Several exits. A few legendary disasters. 20+ years of knowing exactly what works - and what craters on the launchpad. Now I consult, and I help businesses build the systems that actually stick.
I've built companies that got acquired. I've also built companies that went face-first into the concrete at full speed. Both happened. Both were worth it. The exits paid the bills. The failures paid the tuition.
What I learned across all of it is this: most businesses don't fail because of a bad idea. They fail because nobody built the right systems underneath them. No repeatable sales process. No marketing engine. No way to run the thing without the founder doing everything. I fix that.
Here's my honest confession: I am significantly better at making money for other people than for myself. Every company I've touched has grown. I'm wired for your win, not mine - which is exactly why you should hire me.
I consult now. I come in, figure out what's broken or missing, and help you build the systems that let the business actually scale - without it all collapsing the moment you take a vacation.
Over 20 years I've been a CMO, a founder, an advisor, and occasionally the cautionary tale. I've built companies that got acquired - great outcomes, great stories. I've also built companies that didn't make it - expensive lessons, zero regrets.
What I've taken from all of it is a deep understanding of what makes a business work at the system level - not just the flashy marketing or the big campaign, but the repeatable infrastructure underneath that lets everything else compound.
I know what it looks like when a business is running on duct tape and founder heroics. I know how to swap that out for something that actually scales - and I know which parts to build first so you don't blow up the whole thing in the process.
Now consulting independently - I come in, assess what's missing, and help you build the systems your business needs to grow without falling apart. Available for fractional, project, and advisory engagements.
I consult and I build systems. No fluff decks, no 90-day roadmaps that collect dust. I come in, figure out what's missing, and help you put the infrastructure in place so the business can actually run.
"I will always do what is right - even when it's the wrong thing for me. That's not a weakness. That's the whole business model." - Matthew Brandenburg
I'm not your typical consultant. I bring humor into rooms that desperately need it. I say the thing nobody else will say. I chase the idea that sounds insane until it doesn't - because that's usually where the real growth is hiding.
But underneath all the energy and the chaos and the car analogies, there's a simple engine running: do right by people, build things that last, and make the number go up. In that order.
Deep operating experience across B2B and B2C, from scrappy startups to enterprise brands.
If your business is running on founder heroics and duct tape, or you're ready to grow and don't have the systems to support it - that's exactly where I come in. I consult, I build, and I tell you the truth even when it's uncomfortable. I'm significantly better at this for you than I've been for myself, and I've fully made peace with that.