Most businesses don’t have a marketing problem.They have a positioning problem.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Nick Gulic - founder of Creative Click, former accountant, business coach, consultant, and one of the few people willing to call out the internet’s obsession with looking professional.We talk about why AI is making everyone sound the same, why founders struggle to stand out, the danger of chasing followers instead of building a business, and why personality matters more than polished branding.Nick shares lessons from nearly two decades helping businesses grow, fix broken operations, improve sales, and build websites that actually generate customers instead of collecting compliments.We cover:• Why most websites fail• The Dunning-Kruger effect in business• Luck vs skill in success• Why people stay stuck in jobs they hate• The problem with AI-generated content• How to stand out in a world of templates• Why freedom matters more than status• Building a business without burning out

Courtney Raymond has spent two decades inside companies watching them pour money into growth while quietly bleeding customers out the back door. In this episode we get into why churn happens before most companies even notice it, what customer experience actually means beyond the buzzword, and why the way businesses communicate with customers is still one of the most underrated competitive advantages out there.We also get into founder-led content and when it works vs when it's just performative noise, why the first 90 days of a customer relationship make or break everything, and what words, real human words, still do that AI simply can't replicate.Courtney is sharp, direct, and has seen enough broken customer journeys to know exactly where things go wrong. This one is worth your time.What we cover:

• Why customers leave and companies never find out why
• The difference between communication and clarity
• How to build a customer journey that actually reduces churn
• Founder-led content, genuine vs performance
• Why brand voice matters more than ever in an AI world

Tech layoffs. AI hype. Burnout. Rising costs. Empty careers. Every week I sit down with my friends, Gustavo Frietas and Rui Ferreira and we discuss all things happening inside of tech and the effect it's having on people and the environment around this. This week we unpacked:

• Why AI probably isn’t replacing jobs as fast as people think
• Why modern work feels increasingly meaningless
• The hidden cost of comfort and “successful” careers
• Tech layoffs, corporate greed, and the reality behind the headlines
• Why community, purpose, and family matter more than ever
• The psychological trap of modern consumerism
• Why people feel disconnected despite being more “connected” than ever

This episode goes way beyond startups and SaaS.It’s about the strange moment we’re living through right now and what happens when technology moves faster than people can emotionally process.If you’ve been questioning work, ambition, AI, or where society is heading… this one’s for you.

This week on Messy Growth, Mick Griffin returns to the show and this conversation goes deep into one of the hardest challenges in SaaS:👉 When do you build something new inside an existing company?Mick is leading growth at Traffit, one of Poland’s fastest-growing ATS platforms, and recently helped launch Smart Jobs, a standalone hiring platform designed to fix one of the most broken parts of recruitment: the candidate experience.We unpack:

• Why most SaaS companies think too small about expansion revenue
• The difference between a feature and a new business
• How to launch “startups within a scale-up”
• Why recruitment still treats people like numbers
• The hidden operational risks nobody talks about
• Why most innovation bets fail and why that’s okay
• How founders should think about timing, risk, and momentum
• Lessons from Brand24 and scaling in SaaS
• Why candidates are becoming the new PR risk for companies
• How Smart Jobs was built with only 2 new hires
• Why founders confuse activity with progress
• The mindset required to keep innovating without fear

Mick also shares:This is a conversation about growth, experimentation, expansion revenue, hiring, SaaS strategy, and building things before you feel fully ready.If you’re building a SaaS company, scaling a startup, or trying to figure out what comes after product-market fit this episode is for you.

Helena Fogarty has seen startup fundraising from both sides, as a founder who raised capital herself, and now as a fundraising advisor helping founders close rounds faster and smarter.In this episode of Messy Growth, we unpack the reality of raising venture capital in today’s market:

• Why most founders fail to raise money
• What investors actually care about
• How startup fundraising really works behind closed doors
• Why storytelling matters more than most founders think
• The truth about VC-backed growth and founder pressure
• How to stand out with investors without sounding fake
• Why network and trust still dominate venture capital
• Bootstrapping vs VC funding
• Investor psychology and founder mistakes
• Why some startups are NOT venture-backable

Helena also shares hard truths about startup culture, founder burnout, venture capital expectations, and the emotional toll of building a company under pressure.If you’re a startup founder, operator, entrepreneur, angel investor, or anyone curious about venture capital and startup growth, this episode is for you.

Most people think growth comes from strategy.Atul Sood thinks it comes from relationships.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sat down with Atul Sood, a fractional Chief Business Officer, former Google Ventures-backed startup operator, former McDonald’s global business development leader, founder, advisor, and someone who has lived through both massive wins and brutal personal setbacks.This conversation goes far beyond business tactics.We talk about:- Why relationships compound harder than money- The emotional cost of leadership- Why founders overestimate their chances of success- The rise of the white-collar gig economy- Why empathy disappears in leadership- The reality of layoffs and executive pressure- How to know if a company will actually scale- Why vulnerability is a superpower in leadership- What fractional executives really solve inside companies- Why most people should build a side hustle nowIf you're a founder, operator, executive, or someone trying to figure out what matters long-term in business and life, this episode is for you.

Most B2B companies are creating content.Very few are creating content that actually drives revenue.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sat down with Ademola Adelakun, founder of A2 Media and former professional magician turned B2B video strategist, to break down why most SaaS video marketing fails, what companies misunderstand about content, and how to create videos that actually build trust and pipeline.We go deep into:- Why most B2B videos never convert- The real role of storytelling in SaaS marketing- Why viral content often means nothing for revenue- The biggest mistakes founders make with video- Why production quality matters less than people think- The psychology behind attention and content- AI-generated content and the rise of “content slop”- Short-form vs long-form content in 2026- How SaaS companies should approach YouTube and video marketing- Why understanding your ICP changes everythingAdemola has helped companies like Shopify, Okta, Reveal and other B2B SaaS brands build research-led video systems designed to generate actual business results - not vanity metrics.If you’re a founder, marketer, sales leader, content creator or anyone trying to figure out how to stand out online in a world drowning in noise, this episode is for you.

This episode of Messy Growth goes deep into one of the biggest problems in modern marketing: everything sounds the same.I sat down with Alexandra Gierok, a creative strategist, founder of One Man Orchestra, and artist with over 2M+ streams to break down why authenticity is disappearing and what actually works today.We talk about creativity, psychology, and performance marketing and why most SaaS companies completely misunderstand all three.If you’ve ever felt like:* Content is becoming repetitive and forced* “Authenticity” is just another buzzword* Social media is turning into noiseThis conversation will hit.We cover:* Why creativity can’t be forced (and why companies try anyway)* The real meaning of authentic marketing in 2026* Why most brands sound identical online* The dark side of social media and content burnout* Whether emotional connection can be engineered* Why consistency is overrated (and what matters more)Aleksandra also shares her perspective from both sides, building brands and building an audience as an artist.This is not a “tactical tips” episode. It’s a reality check.

Most sales teams think they’re “buyer-first.”They’re not.They’re running outdated playbooks, using scripted language, and wondering why nothing lands anymore.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sat down with Samantha McKenna - founder of #samsales, former LinkedIn enterprise sales leader, and one of the most respected voices in modern sales.This isn’t theory.This is what actually works right now.⸻💥 What we get into:* Why most “personalization” is fake (and how to do it right)* The real reason your outbound isn’t working* Why Sam believes cold calling is broken* How to stand out when everyone is using AI and automation* The exact mindset shift top 1% sellers have* What founders consistently get wrong about sales* How to actually use LinkedIn to drive revenue (not just post content)⚡ One line that stuck with me:If you wouldn’t say it in real life… don’t send it.Sam has trained tens of thousands of sellers and worked with hundreds of companies globally.But what stood out most in this conversation?She strips sales back to something most people forget:👉 Be human.If you’re building a sales team, running outbound, or just trying to close more deals without sounding like everyone else — this one’s worth your time.

Most startups don’t fail because they can’t grow. They fail because they can’t scale what’s already working.In this episode of Messy Growth, I sit down with Ned Arick (VP of Operations @ Acquisition.com) - someone who’s built and rebuilt revenue engines across multiple companies from $0 → $100M+.We break down:

• Why hiring more salespeople too early kills growth
• The difference between real growth vs fake activity
• What founders get wrong about scaling revenue teams
• Why process is greater than people people (and when that flips)
• The biggest hiring mistakes early-stage founders make
• How to move from founder-led chaos → predictable systems
• Why most companies are solving the wrong problem entirely

This isn’t theory. This is what actually happens inside companies trying to scale.If you’re a founder, operator, or building a SaaS company - this will save you months (if not years).