The 1 mistake 90% of founders make (and how to fix it)

5-4-3-2-1, the newsletter that helps founders like you master the 5 pillars of business growth: sales, marketing, product development, growth hacks, and fundraising.

5. Sales Strategies

“How do you get decision-makers to engage deeply in the sales process without feeling sold to?”

Storytelling: At Close.com, a CRM tool targeting enterprise clients, the sales team hit a wall. They were struggling to get decision-makers to even show up to demos, let alone close deals. The traditional pitch wasn’t working—prospects were distracted, disengaged, and just going through the motions.

Then, they flipped the script. Instead of pitching their product, they asked prospects to demo their own workflows. “Walk us through your process,” they’d say. “Show us where the pain points are.”

Suddenly, decision-makers were engaged. They felt heard, understood, and valued. Close.com used these insights to tailor their pitch, and within 4 months, they closed $250K+ in enterprise deals with a 90% demo-to-close rate.

Call-to-Action: “Next time you’re pitching, try a Reverse Demo. Let me know how it goes—I’d love to hear your results!”

4. Marketing Tactics

“How do you create a marketing campaign that drives repeat purchases without heavy discounts?”

Storytelling: In the early days of Bombas, the sock brand, they faced a common problem: customers loved their product, but repeat purchases were almost nonexistent. They were stuck in a cycle of discounting just to keep sales alive, and it was killing their margins.

Their solution? Mystery Boxes. They offered customers a box of random products at a discounted price, but here’s the twist: Each box included a personalized note and a discount code for their next purchase.

The result? Customers felt delighted by the surprise and valued by the personal touch. Repeat purchases increased by 40%, and customer lifetime value (CLV) rose by 25% in just 3 months.

Ready to boost repeat purchases? Try Mystery Boxes and watch your customers fall in love with your brand all over again.

3. Product Development Insights

“How do you decide which features to build when your users have conflicting requests?”

When Notion first launched, they faced a flood of user feedback. Some users wanted Feature A, others wanted Feature B, and a few were asking for something completely different. The team was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start.

To solve this, they ran a Silent Beta. They released the app to a small group of users without any marketing or announcements. They tracked every tap, swipe, and pause to identify friction points.

The result? They redesigned their onboarding flow, reducing drop-offs by 70% and increasing Day 7 retention by 40%.

“Before your next launch, run a Silent Beta. Your users—and your retention rate—will thank you.”

2. Growth Hacks

“How do you make referrals fun and engaging without overcomplicating the process?”

In the early growth phase of Calm, the meditation app, they had a referral program, but only 5% of users were participating. They were offering discounts, freebies, and everything in between, but nothing seemed to work.

Their breakthrough came when they introduced Gamified Referrals. They added Referral Tiers—where users unlocked rewards based on the number of friends they referred—and a leaderboard to spark competition.

The result? Referral participation jumped to 30%, and signups tripled in just 3 months.

“Turn your referrals into a game. Your users will love it, and your growth will thank you.”

1. Fundraising

“How do you demonstrate traction when you don’t have revenue or a large user base?”

When Airtable was pre-revenue, they struggled to get investors to take them seriously. They knew they had a great product, but they needed a way to show investors why they were worth betting on.

Their solution? A Traction Map. They created a visual timeline of their key milestones—product launches, partnerships, user growth—and future projections. They also included testimonials from early users and advisors.

The result? They raised $1M from investors who were impressed by their clear vision and execution plan.

“Next time you pitch, try a Traction Map. It might just be the key to unlocking your next round of funding.”

What’s your biggest challenge right now? Sales? Marketing? Fundraising? Hit reply and let me know. I’ll do the research and feature the answer in an upcoming issue. Let’s grow together!