GTM validation for early-stage startups
I help early-stage startups find out if a repeatable sales motion is possible, before you bet on a full-time hire.
I embed full-time inside your company, build the infrastructure, and test your ICP, channels, and messaging against real data, not guesswork. At the end, you get an honest answer: yes, here's the validated motion, or not yet, here's exactly what needs to be true first.
You know you need to be talking to customers systematically. You're just not ready to bet on it.
Here's what the next 30 days actually look like.
How it works
A two-phase engagement, built to answer one question honestly.
Month 1: Foundation & Validation
- Outbound infrastructure. CRM, outbound tooling, email and LinkedIn systems, built from scratch.
- ICP definition. Identifying and testing who the real buyer is, not who the founder assumes it is.
- Channel testing. Email, LinkedIn, cold calls, tested systematically to see what actually gets response.
- Messaging testing. Multiple angles tested against real prospects, not guessed at.
- Conversion testing. Tracking what turns a response into an actual qualified conversation.
Output: a clear, data-backed answer on whether a repeatable sales motion is achievable at this stage, and if so, exactly what that motion looks like.
Month 2+: Scale What Works
- Double down. On the validated ICP and channel, no more testing for testing's sake.
- Refine messaging. Based on real data from Month 1, not new assumptions.
- Build the engine. A repeatable outbound motion that books meetings consistently.
- Weekly reporting. You always know exactly where the pipeline stands.
- Full playbook. Every system and process documented as it's built.
Graduation: the engagement has a natural endpoint. Once the motion is validated and repeatable, I help hire and onboard your first full-time GTM person, and hand over the complete system.
About
I figure out, from zero, whether something repeatable actually exists.
Hey, I'm Shibin. I've spent my career as the person early-stage companies bring in to build sales from nothing, across the US, UK, Europe, and Asia. I help startups figure out if a repeatable sales motion is possible, before they bet on a full-time hire.
Most recently, at a YC startup, I built their outbound infrastructure from zero, tested their ICP, channels, and messaging, and tracked what converted, all in under a month. The data showed they weren't ready to scale a sales motion yet.
"The data showed they weren't ready to scale a sales motion yet."
Before that, I was the founding commercial hire at a UK startup, growing revenue 15x by building a sales team and a repeatable process from scratch, selling primarily across Europe and North America. Earlier, I closed SME and startup founders at a European financial advisory firm.
From zero to a repeatable motion, that's what I help early-stage founders get to.
Who this is for
This isn't for everyone. It works when a few things are already true.
- You can explain your value proposition in 30 seconds.
- Your product is usable today, not six months out.
- Existing users genuinely like it.
- Some founder-led sales has already happened.
If these aren't true yet, outbound won't fix it, and I'll say so rather than take the engagement anyway.
Terms
Scoped per engagement
Priced as risk reduction, not a hire. A few handpicked clients at a time, full intensity on each.
A $120K base salary typically costs a company $150K+ once benefits, payroll tax, and overhead are factored in. This is roughly 4 to 5x less than that fully-loaded cost, priced as risk reduction before you commit to a hire.
Fully-loaded cost includes base salary, benefits, payroll tax, and standard overhead, not just base pay.
FAQ
Questions worth asking before you commit to anything.
Who is this for?
For startups still doing founder-led sales, not yet sure whether they're ready to hire a full-time sales or GTM person.
Can this get us X number of meetings a month?
No. This isn't a lead generation service. The goal is to find out whether a repeatable sales motion is even possible for you, and if it is, hand you a system you can scale with an AE, not just a stack of meetings booked by someone who won't be there in month three.
How long is the engagement?
One month to start. If both sides want to continue, it moves to a 3-month minimum retainer to actually build and scale the motion.
What if we can't build a repeatable sales motion?
Then I tell you honestly. That's the point of month one: a real answer, not a story stretched to keep the contract going. You'll know exactly what needs to be true before hiring makes sense, instead of finding out the expensive way six months into a full-time salary.
Why not just hire an SDR or AE directly?
An SDR runs $70–90K a year, an AE $120K+, before you know if outbound even works for your business. This de-risks that decision for a fraction of the cost and commitment, before you're locked into a salary, equity, and a ramp period.
What do we actually get at the end of month one?
A validated (or invalidated) ICP, tested channels and messaging with real response data, live outbound infrastructure, and a clear verdict on whether to scale, wait, or rethink the approach.
Do you use our team's tools, or bring your own?
I set up and run everything from scratch: CRM, outbound tooling, messaging, using whatever the team already has where it makes sense, so nothing has to be rebuilt later.
What if we already tried outbound and it didn't work?
That's common, and usually the issue is unclear ICP, the wrong channel, or messaging that was never properly tested, not that outbound is impossible for the business. Month one is built to find out which one it actually was.
Are you doing this for other companies at the same time?
Yes, a few handpicked clients each month, not a large roster. Each one gets real, dedicated attention, not a fraction of my time split across dozens of accounts.
How much does this service cost?
Scoped per engagement, and shared once we've talked through your situation. For context, it's a fraction of the cost of an SDR or AE salary, before you even know if outbound works for your business. Month one is a lower-risk way to find out, before you commit to a full-time hire, salary, and equity.