Some of you may not enjoy this blog, as I’m going to suggest something that sounds completely ridiculous in our metrics-obsessed world.
If you’re here looking for another framework to optimize your sales funnel, compare the latest AI tools, or decode the perfect ICP template, this probably isn’t for you. LinkedIn is full of that content already.
But if you’re willing to step back and consider what actually drives sustainable success – not just hitting this quarter’s numbers, but building something that lasts – then keep reading.
Here’s what I’ve learned after working with dozens of B2B tech companies: beneath all our sophisticated CRM systems, automated sequences, and conversion optimization, we’re still just humans trying to solve problems for other humans.
And humans are messy, emotional, and often completely irrational creatures.
The problem with always chasing the next tactic
Every week, there’s a new “playbook”. A fresh take on “product-led” growth. Another “proven” email sequence. And a new AI tool to lose hours looking into! We implement, optimize, measure, and move on to the next shiny strategy.
But the issue is, most B2B tech companies are stuck in cycles. They work incredibly hard, burn through tactics, and wonder why sustainable growth feels so elusive.
The missing piece isn’t another tool or template. It’s perspective.
What ancient thinkers can teach modern tech leaders
I realize suggesting that philosophy has a place in B2B software sounds absurd. But some of history’s greatest thinkers tackled questions that are surprisingly relevant to what we face every day.
The Book: The Prince by Machiavelli
For those unfamiliar, The Prince is basically a leadership manual on how to gain and keep power, even when it means bending the rules. Machiavelli argues that being a good person isn’t always enough to succeed – sometimes you need to be strategic, calculated, or even ruthless. Rather than focusing on what’s “right,” he focuses on what actually works in the real world.
What Machiavelli Actually Taught
Everyone thinks The Prince is about being ruthless. It’s not. It’s about understanding how power dynamics actually work, not how we wish they worked.
In B2B tech, this translates to reading the room. Knowing when that enterprise prospect is genuinely interested versus just going through the motions to appease their boss. Understanding that the economic buyer might love your solution, but if you haven’t addressed the technical buyer’s concerns, the deal dies.
Strategy isn’t manipulation – it’s alignment executed with intention. Know the game being played, then play it better than anyone else.
- Question Your Assumptions (Especially the Ones That Seem Obvious)
The Book: Meditations on First Philosophy by Descartes
Descartes wrote this as a series of reflections where he tries to figure out what he can know for certain by doubting everything – even his own existence. He systematically questions all his beliefs until he arrives at his famous conclusion: “I think, therefore I am.” It’s essentially a deep dive into how we can know what’s real and how thinking and reason form the foundation of truth.
The Descartes Approach to Go-to-Market
Descartes famously doubted everything to find truth. When did you last do that with your sales process?
We cling to inherited wisdom: “Enterprise buyers always want ROI calculators.” “Our ideal customers care most about security.” “Outbound email works best on Tuesday mornings.”
But who told you that? When did you last test it? And is it still relevant in 2025?
Set regular “first principles” reviews. Challenge every assumption about what your customers want, how they buy, and what actually moves the needle. You might discover that half your “proven” strategies are just comfortable habits.
- Start With the End Goal, Then Work Backwards
The Book: Utopia by Thomas More
More’s Utopia describes an imaginary perfect society on an island where everything is shared, there’s no money, and people live simply and fairly. It wasn’t meant to be a realistic blueprint for society – instead, it was designed to critique his own world by showing how much better things could be. Think of it as holding up a mirror to highlight current problems by imagining ideal solutions.
The Thomas More Method
More’s Utopia wasn’t meant to be a realistic blueprint – it was designed to highlight how broken his current system was by imagining something better.
Apply this to your business. What if customer onboarding actually excited people instead of overwhelming them? What if prospects looked forward to your sales calls? What if your team genuinely enjoyed working on Monday mornings?
By visualising the ideal, you can then reverse engineer the steps to get there. Most companies optimize incrementally without ever defining what “great” looks like.
- Think Before You Execute
The Books: What Does It All Mean? by Thomas Nagel & Think by Simon Blackburn
Both of these are beginner-friendly philosophy books that tackle big questions: Why are we here? What can we really know? Do we have free will? What makes something right or wrong? Neither book claims to have final answers – instead, they teach you how to think more clearly about complex problems. They’re essentially crash courses in using your brain better when life gets confusing.
The Power of Pause
Every week we chase targets, optimize funnels, and close deals. But do we ever stop to ask what we’re actually building?
Philosophy isn’t about slowing down for its own sake. It’s about making sure you’re not sprinting in the wrong direction.
Take a breath and ask: What’s the real purpose behind these metrics? Who are we actually serving? What kind of company are we becoming in the process?
These aren’t soft questions. They’re strategic ones. Companies that can answer them clearly tend to make better decisions, attract better people, and build more sustainable growth.
- Get Comfortable with Uncertainty
The Books: The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell & Being and Time by Martin Heidegger
Russell’s book is a straightforward introduction to big philosophical questions: What can we know for sure? How do we know it? What’s real versus what’s just in our minds? Russell doesn’t claim to have all the answers – he just wants us to think more carefully and question our assumptions.
Heidegger’s Being and Time is much more complex, but the core idea is this: instead of asking what the world is, he asks what it means to exist. He explores how we live, make choices, and deal with concepts like time, death, and meaning. It’s dense material, but powerful if you’re seriously questioning “What am I doing with my life?” – pretty full on!
The Russell and Heidegger Reality Check
Bertrand Russell admitted we don’t have all the answers. Martin Heidegger said we’re always becoming, never finished.
In B2B tech, this means your roadmap will change. Your go-to-market strategy will need adjustments. Your best people might leave for other opportunities. The market won’t care about your plans.
And still – you move forward.
Build a culture that thrives in uncertainty. Use customer feedback, team retrospectives, and your own instincts to adapt in real-time. Don’t wait for perfect information or the ideal moment. Just keep becoming better.
Why this matters more than your dashboard reporting?
Philosophy won’t replace your revenue strategy. But it might break you out of the exhausting cycle of working harder while getting nowhere fast.
In a world of consistent revenue growth pressure and quarterly targets, taking time to think might seem overly indulgent. It’s not a luxury – it’s strategic necessity.
Understanding the why behind your work, recognizing the real market and opportunities, and imagining better ways of doing business aren’t indulgences, they’re competitive advantages.
So what?
Keep talking about ICPs and conversion rates and pipeline velocity. Of course these matter.
But remember: underneath all the buzzwords and frameworks, you’re still a human trying to solve problems for other humans.
By making it mean something, not only will you enjoy what you do more – but with that buyers will love what you do and want to buy.
“The most thought-provoking thing in our thought-provoking time is that we are still not thinking.”
