Opendoor Acquires Mortgage Firm, Hires Dan Green
We’re going to fix homeownership and that includes mortgage. To that end, I’m happy to announce our acquisition of https://t.co/9haOZ3n5dZ. Dan Green is joining Opendoor as Director of Mortgage Growth. Dan founded https://t.co/RaKWs0xGGf, and now he’s bringing that expertise in-house to help us build a better mortgage experience. Dan’s been in this industry a long time. I’ve known him about as long. Glad to have him. Let’s go.
Alignment Doesn't Guarantee Shared Understanding
“Alignment” usually means everyone saw the same slide. It almost never means everyone understands the same thing. https://t.co/YICBdph7Fb
Creativity Dies From ROI Obsession, Not AI
I'm taking this to my marketing grave... Creativity won’t die in 2026 because of AI. It will die because we love talking about ROI a little tooooo much. When the first question asked of an idea is how it will...
MSP Breakfast Showcases Full‑Spectrum Marketing Case Studies
Attended another fantastic MSP Social Media Breakfast last Friday. Mykl Roventine and Jen Roventine always draw a great crowd to these events, especially for case studies. If you're in the Twin Cities and you marketing or PR, I'd highly recommend...
Accuracy Isn’t Enough: Reliability Drives AI’s Economic Success
This post by Kushal Chakrabarti opened my eyes to why AI adoption has been so slow, and why I've often sided with the naysayers: "Accuracy is hitting the bullseye on average but reliability is hitting the same spot repeatably. You...
Gemini vs ChatGPT: Platform War Drives Growth Advantage
Most marketers think the Gemini vs ChatGPT debate is about which AI writes better copy. It’s not. This is a platform war, not a chatbot comparison—and the decision you make now affects cost, speed, leverage, and long-term growth. In this...
Hackathons Drive AI Fluency From 10% to 87%
I sat down with @zapier ($400M ARR) CEO @wadefoster yesterday and put him on the spot: how would you drive AI fluency in 90 days if you were dropped into a $50M ARR org? His answer? Hackathons. At Zapier, they stopped...
Skip the Fluff: Find AI Podcasts that Sharpen Thinking
I've listened to 100+ AI podcasts this year. Maybe 3 were worth finishing. More podcasts, more newsletters, more hot takes - and somehow we're all getting dumber about what actually matters. Here's the pattern: AI moves fast, so content tries...
Growth Requires Founder Commitment, Not Quick Validation
Convince me this will work.” That’s the moment on a sales call when I know a founder isn’t ready. Not because they don’t believe in growth — but because they’re treating growth like a role they hire, instead of a...
AI Will Redefine Online Visibility by 2026
What extraordinary times in which we live my friends. In the world of marketing and technology, we’ve never seen change like this and 2026 will likely be a rude awakening for many businesses who have been asleep at the wheel...
Companies Boost Community Budgets Amid Algorithm Shifts
With all the changes to platforms and algorithms, one of the best things you can do is build your own community. So much so, the majority of companies we surveyed plan to spend more on community building in 2026. https://t.co/hI4uKNUKsk
Leave Corporate, Build Your Own Business for True Freedom
I spent 16 years building someone else's dream. Amazing salary. Very impressive title. Unfortunately, Sunday nights were filled with dread. One day, I did the math: Work until 65. Average lifespan around 78. That's 40 years of waiting for 12...
Start Next Month’s Strategy Now, Not Next Quarter
Your current month can't work if the previous month doesn't tee it up. Stop thinking in quarters, instead think in handoffs. What matters now: • Which customers converted fastest? • Which creatives scaled most efficiently? • Which SKUs drove the highest repeat behavior in last...
Freemium AI Conversions Hover Around 2%—Scale Requires Tens of Millions.
The AI Freemium Math is Brutal — But It Works at Scale 1⃣ChatGPT: 800M users → 15M paid (2%) → $20B ARR 2⃣Gemini: 650M users → Est. 2-3% → Part of Google 3⃣Claude: 30M users → Heavy API/Enterprise → $5B ARR 4⃣Perplexity: 30M users...
Personalized Swag Beats Generic Gifts for Lasting Impact
I obsess over swag, and get some hate for it. But there is no better differentiator than a thoughtful, well-made piece of swag. Especially, in a world of B2B sameness and AI slop. Here’s a great example. This hat was...
AI Unifies Marketing, Sales, and Support Into One Agent
"AI is converging marketing, sales & support. They are becoming 1 AI agent. Not 10 different pre-AI SaaS products. In fact, it's already happening in e-commerce." The latest with @rodriscoll @HarryStebbings + me https://t.co/Uhpain34qX
62% of B2B CMOs Unprepared for AI Competition
62% of B2B CMOs not ready to compete against AI-enabled companies: report via @MarTech https://t.co/QTk0rGfCv8 https://t.co/FNtBoS4VEW
Blueprint: Build a Hot AI Startup to IPO
-> https://t.co/NlPWFTrkQ8 is getting there - Found hot AI startup - Pick top accelerator - Poach from other AI start-ups - Build to Series A, IPO, and ... beyond https://t.co/2tS4gKNkhp
Master the Ordinary, Skip the Trend Chase
In marketing everyone is searching for the next big thing. My advice? Stop chasing trends. Instead figure out how to do common things uncommonly well.
Learning Shows When Teams Adapt: Design Pressure, Own Outcomes
The fastest way to tell whether a team is learning is to look for moments where someone had to revise their view because reality contradicted it. If those moments are rare, the system is insulated. It may be busy, but it...
Make Complex Data Understandable: Frame for Audience
Your technical information doesn't matter if your audience doesn't understand it. Here's how to frame your content so it actually resonates. #TechnicalCommunication #DataStorytelling #PresentationSkills
CEOs Must Grow TAM Annually or Fall Behind
Your job as CEO: Every year, materially expand your TAM What have you done this year? If nothing ... you're pretty far behind. Move much, much faster in 2026.
Scale by Focusing on Few, Not Chasing All
Success doesn’t just give you momentum. It gives you distractions. In the beginning, focus is forced. Limited time, limited money, limited options, so you commit fully to what matters. As things start working, your attention starts to spread. More ideas. More opportunities. 👉 That’s...
Humanity Wins: Brands Must Prioritize People Over AI
“The most human company wins.” That line from Mark Schaefer cuts through a lot of AI noise — because it’s not anti-technology. It’s pro-brand. In today’s On Brand episode, Mark explains why the one thing your competitors can’t copy is...
Switched From Beehiiv to Kit for an Aligned Email Stack
Why I migrated my newsletter system after years on Beehiiv (and what I’ve rebuilt inside of @kit). For the first time, my email stack actually feels like it matches the way I run my business. Let’s talk setup, automations, and lessons learned:
Your Biggest Growth Blocker Is Your Own Excuses
Who's your villain? Every founder has one. Heck, many. And they know them by heart. Ask a founder why growth stalled, and they'll have an answer immediately. In two decades of working with hundreds of founders, here are the ones...
When AI Goes Invisible, Email Becomes Creator’s Lifeline
Every December, predictions flood the internet. Most of them are safe, obvious, and quickly forgotten. AI will get better. Platforms will change. Creators will use more tools. None of that helps anyone make better decisions. Instead of predicting what technology...
Operational Precision, Not Just Marketing, Fuels Growth
Think like a systems operator, before you think like a marketer. Here’s what the most dialed-in brands are doing right now: • Pre-building future asset banks • Scrubbing retention logic for new, current flows • Renegotiating 2026 SaaS and fulfillment contracts • Finalizing reorder forecasts...
Trim Q1 Waste Before CFO Notices
Q4 revenue makes you feel rich. Q1 inefficiencies remind you you’re not. Here’s your December “savings generator”: • Negotiate renewals before Jan rate hikes • Audit active SaaS tools and kill anything underutilized • Consolidate media spend into highest-ROAS channels • Re-price hero SKUs based...
2026 Social Ad Budgets Set to Rise Across Networks
What are you planning to do with your social ad budgets in 2026? Most companies plan to increase it. Here's what networks they are planning to ramp up spending on.
More Expensive LLMs Aren’t Always the Better Choice
There are times when the very latest LLM is the best, and there are times when the most expensive LLM is the best. And there are times when it isn't. We've run 2,700 VC Pitch Decks through SaaStr AI VC so I...
Double Down on Your Mega Skill, Not Your Weaknesses
I’m not good at lots of things. Like, embarrassingly not good... → I can’t parallel park to save my life → I’ve never figured out how to fold a fitted sheet properly → I’m terrible at remembering people’s names (I try so hard at...
VCs Gain IPO Gold While Consumers Miss Gains
"All the leaders from SpaceX to Stripe to Anthropic to Databricks waiting to IPO is the gift of a lifetime to venture capital. Yes, the consumers have been protected from bad news. But they've also been blocked from all the massive appreciation."...
Deep Customer Insight Gets Punished by Organizational Incentives
One more layer that’s worth naming. Even when teams talk to customers with good intent, most companies structurally make understanding hard to sustain. The incentives quietly punish it. Deep understanding creates friction. It slows momentum and introduces ambiguity right when leadership wants certainty. So...
First SDR Teams Demand Heavy Management and Constant Recruiting
The toughest part of building your first SDR team is how to manage it: 1/ Need a lot of management 2/ Turnover often high 3/ Who will train 4/ Need constantly be recruiting 5/ Often junior Outbound always works. Always....
Know Your Numbers, Gain Marketing Confidence
If you know your numbers, you unlock marketing confidence. Calculate what you can pay for each lead, set your budget, and move fast, no analyst needed. It’s all about data-driven decisions. https://t.co/qik47wZyw6
Customers Care About Problem, Not Your Brand or Features
If you removed your logo and product name, would your ideal customer still recognize their own problem? Most companies fail this test. That's the real question founders should be asking about their marketing and sales going into 2026. Because there's...
Ads That Feel Like Stories Win Every Time
Your best ads usually won't look like ads. They’ll look like stories, case studies, lessons, and “behind-the-scenes.” Buyers are numb as they enter into a new year. The ad that wins will be the one that doesn’t feel like one. Try this ad framework: •...
Target the Silent “Almost‑buyer” For Hidden Profit
Your most profitable segment is the one no one talks about: The almost-buyer. People who: • Visited 3 or more PDPs • Added to cart but bounced • Engaged with 2 or more emails but never converted They know your brand, they just didn’t cross...
Publish Before You're Ready: Consistency Beats Perfection
Nobody has it all figured out. Not me. Not the experts you admire. Not anyone. We are all just making it up as we go. I was 38 when I started writing online. Zero followers. Zero engagement. Zero clue what...
Anthropic Takes Enterprise Lead as OpenAI Shifts to Consumers
The AI LLM market share story of 2023-2025 is one of just ... massive change. Fast. Enterprise LLM Market: 2023: OpenAI 50% | Anthropic 12% | Google 7% 2025: Anthropic 40% | OpenAI 27% | Google 21% 🥇Anthropic went from distant third to...
Storyteller Roles Become High-Leverage Hires for Startups
I'm hearing that more startups and growth companies are hiring for the "storyteller" role. I think that's cool. It's a very high-leverage role/skill.
Agency, Not Tools, Drives Real Impact
Agency is the scarce resource. Tools are abundant. Information is cheap. Coordination is easy. None of that changes reality by itself. Agency does. Agency is deciding when there is no proof, acting when outcomes are unclear, and remaining accountable after the result shows...
Great Marketing Starts with Customers, Not Competitors
The best marketing ideas come from studying your customers (not your competitors)
Creation Demands Accountability, Not Just Clever Talk
To create is to take responsibility for a piece of reality. When you create, something exists tomorrow that did not exist yesterday, and you are accountable for how it behaves in the world, not how it sounded in a room....
B2B Buyers Now Validate Tools via Instagram Video
Buyers Are Researching You on Instagram The more you optimize for video and visual search on platforms like Instagram, the more your B2B tools get discovered by users showcasing real-world results, not just traditional SEO. The sooner you realize Ubersuggest...
Organic Social Reach Declines, Budgets Slashed in 2026
Organic social is a channel you can't ignore. But in 2026, most companies are decreasing their organic social budget. Why? Becauseof a continual decline in reach. https://t.co/5W3Mfbm9Jn
Revive Cold Lists with a 3‑email Narrative
Your email list is only cold if your offer is. The real unlock isn’t a new audience. It’s better messaging to the one you already own. Here’s the 3-email arc that turns cold into curious: • Email 1: Insight-led, no pitch • Email 2: “What’s...
AI B2B Takes Off in 2026 After 2025 Foundations
We are literally >just< getting going in AI B2B. Really, most stuff didn’t even work before Claude 4 and the beginning of 2025. That’s why Lovable, Replit, Cursor, Gamma, etc. exploded. The models alone weren’t good enough — until early...
Startups Must Join ChatGPT Early or Lose Customers
The startups mentioned here are thinking about the ChatGPT App Store wrong. Distribution mechanisms are only one part of the puzzle. The reality is that ChatGPT is becoming the starting point for many startups' customers. As other competing...