How to Turn a Complex Product Into a Brand the Market Remembers | Marlena Sarunac

In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with Marlena Sarunac, co-founder of The Company Advice and marketing strategist for early-stage startups in complex, regulated industries like HealthTech, FinTech, and InsurTech. Marlena shares her "playbook nicely" approach—a proven framework that helps founders avoid reinventing the wheel while building go-to-market foundations that scale.

The conversation explores why letting products "speak for themselves" is a dangerous myth in today's saturated market, how to translate technical complexity into clear messaging that resonates, and why focus beats trying to appeal to everyone. Marlena reveals common messaging traps (including ChatGPT-generated clichés like "turning chaos into clarity"), the critical difference between selling to buyers versus users, and how to navigate pivots without losing credibility.

Key Takeaways

4:43 - The Playbook Nicely Approach

6:24 - Translating Complexity into Clarity

11:04 - Why "Product Speaks for Itself" is Dangerous

15:34 - Common Messaging Traps

17:42 - Buyers vs. Users

21:05 - Building Trust

22:51 - Navigating Pivots

24:53 - AI and the Human Spark

28:46 - Visual Identity Matters More Than Ever

32:06 - Brand Debt

39:18 - SEO/AIO Strategy

42:36 - Marketing as R&D, Not a Cost Center

Tweetable Quotes

"Startups don't have time to burn creating playbooks from scratch. Tap into what's been tried and true, then iterate as market signals evolve." - Marlena Sarunac

"If I see another company say they 'turned chaos into clarity,' I'm going to scream. That's such a ChatGPT tell." - Marlena Sarunac

"Features matter to users. Benefits matter to buyers. Don't confuse the two." - Marlena Sarunac

"If you're making the right pivot, the audience you're pivoting away from won't care—they weren't showing traction anyway." - Marlena Sarunac

"Treat AI like an early-career intern. It's great for automating tedious tasks, but you need humans in the loop to ensure differentiation."- Marlena Sarunac

"Just like technical debt, brand debt accumulates when you take shortcuts. You'll pay for it eventually—and it'll be expensive." - Marlena Sarunac

"Marketing isn't a cost center—it's the connective tissue between product and sales. Eliminating it is shortsighted." - Marlena Sarunac

SaaS Leadership Lessons

1. Focus Beats Breadth

Trying to sell to everyone dilutes your message and confuses the market. Get disciplined: focus on 1-3 buyer personas maximum. You can always expand later, but early-stage startups need clarity and traction, not broad appeal that resonates with no one.

2. Separate Buyers from Users

Your buyers (decision-makers) and users (end-users) have different needs. Buyers care about business outcomes and ROI; users care about features and usability. Tailor your messaging accordingly: high-level benefits for buyers, detailed use cases and documentation for users.

3. Build in Public, Iterate Fast

Don't wait for perfection. Put messaging out there when you're "half comfortable," gather market feedback, and iterate quickly. Use flexible systems (landing pages, modular websites) that allow rapid updates without massive overhauls. Market signal is your best teacher.

4. Invest in Brand Early and Iteratively

Brand debt is real. Small, consistent investments in brand identity prevent expensive, jarring rebrands later. Think Airbnb—you don't notice their evolution day-to-day because it's done elegantly over time. Start building your brand foundation now, even if resources are tight.

5. Keep Humans in the AI Loop

AI is a powerful efficiency tool, but it produces polished, soulless content without human oversight. Use AI to automate tedious tasks and generate ideas, but always have experienced marketers refine the output. Customers are increasingly able to detect AI-generated content, and it signals lack of thoughtfulness.

6. Treat Marketing as R&D, Not a Cost Center

Marketing isn't fluff—it's the function that translates your product to the market, connects product and sales, and captures revenue-generating insights. Cutting marketing creates debt that compounds. Instead, evaluate if you have the right people with realistic KPIs aligned to your stage and goals.