GTM Growth Audit - by Marlena Sarunac

In this episode of ThriveStack’s podcast, we speak with Marlena Sarunac, an award-winning CMO and co-founder of Company Advice. Marlena shares her GTM Growth Audit framework, a practical, systems-thinking approach to identifying hidden bottlenecks across product experience, website messaging, and go-to-market execution especially for early-stage and scaling SaaS companies.SPONSOREDDemand & Expand is coming! Join 600+ B2B Marketers May 19 & 20, 2026 for the hottest event in San Francisco. Demand Gen, Growth, AI Marketing, Lifecycle, and Marketing Ops—This is your chance to be in the room for the biggest conversations shaping the future of modern B2B marketing. See details here: demandandexpand.com ThriveStack subscribers can save 25% off tickets with the code HYBRIDGTM.- Direct link hereKey Insights* Most growth problems are system failures, not traffic or UX issues* Effective GTM audits focus on product experience, website messaging, and growth loops* Onboarding fails when users aren’t guided to a clear first value moment* Websites should help the right buyers say yes and the wrong ones say no* Feature-heavy messaging kills conversion outcomes drive decisions* One-off campaigns hide problems; loops reveal where growth breaks* Misaligned ICPs across teams quietly create friction and churnActionable Takeaways* Audit time-to-value, not just onboarding screens trace friction back to promises made before signup* Write your homepage for one primary buyer ICP (not every possible user)* Translate features into buyer-level outcomes, not technical specifications* Replace one-off campaigns with repeatable marketing + product loops* Align Product, Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success on one shared narrative and activation goal* Treat content as a growth asset only if it actively helps users succeed in the productResources Mentioned* GTM Friction Finder Audit (Free) – Available via Company Advice* User interviews, product analytics, and cross-team narrative alignment* CRM-driven, branded lifecycle workflows (activation, nurture, expansion)Marlena Sarunac is the co-founder of The Company Advice, a growth and design studio that helps SaaS companies remove hidden friction across product experience, website narrative, and go-to-market execution. As a fractional CMO, she works closely with founders and growth leaders to diagnose where momentum is leaking and turn clarity, design, and positioning into measurable growth. Marlena specializes in product-led and early growth-stage companies that want to scale without piling on complexity.Thrivecast listeners can explore the GTM Friction Finder Audit, a lightweight scorecard that highlights the top friction hotspots across your company’s product, website, and funnel: https://www.thecompanyadvice.com/friction-finder-thrivecastIf you’re a B2B SaaS founder, growth leader, or product owner struggling with activation, conversion, or retention despite “doing all the right things,” this episode is a reminder: growth doesn’t break at the top of the funnel it breaks in the gaps between teams, tools, and promises.Fix the system, and growth follows! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.hybridgtm.com