First impression matters

“The single most wasteful thing you can do in marketing is try to change a mind.” —Al Ries, 22 immutable laws of marketing.

Once a prospect has formed an impression about your product, it is near impossible to shift her perception, and in marketing, perception is reality. This newsletter is dedicated to helping early-stage founding teams and first-time founders make the right first impression with their customers.

What I’ll cover

Positioning, messaging, brand, GTM, and marketing leadership at startups.

Who the heck is Hema?

For 20+ years, Hema Padhu has helped startups establish a strong marketing foundation and tell compelling stories. She excels in helping early-stage startups carve out a differentiated positioning rooted in customer empathy to establish their leadership in a category. She’s worked with over 25+ startups, including Honeybook, Maze, DocSend (dropbox), OctoML, MadKudu, Livestorm and more.

Hema’s storytelling passion also extends to writing short fiction, and some of her stories have been published in literary journals like New Letters, Fourteen Hills, and American Literary Review.