Insights

Ideas that compound.

Essays from Stuart's work at RELLO and the companies he's building. Most come back to one idea: lead generation pays the bills, and brand is what makes growth last.

Read the framework
The Compounding Demand loop: capture brings in customers, serving them well creates proof, proof becomes brand, and brand makes the next round of capture cheaper

All essays

The writing

01
Framework  ·  6 min read

Compounding Demand: How to Build a Brand While Lead Gen Pays the Bills

Capture, proof and brand work on different clocks. Companies that grow for a decade run all three on purpose.

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02
Investing  ·  5 min read

What I Look For in a Founder

I look at the founder before the idea. Here is what I pay attention to, and what I can bring if we work together.

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03
Marketing  ·  5 min read

Cost Per Lead Is Not a Strategy

Cheap leads feel like progress. For companies with long sales cycles, they are often the most expensive line in the budget.

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04
Framework  ·  5 min read

Proof Is the Most Underrated Marketing Asset

Most companies have more proof than they use. In a long sales cycle, it does the selling when your team is not in the room.

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05
Marketing  ·  5 min read

Long Sales Cycles Need More Brand

When a decision takes months and involves a committee, being known before the search starts is a real advantage.

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06
Entrepreneurship  ·  5 min read

The Story Is the Strategy

A company's story decides who it hires, who buys and what it says no to. I learned that from a film festival and a rebrand.

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07
Entrepreneurship  ·  5 min read

Your First Marketing Hire Is Probably the Wrong One

Most founders hire for the marketing team they want someday. The first hire should fit the work the company has today.

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08
Entrepreneurship  ·  4 min read

They Weren't Smarter Than Me

What I learned watching people build a fast-growing company from the inside, and why it finally got me to start my own.

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The newsletter

New essays, every other week.

Notes on building companies and brands, sent before they're published here.