When youâre growing a startup, the questions never stop:
- How do I scale marketing without wasting budget?
- Whenâs the right time to pivot?
- How do I know if people even want what Iâm building?
At a recent Open Letter partnered event, our CEO Matt Beck, shared real, battle-tested insights from someone whoâs led teams through growth, layoffs, pivots and back again.
From marketing to CEO: Mattâs startup journey
Q: How did you end up leading OfferZen?
A: I moved to Cape Town about seven years ago after the U.S. company I was with, 2U, acquired GetSmarter. I did marketing there and was with 2U for 11 years, from 80 people to 7,000, so I saw how companies scale. Four years ago, I joined OfferZen as VP of Marketing. About a year and a half ago, the founders asked me to step into the CEO role.
How to do startup marketing that actually scales
Q: A founder asked: âHow do I drive leads with no budget?â Whatâs your advice?
A: Hands down: performance marketing. Especially if youâre in B2C, nothing beats Meta and Google. Meta is great for broad awareness; Google is where people are actively searching.
Hereâs a tip: if you canât afford Meta or LinkedInâs auction ads, write a post yourself as the founder and boost it. Itâs authentic and cheaper.
"Avoid Reddit, and TikTok if you havenât maxed out Meta and Google. Meta and Google (and LinkedIn if youâre B2B). Thatâs it."
Q: Should founders work with marketing agencies?
A; No. Donât use an agency. Learn it yourself or work with a trusted freelancer. Most agencies donât get the ROI you need as a startup. Youâll waste your budget.
Breaking the cold start problem in marketplaces
Q: How do you get early traction when no one knows you yet?
A: At OfferZen, weâre a marketplace too, and solving the cold start is hard. One thing that worked well: create scarcity. For example, say there are only 50 spots available. That drives action. Itâs better than just putting your product out there and hoping someone bites.
Pivoting: move fast, but validate
Q: What have you learned about pivoting?
A: In 2022, the tech hiring market crashed. We dropped from 180 employees to 65. We tried pivoting OfferZen into a pure SaaS model, selling annual subscriptions. But we did it too fast and without enough data. We lost value and trust.
"If youâre thinking about a pivot, talk to as many customers as you can. If it feels like a âcross-your-fingersâ moment, stop. Gather more information."
Q: So what worked in the end?
A: We leaned into contracting. Companies didnât want to commit to full-time hires, but were happy to pay for contract talent. That had better margins, and it solved a real pain point: speed and flexibility.
"We also added services: screening, assessments, sourcing. So companies didnât have to do the heavy lifting. That changed everything."
The Best Customer Discovery Isnât in a Survey
Q: You talk a lot about customer feedback. What does that look like in practice?
A: I just joined sales calls, customer reviews, anything. At the end, Iâd ask, 'What else are you struggling with?' 'What would you be excited for us to offer?' Itâs not rocket science, but you have to carve out time to listen.
Pro tip:
"Even if youâre just testing a new product idea, run ads before it exists. We used to run ads for executive courses and send people to a landing page with a waitlist. That told us whether it was worth building."
Final takeaways
Donât outsource your learning. Early on, founders need to understand their marketing channels, customers, and whatâs actually working.
Donât pivot on hope. Make sure you have enough data, customer feedback, and clarity before making a big change.
Focus on real problems. Talk to customers. Ask whatâs slowing them down. Build around that.