♖ The Only Two Things That Matter

Hey Moaters,

I have a confession.

I did Pilates with my 11-year-old for the first time yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ok, second confession.

After advising half a dozen growth-stage B2B companies on growth strategy, I realized something uncomfortable: I had strong philosophies about what actually drives growth, but I'd never documented them.

The pattern I kept seeing? Every company was trying to do too many things at once.

New market. New hires. New products. New partnerships. New everything.

Here's what I learned: The companies that grow sustainably don't chase every opportunity. They obsess over getting two things right first, and spend the rest of their time on these two things only.

What We'll Cover:

• The two fundamentals that matter most

• Why this foundation matters

• How raving customers create compound advantages

• The emotional cost of being scattered

Let's dive in.

The Only Two Things That Actually Matter

My favorite line from Alex M H Smith's No Bullshit Strategy: "A great business can be summarized as delivering new value and communicating that new value."

It’s a brilliant first-principles way to think about your business. It gets right to the core of what matters.

I've distilled this into two non-negotiable tests:

1. Are You Really Delivering WOW?

The test: Can I speak to 10 customers who will rave about your solution?

Not "satisfied customers." Raving fans who actively recommend you and couldn't imagine using anything else.

2. Can You Communicate That WOW Clearly?

The test: Do prospects immediately understand your unique value in 10 seconds on your website?

If you can't pass both tests, everything else is a distraction.

Why This Foundation Changes Everything

Most founders think these are "nice to haves." Big mistake. Getting these two things right creates a compounding advantage that touches every part of your business.

It is why you have never seen a Tesla commercial before.

The Economics: Why Your Wallet Will Thank You

Most founders think these are "nice to haves." Look, I'm not going to lecture you about LTV/CAC on your Saturday morning. Just know it's the most important formula in business, in my opinion.

It’s the lifetime profit of a customer over the cost to acquire that customer. The higher the number, the more you're delivering WOW.

Raving customers fix your unit economics:

• Word-of-mouth: 40-60% of new leads come from referrals (HubSpot). Referral customers have 16% higher LTV and 18% lower churn.

• Network effect: One raving enterprise customer generates 3-5 qualified leads from their network within 18 months.

• Premium pricing: Raving customers don't negotiate. Switching becomes too painful.

Clear communication accelerates everything:

• Shorter sales cycles: 30-50% faster when prospects get your value immediately.

• Higher conversions: Clear messaging can double website conversion overnight.

• Lower CAC: Less explanation = more efficient acquisition.

Everything Gets Easier

When you nail the fundamentals, opportunities find you:

✅ Conference speaking (organizers want customer success stories).
✅ Media attention (journalists love clear value stories).
✅ Top talent (A-players join companies with obvious traction).
✅ Partnerships (companies want to work with proven winners).
✅ Investor interest (VCs invest in word-of-mouth and clear positioning).

The Hidden Cost of Being Scattered

The psychological drain nobody talks about:

😵 Team confusion → Best people waste energy debating priorities.
😵 Founder anxiety → You question every decision without clear metrics.
😵 Imposter syndrome → You know you haven't earned expansion yet.
😵 Burnout → Fighting on multiple fronts with unclear wins is exhausting.
😵 Talent flight → Top performers leave rudderless companies.

The relief of focus is real. When you have raving customers and clear messaging, decisions become obvious.

SPONSOR

How to Actually Get There

Step 1: The Raving Customer Audit

Interview 10 of your best customers this month. Ask:

• “Why did you choose us?”

• "What would you do if our solution disappeared tomorrow?"

• "How do you explain our value to colleagues?"

• "What's the #1 thing we could improve?"

If fewer than 7 say they'd be devastated if your solution disappeared, you have a product problem, not a growth problem.

This is your #1 investment priority. Get your whole team obsessed with creating customer love before spending another dollar on marketing, sales, or new features. Everything else is a waste until you nail this.

Step 2: The 10-Second Homepage Test

Send your homepage to 5 people outside your industry. Give them 10 seconds, then ask:

• "What does this company do?"

• "Why should someone care?"

• "Who is this for?"

If they can't answer all three clearly, you have a messaging problem, not a traffic problem. I will share how to do this in the future issues.

Step 3: The Focus Filter

For the next 90 days, before any new initiative, ask:

• "How to create more raving customers?"

• "How to message clearly to attract more raving customers?"

If both answers aren't "yes," don't do it.

The Companies That Get This Right

Slack: 18 months obsessing over team love before expanding beyond chat. Result: 10,000% growth.

Zoom: Focused on one thing, video that works, until enterprises couldn't live without it. Clear value: "It just works."

Notion: Made productivity fanatics before expanding to teams. Users became evangelists driving 90% of growth.

None chased multiple opportunities early. They became undeniably valuable first.

Takeaway

Most companies fail not from lack of opportunities, but from lack of discipline to ignore good opportunities for the right foundation.

Your competitive advantage doesn't come from doing everything. It comes from doing two things so well that everything else becomes easier.

The only two things that matter: Deliver WOW. Communicate WOW.

Master these first. Everything else can wait.

'Til next time,
---Ali

P.S. If this resonates, forward it to a founder trying to do too many things at once. Sometimes the best gift is permission to focus.

About Me: I’m Ali, a former tech exec who now advises growth-stage B2B companies on strategy & GTM execution.

Learn more about my story on LinkedIn.