Strategic Advisor & Fractional Operator
I build 0-1 marketing, sales enablement & operational infrastructure
Most early-stage founders get stuck in the painful gap between first product and predictable growth. Sales cycles stay long. Growth remains unpredictable. The instinct is to do more: add features, try new channels, chase every opportunity.
But the problem isn't doing too little. It's doing too much of the wrong things.
I help founders get laser-focused on the small set of customers where you can drill deep, dial it in, and create repeatable success, before trying to scale.
I'm a fractional operator who builds 0-1 marketing, sales enablement, and operational infrastructure. Not by copying playbooks, but by stripping your challenge down to first principles and building from there.
This approach comes from combining 25+ years operating through seed to IPO with 30+ years studying Socratic inquiry (asking the uncomfortable questions until we hit truth, then building on that foundation).
My clients would tell you,
"Denise separates the signal from the noise.”
When founders are doing something for the first time, and need it done right, I:
Build commercial infrastructure from scratch - go-to-market systems, sales enablement, customer programs, etc.
Establish operational systems - structure, processes, and accountability frameworks
Apply first principles thinking - questioning assumptions until we understand what's actually true about customers and market position, then building from there
Step in as fractional operator during critical transitions
“Denise helped me understand what business I was in, raise millions in venture capital and reach millions in recurring revenue. Working with Denise gave me an external, expert perspective that allowed me to understand my own business in a way I would never have been able to alone.”
I maintain a deliberately small client roster because transformative insights require focused attention. When we work together, you get both strategic clarity and hands-on execution to implement what we discover.
The best part? Watching companies take off when it all comes together.
In a world of shrinking runways…
I bring battle-tested insights that transform struggling sales cycles into predictable growth. (AKA the unsexy—but crucial—work that turns “interesting product” into “must-have solution.”)
When you work with me, you’re getting in-the-trenches know-how from:
25+ years liaising with Fortune 500 CTOs, CMOs, and CIOs while at landmark enterprise software companies, SaaS startups and as an advisor.
Navigating full business lifecyles from early-stage see through IPO, including the dot com boom and bust. Seeing what truly drives sustainable growth.
Distilling the essence of what truly moved the needle into a proven methodology that helps leaders stop wasting resources on the wrong prospects and start attracting their ideal customers.
“Denise helped me understand what business I’m truly in.”
“As a company founder it’s impossible to see your own blind spots. Working with Denise gave me an external, expert perspective that allowed me to understand my own business in a way I never would have been able to on my own.
Her work helped me build a company I sold for 8-figures.”