In this episode, we’re joined by Frida Ahrenby, CMO at Rillion, the AP automation platform expanding aggressively in the US with a new Austin hub. Frida breaks down how she rebuilt marketing from zero to a lean, 10-person, high-output team, starting with a performance+ops backbone, overhauling content/SEO, and leaning hard into field marketing for CFO buyers, while keeping creativity human in an AI-accelerated org.
We spoke with Frida about sequencing the first hires, structuring around three pods (Demand Gen incl. Field, Brand/Content/Design, Product & Customer Marketing), and using AI to multiply output without outsourcing originality. She shares how to avoid silos and title inflation, decide what must be owned in-house to truly own the number, and what it really takes to crack the US market from a European base.
Here are some of the key questions we address:
- How do you build a lean, unsiloed marketing org that still scales output (and keeps standards high) with AI in the mix?
- What’s the exact hiring sequence from a blank slate: why start with performance/ops, then content/SEO, then expand demand?
- Own it in-house or outsource? A simple rule for speed, agility, and true metric ownership and when agencies still help.
- Which marketing roles will compress vs. which remain decisively human in the AI era?
- What skills win now: how to hire for smart, analytical, creative demand gen, and deeply curious content that drives revenue?
🎧 Tune in to hear how Frida designed a tighter, faster marketing engine and why cracking the US is a marathon you run with data, creativity, and relentless focus, not headcount.
