In this episode of Tech Qualified, host Justin Brown sits down with Chris Corcoran, Cofounder and Managing Partner at Blue Tusk Partners, to unpack more than two decades of trying to grow a B2B services company without ever building a massive marketing organization. Chris walks through the evolution of memoryBlue's marketing function — from a word-of-mouth-only era driven entirely by client referrals, to early agency partnerships, to bringing on a high-performing junior hire, to eventually building an in-house team led by a director of marketing. Along the way, he candidly discusses what worked, what didn't, and why he ultimately wishes he had started investing in marketing earlier and more aggressively.

The conversation digs into the realities of being a sales-led founder running a services company, including how memoryBlue differentiated itself in a crowded SDR outsourcing market, why their website became their best salesperson and recruiter, and how 70–80% of their business came in through inbound channels despite being an outbound-focused company. Chris also shares hard-earned perspective on managing agencies — arguing that the tighter founders manage their agency partners, the better the outcomes — and reflects on channels that didn't deliver (like SEO) versus harder-to-measure investments like the company's podcast that paid off in culture, recruiting, and brand affinity.

For founders and small marketing teams trying to figure out whether to hire, outsource, or do it themselves, this episode delivers a rare, honest look at what scaling marketing actually looks like when you're a services company without endless resources.

Guest-at-a-Glance

💡 Name: Chris Corcoran

💡 What they do: Cofounder + Managing Partner

💡 Company: Blue Tusk Partners

💡 Noteworthy: Chris spent more than two decades helping build memoryBlue into one of the most recognizable outsourced SDR firms in the industry. He had a front-row seat to nearly every growth challenge a scaling B2B services company can face — from founder-led sales and word-of-mouth growth to agency partnerships, in-house team building, content, PR, podcasts, and events.

💡 Where to find him: LinkedIn

This episode is produced by New North. New North is a strategic B2B marketing agency specializing in working with tech companies. Going beyond conventional tactics, we craft a personalized marketing strategy, conduct research, lay a solid foundation, execute dynamic campaigns, and continuously refine our approach through analysis.

With New North, your small, scrappy marketing team transforms into a powerful growth engine, achieving your goals with less pressure and more precision.