Create a winning positioning & messaging strategy for your startup
A hands-on small group coaching program for B2B founders and their teams
Prepare to give your startup deep and powerful value by bringing it to life.
Most startups fail after their first growth spurt.
Less than 1% of start-ups survive the treacherous waters between Seed and Series C. Not because they build bad products, but because they fail to articulate and communicate their product’s value to the people that matter – their ideal customers.
- The reality is you’re competing against thousands of similar offers. Your customers are drowning in a sea of technologies and choices. And if you’re selling the same overdone features and benefits – doing things faster, cutting the busy work, killing the spreadsheets – you may never stand out in the sea of sameness. You may not survive.
- What’s the alternative? It’s crafting your position as a customer-centric, credible story that connects with customers and compels them to action.
- The result is a startup that sells more, raises more, and breaks through the clutter of noise. And most importantly, is part of the 1% to thrive.
What differentiates the B2B startup success stories from the rest?
It’s not the features. They are great at telling stories. They pick the right enemies. They are crystal clear with their message
Information is 22x more memorable when delivered in a story
Here’s what the world’s leading VCs and CEOs have to say about the power of story.
“The great storytellers have an unfair advantage. They are going to recruit better, they will be darlings in the press, they are going to raise more money more easily and at higher prices.. And, they are going to have a strong and cohesive corporate culture. Perhaps more to the point, they are more likely to deliver a positive investment return”
Bill Gurley
Partner, Benchmark
“If you don’t have a clearly articulated story, you don’t have a clear and well thought-out strategy. The story is the strategy”
Ben Horowitz
Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
“Product based differentiation is going away. Act accordingly”
David Cancel
CEO at Drift.com
No one can copy your story.
Prepare to give your startup deep and powerful value by bringing it to life.
- Position: Create a clearly articulated strategic narrative to stand out in the eyes of customers and attract sales. A foundation of market advantage.
- Communication: Plan and build a research-driven messaging framework across all marketing touchpoints and stages. Anything else is just guesswork.
- Execution: Put your story into action with a go-to-market strategy built around your narrative. When your actions flow from the story, every part of marketing, decision making and growth gets easier.
We are a promising early stage startup that helps people recharge while they work. We worked with Lena on our storyline creation and positioning. It helped us a great deal in understanding who our main target groups are and how we stand out from our competitors. In the beginning we were way too general, and now we are very specific and clear. A startup pitching coach had a hard time believing that we are only eleven months old, since our messaging is so on point and relevant, something that is typical for more mature stage startups. This is all thanks to Lena!
Laura Avonius,
Founder & CEO, Audicin
Lena has helped us build Encelo’s strategic marketing foundations by focusing on the customer research and the positioning narrative. She provided a clear direction for understanding our product's end users and helped us craft the positioning story that makes Encelo relevant to our market. Our messaging has made a difference in our fundraising efforts and is making a difference in how we engage with our customers and the positive response we are getting. Working on our strategic marketing foundations is one of the most important investments I’ve made as a founder.
Katia Nazmutdinova
Co-Founder, Encelo
Lena is one of the most talented B2B SaaS marketers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. An exceptional talent with deep insight into positioning, research and messaging. Her super power is simplifying the complex. While also identifying the 20% that delivers 80% of the value in pretty much any marketing activity. With a keen eye for substance and a low tolerance for time wasters - she exemplifies the meaning of an A-player. A rare gem respected by all other parties for her innovative and expansive thinkers.
Oren Greenberg
Founder, Kurve
I'm extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Lena. She did an incredible job giving us the right tools and teaching us how to craft a compelling narrative that truly captures our mission and clearly articulates how we help our customers. She has a unique ability to help take various pieces of disconnected information and crystallise them into a clear and concise positioning and messaging framework. How I felt before working with Lena vs. after is night and day - thanks to her, our entire organisation is energised and galvanised around the work we did together. Everyone has a clear understanding of our positioning and messaging, and how we want to achieve our goals. I could not recommend working with Lena enough!
Jonathan Gans
Co-Founder & CEO, Kahana
Do you see yourself below? Then this course is for you.
- You’re an early stage startup founder and team with a great product, but need help explaining its value so it reaches the right audience and sells well.
- You’ve spent so much time thinking about your positioning, you don’t know whether it makes sense to anyone but you.
- You have the will to invest in positioning, but you are drowning in conflicting advice and need hands-on strategies to cut the confusion..
- You are ready to build a killer strategic narrative, communicate consistently, and dominate your niche.
This program is NOT for you IF:
- You prefer quick hacks and cheap tricks over thinking for yourself
- You’re hoping to throw ideas and feel that one of them will ‘stick’
- You believe that great products ‘speak for themselves’
- You believe that if you build it, your audience will simply come
What is the B2B Storyline Coaching Program for Startups?
The B2B Storyline Coaching Program is an intensive, experiential 4-week group coaching program. You’ll join a small, handpicked group of just 5 ambitious founders or their team members who grow alongside you, ensuring our live sessions are as powerful and focused as possible.
Designed to have immediate impact, we’ll work TOGETHER during the program to craft your positioning story and messaging framework. You’ll come away with a narrative that you can apply right away.
11
recorded sessions available on demand throughout the program
3
live group sessions of no more than 5 people so everyone gets personal focus
8
Video walkthroughs of real-life case studies from world-class B2B startups
2
Video walkthroughs of real-life case studies from world-class B2B startups
1
Private Slack group for B2B founders & their teams to continue learning and sharing ideas
I help B2B Saas companies (re)build their strategic marketing foundations by focusing on research, positioning and messaging as Kurve’s positioning lead.
Your Instructor
I’ve led sales and marketing functions at global startups and scaleups for over a decade, but I found my true calling as a positioning and messaging consultant and coach having worked with dozens of founders helping them to find ‘their voice’.
More British now than Lithuanian or Russian, I was born and raised in Soviet-Lithuania and moved to the UK at 19. Currently a resident of Istanbul, I’m a proud citizen of everywhere and stamped with the universal fingerprints of curiosity, empathy and independence.
I have a reputation for being direct, which I believe leads to greater clarity, energy and resolutions. Motherhood has taught me to cut the crap even more. Life is too short for beating around the bush.
Psychology and neuroscience fire my soul. But I am too impatient for results to be a scientist.
Hiking is my thing, my escape and my adventure. It is an exploration of places, challenges, and my individual capacity for pushing beyond limits.
About the program
Humans are genetically wired to love stories. Learn a proven system for your B2B startup story design.
Join me as we skip past the guesswork and access the methodology, frameworks and hands-on creation to connect people to your product through story.
#1: Who is your audience?
#2: Building trust with the customer
#3: Your fail-proof messaging framework
#4: Performance and returns
We are a promising early stage startup that helps people recharge while they work. We worked with Lena on our storyline creation and positioning. It helped us a great deal in understanding who our main target groups are and how we stand out from our competitors. In the beginning we were way too general, and now we are very specific and clear. A startup pitching coach had a hard time believing that we are only eleven months old, since our messaging is so on point and relevant, something that is typical for more mature stage startups. This is all thanks to Lena!
Laura Avonius,
Founder & CEO, Audicin
Lena has helped us build Encelo’s strategic marketing foundations by focusing on the customer research and the positioning narrative. She provided a clear direction for understanding our product's end users and helped us craft the positioning story that makes Encelo relevant to our market. Our messaging has made a difference in our fundraising efforts and is making a difference in how we engage with our customers and the positive response we are getting. Working on our strategic marketing foundations is one of the most important investments I’ve made as a founder.
Katia Nazmutdinova
Co-Founder, Encelo
Lena is one of the most talented B2B SaaS marketers I’ve had the pleasure of working with. An exceptional talent with deep insight into positioning, research and messaging. Her super power is simplifying the complex. While also identifying the 20% that delivers 80% of the value in pretty much any marketing activity. With a keen eye for substance and a low tolerance for time wasters - she exemplifies the meaning of an A-player. A rare gem respected by all other parties for her innovative and expansive thinkers.
Oren Greenberg
Founder, Kurve
I'm extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Lena. She did an incredible job giving us the right tools and teaching us how to craft a compelling narrative that truly captures our mission and clearly articulates how we help our customers. She has a unique ability to help take various pieces of disconnected information and crystallise them into a clear and concise positioning and messaging framework. How I felt before working with Lena vs. after is night and day - thanks to her, our entire organisation is energised and galvanised around the work we did together. Everyone has a clear understanding of our positioning and messaging, and how we want to achieve our goals. I could not recommend working with Lena enough!
Jonathan Gans
Co-Founder & CEO, Kahana
Apply for your place in the next cohort
If you're a forward-thinking startup founder or part of the visionary team, now is the time to take your business to the next level.
Please note there is an eligibility criteria:
- We exclusively work with early-stage companies (pre-seed and seed).
- You must have an established B2B product or service that has the potential to make a real difference in people's lives.
- You must be prepared to put in the time and effort required to develop an effective story strategy – there are no quick fixes here.
If you have what it takes to join this application-only program, don't hesitate - apply today. I look forward to working with you.
Not ready to participate yet, but want to be posted about the next cohort?
Just leave your details. Don’t worry, it’s another growth newsletter to cram your inbox. Just an occasional update about the next group.
Join Our Free Trial
Get started today before this once in a lifetime opportunity expires.