Leading GTM for FarmLink taught me that pitch feedback forces immediate iteration. I focused on competitive positioning, confident our three-tier model solved pricing and delivery friction. The judges’ question—”If you only had resources to fix one thing, what would it be?”—exposed our flaw: we built a comprehensive solution before validating the core problem. From a GTM lens, our advantage (hyper-local sourcing, farmer relationships) wasn’t threatened by tech debt. It was undermined by failing to justify $75/week against Instacart’s $35 convenience. The iterative process shifted our thinking: does Regional Flex at $50/week actually solve retention, or just add complexity? I learned you can’t scale what you haven’t proven, and proving it requires picking one bet to validate first.
