A three-step go-to-market framework for SaaS growth

Executive overview

Most SaaS founders jump straight to execution — running ads, hiring agencies, posting on LinkedIn — without a clear strategy. The result is wasted budget and no pipeline.

The fix is a three-step sequence: set a concrete revenue target, define your strategy (ideal customer profile and manifesto), then run a consistent execution programme.

Strategy before execution is the single highest-leverage change a founder can make to their go-to-market plan.

Step 1: Set a revenue target

• Define a specific ARR number for 12 months out — not "grow as fast as possible".
• Translate the revenue target into a number of net new customers or deals.
• Work backwards through your funnel metrics to estimate the leads or opportunities required.
• A concrete number grounds the conversation with co-founders and clarifies what it will cost.

Step 2: Define your strategy

Two components make up the strategy layer.

Ideal customer profile (ICP)

• Identify the specific segment of your total addressable market you will target to reach the next growth stage.
• A rigorous ICP covers 29 distinct points — firmographics, competitive dynamics, buyer behaviour.
• Skipping ICP dilutes all downstream execution because the team lacks a shared target.
• As revenue data comes in, expand the ICP into adjacent segments based on evidence.

Manifesto

• A 7–10 slide document that captures: value proposition, strategic narrative, positioning, urgency drivers, and competitive differentiation.
• The process of building it matters more than the artefact — it forces alignment across founders, CTOs, and product teams.
• Output can be repurposed: lead magnet, outbound sequences, ad creative.
• Founders who own this process attract stronger marketing hires because candidates see a thought-out strategy.

Step 3: Run a Broadway show

• Choose a small set of channels matched to your ICP and commit to them consistently.
• Bring your manifesto message to those channels on a repeatable, improving schedule — the same show to new audiences.
• Avoid channel-hopping (TikTok → outbound → LinkedIn → website rebuild) — it produces mastery in nothing.
• The goal is compounding improvement on one focused programme, not periodic reinvention.
• As momentum builds, hand off execution to specialist hires or use new revenue to fund the next hire.