#4 Steffen Horst: How to Spot BS in Marketing Metrics Before They Burn Your Budget

Inside Episode #4 of Bearchats by Bearworks with Steffen Horst

Startup marketing often fails because teams focus on the wrong things.

In this episode of Bearchats by Bearworks, Luis Montalvan sits down with Steffen Horst, co-founder of Symphonic Digital, to talk about the common traps early-stage teams fall into when trying to grow through marketing.

Steffen has helped startups, agencies, and growth-stage brands rethink how they measure success. He’s not interested in likes or impressions—he cares about results you can take to the boardroom.

“Most early-stage teams focus on the wrong KPIs. If you don’t know what you’re measuring, you’re not marketing—you’re guessing.”
— Steffen Horst

Key Highlights From the Episode:

💰 Spend Smarter
Why more budget doesn't mean more pipeline, and how to focus your efforts where they count.

🛑 Choosing the Right Partners
How to evaluate agencies, spot red flags early, and avoid long contracts that don’t deliver.

📊 Clean Metrics, Clear Growth
Steffen lays out a short list of KPIs that matter and explains how to align them to your sales funnel.

⚡ What Founders Should Own
Why early marketing is too important to delegate until you know what works.

🇩🇪 From Berlin to GTM Clarity
Steffen shares lessons shaped by international experience and a no-nonsense approach to performance.

Takeaways You Can Use Right Now:

✔️ Cut anything that doesn’t create revenue or learning
✔️ Hire agencies that tie success to business outcomes, not vanity metrics
✔️ Keep your KPIs simple and actionable
✔️ Get close to your funnel before scaling it
✔️ Drop strategies that aren't converting, even if they're trendy

If you lead a go-to-market team or you're trying to stop wasting time on marketing that doesn’t convert, this episode is worth a listen.

👉 Episode #4 of Bearchats by Bearworks is live now. Listen on Spotify.

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