Maximus and the Founder Quest

Maximus Greenwald
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  • MARKETING

A strong Founder Brand is the ultimate B2B marketing channel - but building one is no easy task. Join Maximus Greenwald (Founder - Warmly,) and Dave Gerhardt (Founder - Exit Five) as they go on The Founders Quest to level up Max's founder brand ahead of Warmly's Series B raise. Each month, Max tackles a new chapter from Dave's book "Founder Brand", then returns with real results, challenges, and insights from putting the strategies into practice. Watch as Max builds his authentic voice while growing Warmly's pipeline through the power of personal branding. Will founder brand become Warmly's secret weapon for their next fundraise? Follow along monthly to see the wins, failures, and everything in between. .

Episodes

  1. 11/21/2025

    Maximus and the Founder Quest: Episode 5 - Become a Publisher & Get on Social Media

    Welcome to episode 5 of Maximus & The Founder Quest! In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly) continues his founder brand journey with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five). This month, Max shares updates on his role models and anti-role models, including finding a mentor in Derek Schoettle (former CEO of ZoomInfo) and following Peter Walker from Carta for data-driven content inspiration. Max reveals his decision to avoid extreme satire and "doom posting" to stay authentic to Warmly's brand. Dave and Max dive deep into Chapter 5: Become a Publisher & Get on Social Media. They discuss how social media has evolved since the book's release, the impact of AI on content creation, the changing role of PR versus organic social media, and why consistency matters more than ever. Dave shares his philosophy on posting frequency, the value of weekend content, and why authentic, unpolished posts often perform better than AI-generated perfection. Tune in to learn how to show up consistently, avoid common founder mistakes, and build publicly without being overly promotional! HIGHLIGHTS: 0:00 Intro0:36 Episode Begins1:10 Max's role model update: Derek Schoettle and Peter Walker2:20 Anti-role models: Avoiding extreme satire and doom posting3:24 Dave's shift away from "everything is dead" marketing content3:51 Moving from Building Quietly to Building Publicly4:06 Changes in the social media landscape since the book's release4:39 The importance of having a clear angle and being known for something5:40 The impact of AI on content creation and authenticity6:54 Why consistency and substance matter more than ever8:41 The shift from traditional PR to social media10:07 Why TechCrunch coverage matters less than it used to11:21 Earned media through social media vs. traditional publications12:28 The value of comments and reshares as modern PR13:31 Common founder mistakes: Inconsistency and being overly promotional14:09 Posting frequency: How often should founders post on LinkedIn?16:16 Why weekend content often performs better17:06 The "five to nine before nine to five" content trend17:42 Speaking to your audience vs. speaking to a broader group18:51 The "give, give, give, ask" social media strategy19:57 How reading and consuming content fuels creativity21:09 David Ogilvy's wisdom on stuffing your subconscious with information22:24 Five questions for founders building publicly23:28 Dave's Readwise tip for capturing and revisiting highlights Connect with Max on LinkedIn - /max-greenwald Connect with Dave on LinkedIn - /davegerhardt Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/

    25 min

  2. 10/02/2025

    Taking risks in your Personal Brand without losing your audience - Find Your Role Models

    Welcome to episode 4 of Maximus & The Founder Quest! In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly) continues his founder brand journey with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five). Max reveals Warmly's new explainer after user testing: "AI tools to build your best lists of prospects and convert them automatically." They refine the messaging around person-level intent signals and debate whether "buying committee" is too jargony for their authentic brand voice. Dave and Max dive into Chapter 4: Finding Your Role Models, Mentors, and Anti-Role Models. They discuss why most advice isn't statistically significant, how to observe successful brands without needing meetings, and why you should steal bits and pieces from different role models rather than copying anyone wholesale.  Max shares his role models (Adam Robinson, David Risher from Lyft) and they explore the balance between being controversial and being yourself. Tune in to learn how to build your marketing playbook by cherry-picking the best traits from brands you admire! HIGHLIGHTS:0:00 Intro0:35 Episode Begins1:30 Recap: Warmly's new explainer and tagline2:24 Drafting off AI trends while staying simple2:47 Person-level intent signals vs. buying committee language4:39 Why "buying committee" feels too formal5:24 Making your explainer authentic and approachable6:06 Chapter 4: Finding Role Models, Mentors, and Anti-Role Models6:42 Why most advice isn't statistically significant7:54 The "experience share" approach to advice8:12 Multiple ways to succeed in marketing9:09 Looking beyond SaaS for brand inspiration10:01 Brand role models vs. technical role models10:22 Anti-role models: defining what you don't want to be11:15 You don't need meetings with your role models12:07 The digital trail: learning from the Wayback Machine13:05 Max's role model: Adam Robinson and building in public13:52 Taking ingredients, not the whole recipe14:51 Buffer's transparency playbook15:16 David Risher at Lyft: staying close to customers16:06 Using VCs as mentors for broader data perspective16:15 Anti-role models: not boring, not too safe16:42 Getting flamed on LinkedIn no matter what you post18:09 Being controversial requires conviction and big boy pants18:39 Defining your anti-role models through your own taste20:04 Staying authentic when moving upmarket20:38 Building a mood board of marketing you love and hate21:09 Having a strong point of view as competitive advantage22:00 Founder-led marketing beyond LinkedIn posts23:03 The Patagonia lesson: easier to be yourself than a character23:55 Clarity on your marketing approach enables authenticity Connect with Max on LinkedIn - /max-greenwald Connect with Dave on LinkedIn - /davegerhardt Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/

    23 min

  3. 08/18/2025

    Maximus & The Founder Quest: Episode 3 - Craft Your Message

    Welcome to episode 3 of Maximus & The Founder Quest! In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly) continues his founder brand journey with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five). This month, Max shares his progress on defining Warmly's villain (ABM is dead) and niche (technical marketing leaders at mid-market companies), plus his big move to the Bay Area to be closer to his ICP. Dave and Max dive deep into Chapter 3: Creating an Effective Explainer, where they tackle the challenge of explaining what your company does without resorting to buzzword soup or elevator pitch pressure. Dave breaks down his "So you know how..." framework that turns complex positioning into relatable conversations, and they workshop three potential explainer directions for Warmly - from TAM CRM to person-level intent platform to AI-powered super-marketers. They discuss why education is the best marketing, how to get authentic messaging from customer feedback, and why your story should always be evolving. Tune in to learn how to create explainers that make people lean in and say "Oh, how do you do that?" HIGHLIGHTS:0:00 Intro1:27 Episode Begins2:05 Recap: Warmly's villain statement and niche definition3:14 Max's move to the Bay Area to be closer to his ICP4:18 The hero story and origin narrative strategy4:57 Education as the best marketing - lessons from Drift6:06 The power of manifesto content and strong points of view7:37 Why messaging comes from customer feedback, not brainstorms9:17 Chapter 3: Creating an Effective Explainer9:41 Why Dave hates elevator pitches and tagline pressure10:19 The conversational approach to explaining your company11:22 The "first line, second line" copywriting principle12:15 Taking pressure off the perfect one-liner13:01 How Dave explains Exit Five using relatable analogies13:53 Three potential explainer directions for Warmly14:22 Option 1: The TAM CRM approach15:15 Why buzzword soup can be problematic16:15 Option 2: Person-level intent platform17:09 The shift from inbound nets to outbound spears18:04 Option 3: Powering super-marketers with AI agents19:33 Making claims nobody else can make20:14 Why messaging is never done - the iterative approach21:33 Using your team to gather explainer feedback22:01 Understanding your competitive landscape to stand out Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/

    40 min

  4. 07/09/2025

    Maximus & The Founder Quest: Episode 2 - Define Your Enemy

    Welcome to episode 2 of Maximus & The Founder Quest! In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly) continues his founder brand journey with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five).  Max shares how he completely overhauled Warmly's website and messaging based on Dave's advice from episode 1, and they explore the challenges of evolving from serving SDR managers to demand gen marketers.  Dave breaks down why having a villain is crucial for storytelling and warns against common pitfalls when declaring something "dead" in your messaging. They discuss the concept of minimum addressable market, when to expand beyond your first niche, and how to balance talking about where you are today versus where you're going.  Tune in to learn how to pick your lane, define your enemy, and build a compelling brand story that resonates! HIGHLIGHTS:0:00 Intro0:36 Episode Begins1:18 Reviewing the 6 questions and Warmly's refined messaging2:43 The importance of constantly evolving your messaging4:06 Chapter 2: Defining Your Niche and Defining Your Villain4:17 What is a niche and why does it matter?5:27 The minimum addressable market concept7:54 How to know when it's time to move beyond your first niche10:01 The challenge of serving multiple personas12:31 Balancing where you are vs. where you're going14:13 The "supermarketers" vision for demand gen16:01 Why having a villain is crucial in brand storytelling17:31 Common pitfalls when creating your villain18:47 Choosing between different villain types19:26 Making ABM the villain - how to do it right20:30 Addressing market skepticism head-on Connect with Max on LinkedIn - /max-greenwald Connect with Dave on LinkedIn - /davegerhardt Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/

    22 min

  5. 06/18/2025

    Maximus & The Founder Quest: Episode 1 - Becoming a Storyteller

    Welcome to the inaugural episode of Maximus & The Founder Quest!  In this monthly series, Max Greenwald (Co-founder & CEO of Warmly,) will team up with Dave Gerhardt (Author of Founder Brand & Founder of Exit Five) on a mission to level up Max's founder brand. In this episode they tackle the fundamentals of storytelling and why most founders get social media ROI completely wrong. Dave shows Max how to think long-term about brand building and reveals his 6-question framework that turns positioning exercises into actual LinkedIn content strategy. Tune into the full episode to learn how to become a storyteller! HIGHLIGHTS:0:00 Episode Starts0:21 Why founder brand matters more than ever3:48 The mistake of measuring immediate social media ROI4:24 Max's family of professional storytellers9:48 The "give, give, give, ask" social media strategy12:18 Why marketing attribution doesn't work for brand14:15 Using LinkedIn as a feedback loop for product ideas15:36 The commitment required to succeed19:51 Dave's 6-question founder brand framework24:57 How to make ABM the villain in your story28:27 Turning positioning into LinkedIn content strategy Connect with Max -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-greenwald/Connect with Dave -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt/Want to convert your website visitors instantly? Try Warmly for free - https://warmly.ai/

    32 min
  • 5 Episodes

About

A strong Founder Brand is the ultimate B2B marketing channel - but building one is no easy task. Join Maximus Greenwald (Founder - Warmly,) and Dave Gerhardt (Founder - Exit Five) as they go on The Founders Quest to level up Max's founder brand ahead of Warmly's Series B raise. Each month, Max tackles a new chapter from Dave's book "Founder Brand", then returns with real results, challenges, and insights from putting the strategies into practice. Watch as Max builds his authentic voice while growing Warmly's pipeline through the power of personal branding. Will founder brand become Warmly's secret weapon for their next fundraise? Follow along monthly to see the wins, failures, and everything in between. .

Information

  • Creator
    Maximus Greenwald
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Maximus Greenwald