Growth at All Costs Just Died (Again)

History is repeating itself. Capital efficiency isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's the difference between surviving and going under. I've been watching Men Who Built America, and the Panic of 1873 stopped me cold. Banks collapsed, 18,000 businesses failed, and the economy took six years to recover, but Rockefeller and Carnegie didn't just survive it, they came out dominant. Not because they had more capital. Because they were more efficient. I break down what they did differently and why it's the exact playbook B2B companies need right now, with capital expensive again and 83% of investors prioritizing burn multiple over growth. (00:00) Why the Panic of 1873 hit me watching Men Who Built America (00:51) Setting the scene: the railroad boom before the crash (02:50) Rockefeller: why the most efficient operator won, not the best-funded (04:55) Carnegie: why he kept building while competitors cut costs (06:32) Our version of 1873: 2019-2021's free capital era (07:32) The data: burn multiple, AI's 86% of VC dollars, and 18-month CAC payback (08:44) Who's dying right now: the $15M company that hired 40 people it can't afford (10:25) Who's surviving: the $22M company with 115% NRR and no funding (12:28) Framework part 1: pay down your go-to-market debt (13:04) Framework part 2: build a system, not a playbook (13:43) Framework part 3: hire a forward deployment operator, not a $500K exec Get your free GTM assessment at runongtmos.com/move. #CapitalEfficiency #GTMOS #StartupSurvival #B2BGrowth