How To Transition From Blue-Chip Marketer To Smaller Firm CMO

There is a certain pattern in the flow of careers. You’ll usually see marketers start off in large companies before easing their way to smaller firms afterward. Aside from this, it’s not rare to see most marketers gaining their experience in these large corporations before moving towards smaller businesses. They may even join a startup.

But this migration isn’t easy, as it requires moving from an experienced and well-funded establishment to a more volatile and limited environment. Whether it’s moving to a company with the same industry or entering an entirely new field such as robotics, there will always be certain challenges that marketers have to deal with. To help us understand how to best make this transition, we spoke with Managing Partner Matt Hirst, a professional who works at a branding venture studio known as West.

Originally, Hirst was working for household names such as Red Bull and Google, while currently, he’s been working with smaller companies. He mentions that there are a few obstacles that marketers have to deal with when transitioning away from blue chips to smaller firms.

Marketers will quickly notice that they won’t have the same level of attention and access as before. Their former affiliation to a large company no longer exists. This may be a refreshing and eye-opening experience to some, but others may not enjoy it as much.

They’ll also notice that many of the tasks they once did in their former company weren’t necessary as they once thought. To see for yourself, a good way to determine this is by writing down a list of all of the important things in your job, and then focus only on the top 3. This will help you become more focused on what’s vital for the business.

So aside from phasing out unnecessary habits, marketers also need to rebuild their name from the ground up. They no longer rely on the blue-chip They worked in, but rather focus on their own results. Note that not everybody enjoys the experience and that’s fine. But those who will enjoy it will definitely feel a sense of accomplishment after a while.

Hirst also gave a few tips for fresh CMOs who look to maximize their success. First off, he believes that marketers should take their time in learning how funding works in large companies. It may be avoidable to them, but when they migrate to smaller companies, they’ll have to deal with funding and its management a lot of the time. At his company, West, they try to build upon this by implementing an investor’s mindset so that marketers can make more informed decisions. If they don’t try to associate themselves with financial matters, it’ll be difficult to really get in touch with senior management.

Secondly, marketers should know what the business is in need of, and then do just that. It’s a simple concept, but he knows too many people from experienced backgrounds who focus too much on entire projects while forgetting the daily business requirements that they need to deal with. Some even try implementing the same strategies that worked for them in their previous companies, which never really work.

Additionally, Hirst gave a few tips on figuring out whether or not a position as a CMO of a small firm is worth the risk. Firstly, since startups are all about trying to realize a dream or a vision, they need to ask themselves: "Do I care about this dream?" This is the most important question to ask, as they need to know whether they want to help realize that dream or not.

If the answer is "yes", then the second question they need to ask themselves is "Is the product and the team behind it capable of realizing that dream, and am I able to contribute to it as well?" they need to know if the startup is funded right if they can work under pressure and other important factors.

Finally, Hirst offered a few extra pointers and reminders for those who really want to commit to transitioning into a CMO. There’s a lot to talk about, but one thing that’s important for any marketer to master is changing the pace of their decision making. Large companies use careful and meticulous planning, using heaps of data and research. However, startups don’t usually take that approach, and they go for their gut more often than not. It only gets easier, though - once they notice the patterns and signals. They’re better off trying out new things and acting on them with conviction if they want their ideas to fly.

Hey, I am an Seo Specialist and blog writer. I love to write about health, Fitness, Travel, Business, and Meditation.