Unicorny – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Unicorny, Dominic Rodgers, Head of Marketing at Frog Capital, shares how his company integrates purpose into every aspect of its investment strategy.

Dominic reveals Frog's unique methodology for scaling businesses, emphasising the vital role of purpose in driving both growth and resilience. The discussion explores how aligning purpose with business strategy creates a sustainable and competitive advantage.

• Frog Capital’s unique position in the investment world and how they integrate purpose at every level of their operations.
• The scale-up methodology used by Frog Capital
• The role of purpose in business growth

Listen to this episode to discover how integrating purpose into your business strategy can lead to sustainable growth and resilience.

Dominic Rodgers has worked with businesses ranging from start-ups to large corporations, as well as on the agency side, gaining a wide range of sales and marketing experience across industries such as publishing, technology, arts & culture, and financial services.

In 2008, Dominic helped start Raconteur, the publisher and content marketing agency, where they produced special reports for The Times newspaper. During that time, he predominantly focused on tech topics like Software as a Service, Virtualisation, and Cloud Computing, making his work with Frog, who specialize in investing in these technologies and growing businesses that have reshaped numerous industries, a natural progression.

He joined Frog in 2019 and now leads Marketing and Communications. Dominic particularly enjoys building Frog’s library of Scale-Up podcasts and toolkits called How to Scale, as it embodies Frog’s mission to assist businesses in the Scale-Up phase. Frog’s team of Operating Partners and Senior Partners have encountered many of the challenges software leaders face as they scale their startups, and creating meaningful content to help others overcome these challenges is highly rewarding for him.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Dominic Rodgers | Dom Hawes 

Website: Frog Capital

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode:

70. How entrepreneurs create value

71. Thesis-Driven Marketing: you heard it here first

Frog Capital: Scale-Up Methodology graphic

Frog Capital: How to Scale up resources

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Clue

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In this episode of Unicorny, we continue our exploration of the intersection between marketing and entrepreneurship with Sandra Vollrath, a marketing operations leader turned yoga studio owner.

Building on the insights from part one, we examine how Lean Six Sigma principles can help eliminate inefficiencies in marketing departments and why understanding your customer’s challenges is crucial, whether you're running a yoga studio or leading a global marketing team.

This episode is packed with practical advice for marketers aiming to elevate their strategic impact.

• Learn how Lean Six Sigma can improve your marketing operations.

• Understand why focusing on customer needs is essential for success in both B2B and B2C.

• Identify and address inefficiencies in your marketing processes.

Looking to refine your marketing strategy? This episode offers actionable insights that can help you streamline operations and drive results.

Sandra Vollrath is an accomplished marketing professional and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. Currently, she is the Director of Consulting (Marketing Operations & Strategy) at Intermedia Global (IMG), where she delivers major marketing operations projects with a team of marketing operations and process consultants.

In 2019, Sandra founded Unwind Yoga Studio in Maidenhead, Berkshire, which is a profitable and thriving business even through challenges like the pandemic, economic disruptions and market fluctuations.

Sandra's career includes significant roles at Bentley Systems Inc., where she excelled in product marketing and global campaign management. She led B2B marketing campaigns for Bentley's flagship product MicroStation, and implemented innovative marketing systems that enhanced operational efficiencies for a global team of 150 colleagues, supporting Bentley Systems' revenue growth.

Sandra is venturing into angel investment, focusing on female-led sustainable businesses, and aims to use her marketing expertise to create value for these ventures. She believes that marketing needs to be a strategic business function, supporting business objectives by creating value and increasing profits, whether in a B2B or B2C, SMB or enterprise environment.

Sandra's commitment to excellence and passion for leveraging marketing to drive business success make her a standout in her field.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Sandra Vollrath | Dom Hawes 

Website: img

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Other items referenced in this episode: 

Six Sigma

B2B Ignite

Guest host Rachel Fairley

Rebrand Right by Rachel Fairley and Sarah Robb

The holiday mood continues

Dom Hawes introduces the continuation of the holiday-themed episode, reflecting on Sandra Vollrath's journey from B2B marketing to yoga studio ownership and the valuable lessons we can draw from...

In this episode, Dom Hawes chats with James Gatoff, Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of Lombard International Group, about the complexities of marketing in highly regulated, multi-jurisdictional environments. James shares his journey from finance to marketing and discusses the strategic use of technology, cultural nuances, and the importance of a commercial focus in marketing communications.

James provides practical advice on integrating video content into marketing strategies and highlights the importance of clear communication and team engagement in achieving marketing success.

• Marketing in regulated and complex environments
• Importance of cultural understanding in international teams.
• Building and utilising in-house video production.
• Maintaining a commercial focus in all marketing efforts.

Tune in to learn how you can apply these strategies to better your marketing game.

James is currently the Group Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Lombard International Group. He is a member of the Group Executive Committee responsible for Global Marketing and Communications. He leads the marketing, brand, corporate communications, media relations, digital media, marketing production, internal communications and the events & sponsorship teams.

James has over 20 years’ experience in international marketing, communications and business development in Global Financial Services, spanning FTSE100 Insurance, FinTech, Wealth Management and Private Equity.

Before joining Lombard International, James was the Group Marketing and Communications Director at FNZ, a global FinTech which powers the wealth management, administration and custodian platforms of major financial institutions (including retail and private banks, asset and wealth managers, insurers and financial adviser groups) across Europe, Asia and Australasia.

Prior to FNZ, James was Group Communications Director at Friends Life Group where he led the global communications team (based in the UK, Isle of Man, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai) and overseeing the Group’s subsidiary businesses’ communications teams. 

He’s experienced in leading large scale organisational change, transformation, commercial development and communication programmes including mergers, acquisitions, divestments and tendering for new business.  James has a sales and marketing background and was Head of Business Development responsible for winning, implementing and managing new large corporate partnerships.

He’s a Freeman of the City of London, Chartered Insurer, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Insurance and has a BSc (Hons)Business.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

LinkedIn: James Gatoff | Dom Hawes 

Website: Lombard International Group

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

In this second part of our discussion with Blair Enns, we explore the internal dynamics that influence agency-client relationships.

Host Dom Hawes and Blair continue to discuss balancing efficiency and innovation, focusing on how departmental goals can conflict with overarching business objectives.

They examine bounded rationality, the inefficiency principle, and the role of leadership in fostering a culture that supports both operational efficiency and creative innovation. Blair introduces his upcoming book, which outlines four key conversations that can help frame the process of selling expertise and ensuring effective client relationships.

What you'll get from this episode:

• Understanding the impact of departmental silos.
• Strategies for effective agency-client relationships.
• The importance of aligning business goals across departments.
• How leadership can drive cultural change for better innovation.

Join us for practical insights on creating value-driven partnerships that foster innovation and drive business success.

Blair is the founder of Win Without Pitching, the sales training program for expert advisors, and the author of three books on selling and pricing.

The Four Conversations: A New Model for Selling Expertise is available from Gegen Press on Amazon in September, 2024.

Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour (2018) is available at pricingcreativity.com.

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto (2010) is available on Amazon.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Blair Enns | Dom Hawes 

Website: Win Without Pitching

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Today's episode of Unicorny tackles the complex dynamics between brand marketers and creative agencies, focusing on the dysfunctional commercial relationships that have emerged over recent years. Host Dom Hawes is joined by Blair Enns, founder of “Win Without Pitching”.

They explore how procurement practices and outdated commercial models hinder innovation and value creation. Blair offers insights into redefining these relationships to foster mutual success.   

• Challenges in the client-agency commercial model.    
• The impact of procurement on creativity.
• Shifting focus from outputs to business outcomes.
• Balancing efficiency and innovation.

Tune in to understand how to build stronger, more effective relationships between marketers and agencies, ensuring sustainable success for both parties.

Blair is the founder of Win Without Pitching, the sales training program for expert advisors, and the author of three books on selling and pricing.

The Four Conversations: A New Model for Selling Expertise is available from Gegen Press on Amazon in September, 2024.

Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour (2018) is available at pricingcreativity.com.

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto (2010) is available on Amazon.

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

LinkedIn: Blair Enns| Dom Hawes 

Website: Win Without Pitching

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson 

Welcome back to Unicorny! In this episode, Dom Hawes continues his chat with Andrew Davies, a CMO and serial entrepreneur. Andrew shares his thoughts on how to integrate value-based pricing, the importance of packaging, methods for retaining customers in the competitive SaaS landscape, and the concept of thesis-driven marketing. 

• Understanding the impact of frequent pricing and packaging experiments on growth 
• Key elements of effective value-based pricing 
• Methods for managing packaging to optimize customer acquisition and retention 
• The role of self-serve models in modern SaaS businesses 
• The importance of having a clear thesis to guide marketing efforts 

Discover why these tactics can be powerful levers for growth and how frequent experimentation can significantly impact revenue.

Andrew serves Paddle.com as Chief Marketing Officer. Paddle has raised over $295m to build out the complete payments infrastructure for high growth software companies, currently serving over 4000 customers. After the acquisition of ProfitWell in 2022, Paddle also has the industry-leading Pricing team, Retention product, and a SaaS Metrics platform used by around 30,000 businesses.  

Previously Andrew led global demand, digital and brand at Optimizely - after it acquired the business he co-founded, Idio.ai. During his time at Optimizely, they integrated 5 acquisitions, rebranded the entire company, and grew pipeline and sales significantly. As co-founder and CMO, he helped build Idio from scratch to a market-leader in B2B content personalization, raising $13m+ and serving enterprise clients including Pegasystems, BNY Mellon and IBM.  

Andrew also advises SaaS scale-ups, and sits on the board of Ninety, an agile digital transformation consultancy which serves the insurance industry and gives 90% of distributable profits to alleviate global poverty. He lives with his wife and two children in the Devonshire (UK) countryside. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Andrew Davies | Dom Hawes  

Website: Paddle 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

In this episode of Unicorny, host Dom Hawes speaks with Andrew Davies, Chief Marketing Officer at Paddle, about integrating entrepreneurial principles into marketing strategies. Andrew discusses the benefits of approaching marketing with the mindset of a startup founder, comparing the methodologies of venture capital and private equity, and stressing the importance of growth and innovation. He shares his journey from launching multiple startups to leading marketing at Paddle, and provides strategies for managing mergers and acquisitions, scaling businesses internationally, and overcoming market-specific challenges. 

• Discover how to reframe your marketing plan with an entrepreneurial approach. 
• Understand the differences between venture capital and private equity growth strategies. 
• Learn the value of experimentation in driving marketing success. 
• Get tips on handling mergers and acquisitions and integrating diverse business cultures. 
• Explore methods for scaling internationally and tackling market challenges. 

Don't miss this opportunity to gain actionable strategies and valuable lessons from Andrew Davies that can elevate your marketing efforts and drive growth. 

Andrew serves Paddle.com as Chief Marketing Officer. Paddle has raised over $295m to build out the complete payments infrastructure for high growth software companies, currently serving over 4000 customers. After the acquisition of ProfitWell in 2022, Paddle also has the industry-leading Pricing team, Retention product, and a SaaS Metrics platform used by around 30,000 businesses.  

Previously Andrew led global demand, digital and brand at Optimizely - after it acquired the business he co-founded, Idio.ai. During his time at Optimizely, they integrated 5 acquisitions, rebranded the entire company, and grew pipeline and sales significantly. As co-founder and CMO, he helped build Idio from scratch to a market-leader in B2B content personalization, raising $13m+ and serving enterprise clients including Pegasystems, BNY Mellon and IBM.  

Andrew also advises SaaS scale-ups, and sits on the board of Ninety, an agile digital transformation consultancy which serves the insurance industry and gives 90% of distributable profits to alleviate global poverty. He lives with his wife and two children in the Devonshire (UK) countryside. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Andrew Davies | Dom Hawes  

Website: Paddle 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

Welcome to part two of our myth-debunking session with Dale W. Harrison, where we explore the realities of demand creation in marketing.  

Dale, a polymath with a broad view of business, explains why performance marketing is flawed and introduces the 95/5 rule, which outlines the natural buying cycles of customers. 

• Understand the 95/5 rule and its implications for demand creation.
• Learn why brand marketing matters even when customers aren't in the market.
• Explore the pitfalls of using ROI as the sole metric for marketing effectiveness.
• Find out how marketing enhances sales efficiency and shortens sales cycles.

Listen now to transform your approach to B2B marketing and make your efforts truly count.

Dale W. Harrison is a senior executive with more than 20 years of international experience in the biotech industry. Experienced with venture-backed early-stage and mid-sized growth phase companies in the areas of executive leadership roles, operations management, technology development, and commercial development. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Dale W. Harrison | Dom Hawes  

Website: Inforda Life Science Services 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

Curious about why "demand creation" might be a ‘lie’ or a myth? In this episode, Dale W. Harrison challenges conventional marketing wisdom by arguing that demand cannot be created but only captured. We discuss real-world examples like the iPhone and the Apple Newton to illustrate the differences between capturing existing demand and the futility of trying to create it. You'll also hear about the importance of strategic branding and the pitfalls of relying solely on lead generation.

Learn about:

• Why capturing demand is more realistic than creating it.
• The significance of strategic branding in consumer trust and loyalty.
• The dangers of focusing too much on short-term metrics.

Ready to rethink your approach to marketing? Listen to this episode and discover strategies that could reshape your perspective and boost your marketing effectiveness.

Dale W. Harrison is a senior executive with more than 20 years of international experience in the biotech industry. Experienced with venture-backed early-stage and mid-sized growth phase companies in the areas of executive leadership roles, operations management, technology development, and commercial development. 

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk  

LinkedIn: Dale W. Harrison | Dom Hawes  

Website: Inforda Life Science Services 

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson  

In this special episode of Unicorny, we're gearing up for B2B Ignite, the business marketing conference taking place on July 3rd at 133 Houndsditch in the City of London.

Dom Hawes, your host, talks to Richard O'Connor, CEO of B2B Marketing, about the Propolis Community Index and the key trends shaping business marketing.

We dive into insights on budget allocations, customer growth, and the evolving structure of marketing teams. Plus, get a sneak peek at what’s in store at B2B Ignite, including must-attend sessions and keynotes.

• Introduction to B2B Ignite: Overview of the conference details, including date, location, and how to book tickets.
• Propolis Community Index: Explanation of the index, its real-time data collection methods, and the value it provides to the marketing community.
• Marketing Trends: Insights into budget increases, ROI responsibilities, customer growth, and attrition rates.
• Organisational Changes: Discussion on centralisation trends, headcount shifts, and the impact on marketing teams.
• Event Highlights: Detailed agenda for B2B Ignite, including keynotes by Rachel Fairley and Sarah Robb, and a closing keynote by Mark Grist.

This episode is packed with valuable insights for business marketers looking to stay ahead of industry trends and make informed decisions.

Whether you’re attending B2B Ignite or not, the Propolis Community Index data and expert analysis from Richard O’Connor offer actionable takeaways to enhance your marketing activity.

Richard’s career spans B2B and B2C media, events and SaaS. He has run commercial teams at several leading private and public businesses, including Centaur,  The Independent Newspaper, UBM, Informa and RELX. He also led a multi-year commercial transformation programme for UBM, which involved the design and delivery of a sales and marketing operating model in EMEA, Asia and the US. He was also part of the integration team following the acquisition of UBM by Informa.

Richard currently leads B2B Marketing, a Community Intelligence business with a portfolio of specialist conferences, awards, marketing services and Propolis - the multi-award winning global community for B2B Marketing Leaders. Launched in 2021, Propolis has grown rapidly into the go-to community for many of the world’s leading B2B brands.

B2B Ignite tickets

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk 

Web links: B2B Ignite | Propolis

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

• Episode Overview and Guest Introduction
• Understanding the Propolis Community Index
• Budget, Spend, and ROI Trends
• Customer Growth and Attrition Rates
• Marketing Trends and Budget Allocation
• Use of Agencies and External Partners
• Changes in Customer Tenure
• Organisational Structure and Centralisation
• Hiring and Attrition Trends
• Key Takeaways from the Propolis Index
• B2B Ignite Conference Agenda
• Final Thoughts and Event Highlights