Strategic Growth: Scaling Tech-Forward Companies | Neel Singh from Tropoly

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Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Neel from Tropoly, founder and principal there with them. How you doing today, Neel?

Neel Singh: I’m doing great. Thanks for having me.

Ernesto: It’s great to have you on. We were talking a little bit before the podcast and you’re a busy man, right? So I don’t want to take too much of your time. And I’m sure listeners are tuning in wondering what Tropoly is all about. So let’s kick it off with that. Neel, in your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Neel Singh: At Tropoly we call ourselves a brand strategy and scaling firm. There’s three of us, three founders. Between the three of us, we have an array of experience across executive leadership, rev ops, revenue growth, and creative.

We typically work with companies that are in their growth stage and they’re looking for what we call a change event: an exit, an M&A, a fundraise, a product launch. We like to align ourselves with those strategic initiatives.

In terms of services, we provide strategic marketing and go-to-market plans, positioning and branding, and then what we call scaling through foundation.

You hear about agencies and firms that scale through advertising lead generation. We tend to focus more on building out the functions within an organization so they can scale with a strong team and foundation — typically around marketing, sales, customer experience, and rev ops.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear that. And so that way our listeners can get a good understanding of your company, Neel — what would you say is a key problem that you solve?

Neel Singh: For clients, it’s typically a sustainable path to scaling for companies that are mid size and high growth.

My personal experience: I’ve led a company through all growth stages, from startup to hyper growth to public company. So it’s being able to help them achieve a major milestone while dealing with the challenges of growth.

We help position them in the market they’re in and help them scale sustainably into their next phase of growth.

Ernesto: Awesome. And is there a vertical segment? Is there an ideal ICP for Tropoly?

Neel Singh: We typically like to work with companies that are technology-enabled or tech-forward — whether they’re SaaS, B2B, or industries getting tech-enabled like fintech or health tech.

We’re broad when it comes to industries. For company profile, we’re looking at anywhere from a couple hundred people to a couple thousand. A sweet spot is that they’re in a growth phase.

If we’re talking about an ideal buyer, that can range from a Head of Product to a CEO. We work with founders and CEOs quite a bit. If it’s a CMO, typically their function is quite large — otherwise we end up butting heads with them.

Ernesto: Definitely. So what would you say is a top client acquisition channel for you guys? How do people usually find out about Tropoly?

Neel Singh: Most of our work comes through referrals and our network. I’ve been doing this for over 25 years, my partners have too.

We have a lot of contacts and connections across North America and Europe and in many industries. We’re constantly networking and reigniting contacts, and they tend to make introductions and referrals.

And from our existing clients, we try to do the best work possible so they continue to bring us additional work.

Ernesto: Awesome. And so that way listeners can check you out, they can visit tropoly.io. What role does a website play for your client acquisition?

Neel Singh: We like to call it cloud cover, because a lot of our acquisition comes from person to person and introductions.

Then they go and check us out and they check out our website. So we ensure our website is properly messaged and structured so it reinforces our message, reinforces our pitch, and reinforces any materials we sent them.

So it’s more of a cloud cover so they can find out more about what we do and who we are.

Ernesto: Awesome. Any tools, tips, methods, or recommendations for website lead generation?

Neel Singh: A few things. Your message needs to be clear as soon as somebody lands on your page.

But we can’t talk about it in isolation. Where are you in your journey in terms of brand development and awareness? If people already know you, your message is different from a scrappy startup trying to grow.

If your brand is well known, maybe you showcase more projects or focus on storytelling.

Also, your website is not in isolation. What is your marketing plan? Where does it fit?

Are you B2B or B2C? Are digital channels good for you? Do you go to events? What is your social and content strategy?

Don’t think about your website in a silo — integrate it with your sales and marketing strategies.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Thanks for that. Let’s switch gears a bit and talk about you as a leader. As founder and principal at Tropoly, what tasks do you focus on day to day?

Neel Singh: No two days look alike — and that’s what excites me. If things become monotonous, I get bored.

A typical week is filled with calls and meetings with colleagues and clients, and pitches.

We’re getting more into writing content ourselves — that’s something we need to focus on. So time for creativity, doing the work, working on projects, and checking in with clients regularly.

And to supplement everything, I keep my brain active. I love learning — reading, listening to podcasts like this one.

I also ensure time for my health. In my forties I learned burnout is real. You need space for mental and physical health. So I go for walks, go to the gym, cook, I’m learning Spanish — doing those things makes my work a lot better.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Being a founder, you wear different hats and you’ve got to look into each issue. Kudos for balancing life too.

Let’s jump into rapid fire questions. Are you ready?

Neel Singh: Let’s do it.

Ernesto: First off, Neel — what is the last book that you read?

Neel Singh: I used to read books cover to cover. Now I scan and pull things out.

To give you a clear answer: I’ve read Atomic Habits recently — which I recommend. I started rereading Sapiens, which is amazing.

I also read a book on neuroscience, Thousand Brain Theory by Jeff Hawkins. And I’ve got a Spanish grammar book too. So it’s a mix bag.

Ernesto: Great reads. Next: what is one single thing the company is focused on most right now?

Neel Singh: More awareness for ourselves. We have a strong network, but we also have a big well of knowledge that’s hidden between only our clients.

This year we want to be on more podcasts, create more content, do webinars — get more value out into the market.

Our methodologies are unique, and our experiences are valuable for other marketers and people in the industry to hear about. So we want to be more visible this year.

Ernesto: Awesome. Next: if there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d want fixed for your role as a marketer today?

Neel Singh: I’m untangling four different tech stacks right now. If there was one solution that combined outreach and account-based marketing with a CRM, with project management, with clean data — and it worked simply out of the box — that would be amazing.

Instead of stitching together a bunch of disparate tools.

Ernesto: I’m sure someone is building that — everybody needs it.

Neel Singh: Absolutely.

Ernesto: Lastly: you have a lot of experience, but what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you restarted your marketing journey today?

Neel Singh: Marketing is amorphous — it looks different in every organization. As a marketer, especially as a leader, you need to understand the role it plays in the organization and the value it drives.

My advice: learn about adjacent operations — sales, customer experience, finance, and even HR. You don’t need to be an expert, but understand them.

As your career matures, fingers get pointed at marketing, especially from sales. But if you understand how they work and how marketing affects the bottom line, you avoid operating in a silo.

Understanding how marketing integrates with other departments and goals makes you a much more successful marketer.

Ernesto: Great advice. Neel, thanks for being on the show today. Last word: if someone forgets everything, what’s the one thing they should remember about Tropoly?

Neel Singh: We like to call ourselves missionaries and not mercenaries.

Mercenaries come in, solve a specific problem, deliver output, and leave. We partner deeply. Because of our experience building and running companies, we understand the problem and the business direction, and build from there.

We want long-term relationships, not just solving a problem and getting out.

Also, we don’t do cookie cutter methodologies. We have methodologies — if they work for your problem, great. If not, we design around your problem.

We fall in love with your problem, design the methodology around it, solve it, and scale it. We’re very integrated with our clients.

Ernesto: Definitely. And for our listeners, you can check them out at tropoly.io — a strategic marketing and innovation firm. Neel, thank you so much for being on with us today. And to our listeners, thanks for tuning in. Looking forward to our next episode at Pathmonk Presents. Thanks a lot, Neel.

Neel Singh: Thank you so much, Ernest.