Situation:

‍GAIA, a legal tech company, was looking to scale its demand and pipeline generation as it transitioned from a six-figure to a seven-figure ARR company. The company’s CEO, Janina Moellmann, had already experimented with various growth strategies but needed a structured and data-driven approach to accelerate results.

At the outset, GAIA faced key challenges:

• Lack of a scalable demand generation system: Initial efforts on LinkedIn and other channels lacked a structured, repeatable approach.
• Time constraints for hiring and training: Instead of hiring an internal head of marketing and waiting months to onboard, they needed immediate impact.
• Need for optimized messaging: Refining their message-market fit to resonate with legal counsels, their core audience, was crucial.

Pain:

Prior to engaging in a more structured collaboration, GAIA struggled with:

• Fragmented marketing efforts: Various tactics were tested, but none were delivering consistent, scalable results.
• Slow speed of execution: The traditional hiring process for a marketing lead would take months, delaying business growth.
• Low visibility in the market: Limited engagement on LinkedIn and other channels resulted in low inbound leads and slow pipeline generation.

Impact:

‍Through the partnership with Manuel Hartmann and his team, GAIA saw transformative growth in less than three months:

• Significant LinkedIn growth: Viral posts exceeding 100,000 views and 1,000+ engagements, leading to increased brand awareness and credibility.
• Increase in booked sales calls: Approximately 35-40 calls booked from LinkedIn alone, with numbers steadily rising each week.
• Doubling of website traffic: Website visitors doubled since December, further validating the inbound demand generation strategy.
• Faster execution and iteration: Weekly sprints enabled rapid testing, learning, and scaling of effective strategies.
• Improved message-market fit: Data-driven content strategy refined GAIA’s messaging, leading to higher engagement and better audience resonance.

Critical Event:

‍The turning point came when GAIA decided to deepen its collaboration and accelerate execution instead of hiring a full-time marketing head. This decision allowed them to:

• Implement a structured, data-driven marketing playbook.
• Leverage expert insights instead of spending months figuring things out internally.
• Increase the speed-to-market, making critical improvements in weeks rather than quarters.

Decision:

‍Instead of waiting for a new hire, GAIA:

1. Doubled down on LinkedIn as the primary demand generation channel.
2. Increased investment in structured advisory support, moving from low-touch to a more hands-on, embedded team approach.
3. Adopted a data-driven growth framework, ensuring quick iterations and improvements based on real-time engagement and performance analytics.

Outcome & Future Plans

With this approach, GAIA not only accelerated its pipeline growth and brand authority but also positioned itself to scale towards seven figures efficiently. Their structured content strategy, driven by founder-led marketing, has established them as a go-to brand in legal tech.

Moving forward, GAIA plans to continue leveraging this model while expanding its team internally as the company stabilizes at a higher revenue level. However, the agile, execution-first approach remains at the core of their growth strategy.

Key Takeaways for B2B SaaS Founders

• Speed matters: A six-month delay in execution can cost millions in ARR. Prioritize fast, iterative growth strategies.
• Inbound & outbound synergy is key: Combining LinkedIn content strategy, webinars, and outbound sequences creates a scalable demand gen engine.
• Founder-led marketing works: Authentic, ICP-relevant content builds trust and pipeline faster than generic lead gen tactics.
• Data-driven iteration wins: Test, analyze, and double down on what works instead of relying on theoretical strategies.
• Hiring isn’t always the best first step: A structured external team with a proven playbook can accelerate results faster than hiring and onboarding internally.

GAIA’s case proves that with the right partners, frameworks, and execution, scaling from six to seven figures in ARR isn’t just possible—it’s predictable.

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