Garrett Jestice

Community Founder | Startup GTM Advisor | Former CMO | BBQ Judge | Dad x4

Most founders hit a wall around $1M in annual revenue. Growth slows, sales feel random, and marketing turns into a guessing game.

I help B2B startups and agencies build a repeatable go-to-market system that attracts the right customers, shortens sales cycles, and replaces random acts of revenue with consistent results.

My process focuses on four GTM foundations:

1. Audience: Who you’re built to serve
2. Offers: What you package and sell
3. Messaging: How you tell your story
4. Channels: Where you consistently reach buyers

When these four pieces are clear and connected, growth compounds instead of stalling.

That’s the focus of my GTM Advisory work at Prelude Marketing. It’s an ongoing partnership to clarify your strategy, refine your positioning, and align sales and marketing around one system that works.

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I also run 10x Solo, a private community for full-time consultants, fractionals, advisors, and micro-agency owners who want to scale income without growing a big team. Inside, we participate in peer pods, growth challenges, and systems that make independent businesses simpler and stronger.

If you’re building your own solo business and want clarity, accountability, and a network of peers doing the same, 10x Solo is where that happens.

My background:
• Built Lucidpress from launch to acquisition, where I led the marketing team (2015–2021)
• Tripled revenue at Eddy as CMO, launched an award-winning community, and was named Utah Business Marketer of the Year. (2021–2023)
• Now helping founders and solos build consistent, scalable growth on their own terms

Connect:
👉 Learn about GTM Advisory → PreludeMarketing.com
👉 Apply to join 10x Solo → 10xSolo.com

GTM Advisor / Fractional CMO

Startup Marketers is a free, Slack community for startup marketing leaders, freelancers, and fractionals. If that sounds like you, join us to connect with others and share ideas, feedback, and resources to help us all get better.

Join us here: https://bit.ly/StartupMarketers

If restaurants were like B2B SaaS, we would be in big trouble…

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You walk into a restaurant and ask to look at the menu.

The host replies, “I'm sorry. We can’t show you the menu yet. We need to confirm your dining intent score.”

A Menu Qualification Rep appears with a clipboard.

They ask for your annual dining budget, your cuisine ICP, your urgency level, and whether you’re the real decision-maker or if it’s actually your wife.
(Of course it’s her.)

After a 15-minute interrogation, they say, “Great news. You’re now an SQD. (Sales Qualified Diner.) A waiter will call you in 3 to 5 business days.”

Four days later, someone calls.
You tell them you’re hungry.

The waiter asks if they can “walk you through a short, 45-minute curated menu experience” and show you only the dishes they think you’ll care about.

Would you eat here?
Me neither.

But this is exactly what buying software feels like when companies hide their product behind calls, forms, and slow follow-up.

Interactive demos exist so buyers can see the food before they ever enter the funnel.

But most teams avoid them because they assume they’re too painful to build.

That’s why Guideflow caught my attention when Gab Bujold told me about it.

It's ranked the number one easiest demo automation platform on G2, and after trying it myself, I can see why. 

You can turn your product into a guided, clickable demo in minutes. (Seriously, so fast and easy.)

Quit selling your software like it’s 2010.
If buyers can’t understand what you do in 30 seconds, they won’t stick around.

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Now the fun part:

What would you name this fictional restaurant?
Trust Us Tavern? Soc2 Sushi? Funnel & Fork?

Funniest name wins 1,000 points. Go. 👇


#sponsored

I’m grateful this Thanksgiving for something I never want to take for granted.

I get to work from home while my kids are still young.

There’s a basket on the shelf in my office filled with notes they’ve pushed under the door while I was on calls.

There’s a sticky note on my monitor that says “I ❤️ U dad!” from my daughter.

There’s usually a drawing on the whiteboard on my wall from whoever wandered in last.

None of it shows up in a dashboard, but it’s the part of self-employment I value most.

It beats every office perk I’ve ever had. Even the good ones. (Talking to you, Free Pizza Fridays. 😉 🍕 )

I know a lot of people don’t get this setup. 

I’m grateful I do, especially right now, in this stretch of life where my kids still think it’s fun to interrupt me.

What’s something about your work you’re thankful for this year?

Every solo or fractional I know runs into the same two growth problems.

First: How do I get enough leads to replace my old salary? That’s the survival stage.

Then the next one shows up: How do I grow without trading time for money?

I wanted to see how common that really is.
So I ran a short survey for solos, fractionals, and consultants recently.

Here’s what stood out.
→ 68% said generating consistent leads was their biggest challenge.
→ 58% said growing revenue without trading time for money.
→ 32% said delivering work more efficiently.
→ 26% said deciding the long-term direction.
→ 16% said designing or pricing scalable offers.
→ 10% said closing sales.

When I broke it down by revenue stage, the pattern was clear:
→ Under $100K = fighting for leads.
→ $100K–$250K+ = fighting for leverage.

It’s a simple path.
First you fight for clients.
Then you fight for leverage.

Most people jump to hiring and building an agency.

That works for some, but not for everyone.

I decided I don’t want my job to be recruiting and project management.

So I’m exploring leverage that doesn’t depend on headcount.

If you’re a solo, how have you solved the lead problem? Where are you finding leverage next?

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P.S. We're nearly up to 50 members in the 10x Solo community. If you're a solo consultant, fractional, or boutique agency owner looking for leads or leverage, we'd love to have you join us. Learn more and apply at 10xsolo.com.

The usual advice for solos and agencies is to “just niche down.” 

Pick a vertical. Pick an industry. Pick a lane.

But with a bit of experience, you realize that approach rarely works.

Industry niches are crowded, arbitrary, and built around you rather than what buyers actually hire you to solve.

That was the focus of our Growth Workshop last week in 10x Solo with Joe Daniels 📦. 

He showed why use-case positioning creates far more leverage for solos than picking a vertical ever will.

Clients look for help when a specific job becomes painful or urgent. They want someone who can fix that job quickly, cleanly, and with fewer risks than doing it themselves.

Joe walked us through his Use Case Canvas to map this out:
→ what triggers buyers to seek help
→ the job they believe they’re hiring for
→ the real alternative you compete against
→ the gaps in that alternative
→ how your approach addresses those gaps
→ the features and benefits that fall out of your method

His point was clear. 

When solos position around a use case, their offer gets sharper. 
Their message gets clearer. 
Their sales process becomes simpler. 
And their work becomes easier to deliver.

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Interested in joining future Growth Workshops like this one? We do one a month in the 10x Solo community. Join us. 

Agencies and solos: Need help with defining your own use case and messaging? Talk to Joe Daniels 📦

I recently spoke with a founder who was frustrated:

“When we get people on a call the lightbulbs go off. But before that, we just get blank stares.”

When we unpacked it, the problem was clear.

Their messaging was stuck at 10,000 ft, summarizing the one big problem they solve across all customer segments.

But customers rarely think at that level.

They think at the project or use case level.
They care about the immediate pain right in front of them.

So when you talk at the high-level “industry problem,” their eyes glaze over.

But when you talk about their specific project and the pains they feel trying to solve it, that’s when the lightbulbs go off.

This is also why trying to solve too many use cases at once waters down your messaging.

It forces you to climb in altitude, making it harder for buyers to connect.

The fix?
 → Anchor messaging in a single, specific use case.
 → Speak in your customer’s language.
 → Keep altitude low enough that it feels real, not abstract.

The right altitude is the difference between blank stares and instant clarity.

Where have you seen messaging altitude trip companies up the most?

Many founders think the hardest part of positioning is describing what they do.

It is not.

The hardest part is usually choosing the right problem to hang your business on in the first place.

On a call this week, I said something I find myself repeating often:

If your buyer does not already believe the problem you solve is connected to the outcome they want, the sale becomes ten times harder.

You cannot manufacture that connection.
You either meet them where they are or you pick a different problem.

And this is where most teams get stuck.

They pick a problem that sounds smart but has no urgency.
Or a problem the market does not search for.
Or a problem buyers do not feel deeply enough to pay for.
Or a problem that is real but impossible to describe without a lecture.

Not all problems are worth solving.
And not all problems are worth trying to market.

Finding the right one takes time.
It takes dozens of conversations with the buyers you want.
It takes testing language in the wild and watching what sticks.
It takes cutting ideas you like, but the market does not care about.

When you finally land on the right problem, everything snaps into place.
Your messaging gets simpler.
Your offer becomes obvious.
Sales cycles shorten.
Demand becomes easier to create.

To help you get there, I am sharing a simple diagnostic I often use.

It helps you isolate the one high-stakes problem your business should solve.

What problem are you hanging your business on right now, and how confident are you that buyers feel it the way you think they do?

Problem Focus Diagnostic for Founders

A week ago, I launched something new.

A weekly newsletter for 10x Solo.

The idea came from a simple pattern I kept seeing.

Every independent consultant I talk to is sharp, capable, and experienced.

But almost all of us are navigating big decisions alone.

What should I sell?
How should I structure my work?
How do I grow without creating a job I don’t want?

I’ve spent the past three-plus years trying every model myself.

Fractional leadership. Advisory. Coaching. Productized consulting. Even early attempts at an agency.

Each version taught me what creates freedom and energy and what quietly erodes them.

That’s why I built the 10x Solo community.

A place for independents to compare notes and build smarter businesses without chasing someone else’s blueprint.

The newsletter is just an extension of that work. Two practical ideas each month to help you sharpen your positioning, strengthen your offers, and build leverage in your business.

Just what’s working for solos who want to grow without giving up the freedom that pulled them into this path in the first place.

If you want a clearer, saner path to solo growth, I'd love for you to join us here:

10xSolo.Substack.com

What topics would you want me to cover in future issues?

Open article: The 10x Solo Newsletter | Garrett Jestice | Substack by 10xsolo.substack.com

The 10x Solo Newsletter | Garrett Jestice | Substack

I was on a call last week with a fractional leader who said something I’ve heard a hundred times this year:

“I just need more at-bats.”

He was stuck in the same cycle that many founders fall into:

Posting. 
Commenting. 
Hoping for referrals and inbounds.

Then he said the quiet part out loud:

“I don’t actually have a system for referrals. I just hope they happen.”

That’s the real problem.

Most solos, agencies, and startups treat referrals like rain:

Nice when they show up.
But completely out of their control.

The smartest founders build systems that turn referrals from occasional rain into a reliable irrigation system.

They know the warmest opportunities aren’t out in the wild but in their existing network.

After our call, I pointed this leader to something that Dan Englander wrote for my newsletter last week.

Dan’s built referral engines for 200+ agencies, and his core idea is simple:
→ Stop asking, “Do you know anyone?”
→ Start asking, “Can you help me connect with these three people?”

It removes all the homework.
It turns vague goodwill into specific intros.
And it gives your network something they’re happy to do: help without thinking.

The truth is, you don’t need more random LinkedIn activity.

You need a repeatable way to activate the trust you've already earned.

If you want the step-by-step process Dan shared, including how he builds referral maps, connector lists, and intro templates, it’s in the newsletter:

https://lnkd.in/g56-snew

Do you have a referral system, or are you still relying on luck?

GTM Advisor helping B2B startups grow without guessing

Open article: How to Scale Your Agency with Systematic Referrals: A Complete Implementation Guide by gtmfoundations.substack.com

How to Scale Your Agency with Systematic Referrals: A Complete Implementation Guide

Most of us don’t need bigger goals. We need clearer wins. Visible momentum.

Inside 10x Solo, we run Weekly Growth Challenges to create that.
One focused action. Under an hour. Done by Friday.

This gives us one small win to stack each week.

This week’s challenge is tied to Thanksgiving.

It’s a natural moment to slow down and notice what’s actually working.

So the challenge is simple:

Every night, write down three wins from your day. Doesn't matter if they are big or small. Personal or work-related.

The idea comes from the book "The Gap and The Gain" and helps shift your attention from what’s missing to what’s improving.

You’ll start spotting things you normally overlook:
→ A client who trusted you
→ Advice that landed at the right moment
→ A small win that confirmed you’re on the right path

Do it each night.
Review the list on Friday.
You’ll see more progress than you think.

If you want to join me in this one, go for it.
No need to be in the community.

And if you want to share your reflection at the end of the week, DM me. I’d love to hear it.

Growth Challenge: Focus on the Gain

Harvard Business Review

Harvard Business Review Advisory Board Member

TAB Bank

Transformed TAB Bank’s Marketing department and processes that lead to consecutive record revenues for the bank in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Owned the P&L for marketing, reducing marketing waste by 30% while still increasing overall ROI by 4x in the first year by creating efficiencies and eliminating waste in our tech stack. Created all new department processes that codified the record success into the business and created a repeatable playbook for future launches.

Success Examples:
• Marketing led TAB Bank in having its best year ever in its history, beating our previous record by 54%.
• Generated 10x ROAS within first 10 months of launch of our go-to-market strategy for our lending products.
• Increased sales pipeline from $20M to over $230M in two years.
• Leveraged detailed customer insights that helped us shattered annual deposit goal by $218M ($230M vs $12M) with new focus on value added steps to the consumers.
• Increased new account opens by 700% for Treasury Management Services
• Lowered CAC for deposit products by 75% and over 90% for lending products.

Awards won:
• Named by Utah Business Magazine as their 2022 Marketer of the Year
• Content Marketing Award by Content Marketing Association 2021.
• MARCOM Platinum award in Strategic Communication, Marketing/Promotion and Digital Marketing. 2022.
• Marketing Sherpa Case Study of the success of the Working Capital marketing campaign.
• Spoken at over 50 conferences and events including American Banker, Social Media Week
• Published peer reviewed marketing journal and case study on success of our TMS campaign

VP of Marketing

Weber State University

Experienced Adjunct Professor having taught over 500 students in digital marketing and marketing strategies.

Adjunct Professor Of Marketing

American Red Cross

Board Member

Ensign College 

As a faculty member in the Digital Marketing Department at Ensign College, I work to guide students in understanding how to effectively use digital marketing in relation to commerce, customer service, advertising and marketing strategy. 
I've taught the following courses within the program: 
DM105 – Introduction to Digital Marketing
DM120 – Digital Web Strategy
SMM130 – Content
SMM140 – Web Design/SEO
DM150 – Digital Analytics
DM160 – Social Media Advertising & Advocacy

Served in roles as faculty mentor to adjunct faculty members and faculty mentor for the Student Writing and Publishing Services group.

A former member of the Digital Marketing Advisory Board at LDS Business College.

Professor: Digital Marketing at Ensign College

Westminster College

As an adjunct faculty member in the Communications Department at Westminster College, I work to introduce students into the life of marketing and shift their roles of being a consumer of marketing to someone who is actively creating it.  I currently teach the Principles of Advertising Course at the college.

Epic Marketing

I help businesses get digital advertising to work for them. I help manage over $250K+ in monthly ad spend across Facebook, AdWords, Youtube and LinkedIn but in reality, I simply help shape and tell our client's stories and connect them with their customers. Simple as that. 

I work with some of the best marketers in the business and we come together to provide full stack marketing services for our clients. Of course I utilize my skill sets in digital marketing, content writing, social media marketing, PPC, hyper-targeting and organic growth to help fulfill this but ultimately we're a team that bridges clients to their customers.   

Want to see how the magic happens and some of the amazing results we have had so far?  Check us out at marketingepic.com

Director of Digital Marketing

KSL 5 TV

I help tell stories of amazing individuals within the state of Utah and help KSL convey the important news stories of the day via social media. 

We do this by being crazy focused on insights pulled from data and systematizing our processes so that we can create replicate results throughout the enterprise.  In short, we tell stories through data. 

• Lead KSL to #1 social media ranking among all media outlets in the state of Utah 
(24 million monthly reach/ over 5 million monthly engagements)

• Implemented “$1 a Day” media inception strategy that lead to multiple viral videos for less than $100 each.

• Increased Instagram engagement by over 300% with a current 85% market share.

• Increased Facebook engagement by over 20% with a current 30% market share.

• Lead social media training for newsroom anchors/reporters/producers on best practices and overall strategies.

• Managed over 60 social media accounts across 4 social media platforms.

• Created e-mail capture campaigned that generated over 8,000 new e-mails in one week

Director of Social Media

Huntinghouse Media

Huntinghouse Media was a full service, influencer marketing agency working with clients from Amazon, Nintento, WWE and Mattel. 

Success Examples:
•	Generated a database of over 900 influencers. 
•	Launched a Black Friday campaign for Amazon that generated 11X ROI
•	Created and launched influencer campaign for the Polynesian Cultural Center:
	Campaign generated over 20,000 leads at a cost of $2.5/lead
•	Generated over 20 million organic video views for clients.
•	Launched email campaign that generated over 20,000 emails for LDS SMILE on a budget of $500

Founder/CEO

Intermountain Healthcare

Led strategic planning and growth meetings for the DNA Biorepository in acquiring new processes and capabilities	

Developed DNA Lab’s 1 and 5 year forecast and business model. 

Performed SWOT analysis to understand and assess market environment, competitors and opportunities for	growth for the lab. 

Generated best and worst case cost analysis of current and proposed lab processes.

Recommended strategies for product/product development to meet future demand.

Estimated impact of proposed strategies on market share and sample processing. 

Proposed capital investment recommendations and overview to coincide with the development of current and proposed processes within the lab.  

Performed financial analysis containing key financial indicators and basic metrics to determine feasibility of new proposed processes and lab personnel.  

Redesigned and implemented new database, storage system and workflow within the lab leading to a reduction of 30% in turnaround time and 50% in material costs. 

Currently managing the DNA & Plasma Biorepository in the Cardiovascular Research Department with over 100,000 samples.

Manages and tracks the progress of approximately 10 – 20 studies during any given time period.

Manages and directs the training and workload of the approximately 10 - 15 individuals in the lab. 

Routinely collaborates with a variety of individuals from differing background and skill sets to perform experiments ranging from hospital administrators and physicians to entry level technicians. 

Directs and manages all marketing efforts for the biorepository. 

Written over 15 different abstracts and papers that have been published in various medical journals. 

Extensive work with word processing, presentation, spreadsheets and database applications.
Performs data and statistical analysis on studies prior to publication.

CV Genetic Researcher

With over 16 years of experience in B2B and B2C marketing, I am an award-winning and published marketing executive who drives record results for high-growth startups and established brands. As the VP of Marketing at TAB Bank, I lead a team of marketing professionals who are passionate about transforming the banking industry with innovative and customer-centric solutions.

I have a strong background in data analytics, digital marketing, demand generation, branding, content marketing, marketing strategy, influencer marketing, account based marketing, and event based marketing. I have implemented best-in-class marketing processes that have led to numerous award-winning campaigns and increased revenue, ROI, and market share for TAB Bank. I have also spoken at over 50 conferences and events, sharing my insights and expertise on marketing trends and best practices.

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Garrett Jestice

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The Battle

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