Michael S.

Early-stage GTM Operator

I'm a disciplined operator with over 10 years of go-to-market (GTM) experience in early-stage companies, covering sales, customer success, business development, and marketing. Most recently, I successfully built, led, and managed commercial operations from the ground up at TapResearch, achieving annual revenue growth from $0 to $25M+ and continuing to grow today.

Building a company is challenging, and there are many things I wish someone had told me when I was establishing a 0-1 GTM strategy. That's what I'm passionate about sharing with fellow founders.

In addition to my career, I'm also passionate about fly fishing, cooking, and being the best dad I can be.

I live in Marin, CA with my wife, our two-year-old son, Liam, and his younger brother on the way!

Hire Michael

Salesforce Advisor Toys Media and Entertainment Go-to-Market Strategy Chief Revenue Officer

HubSpot Director of Business Development

Fractional CRO rates

Work

$0-$20M in 5 years

medium.com

TapResearch services the Market Research industry with an innovative approach to collecting consumer insights data via mobile apps/games.

How does it work? (The Flywheel)

Brands/researchers send surveys
Apps/Games integrate surveys into app experience
Players get rewarded with virtual currency

Highlights

Built marketplace business from the ground up
$0 - $20M in 5 years
ACV range: ($100K - $1M)
Largest Deal (ACV): $3M

Go-to-Market Strategy Sales Leadership

Pioneered new six-figure product line

medium.com

Developed a novel brand intelligence product leveraging the TapResearch Audience Network, which I built from the ground up.

King's Hawaiian was our first customer and was a healthy six-figure contract.

What problem did it solve?

Traditional brand tracking methods, conducted quarterly, were costly and provided insufficient data for informed executive decision-making

Our solution

We revolutionized the conventional approach by introducing high-frequency brand tracking conducted 52 times annually. This empowered executives with enhanced data intelligence, insights, and confidence at the same competitive price point, made possible through our unique audience network.

Success Story

“TapResearch is providing us with an entirely new source of actionable insights about our brands, products, consumer preferences, and competitors. The quality and consistency of the data is enabling our team to measure key market signals, like price sensitivity, in a way that informs decisions on a weekly basis.” -- Troy Figgins — Head of Consumer Insights, King’s Hawaiian

How did we close it?

Cultivated relationships with two internal champions within King's Hawaiian, gaining a profound understanding of their business challenges and impacts.
Offered a fresh perspective on the new product solution, aiding them in advocating for the change internally and transitioning from their previous vendor.

How did we grow it?

Prioritized customer success by attentively listening to and observing King's Hawaiian's feedback and needs, setting us distinctly apart from the previous vendor and solidifying our position as a valued partner.

Enterprise Software Chief Revenue Officer Go-to-Market Strategy

Experience

Jan 2016 — Jul 2023

Tapresearch

Vice President, Revenue

TapResearch is a leading market intelligence platform that empowers more confident decision-making with real-time human insights.

Recruited, onboarded and managed 12-person commercial team growing marketing place revenue from $0 to $25M+ annual runrate
Designed and implemented all commercial functions and processes including; GTM strategy & market segmentation, pre/post-sales process, CRM, and playbooks
Maintained industry leading commercial efficiency KPIs, averaging sub 7 month payback period for 22 consecutive quarters

Jan 2015 — Oct 2015

URX (acquired by Pinterest)

Business Development and Partnerships

Joined URX to help them bring contextual app advertisements via “deep links” to market
Designed and implemented new vertical GTM strategy & segmentation for music, media and fitness verticals
Negotiated and closed several high profile publisher deals that grew daily search resolution volume for contextual ads by 1,300%

Jun 2012 — Jan 2015

Kiip

Director of Business Development

Held three positions during my tenure; Business Development Rep, Head of Marketing, and Director, Business Development
As a BD rep, I sourced, negotiated and closed several high profile, AA publisher accounts that drove meaningful seven-figure revenue to the marketplace
Expanded role, responsible for all marketing, business development strategy, and quarterly execution leading 8-person team to create and exceed revenue goals

Apr 2010 — Mar 2012

Hasbro

Manager, Marketing and Business Strategy

Successfully produced cutting-edge network TV site supporting the Hasbro and Discovery JV “The Hub” (now Discovery Family)
Orchestrated and launched Hasbro’s first digital syndication initiative with iTunes for the launch of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic
Pioneered and led industry leading Google Shopping API implementation which helped consumers access real-time, multi-retailer price checks across all Hasbro SKUs

Jan 2007 — Jun 2009

The Walt Disney Company

Digital Analytics Consultant

Accomplished analyst overseeing Disney’s ABC Television Group and Disney Interactive digital product portfolio
Advised executives on maximizing streaming video products and advertising revenue, A/B testing, campaign tracking, forecasting, benchmarking and storytelling

Michael S.

Early-stage GTM Operator