Welcome to Break Point, your weekly hit of strategy, surf, and smart growth.

Each week, we send one high-impact growth move straight from the Pono Ventures playbook — and only Break Point readers get the goods.

Let’s drop in. 🌊

Where Old-School Hustle Still Works

Door-to-door has an image problem. Most people hear it and think: clipboards, spray tans, and “Have you heard about solar?”

But here’s the thing: in B2B, this channel is massively underrated.

At Pono Ventures, we’re always harping on channel fit. 

For some B2B businesses, knocking on literal doors can create sales momentum you won’t find on LinkedIn or in someone’s inbox.

When Door-to-Door Works in B2B

This isn’t about canvassing random industrial parks. It works best when:

• Geographic proximity matters — Your ideal clients are clustered together.

• Trust is built face-to-face — Handshakes beat cold emails for some buyers.

• Word spreads locally — Once one company says yes, others nearby follow.

Think about businesses like:

• Office supply distributors

• Commercial cleaning or janitorial services

• Industrial equipment suppliers

• IT service providers

• Security system installers

• Coffee/water service companies

These companies win when their accounts are concentrated. One client in a building often creates momentum for the next five.

The Simple Play

If you’ve got a rep servicing an account in a business park, have them walk the neighboring doors:

It’s soft, it’s contextual, and it works.

The Advanced Play

Build a dedicated canvassing team.

Their only job: open doors and book meetings for your sales reps.

No pressure to close on the spot, just qualify and schedule.

It’s faster, cleaner, and way more professional.

Done Right, It Doesn’t Feel Pushy

Yes, there are local rules and licenses for soliciting (you’ll want to check those).

But the best operators treat it less like selling and more like neighbor-to-neighbor problem solving.

It’s not about pressure. It’s about presence

Old School Still Wins

If your business depends on trust, density, and reputation, don’t sleep on this channel.

It may feel old school, but in the right context, door-to-door is the growth play nobody else is paying attention to.

Want to talk marketing with the Pono team?

Book a call with one of our founders! We do four strategy sessions a week helping companies beat their growth targets (no strings attached).

Weekly Beach Vibes

In life, pono stands for righteousness and balance. In Hawaiian, if a person is living pono, it means that they have struck the right balance in their relationships with other things, places, and people in their lives. It also means that they've made a conscious decision to do right by themselves, by others, and by the world in general.

We live by Pono.