Messy Growth

Syed Asad
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Messy Growth is a podcast about what building B2B companies in Poland actually looks like. No PR bullshit, no sugarcoating. I talk to Polish founders, operators, and GTM leaders who've scaled companies from zero to millions. I cover the topics nobody talks about: failed startups, burnout, building teams, hiring mistakes, cash flow problems, customer churn, and everything else that's "messy" about growth. If you're building a B2B company, running sales, customer success, marketing, or just interested in the Polish startup ecosystem - this podcast is for you. New episodes every week.

  1. DEC 2

    Building a Startup While Raising Kids

    Most founders struggle to build one thing at a time. Paulina Walkowiak built a UX analytics company while being pregnant, raising two kids, and moving between Berlin, Poland, Madeira, and Lisbon.She's the CEO of CUX.io - a tool helping e-commerce companies eliminate conversion blockers. She's competed against giants like Hotjar and Mixpanel for 6+ years, survived near-failures, hired too fast after investment, and figured out that consultancy beats pure SaaS for her business model.In this conversation, we talk about:-Why she embraces being called a "mompreneur" (and why most women hate it)-How she works while breastfeeding on client calls What big companies get wrong about UX despite having all the dataWhy corporate stability is an illusionThe moment she realized she had everything she wanted but wasn't happyWhy freelancing might've been the better pathThis isn't a textbook success story. It's messy, honest, and real.If you're building something while life is happening around you - this one's for you.

    52 min

  2. NOV 27

    Support Agent to CEO in 8 Years (No Job Hopping)

    Most people think you need to job hop every 18 months to climb the ladder in tech. Margaret Sikora proved them wrong.She started at Woodpecker in 2017 as a junior customer success agent answering support tickets. Eight years later, she's the CEO. Same company. No shortcuts.Junior CS → Customer Success Officer → Head of Support → Head of Product → COO → CEO.She didn't parachute in from Google. She didn't get an MBA. She just kept proving she could do the next thing. Oh, and she got a PhD in law along the way (which she admits was mostly pointless).This is the most honest conversation I've had about what it actually takes to go from entry-level to CEO in B2B SaaS. Most people think you need to job hop every 18 months to climb the ladder in tech. Margaret Sikora proved them wrong.She started at Woodpecker in 2017 as a junior customer success agent answering support tickets. Eight years later, she's the CEO. Same company. No shortcuts.Junior CS → Customer Success Officer → Head of Support → Head of Product → COO → CEO.She didn't parachute in from Google. She didn't get an MBA. She just kept proving she could do the next thing. Oh, and she got a PhD in law along the way (which she admits was mostly pointless).This is the most honest conversation I've had about what it actually takes to go from entry-level to CEO in B2B SaaS.WHAT WE COVER:- Why most customer success people burn out (and how she avoided it)- The exact moment she realized she could transition from CS to Product- How to manage people who used to be your peers without it getting weird- Why she got a PhD while scaling to CEO (spoiler: prestige is fake)- The hardest decision she made as CEO (withdrawing products her team built)- Is it actually lonely at the top? Her honest answer- Why "follow your passion" is garbage advice (discipline beats motivation)- The one skill every CEO needs that no one talks about- How Woodpecker competes in a crowded cold email market (Lemlist, -Instantly, Smartlead)- Her take on whether cold emailing is dead in 2025- What changes when you become CEO (and what doesn't)- How she avoids burnout as CEO (or doesn't - her answer surprised me)If you're in customer success, product, sales, or any GTM role and you're wondering how to build a real career without job hopping every year, this is for you.Margaret doesn't do corporate speak. She's brutally honest about imposter syndrome, making decisions that piss people off, and why being CEO is exhausting but worth it.

    48 min

  3. NOV 25

    We Quit the VC Treadmill — Profit, Remote Work & Gaming

    Most founders raise VC money and stay on the treadmill. Raise. Burn. Grow. Repeat.Maciej Sawicki did something different.After raising $4M and scaling inStreamly to 150,000 streamers (working with Samsung, Disney, PlayStation), he had 10 months of runway left and two choices: collapse or pivot to profitability.He chose profit.Now inStreamly is fully remote, fully profitable, and fully independent. No more VC treadmill.Maciej's been in gaming for 20+ years. Co-founded Headshot TV in 2005 (streaming esports before Twitch existed), hosted Polish esports shows with 500K+ viewers, and understands the gaming industry better than most VCs ever will.In this conversation, we talk about:Why he stopped chasing growth when the money ran outHow to run truly async teams (not fake "remote-first")Why most brands still don't understand the gaming marketThe biggest myth about remote workWhy working 12 hours a day is a terrible ideaWhat VCs actually bring to the table (spoiler: not much)Why your company should always be for saleThis isn't about unicorns or exits. It's about building something sustainable while staying sane.If you're tired of the growth-at-all-costs narrative, this one's for you.

    1 hr

  4. NOV 21

    From Zero → 75K Customers: How to Build & Scale Products That Actually Win

    Abram built Natu.Care from nothing into one of Poland’s fastest-growing premium supplement brands — 75,000 customers and 5× growth in 2024 — while previously architecting product & AI transformations for platforms serving 900K+ users. In this episode of Messy Growth we go deep on:• How to win trust in a scam-filled category (transparency, lab tests, customer feedback loops)• Building product-led growth that scales — SEO, experimentation and influencer playbooks• Running multiple high-impact products without burning out (systems, energy, hiring)• How to set up autonomous teams and a 40%+ experiment success culture• Practical AI automation: where to start and what to avoidIf you’re building products, running GTM, or scaling teams — this is for you. Abram is a builder’s builder: CTO, CPO and founder who turns chaos into systems.

    49 min

  5. NOV 19

    How an Operator Builds Growth: From Side Hustles to Scalable B2B GTM

    In this episode of Messy Growth, I talk to Natalia Slota — founder of Apricot and former growth lead at high-velocity startups — about building real growth when you don’t have infinite budget.We cover founder-side hustles that teach better marketing, how to pick channels for $2M ARR B2B companies, aligning sales + marketing, product-market fit, and why humans still beat AI when it comes to real strategy.What we cover • Why launching a side hustle (and killing it) teaches better GTM. • The two channels Natalia would pick for a $2M ARR B2B company — and why email + LinkedIn still win. • How to align sales & marketing for enterprise GTM (it’s more about tribes than tools). • Product–market fit: how to test before you build. • Hiring & culture: what to look for when scaling agency delivery. • Practical founder advice: take calculated risks, talk to people, and protect your sanity.Natalia's approach isn't about following playbooks or copying competitors. It's about understanding your ICP's real problems, creating genuine value (not just content), and building relationships that actually convert - even if attribution models can't track them.If you're tired of marketing tactics that sound good in theory but fail in practice, this conversation is for you.

    1h 1m

  6. NOV 17

    Marketing Strategy: Why 'Do Everything' Beats Picking One Channel

    Justyna Dzikowska is the Head of Marketing at Brand24, where she drives 70,000 unique visitors per month through organic content, SEO, partnerships, and product marketing. With over 10 years in B2B SaaS marketing, she's worked with companies like Packhelp, Devantly, PProjects, and Ogilvy.In this conversation, we dig into:Why most B2B companies waste marketing budget on the wrong metricsHow Brand24 built a Domain Rating of 80 (and it's not just SEO)The real difference between content that gets traffic vs. content that diesWhy "pick one channel" advice is killing your growthHow to manage creative teams without burning them outThe truth about AI-generated content (and when it's actually useful)What makes a good marketer in 2025 (hint: it's not what you think)

    55 min

  7. NOV 14

    How to Build Psychologically Safe, High-Performing Teams

    Most teams have one of two problems: either they're psychologically safe but nothing gets done, or they're high-performing but people are miserable.Susanna Romantsova says you can have both and she's built the framework to prove it.Susanna is a Certified Psychological Safety Expert, TEDx Speaker, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Founder of Zespołowo. She spent 12+ years building high-performing cultures—including as the DEI Leader at IKEA—and now works with companies like Deloitte, Zeiss, ING, DHL, and Puma.Her approach? The Safe Challenger Method™ teaching leaders to balance trust with challenge so teams deliver sustained results without burning out.In this conversation, we break down:→ What psychological safety actually means (and what it's not)→ Why silence is the biggest indicator of low psychological safety→ How small behaviors destroy trust (like sending Slack messages at 11 PM)→ The difference between "How are you?" and "How are you REALLY?"→ Why 70% of team performance depends on the leader→ How to give feedback that amplifies potential instead of destroying confidence→ What made IKEA's DEI strategy actually work (not just a checkbox)→ Why inclusive teams are uncomfortable and that's the point→ The one thing founders can do this week to build psychological safety→ Why perfectionism is a defense mechanism (not a strength)If you're a founder, operator, or leader building teams this conversation will change how you think about performance, culture, and what it actually takes to get the best out of people.

    58 min

  8. NOV 11

    11,000 Leads Before Building the Product - Here's How

    Greg Gorzynski generated 5,700 users and 11,000+ leads PRE-PRODUCT as CMO at GoodSalary. Now he's a Product Manager at Sprout Social, working on growth and user activation.In this episode, we talk about:→ How he got 11K leads before having a real product (and why he wasn't happy with it)→ Why he tested 11 marketing channels and which 2 actually worked→ Why marketers need to be analytical, not creative (controversial take)→ The real reason 85%+ of users sign up and never come back→ Why consulting burned him out vs. being in-house→ What founders get wrong about "growth hacking"→ Why Poland's tech ecosystem needs to stop being humbleGreg's been a consultant, CMO, and now leads product growth at a major SaaS company. He's lived in 7+ countries as a digital nomad and has worked across multiple B2B SaaS companies in Poland and the UK.If you're building a B2B SaaS company and trying to figure out which marketing channels actually work—this conversation is for you.

    1h 8m
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About

Messy Growth is a podcast about what building B2B companies in Poland actually looks like. No PR bullshit, no sugarcoating. I talk to Polish founders, operators, and GTM leaders who've scaled companies from zero to millions. I cover the topics nobody talks about: failed startups, burnout, building teams, hiring mistakes, cash flow problems, customer churn, and everything else that's "messy" about growth. If you're building a B2B company, running sales, customer success, marketing, or just interested in the Polish startup ecosystem - this podcast is for you. New episodes every week.

Information

  • Creator
    Syed Asad
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Syed Asad
  • Show Website
    Messy Growth