A significant percentage of early-stage founders struggle with building go-to-market (GTM) functions, particularly in areas like sales, marketing, and customer success. Based on industry research, estimates suggest that around 60-70% of early-stage startups face challenges with GTM execution:

Sales: Many founders, especially those from technical backgrounds, lack experience in sales, which is a critical part of scaling a business. According to CB Insights, 35% of startups fail due to the lack of market need, often linked to poor sales and market execution.

Marketing: Early-stage companies often struggle to create effective marketing strategies. A report by Startup Genome found that 70% of startups scale prematurely, and one major factor is a gap in marketing strategies that don’t align with product-market fit.

Customer Success: Founders frequently underestimate the importance of customer success in retaining customers and driving growth. According to a HubSpot survey, about 40% of startups fail to adequately invest in customer success early on, which impacts long-term revenue.

Many founders focus heavily on product development but lack the expertise or resources to effectively execute on GTM strategies, which is a key driver of challenges at early stages.