The real reason you're flatlined at €3M ARR

Hitting a growth wall doesn't break with more tactics.

It breaks when you know who you are NOW, what your next segment wants, and align everything around that.

I worked at the fastest-growing startup in the DACH region. When I joined, we had ~1M users and ~80 employees.
On the outside, it looked like a real company. On the inside? Still pure scrappy startup - especially the brand and marketing.
We were chaotic. Throwing tactics at the wall. Nothing cohesive.
Ads worked, so we kept shoving money into them. Everything else was a mess. Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube all over the place. We were guessing, not communicating.‍

‍

Then we hit the wall.

A €100k campaign flopped. And that failure made something obvious: we had NO IDEA how to explain who we were or why the next wave of customers should care.
Early adopters carried us for years. They tolerated our unclear messaging, our basic website, our startup vibe. They "got it" even when we weren't saying anything concrete.
But early adopters run out. And when they do, your growth stops.
We thought we needed a rebrand. We hired an agency. We got pretty designs that meant nothing. Lipstick on a pig.
No one could answer the core question: Who are we now? And why should new customers choose us?

‍

So we did the only thing that actually works: we listened to the people who recently chose us.

Not opinions. Not hypotheticals. People who paid money for our product.
When we asked these customers why they picked our crypto exchange, a clear pattern emerged:
They trusted us because we were Austrian, compliant, and transparent.
So we stopped guessing and built the entire brand around two words: transparency and trust.Every campaign, every landing page, every piece of content told the same story:

• Visible fees

• "No stupid questions" campaign based on real user questions

• The CEO's personal brand built around openness and realness

Nothing fancy.
Just a message people actually cared about, repeated everywhere.
And that's how we broke the growth plateau.

🚫 Not with "better ads."

🚫 Not with new social tactics.

👉 With a sharper identity and a clearer promise.

Fast-forward: they're now one of the most trusted brands in the DACH region.
In crypto. And yes they partner with banks.

‍

So if you're stuck at $1–3M ARR, here's the uncomfortable truth:

You don't need more channels. You don't need a new hack. You certainly don't need a "better performance agency."
You need to figure out who you are NOW and what your next segment wants.Because "better" ads don't come from better creatives.
They come from a better message.

2 MINUTE SELF ASSESSMENT

‍

ARE YOU STUCK AT A GROWTH PLATEAU?

Answer these 5 questions honestly:

1. Can your sales team explain—in one sentence—why customers choose you over competitors? ☐ Yes ☐ No

2. When you look at your website, marketing, and sales materials—do they all tell the same story? ☐ Yes ☐ No

3. In the last 6 months, have you talked to 10+ customers who recently bought from you (not your oldest fans)? ☐ Yes ☐ No

4. If a stranger landed on your homepage right now, would they immediately know who it's for and why they should care? ☐ Yes ☐ No

5. Are you still attracting the same type of customers you had 2 years ago—or has your ideal customer evolved? ☐ Same customers ☐ Evolved

‍

If you answered "No" to 2 or more:

You're not stuck because of tactics. You're stuck because of clarity.
Your early adopters carried you this far. But they've run out. And your next segment doesn't understand who you are or why they should choose you.
More ads won't fix this. A new website won't fix this. Another marketing hire won't fix this.
You need to figure out who you are NOW and what your next customers actually want.
That's exactly what I help companies do.

P.S. Ready to break through? I work as a fractional CMO with scale-ups stuck between $1-10M doing exactly what we did at Bitpanda: strategic clarity + brand systems that actually drive growth. Just hit reply.

See you next week,

‍

3 THINGS TO STEAL THIS WEEK✨

The 60-Second Homepage Test
Open your homepage. Set a timer for 60 seconds. Can a visitor answer these 3 questions?

• Who is this for?

• What problem does it solve?

• Why should I choose you over alternatives?

If they can't 👉 your messaging is costing you deals. Every single day.

Customer interview email template
The exact email I use to get 70%+ response rates:

Subject: Quick question about [their recent purchase/signup]

Hey [Name],

I noticed you recently [bought/signed up for] [product]. I'm working on making [company] even better for customers like you.

Would you have 15 minutes this week for a quick call? I want to understand:

• What made you choose us

• What almost stopped you

• How it's working for you

No sales pitch, I promise. Just trying to learn.

[Your calendly link]

Thanks, [Name]
‍

Copy this. Send it to 10 customers this week. The patterns you'll find are worth more than any agency deck.

One sentence that changed everything

At Bitpanda, we went from:

❌ "Start investing from 1€" (Generic. Says nothing. Also fees were higher than 1€.)

✅ "Take over your finances. Transparently." (Clear audience. Clear differentiator. Clear promise.)

That one shift built from customer language broke the plateau.
Your turn: What's the ONE sentence on your homepage that needs to change?

‍

Shoppers are adding to cart for the holidays

Over the next year, Roku predicts that 100% of the streaming audience will see ads. For growth marketers in 2026, CTV will remain an important “safe space” as AI creates widespread disruption in the search and social channels. Plus, easier access to self-serve CTV ad buying tools and targeting options will lead to a surge in locally-targeted streaming campaigns.
Read our guide to find out why growth marketers should make sure CTV is part of their 2026 media mix.

Learn more.

That’s a wrap✨

If you liked this newsletter, let me know. Reading all my emails. 💌
If we’re not connected on Linkedin already - let’s do it right now.
If you wanna see me talking about this, I have instagram too.
Or if you want me to audit your marketing quickly, here’s how to book a 15 minutes call.

P.S. If someone sent you this newsletter - I would love to know who!

‍