Horizons Pod
Horizons Pod
Podcast Description
Join Nate Desmond as he dives deep into modern marketing. Each week, you'll hear war stories and tactical breakdowns from the operators who've scaled products from zero to millions – from consumer apps saving tens of millions in acquisition costs to B2B companies charting their course to $100M+ in revenue.
This isn't theory – it's a weekly masterclass in growth strategy, featuring makers and marketers who've built the products you use daily. Each episode unpacks the hidden mechanics behind viral loops, marketplace dynamics, enterprise sales motions, and acquisition strategies that actually work.
Subscribe at: https://horizonspod.com/ horizonspod.substack.com
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers a variety of topics related to growth marketing, product-led growth, community building, and data-driven decision making. For example, episodes include discussions on the mechanics of viral loops, analysis of successful marketing strategies from companies like Uber and Lucid, and techniques for effective product management. Other themes include scaling revenue, customer acquisition strategies, and mastering marketplace dynamics.
Subscribe at: https://horizonspod.com/
Join Nate Desmond as he dives deep into modern marketing. Each week, you’ll hear war stories and tactical breakdowns from growth operators who’ve scaled products from zero to millions – from consumer apps saving tens of millions in acquisition costs to B2B companies charting their course to $100M+ in revenue.
This isn’t theory – it’s a weekly masterclass in growth strategy, featuring makers and marketers who’ve built the products you use daily. Each episode unpacks the hidden mechanics behind viral loops, marketplace dynamics, enterprise sales motions, and acquisition strategies that actually work.
Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.
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Gautam Ramdurai is a business strategy advisor and CEO of Snowbird Global who spent 13 years at Google leading transformative initiatives across YouTube, Android, and Cloud before founding his cultural intelligence consultancy.
Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…
1/ 🔍 Stop Trend-Spotting, Start Society-Watching
– Culture isn’t just about spotting viral trends
– Focus on fundamental societal shifts (eg, pandemic drove desire for flexibility, not just WFH)
– Ask “what fundamentally changed in human behavior?” vs “what’s trending?”
2/ 🧠 Insights Need Imagination, Not Just Analysis
– Raw data (eg, “e-commerce is growing”) isn’t an insight
– True insights combine surprising observations with actionable next steps
– Mix analytics with imagination to find your unique strategic path
3/ 🌱 Diverse Inputs Create Better Outputs
– Maintain varied “information diet” like diverse gut bacteria
– Read physical newspapers, magazines, newsletters across industries
– Connect seemingly unrelated dots to spot emerging patterns
4/ 🎯 Curiosity > Competence
– We’re in a “curiosity recession” where people ask fewer questions
– Challenge teams to explore/share personal interests and rabbit holes
– Foster environment where learning weird things is celebrated
5/ 🔄 Strategy Needs Social Context
– Businesses don’t operate in a vacuum
– Watch broader political/cultural/economic shifts
– Pay attention to surveys like Gallup’s workplace engagement data
6/ 🛠 Use What You Have (Jugaad Principle)
– Ask “what do we have?” before “what do we need?”
– Find creative solutions within current constraints
– Focus on reorienting existing resources vs always seeking more
7/ 👥 Internal Culture Blocks External Adaptation
– Companies often miss societal shifts due to internal resistance
– Mid-level leaders avoid risk due to incentive structures
– Need “diplomatic change-makers” to drive real transformation
8/ 🎲 Test Small, Scale Smart
– Don’t bet the farm on untested strategies
– Start with small trials in low-risk markets
– Build on existing pockets of success vs starting from scratch
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Where to find Gautam Ramdurai:
* Snowbird: https://www.snowbird.global/
* Newsletter: https://www.snowbird.global/archive/
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gautamramdurai/
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In this episode, we cover:
00:00 The Curiosity Recession02:30 Culture vs Societal Shifts07:32 Plant Trends and Societal Change12:12 Business Response to Change14:15 Spotting Cultural Signals20:26 Analysis vs Imagination25:36 Change Makers in Organizations31:17 Strategic Risk Management37:09 Team Curiosity Development43:38 Understanding True Insights52:55 Building Better Conversations1:00:48 Corporate Trend Analysis1:07:38 Lightning Round Questions
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Obligatory disclaimer: I’ve worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com
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