cezary pietrzak

Yesterday, I shared a presentation with the inaugural Techstars Atlanta class on topic of building a growth engine. In it, I cover three areas:

1. Marketing fundamentals (target audience exploration, messaging, moments + places framework) >>> the foundational building blocks of any marketing efforts
2. Testing + Data (growth hypotheses, marketing funnel, data strategy) > this is setup >>> the approach to take when testing ideas and how to collect data to make sure you evaluate them properly
3. Marketing Channels (paid ads, message automation, lead gen, referral programs) >>> an overview of key marketing channels that startups are likely to use

Each section includes frameworks I’ve developed over the last few years, as well as examples from real projects to bring them to life.

I also recommend my favorite marketing tech tools in the presentation, including data layers, attribution platforms, marketing automation platforms and lead gen tools.

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Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with my friend Mike Brown of Bowery Capital and discuss a topic that’s close to my heart: data.

In the context of startups, data is a very familiar term. Founders understand that they need to be data-driven, that numbers are the foundation of a healthy business and that all business decisions should be supported with numbers. To help them achieve this goal, they use a variety of analytics, heat map and A/B testing tools (eg Google Analytics, Crazy Egg, Optimizely), while the more sophisticated ones place an emphasis on hiring quantitatively-focused employees and data scientists.

Many live by the “Always be testing” mantra, while others go as far as wearing “data-driven” T-shirts to showcase their data-centric pride.

But while everyone agrees on the importance of data, they simultaneously overlook the needs for qualitative insights to enhance and challenge their quantitative findings. How many founders today can describe their customers in a compelling way? How many can articule their customers’ beliefs, values and behaviors in detail? How many understand the bigger context of their customers’ lives outside the immediate application of their product? All of these human-centric components are vital in making the correct interpretation of numeric figures.

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As startups proliferate, their approach to marketing is becoming extremely one-sided and functional: channels trump behaviors, the obvious trumps the implied and numbers trump insights. At worst, data is taken verbatim and used as a crutch, with statements like this abounding: “That’s what the data said, so it must be true.”

This is a very dangerous territory to be in, as over-reliance on data reduces the very core of any business - people - into faceless drones (more commonly known in the startup world as users). It also leads to weak hypotheses that are based on a very shallow understanding of context and reality.

Data alone is only half as valuable as data paired with real human insights.

In this podcast, I discuss the importance of humanizing data for startups, whether they are B2C or (especially) B2B.

I also offer a few pointers on how startups can make their data more human, such as:

• Spending time observing their customers in natural environment
• Researching their category behaviors and lives outside of the narrow application of their product
• Developing strong hypotheses based on behavioral observations

Finally, I provide specific examples of how I’ve applied this approach for my consulting clients. 

You listen to the podcast via this link.

Startups are the very definition of going against the grain and doing something different. Yet, during my time as an entrepreneur, I’ve noticed they have their own set of conventions around how things should be done - whether it’s fundraising, developing a growth strategy or hiring new employees.

I disagree with this notion strongly, and believe that each startup needs to find its own unique path to success. There is no incorrect of doing things, and in fact, those who take the lesser-known approach are often more successful.

Yesterday, I shared a keynote presentation on this very topic with MaGIC, a fast-growing entrepreneurship center in Malaysia led by my good friend Cheryl Yeoh.

Cheryl and I met during the rise of the New York tech ecosystem, both of us first-time entrepreneurs who were following our dreams in an environment ripe with opportunity. Over the course of a few years, we witnessed a unique transformation of New York from an also-ran to the second most funded tech ecosystem in the world (though, really, we’d happily tell you we’re #1). It was a result of the confidence, attitude and hard work of the entrepreneurs, who did what they could with the resources they had and ultimately became a magnet for the VC funding, accelerator programs and government involvement which followed years later.

One important aspect of the New York tech ecosystem is that we didn’t model ourselves on Silicon Valley or the conventional way of building a startup ecosystem. Rather, we built a community that was unique to our strengths, interest and experience. We took advantage of the diversity of our city, our dominance in many industries (fashion, real estate, banking, marketing, etc) and the city’s incredible geographic efficiency. 

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The story of New York is a great example for all emerging startup ecosystems, not only for the one in Malaysia where the seeds are already in place and the foundation for growth is excellent. Each of these ecosystems have something unique to share, but to be noticed, they must forge their own path and behave like a true Challenger. Government funding alone will not help them to succeed, nor will an attitude that’s focused more on what is lacking versus what is abundant.

Being a Challenger is difficult but very rewarding. I’ve often found that my ideas on marketing and growth run counter to startup conventions, which are dominated by blind faith in data and a culture of indiscriminate testing, while lacking a true focus on people. These ideas have been propagated for years by many who built the foundation of Silicon Valley. They’ve forgotten that people are the only ones that matter, especially as technology becomes more personal (think mobile and wearables) and increasingly molded to fit our lives.

My keynote in Malaysia was a great opportunity to articulate some of these opinions, which I list below and will discuss in more details in future blog posts:

1. Put people at the center of your company
2. Answer the “Why?” with deep human insights
3. Invest in relationships
4. Focus on one: customer, niche, message
5. Celebrate great ideas
6. Create a minimum beautiful product
7. Think first, test later
8. Create a growth process
9. Make growth a team sport

Thanks to Cheryl for giving me the opportunity to share my perspective on startups and growth. The experience not only clarified my own beliefs on what is truly necessary for success, but also drew my attention to the incredible opportunities in emerging startup ecosystems around the world, including Malaysia, my home country of Poland and elsewhere.

It’s inspiring to see such excitement about technology and the gradual shift from shiny gadgets to products and services that truly enrich people’s lives. It validates the beliefs I’ve always held as true, and it motivates me to find the opportunities where I can truly excel.

I challenge everyone to forge their own path as well, and answer the question that Peter Thiel so eloquently posed:

“What important truth do very few people agree with you on?”

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