The Marketing Madness - Week #33

A CEO, a Sales Lead, and HubSpot Walk Into a Kitchen…

It sounds like the start of a classic joke, right? But if you’ve ever worked in a company that prides itself on “moving fast and thinking big,” you’ll probably recognize this scene.

Scene 1: The Visionary Walks In

The CEO strides into the kitchen, surveying the space like it’s a blank canvas. “We need a five-course meal,” they declare. Big ambitions, sparkling eyes, the kind of energy that could fuel a startup—or burn down a kitchen if not channeled properly.

The sales lead, already juggling three calls and a coffee cup, nods eagerly. “Yeah—fast. And make it impressive. We don’t have time to waste.”

Then HubSpot, the eager intern of the digital age, grabs a spatula like a sword and asks, “Cool… where’s the recipe?”

At this point, things should be moving. But they’re not.

Scene 2: The Missing Piece

Everyone looks at marketing, expecting them to swoop in with a detailed plan. The problem? Marketing isn’t in the kitchen. No one invited them. No one even thought about inviting them.

So here we are: a CEO with a dream, a sales lead in a hurry, and a software platform ready to work—but no one knows what to cook, in what order, or for whom.

It’s the perfect storm.

Scene 3: Chaos Ensues

HubSpot starts stirring. The CEO is inspecting the pantry for inspiration. The sales lead is pacing, muttering about deadlines. And marketing? Still somewhere in a conference room, blissfully unaware that a disaster is unfolding.

Fast forward twenty minutes: smoke in the kitchen, pots boiling over, and everyone’s hungry. Somehow, it’s still marketing’s fault.

Scene 4: Lessons from the Kitchen

If this story feels painfully familiar, that’s because it happens every day in business. Here’s what we can learn:

1. Vision without planning = chaos.
   A five-course meal sounds amazing, but without a plan or a team that knows how to execute it, it’s just a dream.

2. Urgency without guidance = stress.
   Fast is great—but fast without clarity usually produces burnt soup.

3. Tools can’t replace strategy.
   HubSpot is powerful—but even the best tools can’t fix a missing plan or absent expertise.

4. Invite marketing early.
   Marketing holds the recipe. Skip them, and the result is confusion, frustration, and a lot of finger-pointing.

Scene 5: The Real Takeaway

At the end of the day, this story isn’t about blame. It’s about collaboration. About making sure the right people are at the table before anyone starts cooking.

Because ambition and tools are great—but without the right people, you’ll end up with burnt soup, a hungry team, and a very confused CEO.

So next time your CEO, sales lead, and HubSpot walk into a kitchen, remember: invite marketing. Otherwise, someone will get burned… and it won’t be HubSpot.