Scale GTM execution without adding headcount or payroll.

Embed vetted, full-time GTM operators who support revenue, pipeline, and customer experience across your GTM org.

How We Helped Steno Scale

Steno scaled GTM execution without slowing down, while saving $250k annually in overhead. Here’s how :

Start Hiring
How It Works
Align on the execution bottleneck

Together we define where GTM execution is slowing down and what outcomes you need to drive.

Step 01
Match embedded operators

We identify a small set of vetted, full-time operators from The Front Lines GTM Talent Network who fit the work, not just the role.

Step 02
Embed and scale

You interview and select. We handle employment, payroll, and compliance. The operator embeds full-time into your team and workflows.

Step 03
Start Hiring

GTM Functions we support

Marketing

  • Ship more campaigns, faster
  • Increase output without burnout
  • Keep quality consistent at scale
  • Reduce agency dependency
  • Free senior marketers from execution

Sales

  • Support deals without slowing reps
  • Improve follow-through and handoffs
  • Keep processes moving as volume grows
  • Reduce sales ops backlog
  • Protect selling time

CX

  • Handle higher ticket volume
  • Maintain response quality as you scale
  • Improve onboarding consistency
  • Reduce churn caused by overload
  • Support growth without breaking SLAs

RevOps

  • Reduce GTM execution friction
  • Support reporting and systems work
  • Clear operational bottlenecks
  • Improve cross-team alignment
  • Stabilize GTM as complexity grows

Why this confusion keeps coming up

Because People Conflate:

  • Marketing strategy (positioning, messaging, planning) with
  • Marketing execution (producing, shipping, scaling)

You are not selling strategy.
You are selling execution capacity.

Execution capacity inside marketing = GTM

What are we?

The Front Lines is a B2B media network focused on technology GTM.
We operate 20+ niche podcasts and a library of 1,200+ interviews with founders and GTM leaders across sales, marketing, revenue, and customer experience.Through these conversations, we capture how technology companies bring products to market, from strategy to execution across sales, marketing, revenue, and customer experience.

We have two core products:

Podcast-as-a-Service
We produce podcasts and media for B2B technology companies. Today, we support 80+ customer-owned podcasts, helping brands build and nurture hyper-niche audiences over time.
Embedded GTM
We embed vetted, full-time GTM operators into marketing, sales, RevOps, and customer teams to help companies scale execution without adding headcount or payroll.

OLD :

Front Lines produces over 100 niche B2B technology podcasts. 20 of our own (FrontLines.io) and 80 for clients through our Production-as-a-Service solution (FrontLinesStudios.com). For the past decade, we’ve focused on master how to build and nurture hyper-niche audiences. Started as a PR firm and evolved into a media production company.

Version A. Problem + outcome
(best balance)

Alright, one quick note before we get back to the episode.
Last year, we launched a new product at The Front Lines called Embedded GTM.
One of the teams we work with is Steno. Their VP of Marketing, Dan, described the problem like this.

“We were scaling very quickly and kept running into tactical roadblocks. We knew what would work, but didn’t always have the talent internally to scale it fast enough.”

After embedding full-time GTM operators including PR, design, and social media into their team, the outcome was clear.

“We’ve hired seven full-time team members and we’re saving around two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.”

If execution is the bottleneck for your GTM team right now, you can learn more at Frontlines.io/EmbeddedGTM

Execution.
Not strategy.

We solve execution pain. Not strategy pain.

The Bet:

The bet is that niche GTM focus compounds trust, and Front Lines gives us a credible way to position Embedded GTM directly with GTM leaders who already feel execution strain.

The bet is that if we can land 25–30 GTM-led clients through Front Lines, the business fundamentally changes. These accounts start with execution strain and expand across functions, driving higher ACVs, better retention, and predictable growth. We don’t need volume. We need depth.

Why will this fail ?

Go the partnership route. Getting business is great for me. Imagine 20 podcast hosts bring me 1 guest each this. year. Totally different business.
WIN: this gets me OUT

Operationally, how do I pull this off ?

Rather than forcing a single-product strategy, Safire let customer requirements guide their development. As John noted, “We really focused on customer first. And if the customer said, I want you to be just one product company… that may have been okay. But that’s not what the customer was asking for.” By building solutions to address real military needs, Safire has secured multiple contracts across different applications.

Does this GTM playbook really work ?

Safire strategically leveraged Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts to fund their early development while creating a path to larger production contracts. John advises, “It’s really important to understand… all the effort it takes to go from the R&D contract into production into program of record and [to] prepare for it.” He warns against the “if I build it they’ll come” mentality that leads many startups to fail.

Is it time for a totally different approach ?

The company prioritized hiring lobbyists immediately after raising their seed round. John revealed, “The $4.5 million contract that we just got awarded last month came from our lobbying efforts… from two and a half years ago. And that was the very first third-party payment I was making as soon as we raised our seed round.” This demonstrates how early investment in government relations can deliver substantial returns for defense tech companies.

How do I go all-in on in-person ?

Breaking with industry norms, Safire invested significantly in professional branding before their Series A. John explains this decision: “Every unicorn status company had a great brand before they became a unicorn status company… When we’re walking through four-star generals and three-star generals into our offices, into our skiffs… we want to be trusted and we also want to be seen as a sophisticated, responsible contractor.” This approach has helped them stand out in an industry where branding is often neglected.