Ctrl + Alt + Marketing

​Branca Ballot is the VP of marketing at Glide, a high-growth startup that makes it easy to build software without code. She has extensive experience hiring and leading teams across various industries, from GoDaddy, Zenefits, and the BCG.

In this episode, Branca talks about why she looks for resilience when hiring marketers, why one should work out of a place of love over fear, and why she thinks of everything in driver trees in life and career.

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Where to find Branca Ballot:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/brancaballot

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In this episode, you'll learn:

(00:03) From mechanical engineering to venture capital to marketing

(10:19) Marketing experiences from SMB to enterprises

(22:48) Pros and cons of working with smaller setups vs larger companies

(43:27) Interview advice from hiring manager

(51:02) Reflections from 18 years of working in marketing

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Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

- Newsletter - https://marketers-help-marketers-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Ever wondered what happens in rebranding? This bonus content dives deep into the why, when, and how of rebranding, from understanding your motivations to navigating the challenges. We explore common reasons for rebranding, the key steps involved, creating an implementation plan, and more. Discover how rebranding can impact your conversion rates, customer experience, and overall success, and how to tackle resistance by C-suite.

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Where to find Sofie Lehrmann:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-lehrmann-06282266/

- https://www.milkmoo.net/

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In this episode, you'll learn:

(00:00) Intro

(00:02) What is rebranding?

(05:58) Process of rebranding

(12:14) How to measure the impact of rebranding?

(18:45) Challenges and impact of rebranding

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Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

What does it mean for a marketer to be on the cap table (aka CMO)?

Rapti Gupta, Co-founder and CMO of Bugasura shares why marketers need to think of themselves as appreciating assets and own revenue outcomes. Learn why the skill of figuring out and embracing discomfort can be a game-changer for your career.

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Where to find Rapti Gupta:

- LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/raptigupta

- Bugasura - https://bugasura.io/

- HSR Founders Club - https://www.hsrfounders.club/

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In this episode, you'll learn:

(00:00) Intro

(01:57) Why marketers should own revenue and focus on unit economics

(08:49) Figuring things out - an essential skill to foolproof your marketing career

(12:54) How to build your muscle of shipping fast

(16:55) Why playbooks don’t work in this market

(20:06) Why struggle is good in the early days of your career

(27:07) Being a marketer on the cap table

(37:13) LinkedIn gyaan culture

(43:30)Career advice for marketers

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Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Ever wondered how someone with a love for words makes it to the C-suite?

Rapti Gupta, Co-founder and CMO of Bugasura, shares her unconventional journey from journalism to marketing. Discover how she leveraged her content skills to climb the ladder, embraced new challenges, and ultimately became a co-founder.

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Where to find Rapti Gupta:

- LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/raptigupta

- Bugasura - https://bugasura.io/

- HSR Founders Club - https://www.hsrfounders.club/

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In this episode, you'll learn:

(00:00) Intro

(01:55) Career journey from journalism, to content writing

(07:24) Instamojo chapter, marketing at fintech company

(16:53) Transition to Bugasura, becoming CMO, dev marketing

(26:24) Criteria when making career decisions

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Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Sofie Lehrmann, Founder MilkMoo and Fractional CMO, talks about her three key principles for evaluating job opportunities, solopreneurship, her philosophy of milking the cow. She urges aspiring marketers to embrace change, stay curious, and remain open to new paths for personal and professional growth. Her key message? "Nothing is set in stone."

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About

Sofie Lehrmann is the founder of MilkMoo, an agency dedicated to helping tech startups with marketing and a fractional CMO. With over 14+ years of experience, she started her career in market research, worked at MNCs, and later held several leadership positions at startups and scaleups.

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Where to find Sofie Lehrmann:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-lehrmann-06282266/

- https://www.milkmoo.net/

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In this episode, you’ll learn:

(00:00) Intro

(02:06) How zigzagging helped her grow in career

(10:08) 3 Core principles of evaluating job roles

(14:59) Finding the right balance between salary and learning in early career

(17:42) Why and how she started her entrepreneurship journey

(21:27) Milking the cow philosophy and story behind the name

(25:32) Rise of the creator economy and solopreneurship

(32:29) Career advice for marketers

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Follow Marketers Help Marketers: -

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Is there just one way to build a successful marketing career?

Sofie Lehrrman, founder of Milk Moo,  proves the answer is a resounding "no!"  With 14 years of experience zig-zagging across industries and setups —from market research to MNCs to CMO—Sofie shares her unconventional journey and the lessons she's learned along the way.

Where to find Sofie Lehrmann:

- https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofie-lehrmann-06282266/

- https://www.milkmoo.net/

In this episode, you’ll learn:

(00:00) Intro

(01:35) Early life and career and seeking external validation

(07:52) How mentors helped set stage for her future success

(08:49) Advice for young, ambitious marketers

(11:30) What makes an unstoppable marketer

(14:47) Learning curve when making the transition from MNC to startups

(23:08) Career advice - don't listen to parents

(26:04) Startup chapter - how leadership looks like at startups

(33:08) How does revenue ownership look like coming from content and brand background

(37:12) Why CEOs are the real CMOs at early-stage startups

(42:21) Biggest challenge faced by CMOs in startups

(43:46) Hiring philosophy

(46:11) Advice on managing C-suite expectations

(48:12) Why marketers should learn to say no

(51:28) Using market research to bake customer centricity into marketing

Follow Marketers Help Marketers: -

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Krishna Kumar N, a Business Storytelling Consultant and Fractional CMO, didn't exactly plan on a career in marketing.

With a background in mechanical engineering, he got into marketing by chance after a decade in sales, proving that sometimes the most fulfilling paths are the ones we least expect.

Discover how he leveraged his strengths to navigate these transitions, cracked the South African market using social selling, and more.

This is a must-listen for anyone considering a career change!

In this episode, you'll learn:  

00:00 Intro

01:15 Early life

08:29 Experience working at manufacturing company

14:37 Being Rocket Singh - first sales role

24:02 MBA and why doing one with experience helps

36:17 Prodapt chapter

38:09 Social selling to open new market - South Africa

44:59 Start of marketing journey

50:33 Roots of storytelling

56:56 Experience working at startup

55:04 Whatever you are good at will come and help you

01:03:01 Career advice for marketers

01:06:20 Advice for people considering career transitions

01:10:07 Reflections from 17-years of career journey

Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Abhimanyu Saha, the co-founder of GuruQore, shares his journey from ad agencies to building his own edtech startup. Discover how pivoting became his superpower, why 'big picture thinking' is the marketer's new weapon against AI, and how he balances purpose and profit as a 'missionary founder.' This episode is packed with insights on the advertising ecosystem, marketing skills needed to futureproof your career, and more.

If you're a marketer with entrepreneurial dreams, this episode is your guide.

 

In this episode, you'll learn: 

(01:43) Breakdown of advertising ecosystem - planning, servicing, copy, design

(08.36) Difference between account planning in mainline vs digital agencies

(17.50) Winding of agency career, new innings as a music producer

(25.27) GuruQore origin story

(26.49) Pivoting as an early-stage startup to find the right fit

(29.08) Creating a new vertical, why marketing teaching is ikigai

(31.43) Why pivoting is a lot like sailing a huge-ass Titanic

(35.19) The one marketing skill no one's teaching, Test vs T20 of marketing careers

(43.20) Running a startup as a missionary founder

(47.03) Advice to 21-year-old self

(47.50) Career advice for marketers

Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/ 

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes 

- Find the episode page and transcript at: https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/episode/one-marketing-skill-no-one's-teaching

From advertising to co-founding ed-tech startup, why everyone is creative and choosing experience, so money will follow | Abhimanyu Saha, Co-founder, GuruQore

In this episode, you'll learn:

01:24 Early life - playing cricket at national level, studying biotech

23:53 Turning childhood interests into a career in advertising

31.20 Experiences building a career in digital account planning

29.16 Everyone is creative, it just looks different for everyone

35.02 Always pick experience over money in the early days of career

51.03 Trial by presentation, experiences working with C-level execs

Follow Marketers Help Marketers:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

- Website - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/ctrl-alt-marketing-episodes

Find the episode page and transcript at: https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/episode/from-advertising-to-co-founding-ed-tech-startup

What does it take to be a fractional CMO?

Join Sonesh Prakash, CEO, CMO Outsourced, has been in the fractional game long before it even became a thing! In this episode, he reveals the ins and outs of this emerging career path coming from a sales background, how he built a thriving business, how to find your niche, and how frugality is a must-have trait for marketers.

In this episode, you'll learn -

(00:57) Early life and career

(01:34) Career shift from sales to fractional CMO

(05:25) Initial projects, figuring out the pitch and niche as a fractional consultant

(09:43) How sales background made him a more empathetic marketer

(13:40) Big companies vs startups - pros and cons

(19:57) Networking - pre and post-Covid era

(31:17) How Covid created a boom for fractional consultants

(41:09) Advice to Solopreneurs

Follow us - https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketers-help-marketers/

Episode page - https://www.marketershelpmarketers.com/episode/from-sales-to-becoming-fractional-cmo