The most common definition of marketing is getting people interested in your product and services. This is why one marketing guru claimed that all marketers are liars. Probably, he meant bad marketers are liars.
In my book, marketing is about finding the people (market) who will benefit the most from your products and services.
Marketing is also about finding the people you want to help, people you want to establish a trusting relationship with, then finding the products and services that can solve their problems.
I once met a marketing professional who said she could market anything as long as she had the budget. By that, she meant launching our training business at a conference we could sponsor. We would invite 200 CEOs to the event to present our training programs.
She estimated a 2-million peso budget. Perhaps, she was a good marketer. But I was not able to find that out. Though money can do some marketing miracles, someone can still build relationships with clients even without a 7-figure budget.
Marketing is not an event. Instead, it is a process of building a trusting relationship with clients whom you serve and protect.
Why Marketing Matters
You can spend four years in college studying marketing, learn all the theory, and still miss the point. I’ve met plenty of marketing graduates who seem to believe that success depends on how big their company’s budget is. It reminds me of our politicians, like one former president who promised the moon if only he had enough money. Six years later, our foreign debt quadrupled, and barely 10 percent of his promises were fulfilled.
That’s what happens when you rely on budget instead of understanding the problem. And it’s the same with marketing.
Marketing isn’t about how much money you have to throw into ads, brochures, or flashy events. It’s not about building a brand in the most expensive way possible. At its core, marketing is about understanding people. Your market. What do they want? What do they need? What are they hungry for?
No entrepreneur has ever gone bankrupt by deeply serving a market that’s starving for what they offer. If you know what people are hungry for, and you can consistently provide it, you’ll never run out of business.
A good marketer is like a master chef. They know the ingredients their customers crave. They don’t just slap something together and hope it sells. They craft solutions that people can’t resist coming back to again and again. And that’s where the magic of marketing lies—it’s in how well you know your audience.
Marketing is about listening. It’s about observing behavior, understanding pain points, and creating solutions that fit like a glove. It’s knowing what keeps your audience up at night and how your product or service can be the relief they’ve been searching for. When you get that right, you don’t need a massive budget—you just need to show up with the right solution.
Too many marketers think it’s all about the next campaign or the latest trend. But the entrepreneurs who truly succeed are the ones who’ve nailed the fundamentals. They know their customers inside out. They’ve taken the time to ask, “What are they really hungry for?” And they’ve built a business that feeds that hunger, consistently, without needing a fortune to do it.
That’s why marketing matters for entrepreneurs. It’s not about the bells and whistles, the budget, or the glitzy launch event. It’s about getting close to the people you serve, understanding their needs on a deep level, and feeding those needs with everything you’ve got.
Because once you know what they’re hungry for, and you keep feeding them, they’ll never stop coming back.
How to Learn Marketing (Without Going Back to School)
Sure, a four-year degree can help. But if you’re serious about thinking like a founder, you don’t have to sit in a classroom for years. Founders learn by doing. You can accelerate your learning without the formalities of school—and often, you can learn faster. Here’s how:
1. Understand People, Not Theories
Skip the textbooks. The best marketing starts with understanding people. Why do they buy what they buy? What motivates them? The more curious you get about human behavior, the more powerful your marketing becomes. The secret? Ask questions, observe, and listen.
2. Read Copywriting, Not Textbooks
You don’t need a degree to write words that sell. You need the right books. Start with classics like “Ogilvy on Advertising” or “The Boron Letters”. These will teach you how to craft messages that connect with your audience and move them to act. Master copywriting, and you’ve mastered marketing.
3. Follow the Best (For Free)
Some of the greatest marketing minds are sharing insights daily—online, for free. Seth Godin, Neil Patel, Harry Dry—these people are dropping wisdom that can change your approach overnight. Study what they’re doing. Subscribe to their emails, dissect their posts, and follow their strategies.
4. Start Doing, Start Learning
Nothing accelerates learning like doing. Launch that side project. Run a small ad campaign. Experiment with social media marketing. You’ll learn more in two weeks of hands-on work than in months of reading theory. Each mistake will teach you something invaluable.
5. Learn to Love Analytics
Great marketing isn’t guesswork. It’s numbers. Tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and email metrics tell you exactly what’s working and what’s not. Dive into the data, because the faster you understand your numbers, the faster you improve.
6. Spy on Your Competitors
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Look at what your competitors are doing. Analyze their marketing campaigns, see what’s working for them, and figure out how you can do it better. Learn from their successes and their mistakes.
7. Focus on Value, Not Tricks
Forget marketing “hacks” and gimmicks. What really works? Value. Find out what people need and how you can help them solve a problem. The more value you provide, the stronger your marketing becomes. It’s simple: make people’s lives better, and they’ll keep coming back.
8. Network with Marketers
Surround yourself with marketers who are ahead of you. Join online groups, go to meetups, and engage with marketing communities. You’ll pick up strategies, stay ahead of trends, and find the insights that aren’t in books.
9. Teach What You Learn
Want to accelerate your learning? Start teaching. Share your knowledge on social media, in blogs, or even with friends. When you teach, you solidify the concepts and get better at explaining them—which sharpens your understanding.
Yes, a four-year degree might give you a foundation. But as a founder, you can accelerate your learning by getting your hands dirty. Experiment, fail fast, learn faster. In today’s world, marketing is learned through action—by doing, adjusting, and doing again. You don’t need a classroom—you need curiosity, persistence, and the drive to figure it out.
