Dave Gerhardt

Hey I'm Dave Gerhardt. I created Exit Five, which has turned into the top community for B2B marketing professionals. Before starting Exit Five I had a 10 year career in marketing and grew from PR intern to CMO. I even once had hair! My wife says I'm more handsome now though, and she's quite pretty so that means a lot -- but the internet just boxes me in as the typical bald guy tech bro. So oh look, another bald tech guy writing on LinkedIn! whoopty freaking do.

Anyway. Where was I... OH. Receipts! I wanted to talk about receipts, because in a world of fluff and online influencers, I actually have some receipts and I want to tell you about them here because it signals power, credibility, and makes it seem like I'm super rich, so: I used to be pretty good at marketing, and my work as a marketer played a key role (at least I think so) in helping two software companies to successful exits: Drift for $1B+ and Privy for $100M+. I certainly helped the founders make a bunch of money, and I was able to comfortably purchase a brand new Toyota Sienna minivan for my family in 2021.

Today I spend my time working on Exit Five, and it's actually been super fun and given me a bunch of purpose. We're a team of six full-time team members now, and we have a private online community and host in-person events around the world. Plus there's a popular podcast and newsletter for marketers. We reach something like 20 MILLION marketers with our content every year, and we've got a pretty special thing going on. I hope to keep it going. You can learn more about it all at exitfive.com.

I spent most of my life in the Boston area but now live in the woods in Vermont with my wife, two kids, two cats, and one dog.

You can reach me at dave@exitfive.com if you want, but TBD if I reply. Depends on the message. But please don't send me any more swag or books. But if for whatever reason you do want to send me something, I play the ProV1x golf ball and like the low numbers.

PS. Find my podcast “The Dave Gerhardt Show” on Spotify

Founder & CEO

Exit Five is a media company focused on B2B marketing. We help B2B marketers build successful careers through our content and community. Learn more at exitfive.com

We polled ~100 CMOs at companies $50M - $500M+ ARR on what their top marketing challenges are right now. Here are the top takeaways.

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1. AI. No surprise. 85% said AI adoption is # 1 priority for 2026.

But this goes beyond the cute use cases you see on LinkedIn and from the AI creators showing you all the new things to do with the new tools.

"I need practical use cases and quick wins to show” - VPM $25M ARR

“We are expected to be using AI to scale marketing  efficiently” - VPM $30M ARR

“We are under pressure to demonstrate hard savings and additional value created via AI adoption.” - CMO $450M ARR

“Wondering am I moving fast enough on AI transformation — not just adopting tools, but truly rethinking how marketing works from the ground up.” - CMO $600M ARR

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2. Everyone said some version of this: "We need to grow more, spend less, & prove marketing did it.”

Grow more. Spend less. And PROVE that marketing did it. That is the key word there.

They all talked about revenue growth, but the framing has evolved beyond "drive more MQLs."

The dominant language was:

• Marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced pipeline (not just leads)
• Pipeline quality over volume
• Tying marketing to ACV expansion and retention, not just new logos

“We ned to tie marketing more directly to revenue outcomes — not just MQLs, but marketing-sourced and marketing-influenced pipeline, ACV growth, and expansion revenue” - VPM $85M ARR

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3. The other repeat topics we heard included:

• Team too small for scope of work
• Feeling  caught between strategic work (positioning, GTM, C-suite influence) and heavy day-to-day execution
• Structural misalignment after acquisition or reorg
• AI search disruption
• Moving upmarket
• Moving from single product to multi-product

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PS. We run a private group for in-house B2B marketing leaders. If you're running the marketing team at a company doing $50M+ ARR you should check this group out. Apply here:

exitfive.com/cmo-council

LinkedIn is the number one channel for B2B marketers (for content, social, ads, you know we love it here) so I had LinkedIn VP Marketing Davang Shah on the podcast this week to go right to the source about what's working, what's not, and trends across the platform.

We covered: 

- What actually works with LinkedIn ads right now
- Brand vs performance marketing strategies and how they differ
- How to think about measurement beyond last-click attribution on ads
- Why 95% of your buyers aren't in market at any given time and what to do about it

Davang also shares the data behind thought leader ads, what most marketers get wrong about the buyer journey, and how he's leading his own team through the AI shift at LinkedIn.

Listen here:

https://lnkd.in/erc8w2vM

PS. Did you know the average B2B deal takes 211 days and involves 22 people?

Founder @ Kennedy Creative | Helping B2B leaders dominate their category on LinkedIn and convert influence into revenue through content and outbound

Most executives treat LinkedIn like a resume.

I treat it like a revenue engine.

I work with enterprise B2B executives and founders in the 7–9 figure range to turn authority into measurable growth.

Through The Creative Catalyst Method — a system built on content + outbound — my clients transform visibility into deal flow, building 7+ figure pipelines in as little as 6 months.

And the results speak for themselves:
	
• 30+ MQLs generated in less than 60 days
• Clients getting 3+ leads every week with content + outbound
• A 5-figure deal closed by an agency in under 60 days
• $100K pipeline built in less than 90 days for a SaaS company

What makes this possible isn’t just content.

It’s the combination of strategic positioning, executive voice, and consistent outbound touchpoints that makes your brand unforgettable — and turns authority into revenue.

If you’re an executive ready to move from authority → pipeline → growth, let’s talk.

👉 Book a call or connect with me here on LinkedIn.

Doug Kennedy

In 10th grade, my dream of becoming a chemical engineer for DuPont was obliterated.

I’d wanted to be a chemist ever since I saw  The Absent-Minded Professor as a kid. 

Then I took trigonometry.

I hated it.

But I realized that my love for science had been replaced by a love of ideas. 

I became obsessed with politics and philosophy. 

That’s when I started noticing something: Formulas solve problems, but ideas move people.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized that people move markets.

That was the shift.

99.9% of founders I talk to think they’re in the product business.

They’re not.

They’re in the idea business.

- The idea behind the product.
- The idea behind the company.
- The idea behind the future they’re selling.

If the idea isn’t clear, the market doesn’t respond.

Writing is leverage. 

It’s how you scale belief.

When a founder realizes their ideas can shape markets, not just conversations… everything changes.

Here’s the real question:

When did you realize your thinking had more power than your technical skill?

Picture: My dad helping me my chemistry set in 3rd grade.

Founder @ Kennedy Creative | Executive Authority Architect for Growth-Stage B2B Companies | Turning Leadership Visibility into Pipeline

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The force that pulls you into Lord of the Rings, the Bible, and an Apple keynote is the same force most founders never learn to use.

It’s metanarrative.

A metanarrative is the overarching explanation of how the world works.

It answers:

• What’s fundamentally broken
• Who the real villain is
• What the future should look like
• What kind of person thrives in that future
• And why now is the turning point

That’s why Tolkien and C.S. Lewis grip you.

There’s a corrupting force.
There’s a small band of unlikely heroes.
There’s sacrifice.
There’s destiny.
There’s restoration.

The Bible does the same on a cosmic scale: creation, fall, redemption, restoration.

Now look at business.

Steve Jobs didn’t sell devices.

He built a metanarrative around creative rebellion. Technology is liberation. The individual is up against the gray corporate machine.

Elon Musk’s metanarrative is that humanity survives by advancing and it looks like:

Multi-planetary life. 
Sustainable energy. 
Relentless innovation.

You don’t have to agree with them. But you know the story they’re telling.

Most $10M+ founders never define theirs.

- They post tactics.
- They explain services.
- They chase engagement.

But they never articulate:

→ What era is ending.
→ What era is emerging.
→ Why their company is built for the new one.

A metanarrative gives your content gravity.
Without it, you have posts.

With it, you have positioning.

If you want to develop one, start here:

1. Identify the dominant belief in your industry.
2. Define why it’s incomplete or outdated.
3. Articulate the shift that’s happening.
4. Define the type of leader who thrives in this new landscape.
5. Position your company as an instrument of that shift.

Repeat that worldview consistently.

Over time, the market begins to see through your lens.

That’s how industries move.

Not through louder messaging, but through clearer meaning.

Reading this and realizing this is what your executive brand is missing? Send me a DM.

I’ve talked to too many founders with 10,000+ followers and no pipeline.

Strong engagement.
Consistent posting.
Thoughtful ideas.

Still no qualified inbound!

That’s not an algorithm problem. It’s a positioning problem.

In the first issue of The Creative Catalyst, I break down:

→ Why attention and authority are not the same thing
→ The “invisible buyer” most founders ignore
→ Why publishing consistently doesn’t equal positioning
→ The shift I make with clients that changes inbound in 60–90 days
→ A simple test to see if your profile is building leverage or just audience

Most founders don’t need more content.

They need more clarity.

If you’re posting regularly but your pipeline doesn’t reflect it, this one’s for you.

(Subscribe to the LinkedIn newsletter to read more.)

I’ve spoken with this type of founder more times than I can count. They’ve built a respectable audience, they post consistently, and their engagement 

Open article: The Founder With 10,000 Followers and No Pipeline by Doug Kennedy • 3 min read

The Founder With 10,000 Followers and No Pipeline

If your personal brand isn’t driving pipeline on LinkedIn….

You don’t need more content. 

You need a reset. 

Here’s my 7-day authority reset to help you start getting leads on LinkedIn:

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Dave Gerhardt

Doug Kennedy

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The Battle

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Doug Kennedy

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Dave Gerhardt's LinkedIn Performance

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Performance ScoreDave Gerhardt's LinkedIn Performance