How One Typo Highlights the Pain of GTM in Cybersecurity
I wasn’t planning to build this. I just saw something that was bleeding in silence, a good idea, a better founder, and a funnel so leaky it could’ve drowned them both.
I built a GTM playbook in less than 24 hours, And then I offered to walk someone through it in one.
I thought it would end there. It didn’t.
This is what happened instead. And this is what I learned.
It started with a typo.
One word.
It wasn’t just a spelling error,
it was a signal.
A live product screenshot, on the hero image.
Still up.
Still wrong.
I saw what it meant:
the trust funnel was leaking and nobody was watching.
So I reached out.
Directly.
To the GTM lead.
I told him what the typo issue was in the very first message and then let them know I made a GTM playbook, based on the funnel leaks I saw, that I wanted them to win, and if I could get the stats that would be awesome, but not mandatory.
So I gave him the full playbook:
- Signal calibration framework
- 30 days of drip content (designed for LinkedIn)
- VC / CISO / Customer deck segmentation
- Full trust funnel teardown (website, CTA, proof layer, page flow)
- Messaging arc + brand tone alignment
He asked what the catch was.
I said I’d walk him through it, that he was under no obligation to use it, but that they definitely should clean their site.
Radio silence.
But the startup world is tough,
and sometimes the players get overwhelmed.
So I followed up.
His reply?
“Don’t publish. We don’t have money or funding.”
I said:
“That’s why I gave you the playbook for free.”
Then he blocked me.
Honestly, I thought it would stop there.
This weekend I got a notice from Google Business that my Business profile was in violation and had been suspended. A friend of mine checked this guy’s LinkedIn and yes, this GTM expert was indeed using some of my copy on his personal LinkedIn page.
I expected stats. What I got was a glimpse into the human condition and a quiet kind of gratitude that I wasn’t in the kind of place that would make me choose what he did.
Let’s Talk About Signal (and Why It’s Everything)
The thing most people get wrong about GTM?
They think it’s just:
- Sending a deck here and there
- A couple posts
- A launch splash
But GTM is an entire story arc built around trust.
And in high-friction, high-trust verticals like cybersecurity,
every single detail adds up.
A weak CTA.
A misaligned gridline.
A typo in your hero image.
These aren’t just aesthetic misses,
they’re signal leaks.
The more of them you have, the more cognitive bias you generate.
And it doesn’t matter if your product was a gift from the GTM gods.
If the buyer doesn’t feel comfortable?
They won’t buy.
In cybersecurity, this isn’t optional.
It’s foundational.
This Isn’t Just a Company Problem, It’s an Industry One
Most founders don’t have a GTM problem.
They have a signal clarity problem.
Across the board, we’re seeing:
- Great tech with weak translation
- Strong intent but shallow consistency
- Product-market fit undermined by message-market mismatch
In high-trust verticals,
the penalty for confusion is abandonment.
And yet,
most teams don’t even know their funnel is leaking until it’s too late.
This happens all the time, especially in cybersecurity.
Founders get passed up for funding.
Great products get overlooked.
Not because the tech is bad
but because the story never lands.
Because the trust never forms.
The signal is off.
The messaging leaks.
And they don’t even know why the raise fell through.
That’s what I was trying to prevent here.
I didn’t want to see yet another company with potential
lose its shot because no one helped them fix the story in time.
I’m hoping they’ll turn it around.
And that they’ll earn the redemption arc this could be.
The Takeaway
GTM isn’t just “get it out.”
It’s get it right.
And in high-friction verticals?
Trust is your only leverage.
A typo is a moment.
What you do with it?
That’s your story.
Strategy matters.
But trust moves markets.
— Rhea Lynn Mascarinas
GTM Strategist | QuietConversion
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