Marketing for Founders Who Hate Marketing

I’ll be honest: marketing has always been my weakness.

I love the energy of new ideas, the creativity of building something from scratch, the conversations with other founders. But when it comes to the practical side of getting the word out — positioning, messaging, figuring out who I’m actually talking to — I’ve often felt stuck.

If you’re a new entrepreneur, you might feel the same way. Maybe you’ve got a product or service you believe in, but the thought of “marketing” feels like standing at the edge of an ocean with no clue where to swim first. That’s exactly how I’ve felt many times.

But here’s something I’ve learned from running Founders Table sessions and from reflecting on my own journey: **your first market is usually you.**

Why Marketing Feels So Hard

Marketing overwhelms many of us because we think it means trying to reach everyone. We imagine we need ads, a polished brand voice, social media campaigns, and all the right jargon. We look at established businesses and wonder how we could possibly compete.

But here’s the truth: at the very beginning, you don’t need to figure out the entire ocean. You just need to find the pond you already swim in.

At a recent Founders Table event, one entrepreneur shared an idea for a yoga service for pregnant and postpartum mothers. Another was developing a product line for dog grooming. On the surface, those ideas couldn’t be more different. But they shared something important: each founder was building for a community they already understood.

That’s the starting point of marketing. Not billboards, not complicated funnels — just people like you.

Your First Market Is Usually You

Think about the problems you’ve personally faced. Think about the communities you’re part of. Often, your business idea is already tied to those spaces. That’s no accident — most founders create something because they wish it existed for themselves.

If you’re a parent, your first customers might be other parents. If you’re a researcher, your first users might be fellow researchers. If you’re a dog owner, your first buyers might be other dog lovers.

You don’t have to “find” them — you already know them. They’re the people you talk to, spend time with, and share experiences with every day.

And the bonus? They trust you, because you’re one of them.

Marketing Without “Marketing”

Here’s the shift that helped me: instead of thinking of marketing as convincing strangers, I started to think of it as **sharing solutions with people who already understand the problem.**

That’s it. That’s the whole game at the beginning.

So instead of trying to become a social media guru overnight, try this:

1. Write down the communities you belong to. Parents, teachers, dog owners, gamers, nurses — whatever it may be.

2. Identify a recurring problem in those communities. Something you’ve struggled with, and you’ve noticed others struggling with too.

3. Position your solution as a natural extension. “I created this because I needed it myself. If you’ve felt the same, it might help you too.”

That’s marketing. It’s not flashy, but it works.

Reflection from a Non-Marketer

I still don’t consider myself a marketing expert. I’m more of a teacher, a builder, a connector. But what I’ve realized — and what I want other new entrepreneurs to hear — is that you don’t need to master marketing to start.

You just need to begin with what you already know.

If your idea solves your own problem, then your early marketing strategy is as simple as telling your story to people who share that problem. Over time, you’ll learn how to expand, how to reach further, and how to scale. But you don’t have to start there.

And if you, like me, “hate marketing,” let that be freeing: you don’t need to fake being someone you’re not. You just need to stay close to who you are.

A Takeaway for You

If you’re reading this as a new entrepreneur, here’s my invitation:

Don’t stress about reaching the whole world. Start with the world you already live in.

Write down one community you’re part of. Write down one problem you’ve experienced in that community. And then ask yourself: *If I solved this for myself, could I solve it for others like me?*

That’s your first marketing plan.

And if you’re like me — a founder who hates marketing — maybe that’s enough to get you started. Charles Mathison Founder, The Founders Table