The Futur Podcast with Chris Do
Episode: 338 - Build, Test, Scale, Repeat
Guest: Hamlet Azarian
Release Date: April 5, 2025
Introduction
In episode 338 of The Futur Podcast, host Chris Do engages in a deep and insightful conversation with Hamlet Azarian, a seasoned marketing executive boasting two decades of experience. Azarian specializes in guiding venture-backed startups through their critical early stages, helping them navigate from pre-seed funding to Series A and B rounds. This episode delves into the intricate processes of building, testing, scaling, and iterating within the startup ecosystem, offering valuable lessons for designers, marketers, and entrepreneurs alike.
Guest Background: Hamlet Azarian
Hamlet Azarian is a senior growth advisor renowned for his expertise in developing marketing playbooks, hiring, and training growth teams for startups. With a focus on early-stage companies, particularly those backed by venture capital, Azarian has been instrumental in scaling businesses by providing strategic guidance and fostering a culture of continuous experimentation and learning.
Defining Startups and Early-Stage Dynamics
Azarian begins by elucidating what constitutes a startup. He defines a startup as a small team aiming to build a new company or service that addresses a scalable problem, often seeking to disrupt the status quo. Using Camino Financial as a case study—founded by Harvard Business School alumni—Azarian illustrates how early-stage startups operate from co-working spaces, grappling with ideas and seeking product-market fit.
Notable Quote:
"What is a startup is a group of founders who come together to solve a scalable problem and potentially disrupt the industry."
[02:17]
Funding Stages: From Pre-Seed to Series A
Azarian details the funding landscape for startups:
- Pre-Seed: Typically involves initial capital from founders, friends, family, or angel investors, often ranging between $50,000 to $500,000.
- Seed Round: Aimed at hiring teams and building products, with startups targeting around $700,000.
- Series A: For scaling operations, usually between $3 to $12 million, contingent on achieving milestones like reaching $1 million in annual revenue.
He emphasizes that while $700,000 may seem substantial for a small business, in the startup world, it’s often stretched thin across multiple expenses.
Notable Quote:
"In startups, $700,000 might not seem like a lot when you factor in salaries and marketing expenses."
[03:30]
Building Product-Market Fit Through Experimentation
A core theme of the conversation is the iterative process of building and testing to achieve product-market fit. Azarian advocates for:
- Prototype Development: Utilizing tools like Figma to create prototypes and landing pages that articulate the value proposition.
- Multivariate Testing: Running numerous ad variations to identify what resonates with the target audience. For instance, Camino Financial experimented with 25-30 different Facebook ads focusing on various themes such as product benefits, family orientation, and community connection.
Notable Quote:
"Progress comes from just doing it, even if it's not perfect. Release the ad, learn from it, and iterate."
[00:00]
Importance of Psychographics in Marketing
Azarian distinguishes between demographics and psychographics, underscoring that understanding the "why" behind customer behavior is crucial. Psychographics delve into the emotional and psychological motivations of users, enabling marketers to connect on a deeper level.
Notable Quote:
"Psychographics are the why—the emotional reasons that drive customer decisions."
[14:03]
He shares how Camino Financial discovered that Latino business owners valued family orientation and personal connection over traditional product-focused messaging, leading to more effective and resonant marketing campaigns.
Optimizing Landing Pages for Conversion
Transitioning from attracting traffic to converting visitors, Azarian outlines strategies for optimizing landing pages:
- Tooling: Utilizing tools like Hotjar and Smartlook for heatmaps and user behavior analysis.
- Frameworks: Implementing proven structures such as bold claims, evidence through reviews, trust symbols, brand storytelling, FAQs, and guarantees.
- A/B Testing: Continuously testing elements like headlines, images, CTAs, and layout to enhance user engagement and conversion rates.
Notable Quote:
"Once you've sent enough traffic, about 500 visitors, you can start running different tests to improve your conversion rate."
[35:21]
Cultivating a Growth Mindset and A Player Culture
Azarian expresses his passion for working with early-stage startups due to their inherent growth mindset and culture of excellence. He categorizes team members into A, B, and C players:
- A Players: Rock stars who excel, continuously improve, and support team success.
- B Players: Dependable but not as driven or innovative.
- C Players: Engage minimally or disruptively within the team.
He highlights that early-stage startups attract A players who are passionate, purpose-driven, and willing to take risks, fostering an environment conducive to rapid growth and innovation.
Notable Quote:
"A Players are rock stars who do more with less and are constantly striving to become better."
[38:51]
Overcoming Perfection Paralysis
A poignant takeaway from the episode is the detrimental effect of striving for perfection, which Azarian refers to as "perfection being the enemy of progress." He advocates for embracing imperfection, releasing products or campaigns even if they aren't flawless, and using feedback to iterate and improve.
Notable Quote:
"Because we're trying to make everything so perfect, we're getting in the way of progress."
[44:13]
Hamlet Azarian’s Agency and Educational Initiatives
Azarian discusses the evolution of his career from consulting for high-growth startups to founding Postborn (Azerian Growth Agency). His agency uniquely focuses on building dedicated teams for select clients, offering services that blend strategic, creative, and technical expertise.
Additionally, he shares about the Growth Academy, an educational platform providing free scholarships to students and startups, aiming to democratize access to modern, data-driven marketing education.
Notable Quote:
"We build teams—UI/UX designers, programmers, marketers—all focused on one or two accounts to ensure quality and dedication."
[49:34]
Leveraging Technology in Marketing
Azarian highlights the extensive tech stack his team employs to enhance marketing effectiveness:
- Design & Prototyping: Figma, Photoshop, MidJourney, Runway.
- User Behavior Analysis: Hotjar, Smartlook.
- Customer Interaction: CallRail for call recording and sentiment analysis.
- Artificial Intelligence: Utilizing tools like ChatGPT and agentic AI for content generation and process automation.
He emphasizes the importance of staying abreast with emerging technologies, especially in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Notable Quote:
"We're analyzing over 1,500 AI tools to streamline and enhance our marketing strategies."
[53:06]
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
Episode 338 offers a wealth of knowledge for entrepreneurs and marketers:
- Iterative Approach: Embrace building, testing, and scaling as a continuous cycle.
- Deep Customer Understanding: Prioritize psychographics to connect emotionally with your audience.
- Effective Testing: Utilize multivariate testing and A/B testing to refine marketing strategies.
- Cultivate the Right Culture: Foster a growth mindset and surround yourself with A players.
- Embrace Imperfection: Avoid perfection paralysis by releasing and iterating based on feedback.
- Leverage Technology: Implement a robust tech stack to enhance marketing efficiency and effectiveness.
Azarian’s insights underscore the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and strategic experimentation in navigating the dynamic startup landscape.
Final Thoughts
Chris Do wraps up the conversation by encouraging listeners to take actionable steps based on the episode’s insights, emphasizing the importance of not letting perfection hinder progress. He also invites listeners to engage with the podcast by leaving comments and questions, hinting at potential future episodes exploring these topics further.
Notable Quote:
"Don't let perfection get in the way of progress."
[54:51]
For More Information:
Visit Azerian Growth Agency and The Futur Academy for additional resources and educational content inspired by this episode.