Ready to build your own Founder-Led Growth engine? Book a Strategy Call
Frontlines.io | Where B2B Founders Talk GTM.
Strategic Communications Advisory For Visionary Founders
Actionable
Takeaways
Prioritize Message Clarity Over Channel Sophistication:
Nicholas' philosophy centers on cutting through B2B noise with crystal-clear messaging about value, audience fit, and differentiation. In an era of AI-generated outbound and inbox overload, the fundamental discipline of articulating "what we do, who it's for, and why it matters" becomes your most defensible competitive advantage. This communications-first approach trumps channel optimization every time.
Treat Your First 90 Days Like Sales Onboarding:
Rather than taking a channel-by-channel audit approach when joining a new company, Nicholas recommends immersing yourself in sales calls and customer conversations. His goal: become the best salesperson on the team. This ground-up understanding of how customers move through the sales cycle provides the context needed to build effective attribution models and identify high-leverage customer journey moments.
Build AI-Powered Stopgaps to Buy Time for Strategic Hires:
Coast uses AI to analyze sales and onboarding call recordings, identifying common themes and automatically generating enablement content tailored to specific customer profiles and journey stages. This approach doesn't eliminate the need for dedicated enablement hires—it creates sophisticated temporary solutions that prevent bottlenecks during rapid scaling, allowing you to wait for the right person rather than rushing into the wrong hire.
Map Attribution by Customer Journey Segments, Not Just Channels:
Nicholas discovered that trade show attendees are highly likely to attend future events with specific content flavors. This insight came from stitching together high-leverage journey moments rather than viewing channels in isolation. Put yourself in the customer's shoes and trace their actual path—the patterns you discover will reveal attribution insights that channel-level reporting obscures.
Invest in GEO Through SEO Fundamentals Plus Earned Media:
Coast's approach to generative engine optimization focuses on three areas: community forum engagement (like everyone else), expanded PR and earned media efforts (a longer-term play), and strengthened SEO fundamentals that create spillover benefits for AI Overview visibility. The key is running multiple tests while tracking which efforts correlate with GEO results, acknowledging that algorithm changes make this a moving target.
Design Your Expansion Strategy Around Natural Product Wedges:
Coast started with fuel cards—a well-known category ripe for disruption—then expanded to non-fuel expenses when customers organically requested the capability. This product-led expansion from a narrow wedge into adjacent use cases (Home Depot runs, vehicle maintenance) provides a clear marketing narrative and natural cross-sell motion that serves the same ICP with increasing wallet share.
Scale Teams Around Functional Gaps, Not Headcount Targets:
With 12 people today and plans for 3-4 additions through 2026, Nicholas focuses hiring on specific functional expertise gaps rather than arbitrary growth targets. His current priority: lifecycle marketing capabilities supported by automated tooling. This disciplined approach to team building ensures each hire solves a specific scaling bottleneck tied to strategic priorities like core ICP retention and cross-product adoption.
Conversation
Highlights
In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, we speak with Nicholas Lembo, VP of Marketing at Coast, a modern finance solution revolutionizing expense management for trades businesses. Coast is disrupting the legacy fuel card industry by providing fleet managers with unprecedented control and visibility across fuel and non-fuel expenses. From landscapers to HVAC companies, Coast serves businesses with 5 to 500+ vehicles that need better solutions than outdated competitors offer. Nicholas shares tactical insights on navigating the AI-driven search landscape, building scalable marketing systems during hypergrowth, and using AI to solve sales enablement challenges without adding headcount.
Topics Discussed:
- Transitioning from paid social dominance to a diversified channel mix
- Navigating GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AI Overviews impact on search
- Building marketing systems and processes for Series B hypergrowth
- Using AI workflows to create temporary solutions that extend hiring timelines
- Leveraging call recording analysis for automated sales enablement content
- Moving upmarket while maintaining product-led expansion strategies
- Balancing community forum presence with earned media for AI visibility
- Understanding multi-touch attribution through customer journey mapping
Recommended Founder
Interviews
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel
Founder and CEO of Pomelo
Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, CEO of Pomelo: $70 Million Raised to Build the Future of Remittance
Olga Chin
CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies
Olga Chin, CEO and Founder of InterPrice Technologies: Over $10 Million Raised to Build the Future of Capital Markets Treasury Management
Daniel Grunstein
CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded
Daniel Grunstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Crowded: $6.4 Million Raised to Transform Nonprofit Financial Management
Daumantas Dvilinskas
CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo
Daumantas Dvilinskas, CEO & Co-Founder of TransferGo: $125 Million Raised to Build the Future of Cross-Border Payments
Nathan Beckord
CEO of Foundersuite
Nathan Beckord, CEO of Foundersuite: $13 Million Raised to Build the Go-To Platform for Startup Fundraising
Patrick Mollard
CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto
Patrick Mollard, CEO & Co-Founder of Fipto: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Blockchain Payments
Laura Kornhauser
Co-Founder and CEO of Stratyfy
Laura Kornhauser, Co-Founder and CEO at Stratyfy: $10 Million Raised to Power the Future of Financial Inclusion
Klas Bäck
CEO & Co-Founder of Pagos
Klas Bäck, CEO & Co-Founder of Pagos: $44 Million Raised to Power the Future of Payments Operations
Colin Luce
CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory
Colin Luce, CEO & Co-Founder of Basis Theory: $20 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Tokenization
Bryan McCarty
Director of Product and Product Marketing of Orum
Donuts & Product Launches: Orum’s Unconventional Event Strategy
Sohaib Zahid
CEO and Co-Founder of Railz
Sohaib Zahid, CEO and Co-Founder of Railz: $15 Million Raised to Build to Accounting Data as a Service Category
Florian Wimmer
Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit
Florian Wimmer, Co-Founder & CEO of Blockpit: $15 Million Raised to Power the Future of Crypto Tax Management
Rodney Reisdorf
Co-Founder & CEO of Co-Founder & CEO
Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend: $3 Million Raised Transform Private Capital Transactions
Jessica Zhang
CEO & Co-Founder of Pier
Jessica Zhang, CEO & Co-Founder of Pier: $2.5M Raised to Build the Future of Credit Infrastructure
Felix Rodriguez
CEO & Founder of Finally
Felix Rodriguez, CEO & Founder of Finally: $110 Million Raised to Power the Future of Finance Automation
Omri Mor
CEO & Co-Founder of Routable
Omri Mor, CEO & Co-Founder of Routable: $100 Million Raised to Transform AP Automation for Fast-Growing Companies
Jeremy Almond
CEO & Founder of Paystand
Jeremy Almond, CEO & Founder of Paystand: $100M Raised to Power the Future of B2B Payments
Ron Benegbi
CEO & Founder of Uplinq
Ron Benegbi, CEO & Founder at Uplinq: Over $5 Million Raised to Transform SMB Lender’s Existing Credit Evaluation Process
Iris Pfeifer
VP of Growth of Wisetack
Iris Pfeifer, VP of Growth at Wisetack: Mastering B2B Marketing Through Sales Alignment and Product Strategy
Sandro Zweig
CEO and Co-Founder of tiun.
How tiun validated product-market fit with 6-12 months of pilot data before scaling | Sandro Zweig
Tate Hackert
Co-founder & Chief Strategy Officer of ZayZoon
How ZayZoon built 300+ payroll partnerships to reach 15,000 businesses without direct sales | Tate Hackert
Kalpesh Kapadia
CEO and Founder of Deserve
Kalpesh Kapadia, CEO and Founder of Deserve: $50 Million Raised to Build the Future of Credit Cards
Steven Greene
CEO of Standard Practice
Steven Greene, CEO & Co-Founder of Standard Practice (Previously Nibble Health): $8 Million Raised to Bring the Fintech Revolution to the World Healthcare Payments
Patricia Montesi
CEO & Co-Founder of Qolo
Patricia Montesi, CEO & Co-Founder of Qolo: $30 Million Raised to Build the Future of Omnichannel Payments Infrastructure
Steve Pomfret
Steve Pomfret, CEO & Founder of Cygnetise: $8 Million Raised to Build the Future of Signatory Management
Ben Borodach
Co-Founder and CEO of April
Ben Borodach, Co-Founder and CEO of April: $40 Million Raised to Embed Intelligent Tax Experiences
Scott Dorey
Co-Founder of OpenPath
Scott Dorey, Co-Founder of OpenPath: $25 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments
Wade Arnold
CEO and Founder of Moov
Wade Arnold, CEO and Founder of Moov: $77.5 Million Raised to Build the Future of Embedded Payments
Don Muir
CEO of Arc
Don Muir, CEO of Arc: Over $180 Million Raised to Empower Startups with a Better Cash Management Experience
Brendan Playford
CEO of Pngme
Brendan Playford, CEO of Pngme: $18 Million Raised to Support Financial Inclusivity and Unlock Economic Potential Across the Developing World
Ahmad Ibrahim
CEO of NeoTax
Ibrahim, CEO of NeoTax: $13 Million Raised to Build the Future of Tax Automation
Bob Suh
CEO of OnCorps
Bob Suh, CEO of OnCorps: $18M Raised to Help Large Financial Institutions Solve Operational Problems with AI
Magali Chapuis
Marketing Manager of Embat
Magali Chapuis, Marketing Manager of Embat: Strategic Insights for Scaling Fintech Marketing Across Borders
Helen Chong
Head of Growth of Puzzle
Helen Chong, Head of Growth at Puzzle: Collaborating with Founders – Insights for Effective Marketing Alignment
John Lunn
CEO and Founder of Gr4vy
John Lunn, CEO and Founder of Gr4vy: $27 Million Raised to Build the Future of Payments Infrastructure
Shamir Karkal
Co-founder and CSO of Sila
Shamir Karkal, CEO of Sila: $20+ Million Raised to Build the Money API For Fintech
Thibaut Sahagian
CEO of Multis
Thibaut Sahagian, CEO of Multis: $9 Million Raised to Build a New Category of Software Designed to Meet the Needs of Web3 Organizations
Caleb Avery
Founder & CEO of Tilled
Caleb Avery, Founder & CEO of Tilled: $40 Million Raised to Build (and Dominate) the PayFac as a Service Category
Matt Bivons
CEO & Founder of Canopy
Matt Bivons, CEO & Founder of Canopy: $30M Raised to Build a Modern Servicing Platform for Scaling FinTechs
Daniele Grassi
CEO of Axyon AI
Daniele Grassi, CEO of Axyon AI: $5.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Financial Markets with AI
Yasmin Graeml
Marketing & Communication Leader of Flourish Fi
Yasmin, Marketing & Communication Leader at Flourish Fi: Driving Financial Engagement with Innovative Tech
Fady Hawatmeh
Founder and CEO of Clockwork
Fady Hawatmeh, Founder and CEO of Clockwork: Nearly $3 Million Raised to Make Financial Modeling and Cash Flow Forecasting Easy
Swapnil Shinde
CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni
Swapnil Shinde, CEO and Co-Founder of Zeni: $47+ Million Raised to Build the Finance Operations Category
Stephany Kirkpatrick
CEO and Founder of Orum
Stephany Kirkpatrick, CEO and Founder of Orum: Over $85 Million Raised to Build an API integration for Instant Payouts
Jack McDonald
CEO of PolySign
Jack McDonald, CEO of PolySign: $50 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Assets
Jonas Overgaard
CEO of Anyday.io
Jonas Overgaard, CEO of Anyday.io: $4M Raised to Transform the Buy Now Pay Later Market
Ankit Ratan
Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy
Ankit Ratan, Co-Founder and CEO of Signzy: Over $38 Million Raised to Build the Future of Digital Onboarding Infrastructure
Fiona Sherwood
CMO of Dasseti
The Death of Gated Content: Why This CMO Gives Everything Away
Chandini Jain
CEO & Co-Founder of Auquan
Chandini Jain, CEO & Co-Founder of Auquan: $8 Million Raised to Transform Financial Intelligence Through AI
Julio Martínez
Co-Founder and CEO of Abacum
Julio Martínez, Co-Founder and CEO at Abacum: $40 Million Raised to Build the Future of FP&A
Ben Goldin
CEO and Founder of Plumery
Ben Goldin, CEO and Founder of Plumery: $4.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Digital Engagement for Banks
Carmen Li
CEO of Silicon Data
Carmen Li, CEO of Silicon Data: $5M+ Building the World’s First GPU Compute Risk Management Platform
Reed Switzer
CEO of Hopscotch
Reed Switzer, CEO of Hopscotch: $10M to Build the Future of B2B Payments For SMBs
Debbie Soon
Head of Marketing of Privy
Storytelling for Technical Products w/ Debbie Soon
Steffen Vollert
Co-Founder of Volt
Steffen Vollert, Co-founder of Volt: $87 Million Raised to Build the World’s Leading Global Real-Time Payment Network
Kevin Hart
Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified
Kevin Hart, Founder and CEO of Green Check Verified: $16 Million Raised to Power the Future of the Cannabis Business
Dan Beck
Dan Beck, CEO & Co-Founder of 401GO: $14 Million Raised to Build the Future of Retirement Benefits for Small Businesses
Nik Talreja
CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar
Nik Talreja, CEO & Co-Founder of Sydecar: Over $16 Million Raised to Make Venture Deal Execution a Frictionless Process
Tal Shahar
CEO & Co-Founder of Atlas Invest
Tal Shahar, CEO & Co-Founder of Atlas Invest: $13 Million Raised to Transform Real Estate Financing
Rafael Loureiro
CEO of Wealth
Rafael Loureiro, CEO of Wealth: $16 Million Raised to Build the Future of Estate Planning
Halle Kaplan-Allen
Head of Marketing of Sydecar
Why LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads Beat Traditional B2B Creative
Arik Shtilman
CEO of Rapyd
Arik Shtilman, Rapyd: $15 Billion Valuation (Unicorn Builders)
Brian King
CEO of LODAS Markets
Brian King, CEO of LODAS Markets: $8.5 Million Raised to Power the Future of Alternative Investments