Title: No-Fluff GTM Playbook for Early-Stage Founders, with AltMonday’s Angela Catalan
Session context
- Format: Masterclass + live Q&A with slides and frameworks
- Speaker: Angela Catalan, Founder of AltMonday (B2B SaaS marketing consultancy) + Co-founder of Shepherd (fractional leaders marketplace)
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/angcatalan/
- Background: 20 years product marketing/GTM strategy; specializes in complex B2B software and deep tech
- Key promise: Find your first 50 customers without writing code
Core GTM framework: Beyond marketing campaigns
What GTM actually is:
- Strategic framework shaping entire business: features, pricing, packaging, sales, post-sale
- How your product reaches people who will pay for it
- Difference between “building something cool” vs “building sustainable business”
When GTM work starts:
- Pre-product: Positioning hypothesis formation
- During MVP build: Test positioning assumptions
- Post-launch: Refine positioning based on evidence
Three core GTM elements:
- Market: Who needs your product most urgently and will pay for it?
- Channel: How do these customers prefer to discover/evaluate/purchase solutions?
- Execution: Activities, messaging, sales materials, campaigns
Foundation: Product positioning (the make-or-break element)
Positioning fundamentals:
- Positioning ≠ Messaging ≠ Copywriting
- Positioning: How you frame your offer (who/what/why/context/differentiation)
- Messaging: What you say about your product (translation to market)
- Copywriting: The personality/flavor added to messaging
5 positioning pillars (score yourself 1-5):
- Who is it for? (specific segment, not “everyone”)
- What does it do for them? (clear value prop)
- Why does it matter? (urgency/importance)
- In which context? (when/where they need it)
- How are you better? (vs. alternatives they use today)
Good vs. bad positioning examples:
| Good | Bad |
|---|---|
| ”For roofers who need to estimate jobs remotely. We provide aerial imagery that removes dangerous climbs and gives accurate estimates without site visits." | "AI-powered platform for X" |
| "Make real estate cold calling smarter with AI voice assistant that handles rejection, follows scripts, and consistently books more appointments." | "End-to-end solution for modern teams” |
8 positioning mental models
- No one cares about your product → They care about the problem
- Start with most urgent problem → Person with hair-on-fire need
- Customer’s context, not yours → They don’t care about your AI/tech stack
- Understand buying process → Who’s your champion? Who approves budget?
- Biggest competitor = status quo → Excel, manual processes, “do nothing”
- Positioning must evolve → Early adopters ≠ mass market customers
- Positioning = sacrifice → Choose who/what to exclude (focus on niche)
- Create “only” statement → What competitors can’t claim
Beachhead strategy: Start narrow, expand later
Why beachheads matter:
- Limited resources/runway → can’t execute like tech unicorn
- Need urgent, painful problem → become painkiller, not vitamin
- Faster path to revenue → shorter sales cycles
Beachhead selection framework: Rate each potential segment 1-5 on:
- Problem severity: How painful is this problem?
- Problem urgency: How quickly do they need it solved?
- Willingness to change: Will they actually switch from current solution?
Example: Geospatial tech company
| Segment | Market Size | Severity | Urgency | Willingness | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofers | $450M | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| Insurance underwriters | $800M | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Home builders | $600M | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
Quick beachhead validation:
- Interview 5-8 people in target segment this week
- Ask: “What’s your biggest frustration with [problem space]?”
- Ask: “How are you solving it today?”
- If 4/5 give similar answers → you found your beachhead
- If answers are scattered → try different segment
Messaging map framework
4 ways to lead product story:
- Feature-led (technical founders default here)
- Capability-led
- Benefit-led
- Outcome-led (marketers default here)
Reality: String all together for compelling narrative
Messaging map structure: Create table with:
- Rows: Customer problems/pain points/current solutions
- Columns: Messaging pillars (3-5 core themes)
- Fill intersections with: relevant features/capabilities/benefits/outcomes
Output uses:
- Sales pitch decks
- Marketing landing pages
- Email sequences
- Team alignment
4 GTM motions (choose based on customer buying preference)
| Motion | When to use | Key consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Sales-led | High price point, complex decision | People sell to people |
| Marketing-led | New category needs education | Content drives pipeline |
| Product-led | Self-service, low friction | Product sells itself |
| Partnership-led | Complementary to existing solutions | Leverage existing channels |
Reality check: Early-stage = you ARE the GTM department
- You’re sales, marketing, CS, support, PM
- Turn every conversation into GTM research
- Test positioning in real-time with prospects
Discovery-as-GTM framework
4-part conversation structure (20-60 minutes):
- Set context: “I’m not here to sell, just want to learn about…”
- Understand business: Who do you sell to? How do you make money? What’s your role?
- Problem deep-dive: “Tell me about last time you did [X]. Walk me through your process. Why was that painful?”
- Buying process: “If you found a solution, what happens next? Who needs to approve? What’s the evaluation process?”
Insight: 5-8 conversations with best-fit customers reveals patterns quickly
First 50 customers playbook
Phase 1 (0-10 customers): Validate problem-solution fit
- One-on-one conversations
- Key question: “Is this painful enough you’d pay? How much?”
- If 7/10 say “yes, I’ll buy” → validated problem worth solving
Phase 2 (10-30 customers): Find repeatable channel
- How do you find 10 more? 20 more?
- Test different acquisition channels
- Focus on channel-message fit
Phase 3 (30-50 customers): Prove repeatability
- Same problem solved same way repeatedly
- Start removing yourself as bottleneck
- Build systems/processes
Testing positioning (free methods)
$0 budget:
- LinkedIn posts/DMs
- Cold email
- One-on-one conversations
- Test landing pages
- Early bird programs
- Webinars
$1K budget:
- Meta/Google ads to landing pages
- User testing platforms (UserTesting, Askable)
- Video feedback tools (VideoAsk)
- Recruit best-fit customers for deeper feedback
Shepherd case study: Positioning evolution
V1: “Moms on a page” → marketplace for working mothers V2: “Fractional leaders for early-stage companies” → product marketing/sales/CS roles only V3: “Fractional executives” → all C-suite roles for startups through established businesses V4: Partnership channel → VCs/PE firms as distribution partners
Key insight: Customer feedback drove each evolution. Started narrow, expanded based on repeated requests.
Current model:
- $X,XXX MRR with website + Airtable + manual processes
- No self-service platform yet
- Charging full rates with upfront expectation of “clunky but valuable”
- Building tech while running concierge service
Concierge MVP concept
Definition: Doing automation manually; you are the AI/ML
- Deliver value without building full product
- Learn exact requirements before investing in development
- Charge full rates with transparent “we’re building this” messaging
- Example: Shepherd founders manually match fractional leaders to companies
When to build tech: After you understand exact process, variations, edge cases through manual delivery
Selected Q&A insights
| Topic | Key takeaway |
|---|---|
| Waitlist vs. paid validation | Money speaks louder than intent; $1 > $0 commitment |
| B2B validation timeline | Can charge full rates for “clunky but valuable” manual delivery |
| LinkedIn outreach | Build rapport first; lead with problem space, not product pitch |
| Hardware MVP | Use open-source components; prototype doesn’t need to look pretty |
| Multiple segments | Pick one first; test thoroughly before expanding |
| Concierge timing | Build tech only after understanding exact requirements through manual delivery |
Immediate action items
- Score your positioning on 5 pillars (1-5 scale); identify biggest gaps
- Pick one beachhead using severity/urgency/willingness framework
- Interview 5-8 prospects this week using 4-part discovery structure
- Create messaging map connecting customer problems to your solution pillars
- Test positioning with free methods (LinkedIn posts, landing page, conversations)
Resources provided
- Detailed product marketing guide (step-by-step breakdowns)
- Messaging map templates
- Discovery question frameworks
- Positioning assessment tools
- Free Loom feedback offer for landing pages
Core philosophy: Positioning problems kill more startups than product problems. Get the foundation right before burning runway on execution.