---
title: Startup Growth Expenses, Network Effects, and NDRs
description: Discover how network-first strategies, trust, and engineered network effects are redefining go-to-market approaches and driving sustainable startup growth.
image: https://www.tackgtm.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GTMND-THUMBNAIL-mac%20reddin-2.png
---

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### You Don’t Need a Product—You Need a Network: Go-to-Market Is Getting Rewritten in Real Time

Forget product-first. Forget channel-first. The new era of GTM is network-first—and if you’re not building trust before tech, you’re already behind. This week’s GTM NewsDesk breaks it down with brutal clarity.

**Summary:**

Nick Bennett and Mark Kilens tear into the myth that “anyone can build a business” just because AI makes company setup frictionless. Sure, spinning up an LLC is easier than ever—but growing one? That’s a whole different game. What separates the winners? The *network*. From VCs to early customers to dormant LinkedIn connects, it’s about who knows you—and who’s willing to vouch for you.

Segment two dives into network effects: what they actually are (hint: not just viral loops) and how to *design* them into your GTM strategy. Whether it’s community, co-marketing, or product-led invites, durable growth comes from engineered trust, not brute force.

In segment three, Mac Reddin of Commsor drops the GoToNetwork playbook: reverse referrals, layered content, and “give-before-you-take” tactics. His thesis? Introductions are currency. You’re not building a funnel. You’re building an ecosystem—and short-term thinking is killing long-term companies.

**🧠 Takeaways:**

- AI made launching easy—but distribution is the real moat.
- Network effects lower CAC *and* boost retention. Design for both.
- Great marketing isn’t loud; it’s trusted and repeated.
- GoToNetwork means building people-powered leverage before product perfection.

---

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

 

 

### [![Mark Kilens](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/daf76171ad085aba01bdd0a8f4b54225) Mark Kilens](https://www.tackgtm.com/blog/author/mark-kilens)

[![Linkedin Author](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/icons/social/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkilens/)

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