When it comes to digital marketing, London-based entrepreneur Dmitriy Makarov has seen many startups fall into the same traps. As the founder of a global marketing agency employing more than 100 people, he believes early-stage companies often jeopardize their growth by trying to replicate others’ strategies or scaling too quickly without proper testing.
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Makarov started working years before his peers, choosing experience over the traditional academic route. He now lives in London and continues to apply what he calls the GMG principle (Grind, Mastery, Growth) not only in business but in life. That mindset, he says, has been the foundation of his entrepreneurial success.
Copying does not work
“One of the most widespread mistakes, and this applies not only to digital marketing but to business in general, is copying other people’s strategies when entering the market,” Dmitriy Makarov said. He noted that many newcomers rely too heavily on case studies or advice from popular speakers, expecting the same results.
But the digital landscape shifts constantly. Algorithms change, user behavior evolves and trends fade. “What worked well even last quarter may already be completely irrelevant today,” he said. For startups, that means imitation is rarely a winning formula.
The danger of scaling too soon
Another common error, according to Dmitriy Makarov, is rushing to invest heavily in campaigns without adequate testing. “Beginners often try to immediately ‘pour in budget’ without having data on how users behave at each stage of the funnel, which messages work, or what kind of visual presentation resonates with the target audience,” he explained. Without that information, scaling often wastes money instead of accelerating growth.
Instead, he suggests taking a disciplined, data-driven approach. “My advice is simple: in our field, those who win are the ones who think creatively, systematically, and know how to build cost-effective hypotheses for a large number of A/B tests,” he said.
A principle built on resilience
The framework Dmitriy Makarov developed for himself, GMG: Grind, Mastery, Growth, serves as both a personal philosophy and a professional strategy. Grind represents the consistent effort required to get through challenges. Mastery comes from learning through both success and failure. Growth is the result of turning those lessons into strategies that adapt to changing conditions.
Makarov began applying to GMG as a teenager, when he was working with local brands, IT startups and esports projects in Kyiv. Without relying on formal training, he experimented with campaigns, tested new approaches and gained knowledge through practice. That same process, he says, is still critical for marketers today.
Adapting to constant change
With markets moving faster than ever, Dmitriy Makarov believes startups need to adopt a mindset of flexibility and curiosity. In his words, “The digital world is not an exact science, but an environment of constant adaptation.” His advice to entrepreneurs: stay curious, test relentlessly and focus on building systems that can withstand rapid shifts.
For him, success is not about following another company’s playbook. It is about writing your own.
