Peter Mullen


Writing & Insights

I accelerate growth for B2B enterprises. I "build in public" by writing about modern B2B growth strategy, CMO leadership, and the GTM operating systems behind marketing that actually works.
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Pillar Essay

The 2026 B2B Growth Engine Playbook

The full blueprint: three outcomes every B2B marketing org must deliver, four strategic traditions, and how to build a growth engine that compounds.

Series Essays

The Demand Engine

Building a repeatable B2B pipeline machine: how to connect capital allocation to pipeline generation and make demand creation a system, not a campaign.

The Leadership Gap Nobody’s Talking About

Why CMO tenure is shrinking, what you really inherit when you take the role, and the three jobs no one tells you about.

Diagnose Before You Prescribe

The Bow-Tie Growth Formula, 30-day diagnostic framework, and why most CMOs fail by prescribing before they understand the patient.

Building the Brand That Matches Your Product

How to turn hard-won analyst validation into the market presence that wins enterprise deals in 2026.

Standalone Essays

Strong Product, Analyst Darling, Invisible Market

A three-problem diagnosis using Cialdini’s principles and four B2B archetypes to explain why great products stay invisible.

The Cheapest Growth Engine You’ll Ever Build

Rolling Thunder strategy: how capabilities beat differentiation, and differentiation beats results claims in B2B marketing.

The Ultimate Board of Directors Dashboard for PE Portfolio Companies

A one-page marketing dashboard framework for board reporting, PE metrics, and executive visibility into pipeline performance.

The Ultimate BOD Dashboard — Video Walkthrough

Video companion: a visual walkthrough of the board reporting framework for PE-backed marketing leaders.

Personal & Reflections

You Don’t Need Sunlight to Strike a Match

On resilience, personal dimension, and finding your own fire when the conditions aren’t perfect.

My Inspiration: The Empire She Built

A personal essay on Karen Pike, brand identity, and the people who shape how we see the world.

The Battle for Your Optimism

On AI duality, the forces competing for your attention, and why optimism is a discipline.

Morning Coffee with Claude

What happens when an AI-first marketer starts the day with a conversation about operational range and creative possibility.

Simply Systems LLC

About

I work with leading PE firms to build growth engines that scale the business and drive enterprise value of their portfolio companies. My work:1. Increases Corporate Value2. Accelerates Revenue3. Delivers Bulletproof StorytellingI am an AI-first marketer and 3x marketing leader of category-defining B2B technology enterprises.I helped start Netflix, launch personalized WiFi at Comcast, drive digital adoption in across education and transform global customer experience.Today, I engage with leading VC and PE firms to accelerate the success of their portfolio companies.Find me at LinkedIn, Substack, Instagram, and X (links below).


Contact

San Francisco Bay Area
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