The Portfolio Operator · 90-Day Embedded GTM & Revenue Lead · $60,000 flat ($20,000/mo)
A GTM Operator for Your Portfolio Company
You've closed the deal, and now the clock is running on the GTM. The product is strong. The founding team can build. But the revenue motion is thin, the go-to-market is improvised, and the next twelve months will decide whether this investment performs. You don't need a report that confirms what you already suspect. You need someone in the company who reads the whole board, says the honest things out loud, and gets the right things moving, with the authority to actually do it.
I've spent decades doing this work inside organizations (auditing, building, coaching, and making the hard calls). The difference now is that you know exactly what you're getting, when the engagement ends, and what it costs. I show up, tell you the truth, stand up the revenue motion, and exit clean.
The plan: 90 days, one engagement at a time.
| Month | What happens | You leave with |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Diagnosis and Design | Full system audit: GTM, revenue, team, competitive position. Leadership interviews. I name the 3–5 things that make or break the next 12 months. | The Real State of Play (written assessment + priority action plan) |
| 2 · Build and Install | Stand up or repair the highest-priority systems: sales process, pipeline discipline, revenue motion, PLG mechanics. Coach leadership through the changes. Navigate the resistance, because there will be resistance. | Working System Documentation + Leadership Coaching Log |
| 3 · Stabilize and Hand Off | Confirm what's working, fix what isn't, and name the ongoing leadership need: permanent hire, continued engagement, or nothing. | 12-Month GTM Roadmap + Hiring/Continuation Recommendation |
The eight operating modes.
I run all of these at once, shifting weight to what the situation needs:
Auditor
I read what's actually there, not the deck.
Strategist
Options, what each costs, and what I'd do. A direct recommendation.
Tactician
Not just what to do, but how, in sequence, with owners and milestones.
Coach
Real-time, in-situation work with the founding team and revenue leaders.
Collaborator
In the room, alongside the team, not sending memos from outside it.
Designer
Systems built to last after I'm gone: sales process, revenue motion, PLG architecture.
Mentor
The person leaders think out loud with when they can't say it to the board or the team.
Honest Broker
When something isn't working, I say it clearly, with evidence.
Why this works better than a full-time hire.
A full-time operator in this seat faces three problems that make them progressively less effective. First, survivability pressure, they soften feedback to protect the job. Second, political entanglement, they have to play internal politics, which costs them the objectivity that made them valuable. Third, scope inflation, the role expands in every direction until they're doing everything and driving nothing. I have none of those problems. I have a mandate, a timeline, and a planned exit. That's exactly what makes the Honest Broker function possible: I can say the thing that needs saying because I don't need anything from anyone inside the company after the engagement ends.
What you bring
A clear mandate (the portfolio company knows I'm there and why), real access to the people and the data, decision authority so critical flags get resolved rather than tabled, and a PE-side sponsor who is reachable and decisive. Mandate and access are non-negotiable and confirmed in writing before we start.
What you won't get
Soft-pedaled findings, scope that expands without repricing, or an operator who loses objectivity to survive internal politics. I exit at 90 days unless we explicitly agree to extend.
Graduation Condition
The 90-day mandate is complete, the handoff is delivered, and the recommendation is made: either "you're good," or "here's specifically what you still need, and it isn't me."
The cost of staying stuck: every month the GTM stays improvised, the team drifts further from the trajectory the investment was priced on. Thin revenue motions don't fix themselves on a deadline.
$60,000 for the 90-day engagement (invoiced $20,000/month). Renewable in 60-day increments, each explicitly scoped. Often fundable from the portfolio company's operating budget or a post-close operating reserve. I take one of these at a time.
DM/discuss only. Mandate and access requirements must be confirmed before booking.