You're either generating revenue, retaining revenue or both - either way, this newsletter is my way of distilling 16 years of GTM experience into weekly nuggets to help you and 2000+ other industry leaders get unstuck and grow your business.
I had a partner meetup this week, six of my ecosystem experts, a sunny London lunch, and plenty of GTM chat. As we were catching up on what’s happening in the market, something stood out to me.
Different companies. Different sectors. But the same theme kept surfacing:
People don’t know what they don’t know. This often shows up as, “you gotta be kidding me there’s no way they’re doing that?”
For them, it’s what they know. It’s the thing that made sense at the time. We can’t judge anyone. We know we’ve made some questionable decisions both personal and business wise in our time. We just have the privilege of knowledge, experience and nuance.
It reminded me of a conversation from last year. Someone asked, “Hannah, why do you think companies are growing slower than planned?” My response came quickly:
“I think people just don’t know what they don’t know.”
And when that’s true… everything feels like it’s working, until it isn’t.
Critical Insight
Jeff Wetzler’s Curiosity Curve, published in Harvard Business Review, lays this out well. It maps how open (or closed) we really are to information that challenges our assumptions.
There are six zones, from self-righteous disdain (“They’re mad, bad, or scary”) to fascinated wonder (“There’s so much I want to learn from them”).
Most people think they sit in the “genuine interest” zone. But in practice, especially in commercial teams, we often operate from confident dismissal or sceptical tolerance.
That looks like:
“We already know what our ICP is.”
“We’ve done this before, it works.”
“This messaging always converts.”
“The problem is marketing, not sales.”
That mental certainty quietly shuts down curiosity. And without curiosity, teams miss weak signals, ignore market shifts, and stop asking the kind of questions that uncover growth opportunities.
You can’t fix what you don’t know exists.
Food for Thought
Start by asking this:
What are we certain about that might actually be wrong?
Better yet, ask your team. You’ll quickly spot where curiosity has flatlined and assumptions have calcified.
Do you have what it takes? I think you do, so does John
Posts from me that you may have missed
This means more to me than you know - selfie time
Are you willing to be a highly paid intern? That’s the key to winning in 2026
Until Next Time ✌🏾
PS
If you’re feeling a little concerned about your revenue growth, then we have a few things to help you find the answer:
Evaluate Your Strategy → Curious about where your Go-to-Market strategy stands? Discover key areas for improvement. [Take the Assessment]
GTM Insights → Want to learn more about Go-to-Market strategies? Check out our latest insights on YouTube. [Watch Now]
1-1 Consultation → Need personalised advice? Book a 1-1 consultation, and I’ll help you map out your next steps. [Book Here]
Find This Newsletter Useful?
Do you know someone who would benefit from our ideas? Invite them to sign up using the link below. Alternatively, share it directly to social or email
You're either generating revenue, retaining revenue or both - either way, this newsletter is my way of distilling 16 years of GTM experience into weekly nuggets to help you and 2000+ other industry leaders get unstuck and grow your business.
