Robert Chevalier

Weak pipeline is a symptom. The disease is a blurry ICP. Here's how to diagnose the real problem — and fix it before you touch the funnel.

Partnerships look great on paper. Two companies, aligned incentives, shared customers. In practice, most go quiet within six months. The reason is almost always the same: the partnership was built on potential, not on structure. A partnership that works has clear commercial logic on both sides. It answers: what does each party give, what do they get, and how is success measured? Without those answers upfront, enthusiasm fades when other priorities compete for attention. The best partnerships...

Most founders hand positioning to marketing. That's the first mistake. Positioning is a strategic decision. It determines who you sell to, what you charge, which deals you win — and which ones you shouldn't chase. Getting it wrong costs you far more than a bad ad campaign. Strong positioning answers three questions clearly: Why us over the alternative? For whom, specifically? And what do we make possible that wasn't before? When those answers are sharp, everything downstream gets easier —...