Building Smarter Marketing Teams: The Wheels Up Way

The way startups build marketing teams is changing. At Wheels Up Collective, we’ve seen firsthand how traditional agency structures and rigid in-house teams fall short, especially for early-stage B2B companies trying to move fast. That’s why we built a different kind of agency. One that adapts to new signals as quickly as our clients do. 

In a recent episode of the Founders Future podcast, our co-founder Amy Winner sat down with host Mishal Saeed to talk about how Wheels Up started, how we work, and what the future of marketing looks like for growing tech companies. 

If you work at a growing startup, you’ll want to catch this practical look at how to scale your marketing with intention. You can listen to the full conversation on Spotify, but we’ve recapped the key takeaways here in this blog. 

Wheels Up Origin Story: A Familiar Problem

Amy and Mishal opened up the podcast talking about the origin of Wheels Up Collective. Amy explained that she spent years in fast-growth startup environments, often leading marketing efforts with limited resources, unclear priorities, and inconsistent external support. 

No matter what company she worked at, the pattern was familiar: 

“The challenge is always that you don’t have the right people when you need them—and not enough of them.”

She didn’t see a good solution, either. She could either hire junior generalists who can’t handle strategic complexity or engage a large agency that moves slowly, costs too much, and doesn’t flex with the business. 

“We needed someone who could understand the urgency of today’s fire drill while also preparing us to scale for tomorrow.”

Wheels Up Collective was built to fill that gap, bringing together senior marketers who can drive strategy and execution. Our team is made up of people who thrive in the dynamic, sometimes chaotic, reality of startup growth. We specialize in executing on immediate priorities while building the foundation for long-term growth. (It’s the origin of our name, even: We get companies’ wheels up off the ground while building everything they need to stay successfully in flight.) 

In the agency world, it’s an entirely new way of working.

The Model: Strategy Plus Execution

Mishal asked how we structure our work, and Amy broke it down into our two most common engagements:

First is the classic retainer model: quarterly planning tied to business goals, with flexibility to adjust based on product launches, sales input, or shifts in the competitive landscape.

Second is the fractional CMO model, which is gaining traction across functions like sales, customer success, and engineering. Amy explained how this setup gives startups access to senior marketing leadership without the full-time cost or commitment.

“We have three former CMOs on staff who can work part-time in the weeds with [our clients’] leadership, help with positioning, GTM strategy, competitive analysis, and board-level conversations.”

And importantly, we don’t stop at strategy. Our broader content, PR, events, and social teams are all right there to execute. This combination approach removes the usual friction between planning and delivery. Clients don’t have to hand off the roadmap and hope it gets built. We build it right then as the strategic vision is formed. And because we’re already embedded in the planning process, we can move fast, stay aligned, and keep execution grounded in the original vision.

Either way, clients get real, tangible momentum in an arrangement that works for their current goals, budget, and needs.

The Work: Growing Through Trust

The conversation turned to client acquisition when Mishal asked where new business comes from. Amy pointed to a mix: thought leadership and word of mouth.

“Most leads come through thought leadership—LinkedIn, podcasts, content. But our best clients come through word of mouth.”

That’s not by accident. Amy stays intentional about relationship-building, whether it’s sharing insights on LinkedIn, hosting coffee chats, or sending a quarterly check-in. She knows those personal touches build real trust, and that’s often what drives the most aligned, long-term clients.

It’s a good reminder that founders don’t always need more volume. Sometimes, they need to focus on staying top of mind with the right people.

The Challenge: Staying Custom While Scaling 

Mishal asked about growing Wheels Up itself. Amy confided about her two current bottlenecks.

The first is external: market uncertainty in venture- and PE-backed companies, where marketing budgets can shift quickly. 

The second is internal: balancing the bespoke nature of our work with the need for scalability.

“Every proposal is custom, which kills efficiency. I need to find a way to package services better so we’re not reinventing the wheel each time.”

It’s a common tension in service businesses. And it’s one we’re addressing by making parts of our model more repeatable (without sacrificing the flexibility our clients value).

Trust Is the Competitive Advantage

Amy and Mishal wrapped up by talking about where B2B marketing is headed and, importantly, what founders should focus on as they build their own teams.

“It’s not just about getting attention anymore—it’s about earning trust.”

That mindset is driving how we evolve as an agency. From strategic organization to financial stewardship to content excellence, we’re doubling down on the things that help clients feel confident in the partnership. For us, trust isn’t a soft metric. It’s what makes client relationships resilient.

That trust extends into the tools we use and the strategies we recommend. While AI and automation are changing the landscape, Amy emphasized on the podcast that startups still need marketing that feels personal and considered.

“Marketing is going to require more creativity. Automation and volume used to be enough, but now we have to think differently.”

That same principle applies when choosing clients and projects. Trying to be everything to everyone makes it harder to deliver on your promise. Amy put it plainly:

“It’s so tempting to take any business when you’re trying to grow, but those projects are always harder. They churn. You waste time trying to save them. Walk away from bad fits—it lets you focus on where you can really succeed.”

Knowing who you serve best and being honest about where you bring the most value isn’t more than smart business strategy. It’s another way of building trust. When you commit to doing great work for the right clients, results follow.

Takeaways for founders and marketers

The episode is full of tactical insights, but a few themes stand out:

• Marketing at startup speed requires senior talent, fast pivots, and trust

• The right model is often a blend of (not choice between) strategy and execution

• Word of mouth beats paid ads when it comes to long-term fit

• You scale faster when you focus on what you do best and who you do it for

You can hear the full conversation with Amy Winner on the Founders Future podcast on Spotify. It’s a smart, honest look at how marketing is evolving and how Wheels Up is building a model that moves with the moment. And if you want to talk more about how we work, let us know. We’d love to connect.