In this episode of the DMI podcast, host Will Francis speaks with Faisal Laljee, entrepreneur and growth strategist, about the intersection of entrepreneurship and marketing. Faisal shares his insights on risk-taking, growth hacking, customer acquisition, and building brands that last. From the importance of testing ideas early to the realities of startup funding, he explains how marketers and entrepreneurs can think like an entrepreneur to drive meaningful growth.

What You’ll Learn

• Why entrepreneurs need to focus less on perfection and more on getting products in front of customers.
• How early customers can become your most valuable advocates and growth drivers.
• Is SEO overrated?
• Why brand is inseparable from early business strategy.
• Why not all investor money is good money.

Top 3 Tips from Faisal

1. Know your co-founders – Think of it as an “entrepreneurial prenup.” Shared values, commitment levels, and expectations matter more than complementary skills.

2. Double your marketing budget – Customer acquisition costs are always higher than you think. Planning conservatively helps you build a sustainable business.

3. Be selective with funding – Not all investment is good investment. Take money from the right sources, not just anyone willing to offer it.

Timestamps & Key Sections

• 01:28 – From corporate marketing to startups
• 02:54 – The big shift: traditional marketing to digital
• 05:13 – The #1 problem startups face: finding the right customer
• 06:57 – Why entrepreneurs need to test ideas early and avoid perfectionism
• 09:01 – Applying entrepreneurial thinking to marketing
• 11:10 – Are personas outdated? How to approach customer profiling
• 13:42 – Building trust through community engagement
• 15:32 – Overcoming rejection and embracing failure in marketing
• 16:57 – Growth hacking: experiment, measure, adapt
• 19:08 – Paid ads vs. organic growth for startups
• 22:33 – Turning early customers into advocates
• 24:29 – Overrated and underrated digital channels
• 29:33 – Why brand = business strategy
• 33:54 – The importance of mentors and career planning
• 39:03 – Faisal’s top 3 tips for new founders