GTM Adelaide

Why Your GTM Isn’t Working: Lessons from SouthStart (and How to Fix It)

Last week, I co-hosted a GTM workshop with Lauren Calautti at Tank Stream Labs in Adelaide, as part of the SouthStart activity taking place across the city.

The session was run in collaboration with The Founders Union and Scalare Partners, bringing together a curated group of founders, operators, and investors for one of the most important conversations inside any company: Go-to-market.

The reality

We use the term “GTM” constantly.

But in the room, it became clear that a lot of founders are thinking:

“I kind of get it… but not really.”

So we simplified it.

GTM = your full funnel working together

• Top → attention
• Middle → conversion
• Bottom → retention and expansion

Simple.

But here’s the problem:

Most teams don’t have a funnel problem. They have a system problem.

Where GTM breaks

Across every founder conversation, the same pattern showed up.

GTM isn’t failing for one reason. It’s failing because everything is slightly off.

• unclear positioning
• weak or broad ICP
• disconnected marketing and sales
• no clear path from content → pipeline → revenue

So teams compensate:

• more channels
• more campaigns
• more spend

But it doesn’t fix the issue.

It compounds it.

The insight that changed the room

We pushed on one idea:

👉 GTM only works when you define a tight ICP and run the entire funnel for that audience.

Not segments. Not “multiple personas”. Not “we serve everyone”.

A single, clear ICP.

When that landed, you could feel the shift.

Because it explained:

• why growth feels inconsistent
• why conversion is unpredictable
• why good marketing doesn’t translate into revenue

Focus fixes the system.

What made this session different

This wasn’t a passive workshop.

The format is hands-on and open-learning.

Every founder brought a real GTM challenge into the room. And we worked through them live.

• positioning issues
• unclear ICPs
• broken funnels
• conversion gaps

No slides. No theory.

👉 We fix the problem in the room.

That’s the difference:

• unblock the founder
• create clarity
• drive immediate decisions

You could see the shift happen as each challenge got worked through.

What we see inside companies every day

Working closely with early-stage and scaling companies, the same patterns show up:

• What breaks
• What burns capital
• What unlocks revenue
• What investors actually back

This session focused on practical frameworks and real operating experience—not theory.

One theme came through consistently:

👉 GTM isn’t a function. It’s a system. And most companies don’t have one.

What happened after

We opened the room for networking with founders, investors, and SouthStart attendees in the building.

That’s where the real pressure-testing happens.

• Assumptions get challenged
• Focus gets sharpened
• Accountability enters the conversation

The feedback reflected it:

“Great session Mike and Lauren. I love the little personal push I got. #accountability” — Christoph Van Aerschot

“Very insightful conversation! So glad to meet you Mike at SOUTHSTART” — Disha Taneja

“Loved the session!” — Keriana King

“Precisely, a focused ICP leads to better results.” — Sam Lawes

What this means

Most founders don’t need more tactics.

They don’t need more channels.

They don’t need another playbook.

👉 They need a working GTM system.

One that connects:

• positioning
• ICP
• funnel
• conversion
• revenue

How to fix it

Start here:

1. Define a tight ICP
2. Align your entire funnel to that ICP
3. Remove everything that doesn’t serve it
4. Test and refine as a system, not in silos

Simple.

But not easy.

What’s next

We’ll continue running focused sessions like this—designed to help founders:

• move faster
• waste less capital
• and build GTM systems that actually scale

If you’re working on GTM and want clarity on what’s working (or not), start with a Growth Diagnostic.