<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Hornby Growth Strategies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Empowering your marketing success]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:43:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.hornbygrowthstrategies.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Stop Leaving Pipeline on the Table: Closing the Top-of-Funnel Gap Between Marketing and Sales]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Marketing’s leads aren’t good enough.”  “Sales isn’t following up.” I hear this in almost every company I work with. It’s usually not a skills problem. Marketing is generating leads and Sales is trying to convert them. I’ll often see 30% of MQLs never get touched, or get rejected for reasons no one is tracking. Most teams respond by adding more meetings, tightening SLAs, or asking for “better leads.” Instead, here are 5 simple steps to fix the issue. One  shared dataset  If Marketing and...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/stop-leaving-pipeline-on-the-table-closing-the-top-of-funnel-gap-between-marketing-and-sales</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd7d07f7044e6cf7a67331</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:26:40 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Confidence?  Navigating the Confidence Curve]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I was in second grade, my teacher called my parents to say I raised my hand too much in class. They were dismayed. I was a smart,...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/is-there-such-a-thing-as-too-much-confidence-navigating-the-confidence-curve</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6711542129a0209caf6f9623</guid><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 17 Oct 2024 18:26:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_603a9f4fe6c44dcab769e6493e8925d8~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_906,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Blind Spots in Marketing Budgets: How Conventional Categories Are Holding You Back]]></title><description><![CDATA[Marketing budgets are often divided into broad categories such as "brand," "events," and "digital." While this may seem like a logical...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/the-blind-spots-in-marketing-budgets-why-conventional-categories-are-holding-you-back</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67057ad922beded000320dc2</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 18:38:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_e95c04c99af04cf4988e4c5ec01940aa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[No More Budget? 5 Places to Find Hidden Growth]]></title><description><![CDATA[We’ve all been there—asked to do more with the same, or even less, budget. It’s frustrating, especially in a tough economy. But here’s...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/no-more-budget-5-places-to-find-hidden-growth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66fae3c7602feeeed468df64</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:50:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_cbe2dad86e204fa59c140c1210c197c9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[BHAGs: The Good, The Bad, and The UglyThe Delicate Balance of Inspiring Teams Without Risking Burnout]]></title><description><![CDATA[Remember BHAGs? Those Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals designed to spark bold thinking and drive growth? AKA: ambitious targets. They’ve long...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/bhags-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66f6e777db76332839c4a13f</guid><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 17:16:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_9a53ce8e87af4e0d8b6615365175ff4d~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Whose Fault is Employee Burnout? The Overlooked Skill Both Managers and Teams Must Master]]></title><description><![CDATA[Has burnout gotten worse because of remote work? The tough economy? Changing employee expectations? Honestly, I’m not sure. One thing is...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/the-most-underrated-marketing-managerial-skill-teaching-your-team-how-to-avoid-burnout</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66e9e854c9c8fb23051e5677</guid><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:38:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_42ceafb4d35f401684148be5127c5af2~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Precision Trap: Is AI the Solution or Does It Magnify the Challenge?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every marketer I know struggles with the Precision Trap. CFOs and CEOs often push marketers to prioritize spending on what can be clearly...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/the-marketing-iceberg-is-ai-the-solution-or-does-it-magnify-the-precision-trap</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66e35512c62181e76b96fc5a</guid><category><![CDATA[Martech]]></category><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 21:01:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_dc28f06552d54b1dbc7a98911209f541~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_689,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Office Survivor": From Outwitting, Outplaying Challengers to Aligning for Success]]></title><description><![CDATA[Transform your workplace from a competitive environment to one of collaboration. Here's how to go from outwitting and outlasting...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/office-survivor-outwit-outlast-outmaneuver-difficult-coworkers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66db54c388f50d4ca179ab6b</guid><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 19:16:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4237c2_6888f013c44e4cc0a7c2095f0f324287~mv2.webp/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Unseen Enemy of Great Leadership: Perfectionism]]></title><description><![CDATA[We all know the trope of job interviews.  Interviewer: Tell me your greatest weakness. Interviewee: Perfectionism.  Well it turns out,...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/the-unseen-enemy-of-great-leadership-perfectionism</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66db513a3af1b2e7b79bb94d</guid><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 19:00:40 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI FOMO: How to Avoid the Hype and Capture Real Value: 3 Simple Questions for Marketer]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's everywhere: conferences, podcasts, news, and vendor meetings  . No wonder marketers are asking themselves: Am I doing enough with...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/ai-fomo-how-to-avoid-the-hype-and-capture-real-value3-simple-questions-for-marketers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66da0857ec2dccbd153e9199</guid><category><![CDATA[Martech]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:37:16 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA['Do More with Less': Building Strategic Alignment with a Risk Portfolio Approach to Marketing Strategy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Marketing leaders often face the challenge of being asked to “do more with less,” balancing ambitious growth goals with a reduced budget....]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/do-more-with-less-building-strategic-alignment-with-a-risk-portfolio-approach-to-marketing-strate</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66da07d06827b2ead153aa9b</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Executive Communications]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:35:17 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Forecasting Resistance? Turn Skeptics into Believers: Lessons I’ve Learned in Teaching Others to Forecast]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a marketing leader, helping team members get comfortable with forecasting is crucial to your success and growth. Even a ‘pretty good’...]]></description><link>https://www.kirstinhornby.com/post/forecasting-resistance-turn-skeptics-into-believers-lessons-i-ve-learned-in-teaching-others-to-fore</link><guid isPermaLink="false">66d8c99ff7b2ecf0470167ff</guid><category><![CDATA[Budget & Forecasting]]></category><category><![CDATA[Leadership & People Management]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 20:58:31 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Kirstin Hornby</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>