Milena Janoyan

Milena JanoyanNov 2, 2026

One of the most expensive mistakes founders make in marketing? Trying to fix a problem they haven't properly identified. I've seen businesses invest in content, advertising, social media management, and different promotional activities, expecting more customers. But here's something worth thinking about: What if you don't need more visibility? What if your positioning is unclear? What if you're targeting people who will never become your customers? What if your offer isn't communicating the value people are actually looking for? I've learned that marketing problems are not always marketing problems. Sometimes, they're business strategy problems disguised as marketing problems. And throwing more money at them won't necessarily fix anything. When I work on a business's marketing direction, I prefer to look beyond the surface. The goal is not simply to make a brand more visible, but to understand what prevents it from reaching the right customers and converting attention into actual business results. So, I put together a practical guide for founders: "5 Marketing Mistakes That Cost Startups Customers (And How to Fix Them)." It covers common mistakes, what to look for, and how to approach each one before investing more in promotion. If you'd like to receive it: Comment MARKETING below, and I'll send it to you. And if you're already facing marketing challenges in your business and want to discuss them, my DMs are open. Sometimes, one good adjustment can save you months of doing the wrong things.

Milena JanoyanNov 3, 2026

Something I've noticed when working around startups: Sometimes, the development team isn't the problem. The problem is that nobody has clearly defined what they're supposed to build. A founder has an idea in mind. The designer has one interpretation. The developer understands it differently. The marketing team is already imagining how to sell something that might not even work as expected. And suddenly, everyone is working hard, but not necessarily in the same direction. This is one of the reasons products become unnecessarily expensive and complicated. Features get added without a clear purpose. Deadlines move because requirements keep changing. Development becomes more complicated than it needs to be. And the founder ends up paying for decisions that could have been made much earlier. In my opinion, one of the most important steps before development is creating a clear connection between business goals, product requirements, and technical execution. Technology should solve a business problem, not simply demonstrate what a team can build. I prepared a practical resource for founders: "From Idea to Development: A Founder’s Checklist Before Hiring Developers." It covers the things worth clarifying before starting a development project, so you can avoid unnecessary costs, confusion, and endless changes. Comment BUILD and I'll send it to you. If you're planning to develop a product and aren't sure where to start, feel free to DM me. Getting the direction right before development can make a huge difference.

Milena JanoyanOct 29, 2026

A good product can fail because of bad marketing. And a pretty average product can become everyone's favorite. How? 👀 Think about it. When you walk into a supermarket, do you compare every single product before choosing one? Probably not. Sometimes, you pick the brand you already know. Sometimes, the packaging catches your eye. Sometimes, you choose the one your friend recommended. And sometimes, you just grab the same product you've been buying for years. That's marketing working in ways we don't even notice. Product quality matters. But quality alone doesn't guarantee sales. People need to discover your product, understand why they need it, and have a reason to choose it over the alternatives. That's why I believe marketing shouldn't start when the product is ready. It should start with one simple question: Why would someone choose this product instead of everything else available to them? If you can't answer that, maybe you don't need more ads. Maybe you need a better positioning strategy. 👀 What's one product you think is marketed much better than its competitors?