Effective resourcing for Growth often ignites the 'Build vs. Buy' debate. In a recent video, "When Should You Build vs. Buy?", Ben Horowitz, co-founder and general partner of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, said:

If you're trying to grow fast in engineering and in product and so forth,
the knowledge of how your company works is really, really valuable.
But in sales and marketing, the knowledge of how other people's
companies work is actually the more valuable thing.

Horowitz advocates for a nuanced approach. While in-house knowledge is fundamental, the unique advantage of understanding how other organizations operate — especially in sales and marketing — is often underappreciated.

Incorporating external expertise into your company’s commercial functions can be a game-changer. Drawing from the broader experience of those who have navigated different sectors and organizations, an outsourced growth team can offer insights, find relevant playbooks faster, and present proven strategies that an exclusively internal team may overlook.


Horowitz asserts:

If you take somebody who only knows your company and they have
to go learn the world, you're harming everybody in the company.

It's an indisputable reality that expertise, which is often garnered over years and across industries, cannot be substituted with potential.

Thus, bringing in an external team that already has a lay of the land can enhance productivity, save time, and maximize your resources. This team brings a broader perspective, can recognize trends faster, and implement strategies with an understanding of what has worked elsewhere – and what has not.

Even the most qualified-looking candidates on paper are unlikely to achieve rapid growth in sales without external expertise. “I don't really care how much potential your internal smart MBA who doesn't have any experience has. The idea that they're going to run worldwide sales for you if you've got a killer product and get that done fast is probably wrong," explains Horowitz.

In essence, outsourcing growth functions is about buying knowledge — knowledge that can direct your business growth with tried-and-true tactics, reduce mistakes, and propel your sales and marketing efforts to new heights. 


The value proposition for outsourcing growth teams is convincing. The dual benefits of speed and expertise can supercharge your sales and marketing performance. The knowledge of how other companies work can be harnessed to navigate the evolving business landscape and to spur growth. With an outsourced growth team on board, your business is not just learning from its own journey, but from the journeys of many others, leading to a richer, more informed path to success.