What does it actually take to build a brand that people trust and follow today? In this episode, Dave Gerhardt shares his journey from working inside high growth companies to building Exit Five, a community-first business for modern marketers.

The conversation explores entrepreneurship, content, and the shift happening in B2B marketing and SaaS marketing right now. We talk about the discipline required to show up consistently as a creator, why most companies struggle with workplace culture around content, and how LinkedIn growth can become a real engine for lead generation.

Dave also breaks down how to think about demand generation, marketing strategy, and brand marketing in a way that compounds over time. This episode is especially useful if you are trying to figure out how to stay relevant on social media, how to approach LinkedIn marketing, or how to get clients on LinkedIn without relying on shortcuts.

If you are a founder, marketer, or creator navigating digital marketing, this is a grounded and practical conversation on what actually works.

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WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

- Dave's 3-step framework for building a distribution engine that actually drives revenue

- Why your community is your best content strategist (and how to make it systematic)

- The real value of a personal brand on LinkedIn and why "vanity metric" is the wrong frame

- Why most companies fail at employee advocacy (and what to do instead)

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – From corporate to creator: Dave’s journey into entrepreneurship
01:23 – Why he started Exit Five instead of a newsletter
03:11 – The reality of “building in public”
05:38 – Content, consistency & staying relevant on social media
06:29 – Creative marketing ideas without big budgets
08:27 – How Exit Five builds its content engine
12:12 – What “community” actually means in B2B
15:03 – Build vs buy distribution (and what companies get wrong)
18:18 – LinkedIn growth & the power of personal brand
21:10 – Founder-led brands: strength or limitation?
22:32 – Why most teams fail at LinkedIn marketing
24:45 – The problem with AI-generated content
24:51 – 3 rules to build a strong marketing strategy
26:53 – Using content as a feedback loop for demand generation

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LINKS AND RESOURCES

Dave Gerhart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davegerhardt/

Caitlin Bigelow on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinbigelow/

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ABOUT GROWN ON PODCAST

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Blazel helps founders and executives grow their audience and drive pipeline on LinkedIn, pairing content strategy with AI collaboration so your voice stays authentic.

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