When I stepped into my first VP of Marketing role, I thought I knew what prioritization meant. Spoiler alert: I had no idea. Building a marketing function from the ground up is like trying to build a plane while flying it – if the plane was also missing most of its parts and you’re simultaneously interviewing potential co-pilots.

Here’s what I’ve learned about building marketing at a startup that no one tells you in those “How to be a Marketing Leader” LinkedIn posts.

Win Early, Win Often (But Make Them Count)

First rule of Marketing Fight Club: Get wins that matter. Not vanity metrics, not “we increased our Twitter followers by 12%” – real, business-moving wins that make people sit up and pay attention.

In my first five months at Steno, we focused on transforming our lead generation engine. The result? We quadrupled our inbound deals and tripled our conversion rate to customer. That’s the kind of win that gets you invited back to the revenue discussion table.

But here’s the catch – you can’t do everything at once. When everyone’s asking for everything, you need to identify the wins that will:

  • Show immediate value to the business
  • Build credibility for your longer-term vision
  • Give you leverage for future initiatives

The Unsexy Truth About Marketing Foundations

Everyone wants to talk about brand launches and fancy campaigns, but you know what’s really sexy? A clean CRM. I’m serious. The foundations of marketing aren’t Instagram-worthy, but they’re what separate successful marketing departments from those constantly fighting fires.

In my first few months, while everyone was asking about our next big campaign, I was knee-deep in:

  • Auditing field values in our CRM (riveting, I know)
  • Creating email templates that wouldn’t make designers cry
  • Building workflows that wouldn’t send our leads into a black hole

Your Secret Weapon: Cross-Departmental Alliances

Here’s something they don’t teach you in Marketing School: Your success depends as much on your relationships with Finance and HR as it does on your marketing expertise.

Start by getting cozy with:

  • Finance: They know where all the marketing dollars have been hiding before you arrived, and they’re going to be key to you showing your impact in the long run. If you get their buy-in, you’ve got many others.
  • HR/People: They’re your partners in building your dream team (and trust me, you’ll be hiring), they also usually know what went right and what went wrong in other department builds. That’s going to help.
  • Sales: Listen to their calls, understand their process, and figure out how they’re really talking about your product. Marketing isn’t sales at scale, but we are very aligned as a revenue team.
  • Product: Because launching features no one understands isn’t a great strategy
  • Legal: If you have an in-house counsel, you better meet with them regularly. Get them involved early so they don’t need to nitpick your stuff later.

Pro tip: Keep a little black book (color optional) of everyone you meet, where they’re located, and their “big asks” from marketing. It’s gold when you need to build coalitions for major initiatives.

The “Perfect” Trap

Here’s a cold hard truth: Perfect is the enemy of done, especially in startup marketing. That beautiful campaign you’re polishing for the fourth week? Launch it. That demo you’re tweaking? Ship it.

The secret is to build for iteration, not perfection. We launched our AI product demos knowing they weren’t perfect, but they were valuable. And guess what? They landed us in showcases and got people talking. Perfect would have taken months longer and probably wouldn’t have performed any better.

Building Your Support Network

Leadership can be lonely, especially when you’re the only marketer. Find your people:

  • Mentor figures who can reality-check your ideas
  • Peers at other companies facing similar challenges
  • Internal champions who understand your vision

I’ve probably saved 100+ posts from the LinkedIn marketing community. But remember: Not all advice applies to your situation. Know when to follow best practices and when to forge your own path.

The Hands-On Reality

If you’re leading marketing at a startup, get ready to roll up your sleeves. One day you’re in executive meetings discussing strategy, the next you’re in Canva designing social posts because sometimes that’s what needs to get done.

But here’s the key: Know when to do, when to delegate, and when to direct. Your initial hiring plans might change (I thought my first hire would be Content – plot twist, it was Product Marketing), and that’s okay. Stay flexible and adapt to what the business really needs.

Keep the Fun in the Function

Building marketing fundamentals is serious business, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Find projects that spark joy (yes, I just Marie Kondo’d marketing) and keep them in rotation. Whether it’s launching a new product demo or creating a category on G2, celebrate the wins – both big and small.

Remember, you’re not just building a marketing function; you’re creating the foundation for how your company will connect with customers for years to come. Make it strong, make it scalable, and most importantly, make it happen.

Want to continue the conversation? Find me on LinkedIn or shoot me an email. I’m always up for a good discussion about marketing, leadership, or why the best marketing plans often start with a messy spreadsheet audit.

Next up: Why modern B2B marketing is broken (and how to fix it). Stay tuned!