Hire the Best Go-to-Market Strategy Freelancers in California

🎰 I BEAT THE HOUSE | Ex-CPO & 3X Founder | I Can Build & I Can Sell Ex-CPO & 3× SaaS founder — I do the critical thinking work that others hand off to AI. Like Danny Ocean in Ocean’s 11, I'm drawn to impossible problems — beating the house always seemed more interesting than playing it safe. Most consultants optimize for vanity metrics; I uncover the true drivers that compound into growth. The stuff that you need to know to beat the house. (The house being the algorithms, brands with damn near unlimited funding, competitors jockeying your every move.) THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW 1. I'm a 3x founder — I've started companies from scratch, raised capital, and lived the zero-to-one grind. But I've also been Lead PM and CPO at venture-backed startups (HOFr - $15M raise, myKaarma - $1.1B+ payments, RepairSmith - Daimler-backed). I know what it's like to build with someone else's money and my own. 2. At RepairSmith, we burned $100K/month on ads getting 20-21 leads but only 1-2 converted. I didn't optimize the ads. I rebuilt the funnel, the CRM, and the entire customer journey. Long story short -- they went from dumpster fire to successful acquisition. 3. Neuroscience degree from USC. When I design a flow, I'm asking: Does this click trigger dopamine or decision fatigue? Does this copy reduce loss aversion or amplify it? Most designers are guessing. I'm not. HERE'S WHAT I KNOW ABOUT YOU You're spending money on something that's not working. Maybe it's ads that don't convert. Maybe it's a product users don't stick with. Maybe it's a funnel that leaks at every step. Maybe you're a pre-revenue company with no clue how to position or story-tell going into fundraise. You've tried fixing it. You've hired people. You've read the articles. And you're still here, on Upwork, looking for someone who actually gets it. I get how stressful it is. I've hired on Upwork before — mid-project, my contractor got kicked off the platform. I never got the deliverable. That sucked. I had to tell my client, and I saw the disappointment in their eyes. They questioned whether this platform was worth using at all. I've been on that side, which is why I care more about doing a great job than collecting a check. I'm building my Upwork profile right now, so you're getting CPO-level thinking at freelancer pricing. If I can help you solve your problem and make your stress vanish — let's talk.

If you are trying to get funding, bring more traffic to your website, or finally make your marketing feel clear and effective, I can help you with that. I work with startups and growing businesses to turn ideas into structured business plans, create SEO content that attracts real traffic, and build marketing strategies that actually make sense in practice. Not theory. Not guesswork. 📈 SEO Content Writing & Long-Form Content (eBooks & Guides) Good content should not just exist on your website. It should bring people in. I focus on: 👉 SEO blog posts and website content based on proper keyword research 👉 Content that ranks on Google while still sounding natural to read 👉 Content strategies designed for steady organic growth over time 👉 Copy that helps turn visitors into leads or paying customers 👉 Long-form content such as ebooks, guides, and lead magnets that build authority, attract traffic, and support marketing and sales goals The focus is always traffic that leads to real business results. 🎯 Marketing Strategy & Branding Many businesses struggle not because of their product but because their marketing is unclear. I help you fix that by: 🎯 Creating simple marketing strategies based on your goals, audience, and budget 🎯 Helping you shape your brand positioning so people understand what you offer 🎯 Building growth plans for customer acquisition and business scaling 🎯 Giving you clear, practical steps that can actually be executed No confusion. No long documents that go unused. 💰 Business Plan Writing Getting funding is not just about having an idea. It is about proving the idea can work. I help you present your business in a way that investors and lenders can understand and trust: ✔️ Business plans built on real market research, competitors, and financial data ✔️ Pitch decks that clearly explain your vision and value ✔️ Financial projections that are realistic and investment-ready ✔️ Plans for startups, SaaS, fintech, ecommerce, healthcare, and retail businesses The goal is to help you feel confident when presenting your business for funding. 🌍 Experience I have completed over 200 projects for startups, SaaS companies, fintech, healthcare, ecommerce, and retail businesses. Most of my work comes from repeat clients who return because they see real improvements in funding, traffic, leads, and sales, not just delivered documents. 🚀 Let’s Work Together If you need funding, more visibility online, or a clear marketing direction, send me a message. We will figure out what your business needs and build from there.

I have a history of high success in both the corporate and startup worlds: - Founded Hiperwall, grew it into a global multi-million-dollar business without investors - Managed Zetera global sales, marketing and manufacturing, helped raise over $20M - Part of the 4 person team that launched the Westinghouse line of LCD televisions - Oversaw a corporate turn-around at Premier mounts, restoring profitability and growth - Grew Canon computer sales by over 20% while increasing gross margin by 13% - Increased Compaq notebook sales by 50% to $500M annually in less than 1 year - Received a Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America, their highest award I began my career as a software engineer, working for large enterprises like McDonnell Douglass and Xerox, as well as startup Dayflo, named software company of the year by PC Magazine. Over time, I transitioned to a technical marketing role, then through product management, brand management, strategic planning and eventually into general management. In 2000 I shifted my focus to the world of hi-tech startups. Since that time, I have worked exclusively for emerging companies as a consultant, employee, advisor, board member or founder. I am an adjunct college professor, teaching start-up skills to would-be entrepreneurs. I hold multiple granted patents, with additional patents pending, and am a published author whose work has appeared in preeminent publications such as PC Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, PC Computing and Digital Signage Magazine.

Ready to take your business to the next level by diversifying leads beyond referrals and word of mouth? Feel like your marketing is tactical and ad hoc, and you're lacking focus, a plan or prioritization? Need to do a better job of managing your messaging to key audiences? I'm a fractional CMO and marketing consultant who helps companies with strong and growing annual revenues of $5M+ grow sustainably through more strategic marketing. I'm an integrated marketing leader with 15 years of experience in insights-driven product, brand and growth marketing. I've held marketing leadership roles at Capital One, BNY Mellon and Edelman. My specialties include: --Fractional CMO leadership: executive marketing leadership and experience without the full-time commitment where I act as an extension of your internal team to set and deploy strategies, and structure your team for success. --Messaging and narrative development: corporate, brand and product messaging to help your business break through the noise and connect with your target audience(s) --Product marketing: persona development, product positioning, messaging and go-to-market strategies to help mid-size and large businesses drive product adoption with consumers --Marketing innovation: identifying strategic opportunities to advance marketing, including with new tools and technologies like AI, to supercharge growth and differentiation I work with companies in highly regulated industries (e.g., financial services, health) and those that have a positive, healthy impact (e.g., wellness, sustainability, consumer apps, social impact and outdoor recreation/lifestyle/golf).

I help early-stage B2B SaaS companies build their first real go-to-market strategy—the kind that actually drives revenue, not just looks good in a deck. I've led product marketing through 3 acquisitions, scaled companies 4-5x, and delivered $100M+ in revenue impact. Now I work with founders and small teams who need VP-level strategic thinking without VP-level overhead. --- WHAT I DO FOR EARLY-STAGE COMPANIES: → Product-Market Fit Validation I help you figure out WHO your customer actually is (not who you think it is) and WHAT message makes them buy. At MyCase, I repositioned an AI product for conservative legal professionals—30% user growth resulted. → Positioning & Messaging That Sells I translate "what you built" into "why customers care." I've positioned everything from cybersecurity to fintech to AI—always focused on what makes the sale happen, not what sounds impressive. → First GTM Strategy (From Scratch) I build your first real marketing brief: customer personas, value props, messaging hierarchy, channel strategy. This is the foundation everything else builds on. I've done this for companies that went on to successful exits. → Launch Strategy I've launched products across 28 global markets. I know how to prioritize when you have limited resources and how to create launch momentum without a big budget. → Founder-Friendly Approach I work WITH founders, not over them. You know your product better than anyone—I help you articulate why it matters and who will pay for it. No jargon, no fluff, just clear strategic direction. --- WHO I WORK BEST WITH: - Pre-seed to Series A B2B SaaS companies - Founders who've built something but need help positioning/launching it - Teams of 2-15 people figuring out product-market fit - Companies preparing to launch or reposition for growth - Startups that need strategic direction but can't afford a full-time VP yet --- RECENT RESULTS: - Scaled MyCase 4-5x ($40M to $200M+ ARR) through positioning that supported acquisition - Launched products that generated $20M+ revenue through strategic GTM - Positioned developer platform that scaled to 28 countries via self-serve model - Built messaging frameworks that increased win rates 25%+ and reduced sales cycles 15% --- MY BACKGROUND: - Head of Product Marketing, MyCase (Legal Tech + Fintech) - Senior Director, Verimatrix (Cybersecurity) - Director of Marketing, Yahoo! - MBA, University of San Diego --- HOW I WORK: Most projects are 4-6 weeks, 10-15 hours per week. Typical engagement: $4,000-$8,000 for a complete marketing brief and launch strategy. I'm currently accepting 2-3 new projects. Let's talk about where you're stuck and how I can help you get unstuck.

Your marketing should be making you money. If it's not, that's a strategy problem. Most businesses I talk to are stuck in one of two places. Either they're doing a bunch of marketing that isn't connected to anything, or they haven't started because they don't know what the right move is. Both cost you money every day you don't fix them. I'm Lauren. I'm the person you bring in when you need someone to look at your entire marketing picture, tell you what's actually worth doing, and build the plan to make it happen. I think like a CMO. I execute like an agency. Most strategists I know can't execute. Most executors can't strategize. I do both, and that's why my clients keep me on retainer. Here's what makes me different from most people you'll find on this platform: I don't start with tactics. I don't open Canva before I open a spreadsheet. Every engagement starts with me understanding your business, your customer, your competitors, and your goals. Then I build a strategy around what's real, not what's trending. That's how I've helped over 100 businesses across healthcare, tech, food and beverage, finance, law, retail, and entertainment turn their marketing into something that actually drives revenue. Not vanity metrics. Not "brand awareness." Revenue. Some clients hire me to build the strategy and hand it off to their team. Some hire me as their fractional CMO to lead the whole thing on an ongoing basis. Some start with a single consultation and realize they want me in their corner long term. I'm flexible because every business is different, and I'd rather build something that works for you than force you into a package. What I bring to the table: the strategic thinking of someone with a Master's from Northeastern, the creative instincts of a journalist, and the execution skills of someone who's been in the trenches building brands for over a decade. I've sat in the rooms where million-dollar marketing decisions get made, and I've also been the one up at midnight making sure the campaign actually launches. That range is rare, and it's why I get hired by founders who've already burned out on three other freelancers. Already know what you need? You can skip the discovery call entirely. My Brand Snapshot product is a fixed $250 strategy package, delivered as a 10-page PDF in 5 days. No meeting required, no back-and-forth scoping. You purchase it directly from my profile, I get to work, you get a full strategy back. Many of my long-term clients started exactly there. If you need someone to just post content, you have cheaper options. If you want someone to figure out what's worth posting in the first place, and then make sure it gets done, that's where I work. - Lauren