servicesaboutinsights

In any new venture, every word counts. Your story shapes how others perceive your brand, allowing you to differentiate from your competitors. The insights you gain from customer interviews refine the product you build, making sure it meets real needs. This language & product fit then fuels a go-to-market strategy with copy that converts.

“The company story is the company strategy.”

Ben Horowitz, the Loudcloud guy

Our story ⸻ So far

From: hillock.

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born...

Who

Teams of hands-on GTM Strategists

hillock. was founded by a group of friends – who are all leaders in their respective fields – with the shared goal of helping innovators create the next generation of industry-defining products & services by helping them find their ideal customers and tell their story.

We’ve launched, grown, and exited a dozen companies – and created billions of dollars in enterprise value.

We're creatives, writers, engineers, designers, marketers, sales professionals, and (fractional) executives. We're mountaineers, fly fishers, dog lovers, hobby DJs, adventurous skiers, fencers, painters, and foodies. We're enthusiasts and realists. We're explorers and builders working to support the people and ideas changing the world.

And you'll never get only one of us. Our contribution to a company always comes from several of us working together.

What

Helping innovators define their companies

po·si·tion·ing
noun
/pəˈzɪʃənɪŋ/
Positioning is more than just words on a slide deck; it shapes your entire journey. By deeply understanding your market, you identify who needs your solution and why they will choose you over alternatives. This clarity helps you build the right product and craft a story that resonates with both customers and investors.
road·map·ping
noun
/ˈroʊd ˌmæpɪŋ/
Roadmapping is your company's GPS. Prioritize problems, build key features now, and defer the rest. Effective roadmapping means learning from your market, running experiments, and adjusting course. Your roadmap isn't a timeline; it's a living guide to drive value.
growing
noun
/ˈˈɡroʊɪŋ/
Here, your story takes off. Growth is about creating marketing, sales, and customer success content that converts. Each new customer and growth milestone validates your positioning and roadmap. Compelling content attracts talent, drives more growth, and captures the attention of investors, fueling further success.

When

From the earliest stages of the climb

Pre-seed
Revenue: $0-100k
Stage: You're building an MVP to validate the market and demonstrate traction
Challenges:
  • Identifying your core customer segment
  • Explaining to potential customers what problem you solve
  • Convincing investors that you solve a significant market need
Seed
Revenue: $100k-1m
Stage: You have a handful of somewhat engaged initial customers but things still feel early and messy
Challenges:
  • Discovering the right customer problems to tackle first
  • Building a product that solves the right problems and delivers high satisfaction & engagement
  • Pricing your product in a way that works for both your customers and your business
Series A
Revenue: $1m-10m
Stage: You have more engaged customers and less churn but you're not yet feeling the "pull" of the market
Challenges:
  • Driving demand and getting momentum to pick up across Marketing, Sales and CS
  • Making your business sustainable by efficiently and effectively selling into the market
  • Planning, launching and scaling new GTM motions into core & adjacent customer segments

Where

Wherever they are

We have experience across industries and across geographies. We have especially deep expertise in:

AI — Translating technical capabilities into clear market positioning and adoption strategies

B2B SaaS — Developing precise messaging frameworks that drive enterprise sales and reduce sales cycles

Bio+Health — Communicating complex scientific innovations to investors, regulators, and end-users

Consumer — Creating product narratives that drive measurable acquisition and retention metrics

Government — Navigating regulatory frameworks and public sector procurement with strategic communications

Fintech — Articulating value propositions that address compliance requirements and user trust concerns

Marketplaces — Crafting multi-sided platform strategies that align supply and demand incentives

Why

Because words matter

Business books and online posts are full of advice on how to achieve objectives and goals, but they’re light on explaining the “why” questions that matter the most:

Why are we doing this? Why does the problem need to be solved? Why should we build this feature or that feature over this other feature? Why should you join this company? Why should you invest in this company? Why should you buy a product or service from this company?

The answer to “why” decides the market and the opportunity you'll spend years of your life pursuing. The answer to "why" specifies the product and features you'll spend money and time building. The answer to “why” determines how you'll market and sell your product (and make money).

The answer to “why” is the company’s story. Companies that don't have a clearly articulated story don't have a clear and well thought-out strategy.

Our people ⸻ Our values

This is just who we are

Our style is not for everyone. We push when we see potential. We are direct. Some don’t like our approach. Most who know us do.

Clear

We speak human, not consultant. No buzzword bingo, no strategic synergies—just words that actually mean something.

Precise

Vague recommendations are expensive therapy sessions. We give you specifics you can actually execute, not feel-good platitudes.

Consistent

Unlike that agency that ghosted you after the retainer cleared, we show up with the same quality every time.

Hyper-focused

We ignore the shiny objects and vanity metrics that distract other agencies. Your revenue growth is the only KPI that matters.

Goal-oriented

Every engagement ends with measurable results, not a beautiful deck you'll never look at again.

Process-driven

We have systems that work, not just vibes and post-it note brainstorms. Repeatable success beats lucky accidents.

Budget-conscious

We optimize for impact per dollar, not billable hours. Your CFO will actually like working with an agency for once.

Thoughtful

We think three moves ahead while others are still figuring out what game they're playing.

Engaging

We work alongside your team, not disappear into an ivory tower to emerge with 'insights' about your own business.

Curious

We question everything, especially the 'best practices' that got your industry stuck in the first place.

👋
Think you'd be a good fit?

We're always hiring & open to meeting new exciting people wanting to join our multidisciplinary team. If you're obsessive about language & communications, and want your work to really count, hillock. could be your next move. Please share your resume and any links to relevant projects with jobs@hillock.studio.

More than just words

Don't fumble in the dark. Your ICPs have the words. We find them.

Strategic messaging isn't marketing fluff—it's the difference between burning cash on ads that don't convert and building a growth engine that scales.