It’s easy to understand what makes B2C businesses achieve a loyal customer base.
Think of “lovebrands” - the classical examples like Nike, Apple or Samsung. Their product, combined with sharp positioning and messaging, helps them reach the right audience at an emotional level. Their go-to-market strategy - roadmap for winning, serving and retaining customers - is the robust, constantly evolving engine behind their success.
Similar B2B examples, on the other hand, seem to be the industry’s best-kept secrets. Why is this?
B2B marketing has a reputation for being boring, with B2B companies often perceived as “faceless” entities. But look more closely and you’ll find out the psychology behind B2B is not that different from B2C. Sure, sales cycles are longer and more complex, involving multiple stakeholders - but in the end, you’re still talking to a human being.
There is a person behind that company - a manager behind that marketing agency, a CTO behind that tech firm, a CEO behind that consulting firm. They still have the same psychological triggers and the same need for a brand they can trust as any consumer.
(And it’s all connected - a CTO chooses Apple for a corporate deal because they already love the iPhone in their pocket.)
Like in B2C, the difference between a successful and a struggling B2B company often lies in its go-to-market (GTM) strategy - or lack thereof. When executed well, a go-to-market strategy aligns who you sell to, what problem you solve, where you reach your customers and how you win. It’s a living system, a hypothesis you constantly test and validate as your business grows and the market changes.
That’s why I’m digging up these B2B examples - to demystify successful go-to-market strategies and show these are actually brands we all know and love. And we can all learn a thing or two from how they went to market.
Need a refresher on the definition of a go-to-market strategy? Read our article about what it is and why it’s essential for your business.
Industry: SaaS (communication)
Tagline: "Slack is where work happens."
We all know the story of how Slack became a billion-dollar business in its first year. But to get past the sensational headlines, we need to understand the go-to-market strategy that made that growth predictable, not accidental.
When Slack launched in 2013, the “villain” was clear: email fatigue and fragmented work communication. Slack didn’t just sell a chat app - they sold a new way of working. Aware that they were asking for a massive cultural shift, the team launched a “preview release” to a small group of early adopters. This move created brand evangelists and generated traction before the official launch.
The most genius part? The bottom-up approach. Their “freemium” model made people sign up and word of mouth spread without the company having to spend huge ad budgets. By the time IT departments realized Slack was being used, it was already so deeply embedded in the team’s workflow that they had no choice but to buy enterprise licenses. Today, Slack is the go-to-app for internal work communication, valued at over $28 billion.
Takeaway: Start with a narrow focus, validate your positioning with a small audience and use that “human” traction as you grow.
Industry: SaaS (CRM)
Tagline: "Where go-to-market teams go to grow."
While Slack used product-led growth to win its first users, HubSpot focused on education-led growth: establishing thought leadership by offering free value. (And even coining a whole new category while doing it.)
In 2006, the founders of HubSpot realized something crucial: people were tired of traditional, “in-your-face” marketing like cold calls and spam. They noticed that buyers were taking control, searching for solutions and informing themselves online long before talking to a salesperson.
They decided to call this shift inbound marketing. They created a massive library of educational content around it - like ebooks, blogs and tools - including the HubSpot Academy. By the time a lead was ready for a CRM, HubSpot wasn’t just a software provider - they were the teacher that had already earned the customer’s trust. This strategy helped HubSpot transform from a niche startup into one of the most widely used CRMs in the world.
Industry: Fintech
Tagline: "Change the way you money"
In 2015, managing money across currencies still used to be a hassle. Not anymore - thanks to Nikolay Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. Fed up with the high exchange fees charged by traditional banks, they developed Revolut, at first a multi-currency card linked to a mobile app. Its slick UI and the frictionless experience it offered quickly attracted Revolut's first users. By 2017, the user count hit one million and Revolut's referral programme was constantly driving new sign-ups.
Revolut's growth might have been slowed by strict fintech regulations, but that never stopped them. Far from it - soon, they claimed the markets in the UK, US and Asia, tailoring their product to each market's respective regulations and needs. In the US, this meant positioning themselves as a "wealth management alternative" and partnering with recognized local banks to ensure compliance with stricter regulations. In Asia, on the other hand, they rolled out crypto and remittance services to match local demand. (What an excellent lesson in international marketing!)
Today, Revolut is active in almost 40 markets. Customers love its sleek, intuitive app and the peace of mind it brings to managing money across currencies and borders. It has, quite literally, redefined modern banking.
Takeaway: It's never too early to think global. When it comes to new markets, do your research and adapt your product or service to country-specific needs.
Industry: Management consulting
Tagline: "What's your next brilliant move?"
McKinsey might be the gold standard for strategic consulting today, but that reputation wasn't built overnight. Before it became a global titan, the firm was the brainchild of James O. McKinsey - a man who realized the the business leaders of his era were brilliant at building empires but struggled to run them. The timing couldn't have been better: the 1920s industrial boom had created giant firms that needed to scale operations while maintaining control and budgets.
McKinsey built his go-to-market strategy around a simple message: We’ll make your company run better. He introduced a concept called budgetary control, effectively creating a new product category and selling managers exactly what they needed in times of uncertainty - clarity. By turning an intangible service for B2Bs into an irresistibly packaged system, he made it a “must-have” - a painkiller solving a specific headache - rather than a “nice-to-have” - which would be every other abstract, generic consulting advice.
McKinsey won his clients and gained trust by writing serious academic publications on budgeting, practicing thought leadership before it was cool. His legacy and intellectual authority still prevail a century after McKinsey & Co. was founded.
Takeaway: Structure your B2B offering as a specific solution to a timely, market-wide pain point. Don't just sell services, but the expertise and the framework that makes the solution feel inevitable.
Industry: SaaS (e-commerce)
Tagline: "The one commerce platform behind it all"
Shopify’s journey began in 2006 when its founders struggled to find an easy-to-use platform for their own snowboard shop. The market was full of e-commerce solutions - the problem was the interfaces were so clunky almost no one was using them. So they built their own.
What started as a modest snowboarding gear website is now a multi-billion empire providing the infrastructure for most of the e-commerce world. How did they do it?
Shopify didn't chase the high-end enterprise giants right away. Instead, they focused on the underserved human - the small-to-medium business owner who needed an easy, fast and customizable way to sell online without a degree in computer science. Shopify aligned their business model with customer success, incentivizing business owners to sell more, which also secured more revenue for them. By making their solution accessible and intuitive, they removed the gap between merchants and online selling, not only empowering business owners but also driving competition among them.
Now, Shopify is the platform of choice for setting up an online store, offering a range of features customizable to small family businesses and retail giants alike. They've made many of their customers millionaires. It paid off - as of 2026, the company is valued at approximately $142.7 billion.
Takeaway: Solve a specific, high-friction problem for an underserved group and always put your customer first. It will pay off in the long run.
Industry: SaaS (video conferencing)
Tagline: "Shorten the distance."
Did you know that for the first two years, Zoom had no marketing team? It’s a textbook example of “a product so good it sells itself” - but in reality, it’s the combination of ease of use and being in the right place at the right time.
During the pandemic, various video conferencing tools flooded the market. But Zoom’s go-to-market strategy was built on a single, obsessed focus: it just had to work. Unlike Skype, which required you to "Add a Contact" and wait for approval before calling, Zoom allowed anyone to join a meeting via a simple link, no account required. During the pandemic, this "frictionless" entry was the decisive factor. People loved using Zoom and soon, word spread organically. By the time Skype tried to simplify its interface, Zoom had already become the default tool for human connection.
Takeaway: In a crisis or a crowded market, the go-to-market strategy providing value with zero barriers to entry wins.
Industry: SaaS (HR)
Tagline: "HR + Payroll. Everywhere."
Try hiring global talent and you’ll most likely stumble upon a lot of admin and compliance headaches. Remote went to market - guess what - almost simultaneously with the mass shift to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic. By making international hiring easy, they managed to solve a very specific pain point in times when it became the most critical.
Remote’s go-to-market strategy focused on removing the barriers for companies wanting to hire globally, turning a complex legal nightmare into a seamless experience. Securing the high-value remote.com domain helped them build trust and recognition, establishing Remote as the go-to partner for everything from managing international contracts to taxes and HR compliance.
Takeaway: Timing and authority are everything. If you can identify a massive market shift and position your company as the default solution to the new problems it creates, you win.
The success of companies like Slack, HubSpot and Remote isn’t accidental. It comes down to a great brand and marketing - but most importantly, a strong go-to-market strategy.
If you are currently struggling with your go-to-market, marketing or growth, I’m here to help you move forward.
Every Friday from 11:00-12:00 CET, I set aside one hour to help founders, CEOs, and marketers tackle their specific challenges. If you're feeling stuck, these sessions are designed to give you a fresh perspective and a clearer idea of your next move.
Bring your challenge and let’s diagnose it together.
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