When to Add Marketing to Your GTM Stack.

The Trap

Founders often hire marketing too early, hoping it will create demand.

In reality, early marketing without product-market fit usually leads to wasted spend and unfocused messaging.

The Right Signal

Bring in marketing once you’ve proven repeatable sales motions, even if they’re scrappy.

Marketing should amplify what’s already working, not act as a guesswork machine.

Clear ICP = Green Light

If you can clearly articulate your ICP, the problems you solve, and why you win deals, you’re ready.

Marketing can now package and scale that clarity across channels.

When You’re NOT Ready

If every deal is different, every buyer has a different problem, and the messaging changes every week, marketing won’t fix that.

Solve positioning first.

Early Hiring Tip

Your first marketer should be a builder, not a manager.

Look for hands-on operators who can test, create, and iterate without a big team.

The Payoff

Timed well, marketing becomes a force multiplier, boosting inbound demand, tightening messaging, and increasing sales efficiency.

That’s when it stops being “noise” and starts becoming growth.