And the startups that are trying to find marketing help tend to get inundated with “squishy b-school marketing” types rather than marketers that can traverse the full marketing stack. This lack of full stack marketers likely explains why most startups are waiting to hire marketing help.
They can only afford to pay the squishy b-school marketing types. Good marketers are worth thousands of dollars per week of work. A really really good one with a good work history can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There is not a lack of good marketers. They sure are less good marketers than good programmers. But the only lack here is in one thing: startups tend to think that they can underpay a marketer. Listen, there is no way you should try and hustle someone who knows how much they are worth. You will only get ignored. Plus you want to hire someone who will call out your obvious product flaws. Do you really want to underpay the person who will be in charge of making you money?
They wait to hire a marketer because most startups begin by first creating a product and then thinking of ways to sell it. I've learned that its simpler and more profitable to just sell it and then build it.
Also, its marketers who have the power in the startup/marketer relationship. I can find new clients to work with tomorrow morning, but you cannot find good marketers to hire. The same power programmers have over business guys is had over them by marketers.
I definitely agree with this. Good Marketers can make money ridiculously fast. The curious thing to me is why, IMHO, great developers aren't undervalued by startups, but great marketers are.
Marketer here… developers think they are smarter than marketers.
But, I cry foul on the full stack marketer. Asking for someone that is an expert at everything you mentioned is like asking for an old C wizard, who loves LISP, but plays with Python, Go, & still finds time for iOS, Android, & web development skills. Oh and he happens to be a UI person too…
You can be extremely good at several of those items, but no one person will be an expert in all of them.
I'll agree with this. Being a "master" at all of the things listed would take longer than the Internet has existed, but being really good at two or three of them makes you a LOT of money, and VERY valuable.
You don't really need to be a master or an expert at all these things. You just need to know enough to make something happen. Once you get to a certain scale you can bring in the experts.
Because most startups are being done by technical types who dont have a clue about how to sell something. So they value those who are like them, and devalue those who are not. They really do think in binary. As a hybrid, I can tell you that this kills more startups than anything else.
They can only afford to pay the squishy b-school marketing types. Good marketers are worth thousands of dollars per week of work. A really really good one with a good work history can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
There is not a lack of good marketers. They sure are less good marketers than good programmers. But the only lack here is in one thing: startups tend to think that they can underpay a marketer. Listen, there is no way you should try and hustle someone who knows how much they are worth. You will only get ignored. Plus you want to hire someone who will call out your obvious product flaws. Do you really want to underpay the person who will be in charge of making you money?
They wait to hire a marketer because most startups begin by first creating a product and then thinking of ways to sell it. I've learned that its simpler and more profitable to just sell it and then build it.
Also, its marketers who have the power in the startup/marketer relationship. I can find new clients to work with tomorrow morning, but you cannot find good marketers to hire. The same power programmers have over business guys is had over them by marketers.