging & Positioning Library early. It becomes the context engine for every campaign and asset.

Toni Hopponen 
Design your homepage like a traffic controller: green light for best-fit users, stop sign for others.

💬 ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Douwe Wester 🟢 👉  
Start with early customers and watch what they *do*, not what they *say*. Cluster high-signal users, define ICP from results, and update quarterly.

Björn W. Schäfer 
Treat ICP as an ongoing discipline. Segment by ROI, validate with data, and build an anti-ICP list.

Ashley Popa 
Niche down. Broad targeting kills traction. Focus on customers who upgrade and stay, then expand using the bowling-pin approach.

Alexander Estner (me)
Focus on your GTM foundation before scaling: know who benefits most, clarify how you’re different, and master turning pipeline into predictable, repeatable revenue.

✍️ Content Marketing

Sara Lattanzio 
Shape one sharp narrative tied to audience pain. Build in public, pick channels intentionally, and stay consistent. Distribution matters more than production.

 Romana Kuts 
Interview customers. Five calls beat fifty brainstorms. Start with one pain point, turn it into five angles and ten content pieces, reuse relentlessly, and track revenue impact.

💰 Pricing

Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz 
Treat pricing as a process. Set its purpose, differentiate by value metrics, and review quarterly.

Rob Litterst 
Keep pricing simple early. Validation > Perfection. Start with value-hacking to learn what people will pay, then move to growth- and profit-hacking.

📊 CRM & Tracking

Arnaud Belinga 
Before €50–100k ARR, just sell. After micro-PMF, pick a simple CRM tied to your channels and follow up relentlessly.

Dirk Sahlmer 
Track 3–5 metrics that drive better decisions. Focus on leading indicators like activation and CAC payback.

Bonus tip by Rob Kaminski 
1 product, 1 avatar, 1 channel, 1 tactic, for 1 year gives early founders the focus they need.

--
Want to deep dive into each tip? Check out the latest mrrunlocked episode. Link is in the comments.

17 experts' tips turned into a 39-slide GTM masterclass for 0->1€ M ARR 👇 

You learn about:
✅ Positioning & Messaging
✅ Ideal Customer Profile
✅ Content Marketing
✅ Pricing
✅ CRM & KPI Tracking

Including tips from experts, including

Anthony Pierri
Jon Itkin 
Andrej Persolja
Talya Heller G. 💡
Matteo Tittarelli ⚡️ 
Toni Hopponen 
Douwe Wester 🟢 👉 
Björn W. Schäfer
Ashley Herbert Popa
Sara Stella Lattanzio
Romana Kuts
Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz
Rob Litterst 
Arnaud Belinga
Dirk Sahlmer
Rob Kaminski

👉 What tip can you share?

17 expert tips for 0 to 1€M ARR

Lead magnets are evolving from traditional whitepapers and e-books.

Here's a list of different formats you can use to create high-quality lead magnets for your SaaS 

𝟭. 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀, 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 & 𝗘-𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀
Instant utility. Copy-paste and go.

- Email templates (lemlist )
- Sales coaching guides (Grain )
- Website optimization e-books (Webflow)

𝟮. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀
Higher commitment = higher intent leads.

- Video selling masterclass (Vidyard )
- Video creation course (Tella )

𝟯. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 & 𝗪𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘀
Live interaction builds stronger relationships.

- Sculpt Conference (Clay )
- SaaS Happy Hour (Paddle )

𝟰. 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀
Quantify the problem. Make the pain tangible.

- Webinar ROI calculator (Livestorm )
- Equity dilution calculator (Cake Equity)

𝟱. 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀
Quick wins. Solve one micro-problem fast.

- LinkedIn headline generator (@Taplio)
- Webcam test (Livestorm)
- AI conversation rank checker (Octolens)

𝟲. 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵
Original data = credibility + shareability.

- State of Meetings (Calendly)
- SaaS Pricing Report (Valueships)
- GTM Benchmarks (ChartMogul )

All these companies have amazing lead magnets you can take inspiration from. 

Keep in mind, though, different formats solve different problems at different buyer stages. 

Match format to your ICP's most urgent need.

Check out how to create and distribute your lead magnets: https://lnkd.in/ePHrCjDE

---
P.S. Want my best lead magnet? Get 50+ free GTM assets on https://lnkd.in/exxgARTi

For your content to work, 

you need 3 types of content to be in sync

TOFU → To get attention
MOFU → To build trust
BOFU → To convert

Most founders live in TOFU, which helps you get likes, but not so many conversions. 

Let's how each layer works:

1️⃣ TOFU (Top of Funnel) → Awareness content

-> This isn't about your product. It's about topics your audience actually cares about.

-> This builds your audience, helps you get reach, and generate engagement. 

Eg - The 5 biggest productivity myths that are slowing your team down”

2️⃣ MOFU (Middle of Funnel) → Consideration content

-> This is where you go deep. Real frameworks. Actual insights.

-> Content only you could write. Battle-tested stuff.

-> This is where trust happens. Your ICP thinks: "This person actually knows their shit."

Eg - How to reduce project delays by 30%, a step-by-step breakdown”

3️⃣ BOFU (Bottom of Funnel) → Conversion content

-> Show proof. Share results. Remove objections.

-> Social proof. Real outcomes. Clear next step.

Eg - “What happens when you ditch spreadsheets and manage projects the smart way”

Here's the ideal mix:
20% TOFU – Reach plays that pull in new eyes
60% MOFU – Deep, educational, ICP-focused
20% BOFU – Case studies, results, CTAs

Ivan Peric and I have created this framework to help you build your founder brand on LinkedIn. Use it the next time you're creating your content strategy.

Content Strategist & Founder @contentmotion.io | Ich baue eine Content-Agentur für B2B Tech

To optimize your SEO, use these high-intent keywords ⬇️

1. Pain Point/Problem Keyword
Example: “How to export contacts from LinkedIn” 

2. Pricing & Cost Keywords
Example: “Affordable CRM for solopreneurs”

3. Comparison Keywords
Example: “Notion vs. Asana” | “Best alternatives for HubSpot”

4. Competitor-Specific Keywords
Example: “HubSpot CRM vs. Salesforce”

5. Feature-Specific Keywords
Example: “CRM with VOIP calling”

6. Integration Keywords
Example: “Best payroll software that integrates with QuickBooks”

7. Product Category + Audience Keywords
Example: “Project Management software for law firms”

8. Benefit-Driven Keywords
Example: “How much time can I save with a virtual assistant?”

9. Educational Keywords
Example: “How to create a high-converting SaaS homepage”

10. Location-Based Keywords
Example: “Best invoicing software for German freelancers”

11. Template-Based Keywords
Example: “Best LinkedIn post templates for SaaS founders”

These money keywords focus on users who are already very much aware and ‘in the market’ and will help you make the most of your SEO investment.

Over the last 12 months, I've created 50+ infographics on SaaS GTM.

The beauty of them is that they visually communicate the core concept.

Here are my top 10 on go-to-market for SaaS/AI founders 👇

Top GTM Infografics

Here's a list of partners, agencies, and consultants whom I’d highly recommend to every early-stage SaaS founder.

Over the past few years, I’ve built relationships with these amazing service providers.

If you’re a SaaS founder and need help with:

✅ Content & SEO
✅ Recruiting
✅ Paid Marketing (Google, LinkedIn)
✅ Design
✅ Sales
✅ Pricing

I’ll connect you with the right people.

You don't need to do a cold outreach, I'll help you with warm intros to vetted experts.

Content & SEO
--> Talk to Romana Kuts  and Ugljesa D. 

Website & Design
--> Talk to Florian Goertzen Tarik Yayla Tobias Giesen or Maximilian Fleitmann

Recruiting
--> Talk to Elvin Kingma Jan Mark Lingthaler Miguel Marques Dominic Blank 

Sales
--> Talk to Manuel Hartmann (post 1€ million) and Julius Dany (for SDR/cold calling)

LinkedIn & Google Ads
--> Talk to Christoph Schachner and Agata Krzysztofik 

Pricing Consulting (post 1€ million ARR)
--> Talk to Rob Litterst and Krzysztof Szyszkiewicz 

GTM advisory (post 1€ million ARR)
--> Talk to Björn W. Schäfer Daniel Zsolt Rényi  and Matteo Tittarelli ⚡️ 

Check the link in the comments to see the entire list of partners.

Btw, who am I missing on the list?

Founder @ SaaStorm + B2B SaaS SEO, LLMO & Content Advisor + Certified Content Engineer (@ AirOps’25)

Founder at Contentmonk.io | Sharing my strong takes on content, growth, SEO/AEO, and SaaS.

Design & Webflow for SaaS startups @ DailyDesign | START Munich

High-performing Webflow Websites for B2B SaaS that convert visitors into customers

Co-Founder Growably | B2B SaaS websites that convert visitors into customers 💯 | Webflow Premium Partner Agency 🤝🏼

🎨 Design-as-a-Service @ magier | 🏰 Co-Founder @ Wizard Ventures ► Building an Internet Holding

Connecting GTM talent & executives to SaaS companies with accuracy + speed ⚡️ || Ex- SaaS sales professional

Helping 🇩🇪 SaaS professionals find their next ideal step in their career | Founder Chapter.

I help startups hire great remote engineers | Founder @ Remote Crew

🏗 Helping software companies hire and train great sales talent I 🔥 Passionate sales entrepreneur I 🎙️Podcast host Sales Expressed

Helping DACH B2B software firms to scale sales quickly, efficiently & without 6-figure mistakes with done-for-you pipeline generation, fractional sales & HubSpot services.

Co-Founder & CEO at REP | The last sales agency you need

Owner @ Demandgap | Building The Anti-Agency | LinkedIn & Google Ads for B2B

🚀 Helping Businesses Grow with Google Ads | Coaching For Marketing Leaders I Ex-VP Growth | Ex-Google

Building the first stop for pricing and packaging.

The Pricing Guy || AI SaaS eCom B2B || ex-McKinsey

From Founder-Led Sales to scalable GTM Engines | €1–10M ARR | Revenue Rhythm by Funky Flywheels 🕺

Decent marketer and mildly interesting guy | founded Klear B2B

3 massively underrated GTM tactics for bootstrapped founders⬇️

1. Mine negative reviews for leads

Every 1-star review tells you who is unhappy and if they'd pay to fix.

-> Search G2/Capterra/Reddit for competitors
-> Filter for 1-2 star reviews
-> Build a lead list from reviewer names
-> Reach out: "Saw you struggled with X. We built Y to solve it. Want a demo?"

2. Go where micro-communities live

Your first 100 customers won't come from ads. They'll come from Reddit, Slack groups, Discord.

-> Join 3-5 communities your ICP hangs in
-> Help for a week, share free resources
-> Mention your product when it fits
-> DM engaged members with trial invites

3. Get listed in directories

Capterra, G2, Product Hunt, AppSumo, get in front of buyers with intent. You can even build your own. They rank on Google, attract your ICP, and drive traffic to your product.

—
If you want to learn how to execute each of these tactics, check out the latest episode of MRR Unlocked where Zdenko Zvada talks about these in detail. Link in the comments.

How to create a GTM slide for your pitch deck

Investors can smell fluff from a mile away; you can't woo them with fancy GTM channels. They need real proof of 

✅ What has worked in the past 
✅ How do you plan to scale it 

Include these 2 sections in your GTM slide to make it foolproof 

1️⃣ Current scenario

- Show how you've built a repeatable growth engine 
- Mention how you've been acquiring customers today

2️⃣ Plan to scale 

- Chart out your exact plan to scale the engine you've built currently 
- Show how you'll acquire the next set of customers

Basically, reassure investors that 

✅ You've got the blueprint to utilize the funding 
✅ You're ready for growth

---
Majd Alaily has written an entire guest post about how to make the best pitch deck (11 slides) for your startup. This is only 1 slide of the deck. Check out the whole episode at MRR Unlocked. Link in the comments.

3x Founder | ex-Google | Design Thinking | Let's Launch, Grow, Fundraise For Your Startup Together.

11 slides of a winning pitch deck👇

If you're struggling to get funded, you can start by redoing your pitch deck

Here are the 11 most important slides of a pitch deck - 

(in the right order)

1️⃣ Problem 
2️⃣ Solution
3️⃣ Unique Value 
4️⃣ Traction
5️⃣ Competition
6️⃣ Market
7️⃣ Revenue Model
8️⃣ Ambition
9️⃣ Team 
🔟 GTM
1️⃣1️⃣ Ask

If you're skipping any of these slides, you're not giving investors all the information they need to make a decision. 

Check out the carousel below to see the summary of each slide. 

---
Majd Alaily has written an entire episode on "Why pitches fail" for MRR Unlocked. Check the link in the comments to see the full episode.

5 recommendations to better organize your pricing page menu 👇

1️⃣ Keep Plan Names Simple
Don’t overthink naming.
Clarity beats creativity. 

Start with what people expect to see:
Free, Basic, Starter, Standard, Pro, Premium, Plus, Teams, Business, Enterprise.

2️⃣ Show the Monthly Cost
Display the monthly cost right below the plan name (even for annual billing). 

Tie it clearly to your pricing metric so users immediately understand how cost scales.

3️⃣ Include the Billing Period
Always indicate how billing works. 

A toggle above the pricing grid (monthly ↔ yearly) is the standard and most intuitive approach.

4️⃣ Highlight Key Features and Usage Limits
After naming and pricing, call out the core features and usage thresholds for each plan. 

Keep it concise — aim for about five items max. Focus on what truly drives pricing or differentiates plans.

5️⃣ Add Clear CTAs
Every plan needs a specific next step.

For free or PLG plans: “Get Started.”

For sales-led motions: “Request a Demo” or “Contact Sales.”
Different plans can have unique CTAs depending on your GTM model.

These are the essentials. If you can convey all key details across these elements, you don’t need anything extra. Keep it focused and simple.

How to create thought leadership content for your startup?

Here are 7 questions you need to ask yourself -

Great thought leadership content educates, challenges assumptions, and provides actionable insights.

This means writing only about topics where you truly have expertise. 

The best content and sweet spot lies in the intersection of 
✅ Your expertise and 
✅ What your audience needs to know.

7 questions you need to ask yourself - 

1️⃣ In which area or topic do potential customers need to perceive you as an expert?

2️⃣ What industry-specific knowledge can you provide?

3️⃣ What core concepts must potential customers understand before your solution "clicks" for them? 

4️⃣ What widespread beliefs in your industry do you strongly disagree with?

5️⃣ What would make selling your product easier if more people understood these concepts?

6️⃣ What trends (e.g., regulations, technological developments, market pressures) could negatively impact your customers if they don’t adapt?

7️⃣ What recurring questions do you frequently get asked?

Once you answer these questions, you will find your pillars and create relevant content for your ICP

I’ve been calling myself a solopreneur for over 4 years now.

So I was super excited when Stephanie Sgura asked me to be part of her solopreneurship movement.

In May 2026: Solopreneur Revolution - Live on Tour

The first Summit, that's 100% focused on Solopreneurship:
- Business, Marketing, Sales, AI...

(it's for the German-speaking community)

And I'm part of it 🎉

The best part:

You get early access to the secret pre-sale (4.-7. 12.)

🔹 lowest ticket prices ever

🔹 early Access to all Workshops (limited to 30 seats)

📍 I will be in Vienna myself. 

What you can expect from the summit:

→ Content & Insights for solopreneurs

→ Transformational workshops of successful solopreneurs

→ Networking with peers

→ Roasting Area to get feedback on your business

→ Limited to 200 tickets per event (Vienna & Berlin)

Who's interested in joining and meeting in Vienna?

🎟️ Comment or just send me a DM and I will send you the link to the secret pre-sale.

Kompromisslose Freiheit als Solopreneur🔥Initiatorin der größten Solopreneur-Bewegung in DACH | Event-Host “Solopreneur Revolution Mai 26” Berlin & Wien | 🎙 Host “The Solopreneur Shift” | Founder Solopreneurs Club

Cloudflare is down again....so half of the internet is not working 🤗

So I take a rest...

Elena Zapolyanskaya

Head of Partnerships

B2B | Strategy | Partner-Led Growth | PARTNER2B

I build tools that turn partner programs into something you can actually point at and say “yep, that’s working”. 

I also advise B2B teams as a Fractional CRO with 17+ years of experience making ecosystems visible and not vibes-based.

I build and I guide so partners finally show up and perform.

Want to see the tools I’m creating for partnerships? Come say hi ✨ elena@partner2b.com

Strategic Marketing Consultant

Elena Zap.

If you lead partnerships, you already know the pressure. About 60% of partnerships fail, and it’s not because you’re not trying. It’s because the role quietly expects a whole mix of skills most people are never trained for.

The real issue? 

Most partnerships leaders are set up with one skillset when they need three.

Partnerships isn't just relationship management. 
It's not just deal-making. 
It's not just strategy.
It's all three. At the same time.

You need:

- Marketing background to position your brand and identify the right audience
- Sales skills to close and push deals through
- Strategic thinking to align incentives and build real GTM motion

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬: 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

I've been a partnerships leader. I've built partnerships as a CRO. That mix is what made it work.

Most people have one or two of these skills.

The ones who have all three? They're the partnerships leaders getting budget increases while everyone else is fighting for headcount.

If you're in partnerships and wondering why your wins aren't translating to executive visibility, look at which piece you're missing.

Because without all three, you're working twice as hard for half the credit.

B2B | Strategy | Partner-Led Growth | Ecosystems

Depth in one domain is valuable.
𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫.

Yesterday I had a call with Teodora, a strategic marketer who's worked across functions and geographies. One of those rare conversations that actually gives you energy.

She reminded me that if you're a builder, you build. And you stay true to who you are while doing it.

Honestly needed that. Thank you, Teodora 🤗 

I've spent 17+ years in B2B strategic marketing.
But I always knew I had to understand how the whole organization works.
So I worked across:

 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 taught me positioning.
 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 taught me what closes deals.
 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 taught me ecosystem thinking.
 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 taught me where leverage lives.
 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 taught me vendor dynamics.
 𝐋𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 taught me operational reality.

When you've lived across domains, you stop optimizing for one function.
You see the whole system.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬.

That's why I choose to work with people who've moved through different domains, segments, regions.

They're builders.
They get it immediately.
The best operators aren't specialists who went deep in one area.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

Partnership pros: you know that feeling when you're supposed to build an entire partner program solo? 

Map the ICP workflows yourself. Identify partner types yourself. Set the success metrics yourself. Recruit and enable partners yourself. Then prove ROI to the board yourself.

I've been there. I know that grind. 

And here's what I learned: the programs that actually work aren't built by one person working harder. They're built by cross-functional teams who each own a specific piece.

This playbook is what I wish someone had told me:

𝟎𝟏 - 𝐌𝐚𝐩 𝐈𝐂𝐏 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 + 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠) 
Study how your customers work daily. Document their tools, workflows, pain points where integrations deliver measurable value. Not what you think they need, what they actually use.

𝟎𝟐 - 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 + 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐬)
Technology integrations, referral partners, resellers, strategic alliances. Prioritize based on ICP overlap and co-selling potential.

𝟎𝟑 - 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 + 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞) 
Define goals for partner-sourced pipeline, revenue attribution, CAC by channel, deal velocity. Build the dashboard with Finance before you recruit a single partner.

𝟎𝟒 - 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 + 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠) 
Targeted outreach to priority partners. Create enablement materials and value props that actually drive activation.

𝟎𝟓 - 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 + 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭) 
Make your ecosystem discoverable through a searchable marketplace. Track what works, scale it.

Every step needs a different cross-functional owner. That's not overhead, that's how you scale.

2026 is going to separate companies that think partnerships are relationships from companies that know partnerships are infrastructure.

Your marketing team optimizes every landing page for SEO. 
Your product team instruments every feature for analytics. 
But your partnerships team is still managing a 200-partner program through spreadsheets and quarterly business reviews.

That stops working the moment your buyers start researching integrations before they book demos.

Here's how to integrate partner ecosystems into your 2026 GTM:

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟏: 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞 
Google "[Your Top Partner] + [Your Product Category] integration" right now. If your competitor's partner marketplace ranks and yours doesn't exist, you're losing deals before your SDR team knows the account is in-market. Document every search where you're invisible.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟐: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 
Your partnership program needs to exist where buyers look. That means individual partner pages on your domain that rank in search, not buried directories or PDF lists. If prospects can't find your integrations when researching solutions, those partnerships aren't driving pipeline.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟑: 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 
Stop treating partner influence as something you reconstruct months later from CRM notes. Every touchpoint with your ecosystem should capture data on how partners drive pipeline. Partner attribution should be automatic, not archeology.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟒: 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 
Your team shouldn't be the bottleneck for partner content updates. The programs growing 20-35% in partner-sourced pipeline built self-service systems where partners control their own listings. Stop doing work that should be automated.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟓: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 
Partner data needs to flow into the same systems your CFO and CRO use for forecasting. If ecosystem performance lives in separate dashboards that leadership never sees, partnerships will always be treated as nice-to-have instead of revenue critical.

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝟔: 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐐𝟒 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐐𝟐 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 
The companies launching visible partner ecosystems right now will own category-level ecosystem SEO by mid-2026. The ones waiting will spend next year explaining why partner revenue missed projections while competitors close deals through discoverable partnerships.

HubSpot generates 45% of revenue through partners because their ecosystem is visible. Stripe makes partnerships central to their value prop. Your buyers expect the same.

Which company are you building?
_____

P.S. We're running free pilots at Bonobee for companies building visible partner ecosystems. DM me if you want to see if your B2B qualifies.

"A piece of advice from the Universe: rest more." Fortune cookies are random. We all know this. Some machine somewhere is stuffing paper into cookies, and what you get is pure chance. But here's what's interesting: 

it doesn't really matter.

What matters is: 

→ Do you choose to see it as a sign or dismiss it as noise? 
→ Do you let a random message make you smile or just crumple it up?

The same goes for everything: 

• That song that came on at the perfect moment 
• The book recommendation that appeared when you needed it 
• The random conversation that shifted your perspective

𝐍𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬.

We get to choose what we pay attention to. Choosing to see the good stuff, even when it's probably just coincidence, makes life a lot more fun.

So if the universe (or a fortune cookie factory) is telling you to rest more this Friday, maybe just take the advice.

What's the worst that could happen? You feel better?

Happy Saturday ☕

Do you still think of a partner marketplace as a static partner directory?
Bad news: Not only are you wrong, but you'll be losing to competitors in 2026. And they're already winning deals because of it. Why? 

Because 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

Here's what actually defines a partner marketplace now:

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 is the foundation, but it needs to be dynamic. Browse, filter, and search across partners by categories, regions, and specializations. All partner pages are SEO-optimized for organic discovery and user navigation. Not a static PDF your team emails on request.

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 means built-in forms on every partner page. Automated inquiry routing. No more "let me forward this to someone who might know" handoffs. Your prospects go directly to the right team.

𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 show which partners drive actual value. Track visits, page views, submissions, engagement trends. Unified performance data. Not gut feelings about who your "top partners" are.

𝐀𝐈 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 identifies high-performing listings and opportunities without you manually digging through spreadsheets. Continuous SEO improvement, content suggestions, smart recommendations.

The shift: 𝐁𝟐𝐁 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐬. They're comparing your integrations, your partnerships, your ecosystem depth against your competitors' right now.

By 2026, invisible partner programs lose deals to competitors with discoverable, measurable ecosystems.

Build yours now or watch others win your customers.

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The Battle

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