At Punch Through, we encourage everyone to proudly be themselves and want you to know the people behind the work that we’re so proud of. That’s why we launched our “Meet the Team” series, where we introduce you to one of our team members each month.
Meet Nicholas Paulin, the Head of Marketing at Punch Through, where he’s building a strategic marketing foundation to support long-term growth. With over 15 years of experience in brand strategy, content development, demand generation, and go-to-market planning, Nicholas is helping shape how Punch Through communicates, attracts the right customers, and builds lasting relationships through targeted outreach and thoughtful storytelling.
A lifelong lover of technology, storytelling, design, and systems thinking, Nicholas brings a uniquely cross-functional perspective to his work. He balances strategy and execution across technical, creative, and operational domains. Based in Chicago, he’s happiest when translating complexity into something people can actually connect with.
Q&A: Get To Know Them
What were you doing before working at Punch Through?
I’ve spent most of my career in the startup world, leading marketing at VC-backed companies and advising early-stage teams as a consultant. A lot of that work involved helping organizations find their voice, build momentum, and bring structure to chaos.
What I enjoyed most wasn’t just the growth. It was aligning teams around a clear identity and direction. That’s ultimately what led me here. Punch Through offered the chance to do that kind of foundational work in a space that’s deeply technical, meaningful, and values-driven.
What led you to your role at Punch Through?
I’ve always had a deep affinity for technology. I was an early adopter growing up, and I’ve carried that curiosity into how I approach systems, tools, and marketing strategy today. Great marketing is a complex system in its own right. There’s a low bar for entry, but doing it well, especially in a technical B2B environment, is incredibly difficult. That challenge is what draws me in.
At Punch Through, I’m able to draw on two decades of experience to build a thoughtful marketing foundation that combines strategic clarity, scalable systems, and deep understanding of a complex space.
Just as important, I get to do that work in a culture that values people. I feel supported. My team feels supported. And the work actually aligns with my values. That alignment matters. It allows me to make a meaningful impact, not just on what we say but on how we show up.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Turning complexity into clarity. Whether it’s defining how we talk about what we do, aligning the brand with where the business is headed, or building the systems that support long-term growth, what I enjoy most is helping a company communicate with confidence and move with purpose.
What’s something people may not know about marketing in a technical company like Punch Through?
There’s a common belief that great marketing is just data-driven. But in spaces like ours, where products are complex, lifecycles are long, and buyers are often hard to identify, it’s not always that simple.
You can’t always rely on the same signals you’d use in B2C or digital product marketing. Qualifying, nurturing, and converting prospects into real opportunities requires deep creativity and critical thinking. It’s more art than science and you need both to succeed.
How do you approach building trust with technical and non-technical audiences?
Start with understanding. The only way to earn trust is to listen deeply and reflect back what people actually need. That requires constant collaboration across teams. Especially between business development and marketing.
It’s about creating feedback loops that are practical, honest, and informed and using them to shape messaging that’s grounded, clear, and relevant. If you can show someone that you understand their world and speak their language, that’s how trust is built.
What’s one marketing truth you believe, but not everyone agrees with?
That qualitative value matters more than we like to admit. Brand, culture, and how people feel when they interact with your company, these are incredibly powerful. But they’re hard to quantify, so they’re often ignored. That’s a mistake.
The truth is that the most impactful work usually isn’t what shows up in a campaign report, it’s the narrative that people remember, the confidence you build internally, and the clarity you bring to the table.
What advice would you give to someone in a marketing leadership role at a small, high-tech company?
Get comfortable in the grey. You won’t always have clean data. You won’t always get credit. And you probably won’t have the budget. But if you’re doing it right, marketing becomes the connective tissue that brings alignment and momentum to the whole company.
It’s not just about leads and pipeline. It’s about helping the business understand who it is, how it helps the customer, why that matters, and how to communicate that consistently.
Fight for the brand even when no one’s asking for it. Create clarity when everyone’s overwhelmed. And remember: when it’s working, they won’t just see marketing, they’ll feel progress.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m drawn to complexity, to systems, patterns, and ideas that don’t offer easy answers. I find wonder in biology, nature, and design, and I’m always learning how things work. I bring that same curiosity into the things I surround myself with, including plants, music, scent, and anything thoughtfully crafted. What I enjoy most is engaging deeply with the world—learning from it, designing around it, and appreciating the details others might overlook.
Explore Nicholas’ Colleagues
Nicholas is among the many talented individuals who make up the Punch Through team. Check out our other team profiles below to meet more remarkable colleagues.
About Our Meet the Team Series
Great culture builds great products. Some of the ways culture is expressed at Punch Through are through authenticity, autonomy, and experience. The individuals at Punch Through not only build great products, but they are the culture. The individual team members aren’t defined by their past or title. They’re encouraged to be true to themselves, learn from each other, and grow professionally and personally.
It’s essential to get to know the people behind the projects and to understand how culture plays a vital role in everything we do. To help get inside the heads of the genius behind the brand, we’re launching a “Meet the Team” series. These articles will feature one of our talented team members where you can get to know them on a bit more personal level, and see how their contributions make Punch Through what it is today.
