Digital Marketing Institute Podcast |

In this episode of the DMI podcast, host ⁠Will Francis⁠ speaks with ⁠Faisal Laljee⁠, entrepreneur and growth strategist, about the intersection of entrepreneurship and marketing. Faisal shares his insights on risk-taking, growth hacking, customer acquisition, and building brands that last. From the importance of testing ideas early to the realities of startup funding, he explains how marketers and entrepreneurs can think like an entrepreneur to drive meaningful growth.

What You’ll Learn
Why entrepreneurs need to focus less on perfection and more on getting products in front of customers.How early customers can become your most valuable advocates and growth drivers.Is SEO overrated?Why brand is inseparable from early business strategy.Why not all investor money is good money.

Top 3 Tips from Faisal
1. Know your co-founders – Think of it as an “entrepreneurial prenup.” Shared values, commitment levels, and expectations matter more than complementary skills.
2. Double your marketing budget – Customer acquisition costs are always higher than you think. Planning conservatively helps you build a sustainable business.
3. Be selective with funding – Not all investment is good investment. Take money from the right sources, not just anyone willing to offer it.

Timestamps & Key Sections

01:28 – From corporate marketing to startups
02:54 – The big shift: traditional marketing to digital
05:13 – The #1 problem startups face: finding the right customer
06:57 – Why entrepreneurs need to test ideas early and avoid perfectionism
09:01 – Applying entrepreneurial thinking to marketing
11:10 – Are personas outdated? How to approach customer profiling
13:42 – Building trust through community engagement
15:32 – Overcoming rejection and embracing failure in marketing
16:57 – Growth hacking: experiment, measure, adapt
19:08 – Paid ads vs. organic growth for startups
22:33 – Turning early customers into advocates
24:29 – Overrated and underrated digital channels
29:33 – Why brand = business strategy
33:54 – The importance of mentors and career planning
39:03 – Faisal’s top 3 tips for new founders
Follow Faisal at   / faisal-laljee  
Follow Will Francis at https://willfrancis.com/

Follow and learn with the Digital Marketing Institute at
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com...

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About the Digital Marketing Institute

The global standard in digital marketing certification!

The Digital Marketing Institute delivers unparalleled learning experiences. Gain an internationally recognized digital marketing certification. Develop your digital skills and advance your marketing career.

Learn world-class knowledge. Develop skills in key marketing disciplines. From PPC to SEO, Analytics, Social Media, AI, and more.

Join our global members and get the skills that employers want and make your impact.

Why choose Digital Marketing Institute?

DMI is the proven global standard for digital marketing certification. We operate in 100+ countries and work with the global marketing teams of blue-chip brands and with the world's leading education brands.

Our programs are developed with our council of leading global marketers, so they are built and validated by industry, for the industry.

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