Notes on AI, GTM, and the Companies We're Becoming
Reflections on how go-to-market is changing — and what smart operators are doing about it.
Startups used to win by moving faster.
Now they win by compounding better.
We’re building in an era where execution is automated, insights are infinite, and expectations are shifting by the day. GTM is no longer just sales and marketing. It’s the system that connects product, brand, workflows, and teams into momentum.
Here are a few notes I’ve been collecting — reminders for myself and the founders I work with — about how companies are evolving, how go-to-market is changing, and how AI is reshaping the game.
Notes to Myself: GTM Edition
Execution beats vision when you compound it daily.
You don’t scale a startup — you scale a system that learns.
Default to actions that generate insight, not vanity metrics.
Distribution is the new product.
AI won’t replace you, but the founder who uses it better might.
Customers don’t buy your roadmap — they buy your clarity.
Build with users, not just for them.
If your GTM depends on luck, you haven’t built a strategy.
Data is abundant — judgment is scarce.
Crafting a strong narrative is still your highest-leverage tool.
The best GTM teams don’t align — they interlock.
Automate what doesn’t require soul.
No channel is "dead" — only your message is.
Your AI stack is only as useful as the workflows it powers.
Most dashboards lie — not maliciously, but simplistically.
Being first doesn’t matter if you're forgettable.
If it’s working, scale it. If it’s not, study it.
The future of marketing is building trust at scale.
"Personalization" doesn’t mean creepiness — it means care.
Don’t let a funding milestone become your mission.
A great sales pitch is a well-rehearsed discovery call.
Product-market fit is not static — neither is GTM.
Hype fades. Distribution moats don’t.
Sometimes your buyer isn’t who you think it is.
Most missed revenue is sitting in your own pipeline.
Don't automate noise.
A good ICP filter says no more than it says yes.
Great companies are built on repeatable insight loops.
You can’t buy community — you have to earn it.
Your GTM motion should make your next round easier, not harder.
Good brand = fast trust.
GTM is the product when it creates self-propelling growth.
If AI gives you speed, your job is to point it in the right direction.
The signal is usually hiding behind a weak message.
Strategy debt is harder to see than tech debt — and more dangerous.
You are not your funnel.
Culture is your most underutilized distribution engine.
In B2B, the user matters. But the buyer decides.
Don’t just measure what’s easy — measure what moves.
Founder-market-fit is your unfair advantage. Don’t waste it.
The best GTM playbooks are invisible to the customer.
AI won’t solve your clarity problem. Only you can do that.
Find the shortest path from insight to action.
Most startups don’t fail from lack of ambition — they drown in complexity.
You don’t need more leads — you need more momentum.
Focus creates force.
If your GTM feels complicated, your customer probably agrees.
You can’t AB test your way to conviction.
In GTM, energy is contagious. So is confusion.
Default to building something that spreads.
These aren’t laws.
They’re observations.
Signals in the noise.
If you’re building something and this resonated — I’d love to hear what you’d add to the list.
🛠️ Stay sharp,
Rick
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rick@ritegtm.com