Challenge

In January 2020, I stepped in as CMO of a public SaaS company facing multiple challenges: $8M in revenue, $38.8M market cap, and a fragmented product portfolio resulting from multiple acquisitions. The company lacked clear market positioning and operated with a marketing department of one—me.

Just as we prepared to launch an aggressive growth strategy leveraging our impressive enterprise client roster, COVID-19 hit. Our QSR clients faced unprecedented challenges, and all marketing investments were frozen.

Strategic Approach

I developed a two-phase strategy:

1. Immediate Crisis Management: Stabilize the existing client base and position ourselves as a critical partner during COVID-19.

2. Growth Preparation: Build the foundation for aggressive scaling once market conditions improved.

Actions I Took

Phase 1: Crisis Response (Launched March 2020)

• Launched a strategic customer retention program, including fee suspensions for affected SMB clients

• Partnered with Pepsi to create an emergency resource portal with actionable guides for business adaptation

• Transformed our platform messaging to emphasize business continuity solutions

Phase 2: Strategic Growth (Launched December 2020)

• Built and led a high-performance marketing team

• Developed cohesive brand messaging that unified our product portfolio

• Executed a distinctive market awareness campaign to stand out against larger competitors

• Implemented a comprehensive demand-generation program

Results

Within 12 months, we achieved:

• 62% revenue growth (from $8M to $13M)

• 300% increase in company value (from $38.8M to $122M)

• $5.5M new business pipeline

• 2,200+ marketing qualified leads

• 160 qualified demo requests

• 1,200+ sales meetings

Most importantly, we transformed a fragmented technology company into a cohesive, high-growth SaaS leader—all during one of the most challenging business environments in recent history.