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Episodes

251 - The Three Emails B2B Should Be Sending
251
Aug. 27, 2025

251 - The Three Emails B2B Should Be Sending

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 t...
250 - What Happens When Customers Feel Like Family (Evan Quinn, Co-Founder at Hiyo)
250
Aug. 20, 2025

250 - What Happens When Customers Feel Like Family (Evan Quinn, Co-Founder at Hiyo)

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 cu...
249 - What The Best and Worst Case Studies Have In Common
226
Aug. 13, 2025

249 - What The Best and Worst Case Studies Have In Common

Okay, it's time we discussed customer case studies. Like really discussed em'. 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 burnin...
248 - You Get Product Velocity Because You're Customer Obsessed (Sandhya Simhan, Glean)
248
Aug. 6, 2025

248 - You Get Product Velocity Because You're Customer Obsessed (Sandhya Simhan, Glean)

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 wh...
247 - We 4X'd Sales From New Positioning & Messaging (Customer Interview With Teryn Thomas)
247
July 30, 2025

247 - We 4X'd Sales From New Positioning & Messaging (Customer Interview With Teryn Thomas)

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 ...
246 - While AI Gives You Logic, GrowthMentor Gives You The Feels (Foti, Founder at GrowthMentor)
246
July 23, 2025

246 - While AI Gives You Logic, GrowthMentor Gives You The Feels (Foti, Founder at GrowthMentor)

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; What is Growth Journalism; What’s working well; What’s hard right now; Where are you placing big bets this year; F...
245 - SEO Hasn't Really Changed & Why The Sky Isn't Falling (Brendan Hufford, Growth Sprints)
245
July 16, 2025

245 - SEO Hasn't Really Changed & Why The Sky Isn't Falling (Brendan Hufford, Growth Sprints)

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 br...
244 - BONUS: Focused Growth Clinic For Wordbrew
244
July 11, 2025

244 - BONUS: Focused Growth Clinic For Wordbrew

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...
243 - Our Best Growth Channel Is Our Customers (Georgia Austin, Founder & CEO at Wordbrew)
243
July 9, 2025

243 - Our Best Growth Channel Is Our Customers (Georgia Austin, Founder & CEO at Wordbrew)

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...
242 - How Did I Get Here?
242
July 2, 2025

242 - How Did I Get Here?

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, subscri...
241 - BONUS: How To Grow Your Podcast Based On My Experience
241
June 27, 2025

241 - BONUS: How To Grow Your Podcast Based On My Experience

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-enns 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...
240 - AI-First Messaging Means Nothing To Your Customers (Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro)
240
June 25, 2025

240 - AI-First Messaging Means Nothing To Your Customers (Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro)

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 yo...
239 - Why Everyone's Talking About Customer Led Growth Again (Greg Portnoy, CEO & Co-Founder at Euler)
239
June 18, 2025

239 - Why Everyone's Talking About Customer Led Growth Again (Greg Portnoy, CEO & Co-Founder at Euler)

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....
238 - Your Customers (Not Your Product) Are Your Moat With Emily Kramer
238
June 11, 2025

238 - Your Customers (Not Your Product) Are Your Moat With Emily Kramer

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;...
237 - From $800K to $10M Without A Growth Hacker (Jennifer Tsay, CEO & Co-Founder at Shoott)
237
June 4, 2025

237 - From $800K to $10M Without A Growth Hacker (Jennifer Tsay, CEO & Co-Founder at Shoott)

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;...
236 - Beyond JTBD: Your Customers Are Whole People So Why Isn’t Your Research
236
May 28, 2025

236 - Beyond JTBD: Your Customers Are Whole People So Why Isn’t Your Research

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 talente...
235 - Do You Empathize With Your Customers Socially, Emotionally, And Behaviorally? (Anna Baskin, Co-Founder & CEO at Hightail)
235
May 21, 2025

235 - Do You Empathize With Your Customers Socially, Emotionally, And Behaviorally? (Anna Baskin, Co-Founder & CEO at Hightail)

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 202...
234 - Listen To Your Top 3% Superconsumers And Find What's Weird (Christopher Lochhead)
234
May 14, 2025

234 - Listen To Your Top 3% Superconsumers And Find What's Weird (Christopher Lochhead)

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% Co...
233 - Building A Brand New Channel For Marketers To Help During Tough Times (Melissa Rosenthal, Co-Founder at Outlever)
233
May 7, 2025

233 - Building A Brand New Channel For Marketers To Help During Tough Times (Melissa Rosenthal, Co-Founder at Outlever)

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: How’s it going; 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, what are they like; ...
232 - BONUS: Setting The Record Straight On Some Important Words (Erin Balsa, Bland To Bold)
232
May 2, 2025

232 - BONUS: Setting The Record Straight On Some Important Words (Erin Balsa, Bland To Bold)

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 a...
231 - How To Uncover Juicy Customer Insights And Actually Use Them For Messaging (Gia Laudi, Forget The Funnel)
231
April 30, 2025

231 - How To Uncover Juicy Customer Insights And Actually Use Them For Messaging (Gia Laudi, Forget The Funnel)

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 sho...
230 - BONUS: What Impact Does AI Have On Customer Research & How To Prepare
230
April 25, 2025

230 - BONUS: What Impact Does AI Have On Customer Research & How To Prepare

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/annafurmanov ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ furmanovma...
229 - Why Your Customers Aren't Talking About You (Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist at Gong)
229
April 23, 2025

229 - Why Your Customers Aren't Talking About You (Udi Ledergor, Chief Evangelist at Gong)

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; How do you sell to large strategic customers; Where is Udi plac...
228 - How To Throw A Successful Customer Event (Natalie Marcotullio, Head of Growth & Product Marketing at Navattic)
228
April 16, 2025

228 - How To Throw A Successful Customer Event (Natalie Marcotullio, Head of Growth & Product Marketing at Navattic)

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 s...