The first $1M in enterprise revenue is an architecture problem, not a hustle problem.
I'm Jim Light. For more than 50 years I've built the go-to-market systems that move enterprise technology companies from founder-led selling to repeatable revenue — including a Deloitte Consulting GTM that produced $100M in first-year sales and an EMC system integrator channel that grew to $1B+ in annual revenue. In 90 days, I'll architect yours.
Most early-stage enterprise companies don't have a sales problem. They have a GTM architecture problem.
The pattern is consistent. The product works. A few early deals closed through the founder's network. Then growth stalls — not because the market isn't there, but because nothing under the hood is built to repeat what worked.
There's no defined ICP — just a list of logos that look like a fit. No buyer-aligned messaging — just product features rearranged into slides. No outbound system — just LinkedIn activity. No partner motion — just hopeful conversations. No qualification framework — so every deal feels custom and every forecast is wrong.
This is fixable. It's also not fixable by hiring a VP of Sales and hoping they'll figure it out. The architecture has to exist before the hire.
The 90-Day GTM Architect Engagement
A fixed-scope sprint to install the go-to-market system your next ten enterprise deals will run on.
Days 1–30
Diagnose & Define
- Ideal Customer Profile with named target accounts (accounts, not personas)
- Buyer mapping across CTO, CISO, Cloud Security Architect, DevSecOps, and economic buyer roles
- Value proposition refinement and competitive positioning
- Current pipeline and funnel reality check
Days 31–60
Architect
- Messaging framework by persona and stage
- Multi-channel outbound system: LinkedIn, email, and phone cadences
- Qualification framework (MEDDPICC or fit-for-purpose equivalent)
- Strategic partner and alliance strategy: GSIs, boutique firms, technology partners
- Pricing and packaging review
Days 61–90
Install & Transfer
- Live outbound execution against the named account list
- Sales playbook documentation handed to your team
- Founder coaching on enterprise sales conversations
- First-hire scorecard — so the next person walks into a working system, not a blank page
What you have on Day 90.
- Named-account target list (40–60 accounts, researched)
- Persona-mapped messaging library
- Multi-channel outbound cadences, ready to run
- Qualification and forecasting framework
- Partner strategy with prioritized GSI and boutique targets
- Sales playbook documentation
- First-hire scorecard and interview guide
This engagement is built for a specific moment.
A fit if you're —
- B2B enterprise software, seed through Series A
- Selling into Fortune 1000 or regulated enterprises
- Average contract value $50K+ ACV
- Founder-led sales today, with 1–5 closed deals
- Preparing to hire a first VP of Sales or first AEs
Not a fit:
- SMB or PLG motions with sub-$10K ACV
- Pre-product or pre-design-partner stage
- Looking for a fractional VP of Sales to run your team day-to-day
About Jim Light.
I've spent more than 50 years building the go-to-market systems that turn enterprise technology companies into market leaders. The work has always been the same shape — define who buys, build the system that reaches them, install the partnerships that scale it — across very different stages and categories.
My career started as a systems analyst and programmer in the United States Air Force, including a tour at Cheyenne Mountain as liaison between the Air Force and federal contractors during the Philco-to-Honeywell Multics modernization. From there: Honeywell, Syracuse University systems development, and a decade at Data General — where I joined Tom West's MV/8000 team (the machine Tracy Kidder wrote about in The Soul of a New Machine), earned Salesman of the Year in 1985, and built the federal systems integrator partnerships with CSC, PRC, and Martin Marietta that became the foundation of DG's Federal division.
I crossed from technical pre-sales to enterprise sales at Alliant Computer Systems in 1986, selling to Morgan Stanley for automated trading. Then to Solbourne, where I worked alongside Geoffrey Moore while he was writing Crossing the Chasm — figuring out in real customer conversations what it took to move technical products to business buyers.
At EMC Corporation, I was recruited by the Board of Directors to build the company's system integrator channel from zero. Within five years it generated over $1B in annual revenue. Inside that program, I designed the GTM partnership with Deloitte Consulting that produced $100M in first-year sales, and created the storage-on-demand joint offering with EDS — the largest single solution revenue stream in EMC's history at the time, with $200M in year one and $480M in year two.
At VCE (EMC/Cisco/VMware), I established Vblock as the preferred converged infrastructure for EPIC EHR. The EMC/Dell Healthcare partnership generated over $1B in revenue and accounted for more than 10% of overall VCE revenue.
At Blue Prism, I established GTM partnerships with EY, Deloitte, TCS, CGI, and others; negotiated the AT&T MSA in 14 months (record time, according to AT&T); and expanded Bell Canada and Rogers each to 200+ digital workers in under 18 months.
I founded Optimal Strategies Inc. in 2003 to do this work directly with growth-stage companies, with engagements at Accenture, SAP, Silicon Graphics, NetApp, StorageTek, Hitachi Data Systems, and Agami Systems. Today I'm focused on a small number of B2B enterprise technology companies at the moment in their growth where architecture matters more than activity.
Asked & answered.
Why fixed-scope 90 days instead of a monthly retainer?
Retainers reward presence. Fixed scope rewards outcomes. A 90-day engagement forces clarity on both sides about what gets built and when it ships.
Do you do the selling, or just design the system?
I architect and install. During Days 61–90 I execute live outbound against your named accounts to prove the system works and train your team. After Day 90, your team runs it.
What's the investment?
The 90-day engagement is fixed-fee. Pricing is shared on the fit call once we've confirmed scope and that we're a match. If we're not a fit, I'll tell you on that call.
How many clients do you take at once?
Two to three concurrent engagements, maximum. The work requires depth, not volume.
How is this different from a fractional CRO or VP of Sales?
A fractional executive runs the function. I build the function so someone can run it. Most founders who hire a fractional CRO without first installing the architecture end up paying that executive to build it from scratch.
Book a 30-minute fit call.
No pitch. We spend the call diagnosing where your GTM stands today and whether a 90-day engagement is the right next move. If it's not, I'll tell you what is.
Book the call →