The 6-Step Strategic Marketing Review I Use With Founder-Led Businesses
A free diagnostic guide for mid sized and scale up businesses where marketing is active but revenue growth isn’t following.
When revenue feels unpredictable, the real answer is rarely “do more marketing.” It’s usually buried one layer deeper — in how your strategy connects (or doesn’t) to what’s actually happening in marketing execution.
What the guide covers
01 / Situational Analysis
When revenue feels unpredictable, the real answer is rarely "do more marketing." It's usually buried one layer deeper — in how your strategy connects (or doesn't) to what's actually happening in execution.
02 / Performance Review
Get honest about your numbers. Where is revenue coming from? Where is it being destroyed? Which channels, segments and products are earning their place and contribute to the bottom line?
03 / Strategic Goals
Pressure-test whether your marketing objectives match your business ambition — or whether they've quietly drifted apart.
04 / Gap Analysis
Identify the what it would take to change the trajectory of the business. Not everything that could possibly improve. The moves that matter most.
05 / Growth Strategies
Prioritise the fewest, highest-leverage Initiatives that will change the trajectory of the business. 3 - 5 initiatives tops that could make the ambition a reality.
06 / Execute and Monitor
Build the rhythms and accountability that keep strategy alive when daily operations compete for attention.
This guide is for you if...
- You run a medium sized business or scale up and growth has slowed or become unpredictable
- You've invested in marketing but can't clearly connect the spend to revenue outcomes
- You suspect the real problem isn't tactics — it's the system underneath
- You want a structured diagnostic you can apply yourself, before engaging external help
Not a fit if: You're pre-revenue, in start up mode, or looking for a list of marketing hacks. This is a strategic process, not a quick-fix playbook.
Who wrote this
I'm Marinda Malan. I've spent 20+ years working inside high-pressure, complex commercial environments — from telecoms and digital-first businesses in South Africa and the UAE to scaling ventures in Europe.
Today I work as a growth adviser, consultant and fractional CGO with founder-led mid-sized businesses and scale ups. The process in this guide is the same one I have used on corporate turnarounds and in client engagements to establish a commercial baseline before any strategy work begins.