Shining a light on those startups that are taking their marketing efforts to the next level. Every week I talk to venture-backed startup founders, marketing leaders and startup marketing experts about marketing, brand, growth, what's working well, how they're approaching different marketing challenges, and how crazy and fun marketing can be when you're at a high growth startup. You'll also hear from me on topics like "how to prioritize your marketing" and "modern digital content strategy.†Hosted by Anna Furmanov.
Shannon Howard is Senior Director of Customer & Content Marketing at Intellum. Intellum is AI transformation for enterprise learning. $25M in funding, 139 people.Here's what we cover:05:35 Shannon shares some Creative Customer Marketing Strategies08:41 Building the Foundation for Customer Marketing11:09 The Role of Data in Customer Marketing14:00 Surprise and Delight16:49 Empowering Customers Through Recognition19:57 Segmentation and Personalization in Marketing22:33 B2B vs B2C Marketing Dynamics26:28 Why Customer Marketing is often overlooked by CMOs30:00 Customer Marketing Strategies to put in your back pocket33:17 The Role of Customer Research & Shannon's take37:12 The Impact of AI on Customer Insights50:38 Shannon asks Anna her burning questionShannon on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shannonlagassehowardIntellum: www.intellum.comSubscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
If you're in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. When I look back at 2025, one thing is very clear: my clients taught me more than any book, course, or conference ever could. Here are the six lessons I learned from the leaders I worked with this year.Subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
Aditya Vempaty is VP of Marketing at MoEngage. MoEngage is a consumer engagement platform used by 1350+ consumer brands globally. $180M funding, 869 ppl.Here's what we cover:02:46 Team Structure and Regional Dynamics - including why one PMM reports under the CEO05:33 Steering the Ship & Gaining Buy-In for Strategic Initiatives11:10 The Role of Customer Feedback in Marketing13:48 Repositioning MoEngage in a Changing Market16:32 Navigating AI in Customer Engagement19:33 Positioning and Storytelling Across Regions26:52 Cultural Nuances in Storytelling e.g. India versus US28:07 The Importance of CEO Buy-In30:43 Customers as your Heroes and why that's such an important mindset shift43:47 The Nuances of AI in Marketing - Aditya's hot takeAditya on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/adityavempatyMoEngage: www.moengage.comSubscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
Jess Cook is Head of Marketing at Vector. Vector is the only way to build ad audiences by name. Contact-based ads platform so your ads reach the right people (those that want to buy).Here's what we cover:02:39 Understanding Vector's (new!) Positioning05:30 Customer-Centric Growth Strategies08:16 Repositioning and Messaging Evolution11:04 Incorporating Customer Feedback and why we brought our customer into our strategic company meeting14:05 The Role of Research in Marketing16:37 Building Ad Audiences by Name19:18 Our Creative Process Behind the Brand22:09 On Launching the Podcast with the CEO - we fly down to Florida and film in the studio26:47 Focused growth channels 28:04 Creativity that stems from customer research and insights30:42 Sabrina Carpenter's hairbrush microphone34:06 My favorite customer interview question38:30 Customer marketing plays at Vector41:46 Our influencer marketing experiment results46:47 Leveraging AI in Marketing51:11 Innovative SEO Strategies we're usingJess on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesscook-contentmarketingVector: www.vector.coSubscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
Anthony Pierri helps founders market hard-to-market products as Co-Founder and Partner at FletchPMM. We're both in the Chicago area, Anthony is just a (trail) bike ride away. I asked Anthony to join me for round 2, also listen to Ep. 199 “Why Your Homepage Is A Great Predictor of Your Startup's Future Success...Or Failure.”Here's what we cover:“Let's fix your confusing positioning” why you changed the copy on your homepage;Positioning, messaging, how do you get the entire company marching to the same beat, especially larger companies;After you help companies with their positioning and messaging, do they stick to it? Do they go back to their old ways? Why might this happen;You don't recommend outsourcing talking to customers BUT founders and marketers don't know how, so what's the solve here, let's talk this out;Segmentation old way versus new way.Anthony on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anthonypierriFletchPMM: www.fletchpmm.comSubscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
Mark Huber is VP of Marketing at UserEvidence. UserEvidence is a Customer Evidence Platform that lets you collect feedback, curate success stories, and create content that credibly proves the value of your product. Don't beg for case studies. Get customer proof at scale.Mark and I are both Navattic advisors.Here's what we cover:Tell me about your team, what's everyone doing;Tell me about how your positioning and messaging has changed, and how it's landing;How'd you get the entire company marching to the same beat;How do you incorporate customers as part of UserEvidence's growth efforts;How're you using AI in your role, what scares you, what are you hopeful about;Mark asks me his burning question.Mark on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markehuberUserEvidence: userevidence.comSubscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
This is a geeking out episode. If you love customer research as much as I do and know how important it is for marketing and business growth, this is the episode you'll want to hear.Hannah Shamji is a former Therapist and now Consumer Psychology Researcher. Hannah digs deep to uncover the emotional and psychological reasons your customers buy, stay, or leave in order to help inform retention, engagement, or positioning challenges.Here's what we cover:Focus of your work these days;How're you using AI as part of your work;In research conversations, how to peel back the layers beyond logical answers, in order to go deeper on the emotional and political stuff;The worst customer interview you've ever done;How do you know something is an insight;An example of turning insights into action;Hannah asks me her burning question.Hannah on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/hannahshamjiFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
Mark Schaefer is keynote speaker, university educator, futurist, and bestselling author of books like Marketing Rebellion, Audacious, and most recently How AI Changes Your Customers.Mark also joined me a couple years ago, listen to Ep. 132: How AI Is Changing Marketing Forever & Why Creativity Matters More.Here's what we cover:What's changing with our customers, and how do we change alongside them;What scares you most about AI;What makes you hopeful;Why curiosity matters now more than ever;Where are you finding purpose and where can marketers find purpose at a time when we're kinda lost;Why awkwardness is a brand superpower;The 3 questions we should be asking to guide our company's next chapter.Mark on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/markwschaeferMark's website: businessesgrow.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
After 5+ years working with early and growth stage companies, I created the Customer Insights Roadmap, a 4-phase process that helps founders/CEOs and their teams understand their customers deeply, translate those insights into clear and compelling positioning and messaging, and then scale growth in a way that works for your specific target buyer. It's the exact process I take my clients through and it all starts with the hard work: real conversations with your customers. We run this program and it's not uncommon to see faster sales cycles and even 4X closed won deals.Read about the Customer Insights Roadmap: furmanovmarketing.com/blog/customer-insights-roadmapRead more about the Content Strategy Canvas: furmanovmarketing.com/blog/content-strategyFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comOne Insight newsletter: Subscribe
So ya know how I'm exploring the role that customers play in helping companies build to their next level of growth? My goal is to invite on more superstar customer marketers and this episode is no exception. Why such an obsession with customer marketing? people don't stop to consider how important their customers arewe always seem to be chasing net newtrust is peer-led and most growth (still) comes from referrals, word of mouth, and bottom-up adoptionyour customers are your moat because they are unique to youyou're probably doing some of this, it's just not officially in your business strategy (it should be)Holly Higgins is Sr. Customer Marketing Manager at Nectar. Nectar is an employee recognition & rewards platform for companies investing in culture. $58.7M in funding. 245 people.Here's what we cover:Holly's responsibilities and goals;How do you incorporate customers as part of your growth efforts;Gamifying customer engagement;How you use AI in your role;How AI makes you and me more human;Holly asks me her burning question.Holly on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/holly-higgins-28841a1b7Nectar: nectarhr.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comNewsletter: One Insight
I reached out to Denny Hollick on GrowthMentor as a mentee. Denny was a good match because I wanted to ask him some questions I've had for a while around customer marketing and customer advocacy. Yes, most people agree that understanding customer needs can transform product development, but what's often overlooked is how customer advocates can significantly influence your market success and GTM plan's impact. Denny is Head of Product Marketing at Puzzle. Prior, he held marketing leadership roles at Minerva, Kajabi, Unbounce, and Wealthbar (acquired in 2018).Here's what we cover:Why customer advocacy is crucial for startup growth;How building relationships with customers can lead to advocacy;Examples of customer advocacy programs;Effective customer marketing requires collaboration between teams;Startups should invest in customer advocacy programs early;Creating a customer advisory board is probably the easiest step one;Customers want to feel valued and recognized, how can you make that happen;How successful advocacy programs turn customers into partners.Denny on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dhollickFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.comOne Insight newsletter: Subscribe
Lately, I've been intrigued by “State of The” reports. Many of them are examples of what good content looks like. Tommy Walker created his State of (Dis)Content report so naturally I wanted to learn exactly how he did it. Tommy is founder at The Content Studio. The Content Studio is a content marketing consultancy focused on creating, developing, and improving content programs for growth-stage B2B startups and enterprises.Here's what we cover:What's your approach to creating really good content;The problem with good enough content;The problem with perfectionism;Walk me through the steps you took to create The State Of (Dis)Content;How does this report tie directly into the sales process.Tommy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tommyismynameThe Content Studio: www.thecontentstudio.comThe State Of (Dis)Content: www.thecontentstudio.com/the-state-of-discontentFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Shoshana Kordova joined me to talk about some of my favorite customer research and insights topics, she's founder of Peel Product Marketing and 3X founding product marketer with over a decade of journalism experience.Here's what we cover:How does your journalism background help you with customer research;There are many Product Marketers, how do you differentiate;How do you know something is a true customer insight;How do you turn insights into action;What's the biggest challenge for companies you're working with right now.Shoshana on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shoshana-kordova Peel Product Marketing: https://app.assetmule.ai/vVFtTvys Check out her customer insights playbook: https://jetpack.productivepmm.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Gianna Scorsone is co-founder and COO at ChampionHQ. ChampionHQ is the customer-led growth platform. Turn your customers into your No. 1 growth engine. Seed funded.Here's what we cover:Customer-led growth vs. customer marketing and why both are important;How to turn customers into your No. 1 growth engine;How do you incorporate customers as part of your own growth efforts;Who's doing customer marketing well;How you're building community at ChampionHQ.Gianna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/giannascorsoneChampionHQ: www.championhq.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Lately, I've been thinking about email newsletters. I paused my own newsletter back in March because I was like "is this thing even working?" Turns out it is (builds trust, brings clients) so I'll be bringing it back, but I wanted to talk to an expert, learn about what's working, and ask my email questions.Enter: Marc Thomas.Marc has led Growth at various companies and currently helps $1M-$10M ARR SaaS companies with lifecycle marketing.This was supposed to be just a casual conversation but there were so many AHA moments that I couldn't just keep this to myself.Marc on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/iammarcthomasPositive Human: www.positivehuman.co For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
It's a bittersweet moment. My kids are officially back at school. And that means summer is over (is it though? I'm in denial).Evan Quinn is Co-Founder and CEO at hiyo. Hiyo is a stress-relieving social tonic (new category) mindfully crafted with natural adaptogens, nootropics, and functional botanicals to be a better-than-alcohol alternative. Founded in 2021, they're DTC and also in 6,000+ retail locations.Here's what we cover:What does it take to get into retail stores;Tell me about your customer superfans;When customers feel like family, the game changes;An umbrella with an origin story is not just an umbrellaHow you incorporate customers as part of your growth efforts in unique and creative ways;What's been challenging.Evan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/evanhquinnhiyo: drinkhiyo.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Okay, it's time we discussed customer case studies. Like really discussed them. So I invited Em Thomas to join me, she's founder of StackCat Content (full-stack case study services for B2B SaaS companies).Here's what we cover:What do the worst case studies have in common;What about the best case studies;How to structure customer calls to pull out the right info for case studies;What format performs best;How to create case studies that sell;Companies that do this well;Em asks me her burning question.Em on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/imemthomasStackCat Content: www.stackcatcontent.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Sandhya Simhan is Head of Customer & Growth Marketing at Glean. What's Glean? Work AI for all. Give every employee an AI Assistant and Agents that put your company's knowledge to work. Glean has exploded, and their customers play a big part. Series F, $150M raised, $7.2B valuation, 850+ people. Here's what we cover:Tell me about your team, especially Customer Marketing;What are your goals for this year;How do you incorporate customers as part of Glean's growth efforts;So much success, but what's hard right now;Tips if you're applying to an AI-focused startup;Where are you placing big bets in 2025.Sandhya on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sandhyasimhanGlean: www.glean.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you're into, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Teryn Thomas is Founder and CEO at EdLight. EdLight is your AI Math Co-Teacher, they're Seed funded. I worked with the EdLight team using the Customer Insights Roadmap process which included customer research, insights, positioning, messaging, competitor analysis, GTM strategy, website, social channels, sales emails, and conference materials.I'm doing a bit of my own customer research with this unique episode.Here's what we cover:How's it going for you guys since we worked together;How were you feeling before we started working together;Why did you go with me;Now that we've worked together what was the stand out moment for you;What's been the impact of our working together.Teryn on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/teryn-thomas-a00b51145EdLight: www.edlight.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Foti Panagiotakopoulos is Founder at GrowthMentor. GrowthMentor helps you get unstuck quickly with 1:1 advice from vetted startup mentors. Growth is tough, and sometimes you just want to talk to someone.I've been mentoring on GrowthMentor since 2022 and have recently started using it as a mentee as well.Here's what we cover:How you incorporate customers as part of growth efforts;Insights from talking to people that are on the fence;How adding friction actually strengthens human connection;What is Growth Journalism;What's working well;What's hard right now;Where are you placing big bets this year;Foti asks me his burning question.Foti on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fotis-panagioGrowthMentor: app.growthmentor.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Brendan Hufford is Founder at Growth Sprints where he helps take SaaS companies from $10M to $100M ARR using the SaaS Growth Sprint Framework. Brendan is also a Navattic advisor and that's how we met. He has 4 kids which is double what I have so already a ton of respect.Here's what we cover:Simon Sinek and AI ramblings (oh so good);What's different with SEO today and how're you help companies navigate with success;Companies that incorporate customers as part of their growth;You find your brand in the pattern of what your best customers say when they're pissed, proud, or paying (LinkedIn post);Anna asks Brendan her burning question.Brendan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/brendanhufford Growth Sprints: growthsprints.coFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Hey builders, it's Anna! This BONUS episode is a focused growth clinic for Georgia Austin, Founder & CEO at Wordbrew. Wordbrew makes it simple for teams to create unique content with expert insights. They have 20 paying customers.In our last episode, Georgia talked about her main challenges: positioning, packaging, distributing, lean team, small budget, and limited manpower for posting on LinkedIn. I'm going to try to help.For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Georgia Austin is Founder and CEO at Wordbrew. Wordbrew makes it simple for teams to create unique content with expert insights. Collaborate with experts on the platform (and AI) to create unique content at scale. They have 20 paying customers at the moment.How I met Georgia: she reached out to me on LinkedIn to see if I could help them with something as they're building their product and of course I was excited to help.Here's what we cover:Give me your best customer's Wordbrew use case;What's unique about your customer superfans;How do you incorporate customers as part of your growth efforts;Georgia asks me her burning question which I will answer in a BONUS episode Friday.Georgia on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgiaaustin Wordbrew: wordbrew.com The post that went viral mentioned in the episodeFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
It's my birthday week and I'm droppin' an episode where I explore my career, why I went solo, on landing my first client, on noticing the seasons after leaving corporate, solo business ups & downs, adapting to market shifts, turning perspectives into sales momentum, future goals and reflections, what would be my last meal, and more. I recorded this episode with Nick Bennett on his podcast 1,000 Routes. This is my route, one route out of many, and I hope you'll tune in.For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Amanda Natividad (VP of Marketing at SparkToro) asked me her burning question in this week's episode and I do my best to answer it. Also check out Jeremy Enns, he's Founder of Podcast Marketing Academy and he knows his podcast creation and growth stuff.Jeremy Enns on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-ennsFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Amanda Natividad is VP of Marketing at SparkToro. SparkToro is a free-to-try market research & audience intelligence tool. Been a big fan of Amanda and Rand Fishkin (Co-Founder and CEO) for a while.Founders like to hide behind their products, but the thing that makes you unique is not your product. There are so many companies solving the same problem you're solving, and they have customers too. The thing that makes you unique is your superfan customers. That's your moat. And you need to know your customers beyond just the product you're building that they're using. This ties into the broader idea of audience research.Here's what we cover:Audience Research versus Customer Research;In what ways do you leverage customers as part of your growth efforts at SparkToro;Asking your customers for favors;Why are companies not doing audience research;Amanda's new podcast “Meme Team”;Amanda asks me her burning question which I will answer in a BONUS episode Friday.Amanda on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amandanatSparkToro: sparktoro.comSparkTogether Event: sparktoro.com/sparktogetherFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Greg Portnoy is CEO and Co-Founder at Euler. Euler allows you to manage your partner programs, end to end. Founded in 2023, bootstrapped, 60 customers, they just doubled their business in Q1. They've never done a single outbound sales message.Here's what we cover:What's working well;What's hard right now;How do you incorporate customers as part of your growth efforts;How do you incorporate customer research at Euler;Where are you placing big bets in 2025;Greg asks me his burning question.Greg on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregportnoyEuler: eulerapp.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Emily Kramer is creator of the MKT1 Newsletter and new Dear Marketers podcast. I am a huge fan. Emily was on the show before:Ep. 141 “Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring Your First Head of Marketing” is a Top 5 most listened to episode.Ep. 183 “If Your Startup Can't Win On GTM, We Won't Invest”Here's what we cover:How's the pod going;In what (creative) ways have you seen companies leverage customers as part of their growth efforts;What's important for customer marketing efforts to impact growth;How “Ecosystem Marketing” goes beyond customer marketing and why it works so well;What does a good ecosystem look and feel like;Where do you start;What startups come to mind that are running customer marketing or ecosystem marketing plays well, who should we be watching;Emily asks me her burning question.Emily on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emilykramerMKT1: mkt1.coFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Jennifer reached out to me after listening to me speak on Riverside's content repurposing panel. Jennifer Tsay is CEO and co-founder at Shoott. Shoott is a marketplace connecting photographers with customers. Founded in 2018, they've grown from $800K to $10M.Here's what we cover:What does it take to go from $800K to $10M;What's hard right now;How do you incorporate customers as part of growth efforts;How do you incorporate customer research at Shoott;Where are you placing big bets in 2025;Jennifer asks me her burning questions.Jennifer on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-tsayShoott: shoott.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, let me know what episodes you've listened to, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Hey, it's Anna, and today I want to talk about something I've been quietly refining over the last five years, working with founders and marketing teams. It's called Whole-Person Customer Research and it's the foundation for how I help startups get clarity on their positioning, messaging, GTM and content strategy.For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
It was really fun recording this episode with my longtime friend! We go waaaay back. Anna Baskin is Co-Founder and CEO at Hightail. Hightail is a low-dose THC infused beverage for when you want to sip in some fun. Here's what we cover:What you're building;Wow I'm just so proud of you;How're you growing your customer base;What's hard right now;How you incorporate customers as part of your growth efforts;Customer research and the insights you're finding;Where are you placing big bets in 2025;Anna asks me her burning questions.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-hight-baskinHightail: siphightail.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Christopher Lochhead is 3X Silicon Valley public company CMO, the father of category design, and makes content for entrepreneurs and marketers with a different mind.I invite Christopher on the show to talk about certain topics but I always know we will be twisting and turning to other topics which is why it's so fun to hang with him.Listen to these other episodes if you want more with Christopher:Ep. 44 - Why 98% Of Startups And Marketers Waste Their Time Ep. 108 - Why Most Content Is 100% Content Free And How Non Obvious Ideas HelpEp. 136 - Why Treating Your Creative Marketing Like It's Not Tied To Revenue Will Get You More RevenueHere's what we cover:Politics;Israel war;Terrorism;Disagreements are healthy;What does customer obsession mean, really;Why customers are the most important part of GTM;How can Marketing build respect from Sales and Engineering;Examples of how customers help startups build to their next level of growth;Which customers are most important for customer research;What you should look for when analyzing customer research (HINT: it's not what you think);Why it's important to learn about how customers use your product as part of their products ecosystem, desires and preferences.Christopher on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christopherlochheadCategory Pirates: www.categorypirates.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Always fun when folks refer me to founders building cool products, and that's exactly how I met Melissa. Melissa Rosenthal is Co-Founder at Outlever. Outlever helps companies become the #1 news source in their industry. They're self-funded and $5M in revenue. Here's what we cover:What you're building;How many customers;Sales cycle length;What's hard right now;How do you incorporate customers as part of your marketing and sales efforts;How do you incorporate customer research;Tell me about your superfan customers;Where are you placing big bets in 2025.Melissa on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melissarosenthal5Outlever: outlever.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Every so often I like to set the record straight on some terms that people like to toss around. Erin Balsa (Founder of Bland To Bold) and I were emailing back and forth about Positioning, Messaging, Category Design, and Strategic Narrative. And then I realized, hey, I really just want to talk this through.Erin was on the show before, you can listen to Ep. 203 "Hashing Out The Perfect Content Strategy Visual Framework"Here's what we cover:Define each of these terms;Which path to take? Or do all 4;Of the 4, which is the hardest to do and why;How can startups make sure their messaging is unique, valuable, and consistent.Erin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/erinbalsaBland To Bold: www.blandtobold.coFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Georgiana (Gia) Laudi is co-founder and chief strategist at Forget The Funnel. She's author of the book "Forget The Funnel" that's about Customer-Led Growth and a customer-led approach for driving predictable, recurring revenue.Here's what we cover:I have to ask why did Gia and April Dunford bash Voice of Customer (VoC) on April's podcast because I'm honestly curious;How to pick the right insights and turn those into positioning and messaging;How to create your messaging guide;How often should you conduct customer research.Gia on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgianalaudiForget The Funnel: forgetthefunnel.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
I'm answering Udi Ledergor's questions in this BONUS pod episode: 1. How is AI changing the work that we do on customer research?2. How should we as consultants and advisors prepare for this change?For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Udi Ledergor is Chief Evangelist and former CMO at Gong. You can centralize all your revenue workflows in Gong's Revenue AI Platform. Gong is a Unicorn (last valuation was $7.25B). Total funding $583M. Also check out Ep. 156 “Gong's Marketing Evolution From Early Stage To Unicorn”.Here's what we cover:In what ways have customers helped Gong build to the next round;How to create raving fans;Where is Gong placing big bets in 2025 (e.g. redefining category boundaries);How do you sell to large strategic customers;Where is Udi placing big bets in 2025 (new book!);Why courage in marketing is so important and oftentimes missing;What's your favorite use case for using AI.Udi on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/udiledergorCourageous Marketing book: https://mybook.to/courageousmarketingGong: www.gong.io For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Natalie Marcotullio is Head of Growth & Product Marketing at Navattic. Navattic makes buying easier with interactive demos. Seed funded. Also check out Ep. 139 (be the company that seems to be everywhere), Ep. 180 (podcast, ads, positioning, what's the ROI) and Ep. 218 (launching the free forever plan).Here's what we cover:The Navattic Fanatic Customer Event in NYC, what was your goal for the event and did you achieve it;What do you think made the customer event so successful;Anything that surprised you;What will you change for next time;After the event is often the most important - how did you make the event last beyond the two days;Other ways you're incorporating customers into your business and marketing strategy;Your new role heading up product marketing, what are you planning to tackle first;Natalie asks Anna her burning question;30 days of customer obsession;Thoughts on being audacious to differentiate;What are the top drivers of WOM for Navattic.Natalie on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-marcotullioNavattic: www.navattic.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Taylor Jennings is lead UX Researcher at Chili Piper. Chili Piper is your all-in-one Demand Conversion Platform. The only solution that consolidates Chat, Routing, and Scheduling all in one platform. They've raised $54.4M.Here's what we cover:How do you incorporate customer research at Chili Piper;Product research and goals with this research;Pricing research, goals with this research, how you actually did this in the weeds;How have you actually used the research insights;What are your challenges with customer research.Taylor on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/taylorjennings1Chili Piper: www.chilipiper.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Elaine Zelby is Co-Founder and CRO at Tofu. Tofu puts top-of-funnel on autopilot for B2B marketing teams, so you can ship integrated marketing campaigns 8X faster. Series A funded (recent). Also check out Ep. 96 “First Time Founders Think Product Wins, Second Time Founders Know GTM Wins”.Here's what we cover:Your recent funding round, what did it take to get there (HINT: 4 main things);How do you use tofu at tofu;How do you structure your nurture sequences;How do you incorporate customer research at tofu (HINT: product roadmap, website, GTM plan);Both companies and people are building agents and bots, how do you break away and ahead of everyone else;Where are you placing big bets in 2025;How do you know your content is good.Elaine on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elainezelbyTofu: www.tofuhq.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Megan Bowen is CEO at Refine Labs. Refine Labs is a demand gen agency for growth stage and enterprise B2B SaaS companies. Also check out Ep. 78 "Hire For Customer Success, Not Customer Support."Here's what we cover:Brand, Demand, and ABM. What's your approach to client work;I'm exploring the role that customers play in helping startups build to the next round - how have you seen this play out with companies you work with;What's changed about how buyers buy today, and what's still the same;Customer research is core to the work I do with my clients - how do you handle customer research at Refine Labs;How are you using AI, and what's your take on where it's going;Early stage startups testing paid ads, what's your advice (HINT: it's an expensive experiment, you need at least $3M-5M ARR);What's the biggest challenge for companies you're working with right now;Megan asks me her burning question.Megan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meganwhitebowenRefine Labs: www.refinelabs.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Ivan Barajas Vargas is Co-Founder and CEO at Muuktest, world-class QA 100% done-for-you. Seed funded.Here's what we cover:What is Service-as-a-Software;How do you incorporate customer research at Muuktest;The Mom Test;What are some of your goals with customer research;What questions are you asking;How are you using research insights;Do you ask customers where do they learn and hang out;Why understanding “whole-person” with your research is important and goes beyond just your product;Why is customer research important;What are your challenges with customer research;There are so many voices, who should you listen to when you do this research.Ivan on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ivanbarajasvargas Muuktest: muuktest.com For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Emily Steele is Co-Founder and CEO at Hummingbirds. Mari Tippman is Head of Sales at Hummingbirds. Hummingbirds helps brands drive awareness and sales with hyper-local content creators. The platform connects brands with “hummingbirds” who are trusted friends and neighbors with buying power and local influence. Hummingbirds recently raised Seed funding ($10M total!). Emily has been on the show before, check out Ep. 198 Impressions vs. Engagement: Why Partnering With Smaller Creators Can Actually Be More Effective.Here's what we cover:Your recent funding round - what did it take to get there;How do you incorporate customer research at Hummingbirds and what have been the results;How do you incorporate customers in your marketing;Why is customer research importantWhat are your challenges with customer research;Emily shared that they have a podcast and what they use it for.Emily on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emilysteele12Mari on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/maritippmannHummingbirds: www.hummingbirds.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Peter Mollins is VP of Marketing at Nooks. Nooks just raised Series B funding in October. Woop!With Nooks you can boost pipeline with AI assistants that automate the busywork of dialing, coaching, and prospecting, so sales reps can focus on the human side of selling.Here's what we cover:Your recent funding round - what did it take to get there;How do you incorporate customer research at Nooks and what have been the results;How do you incorporate customers in your marketing;Oh my gosh you need to try to sell to Jim Hard*ss, your AI coaching assistant;Peter asks me his burning question.Peter on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/petermollinsNooks: www.nooks.aiFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
I was asked to join a panel for Riverside's event "Content Repurposing: Turn 1 Conversation Into a Full Content Calendar" along with Emily Kramer (MKT1) and Ross Simmonds (Foundation Marketing). 1900 people registered! Really fun conversation and great group.We discuss: What to consider before creating content with repurposing in mind Step-by-step how to recycle and repurpose your content Which posts and methods have worked best The tools and automations to use for repurposing How to decide when, where and what to publish and moreSee the video version here: https://riverside.fm/webinars/content-repurposing-turn-1-conversation-into-a-full-content-calendarFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
A ton of people I speak to in B2B talk about the JTBD approach. So I had to bring on Bob because I have many questions. Bob Moesta is an entrepreneur and innovator known for his Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) theory. He started 10 companies and is currently the Co-Founder of the Re-Wired Group.Here's what we cover:Define Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) for someone unfamiliar with it;How sales and buying aren't the same and why that matters;Where did JTBD Theory come from;People don't buy things, they hire to help them make progress;Deconstructing the parts of JTBD: push, pull, friction, habit, frame the solution;Should we trust what our customers say;How many customers do you need to talk to for good insights;Which customer insights to ignore;Bob walks me through an example for a company using the JTBD Theory;What's the most important question to ask in customer interviews;How to dig for energy in customer interviews;Mistakes people make when implementing the JTBD framework;The Jobs To Be Done Handbook is from 2014, what has changed about the way you think about and apply JTBD;How do you see JTBD fitting into the context of AI and automation.Bob on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoestaThe Re-Wired Group: therewiredgroup.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Joseph Lee is Co-Founder & CEO at Syncly (Seed funded). Syncly is a customer feedback analysis platform that let's you see customer pains and prevents customer churn.Here's what we cover: How do you incorporate customer research at Syncly? What are your goals; Using the JBTD framework; How have you actually used research insights; How do you connect insights to your product roadmap; Your pricing page takes me to a demo form, why not share at least a range; Challenges with customer research; Customer research with your “haters” or lapsed buyers; Joseph asks me his burning question.Joseph on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/josephdhlee/Syncly: https://syncly.app/For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Natalie Marcotullio is Head of Growth and Ops at Navattic (Seed funded). Raman Khanna is Growth Lead at Navattic. Navattic makes buying easier with interactive demos. 28k+ demos built so far. You can also check out Episode 139 and Episode 180 where I had Natalie on.Since 2020, Navattic has been a sales-led company. Plans start at $500/mo. They just released a product-led motion. One interactive demo, free forever.Here's what we cover: Why'd you decide to go product-led; Why'd you decide to go freemium vs. free trial (HINT: buyer-focused); What were the main steps to get there; What were some stumbles and how did you fix; What was your launch plan; How many demos built on the free plan, and what % have converted to paid; What have you learned since launch.Natalie on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-marcotullio Raman on LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/raman-khannaNavattic:www.navattic.comFor more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show.Music by my talented daughter.Anna on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annafurmanovWebsite: furmanovmarketing.com
Stella Garber is Co-Founder and CEO at Hoop (Seed). Hoop is AI task management for busy people. From meeting to Slack to yet another meeting to your email inbox, Hoop captures and prioritizes your tasks. Here's what we cover: How do you incorporate customer research and insights at Hoop, what are your goals; What have been the results; Do you have a systematic approach to customer research; In your research, do you ever ask “why do you think this product can change your life?; Why is customer research important. Stella on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stellagarber Hoop: www.hoop.app For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter. Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov Website: furmanovmarketing.com
Pranav Piyush is Co-Founder and CEO at Paramark. Paramark (Pre-Seed) helps CMOs and CFOs invest in marketing with confidence and predictability. Here's what we cover: I see the book Alchemy on Pranav's bookshelf and it's about "chasing the magic" so have to ask what got him into it; How do you incorporate customer research at Paramark? What are some of your goals with this research; What have been the results; Why is customer research important; Challenges with customer research; Pranav asks me his burning question. Pranav on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/pranavp Paramark: paramark.com For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter. Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov Website: furmanovmarketing.com
Hi! I'm back! I missed you. Did you miss me? Well it's a completely different show now, and I can't wait to share more with you. Tiffany McNeil is the coolest brand, innovation, and insights exec you'll ever meet. Tiffany and I worked together at Del Monte Foods way back in 2010 (!) on the consumer insights and strategy team, specifically consumer food innovation for baby boomers. This was the perfect conversation to kick things off. Here's what we cover: Let's first define consumer insights and strategy in B2C; When I came over to B2B from B2C, there was no customer research, insights, or strategy that came from that work. It was super strange. So naturally, I just did the work. What is the work; Why is consumer insights important? How does this carry over to B2B; What's new in consumer insights that's shaping the industry; What do you still find challenging with consumer research; Tiffany asks me her burning question. Tiffany on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-mcneil-9b1615a Oaktown Strategy: www.oaktownstrategy.com For more content, subscribe to Building With Buyers on Apple or Spotify or wherever you like to listen, and don't forget to leave a review if you're lovin' the show. Music by my talented daughter. Anna on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/annafurmanov Website: furmanovmarketing.com
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