--- title: Go-to-Market Partner for Startups | Groove GTM description: AI gives your marketing team speed. We give it a leader. Groove GTM’s frameworks, playbooks, and coaching turn first marketing hires into growth leaders. image: https://groovegtm.com/hubfs/Grayson-RDSW-Closeup-Social_1200x627.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://groovegtm.com#main-content) ![Groove GTM logo](https://groovegtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/10-2025_GrooveGTM-Logo-Primary_Web.png?width=633&height=113&name=10-2025_GrooveGTM-Logo-Primary_Web.png) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Contact us](https://groovegtm.com/#contact-us) [Contact us](https://groovegtm.com/?hsLang=en#contact-us) # AI gives your marketing team speed. We give it a leader. ## As your team adds AI, someone still has to set the strategy, hold the creative vision, and tell the story. Groove GTM coaches your first marketing hire to be that leader. [Book an intro call](https://groovegtm.com#contact-us) ![Groove GTM founder, Grayson Leverenz, delivering a keynote on marketing and customer satisfaction.](https://groovegtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grayson-Speaking-AIS_1200x800.jpg?width=1200&height=800&name=Grayson-Speaking-AIS_1200x800.jpg) ## The “yes, and” approach In our experience, building a startup looks a lot like creating an improv scene. Two words: "yes, and." You take the idea in front of you and build on it without missing a beat.   You want to move fast, and you shouldn't have to wait two months for a perfect strategy before anything ships. So we approach the work in that spirit. *Yes*, we build your foundations (your ideal customer, brand story, messaging, and digital channels), *and* we work with your team to launch its first 3:1 Flow campaign at the same time. We roll up our sleeves with your first marketing hire, doing the work together and teaching them to do it themselves. That includes the marketing strategy, creative vision, and storytelling that humans still bring to the table.  *Yes*, we build AI into how they work, *and* we teach them how to use it as part of the team. Every campaign gets sharper as the foundations and the 3:1 Flow come together. It's the same approach our founder has used to help startups grow from $1M to $70M while spending less than 1% of revenue on paid ads. Because when your first marketing hire grows, your whole business does too. [Book an intro call](https://groovegtm.com#contact-us) ## Why Groove GTM? > ### Scot Wingo, serial entrepreneur and GP at Triangle Tweener Fund: > > ### “Grayson cut her consumer brand teeth at J+J, then ran GTM at a B2B SaaS company, and most recently spent eight years as Spiffy’s CMO. Grayson's GTM skills run both 'deep and wide', but if I had to pick, her strongest skill, the foundation is storytelling. Her content marketing strategies paid huge dividends for Spiffy, driving significant organic traffic and topline growth, all while spending less than 1% of revenues on digital advertising. The extra bonus is she's able to leverage her skills on both consumer and B2B GTM.”   ![Scot Wingo, serial founder and investor, shares a testimonial about Groove GTM founder, Grayson Leverenz. ](https://groovegtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Scot-Wingo_1080x1080.jpg?width=350&height=350&name=Scot-Wingo_1080x1080.jpg) ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a go-to-market operating partner? A go-to-market operating partner works inside your company to build your marketing engine alongside your team — typically a first marketing hire — then steps back once they can run it. The term comes from venture capital, where experienced operating partners often help portfolio companies scale. We bring the frameworks, playbooks, and hands-on leadership; your team builds the skills and keeps them. ### How is that different from an agency, a fractional CMO, or a consultant? Agencies and fractional CMOs do the work for you; consultants hand you a deck and leave you to execute. Groove GTM does the work *with* your team and teaches them along the way. The goal is a first marketing hire who grows into a confident leader so you don't need a long-term dependency on outside help. ### Who is Groove GTM for? Groove GTM is for founders and CEOs at seed to Series B companies who have hired a first or early marketer with lots of potential and limited experience. We work with B2B and B2C companies across the US from our base in Durham, NC. ### How long does an engagement last? Engagements typically run 6 to 18 months across three stages: Building Foundations, Running Campaigns, and Ongoing Mentoring. We work closely with your team at the start, then downshift as their skills grow. ### What happens first? Every engagement starts with Building Foundations. First comes brand: your ideal customer profile and personas, brand story and messaging, and a campaign calendar. Then digital: audits of your website, social, email, paid search, and AI findability. Meanwhile, we launch the first campaign with your team using our 3:1 Flow. ### What is the 3:1 Flow? The 3:1 Flow is Groove GTM's four-week campaign loop: Launch, Amplify, Convert, Optimize. Week 1 launches the campaign across every channel, week 2 amplifies it, week 3 drives conversion, and week 4 optimizes with reporting and planning for the next cycle. It keeps a lean team shipping consistently without burning out. ### How do you help my marketing team use AI? We build AI into how your team works so they punch above their experience level from day one. That means AI-powered systems for research, content and campaign operations, as well as content written for people and structured to be found and cited by AI search engines. ### Do you work with B2B or B2C companies? Both. Our founder, Grayson Leverenz, started in consumer brand marketing at Johnson & Johnson, ran go-to-market at a B2B SaaS company, and spent eight years as CMO of Spiffy, which sells to consumers and businesses. Because the fundamentals are the same: people respond to stories, delight, and human connection, we work across categories and industries. ### What does it cost? Engagements are priced monthly by stage: Building Foundations is $12,000 a month, Running Campaigns is $10,000 a month, and Ongoing Mentoring is $1,000 a month. Most engagements run 6 to 18 months in total. Movement through stages depends on the needs of the business and the team. ## Let's find your groove. > Grayson is that rare blend of marketing leader who is both strategic and excels at execution. She is a rare gem among CMOs, one of the toughest jobs in the growth company C-suite. > > > > \- Mariann McDonagh, Operating Partner at Edison Partners [![Groove Go-to-Market logo](https://groovegtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Groove-GTM_Primary-Logo-Coor.png?width=250&height=88&name=Groove-GTM_Primary-Logo-Coor.png "Groove Go-to-Market logo")](https://groovegtm.com/?hsLang=en) I love helping marketers grow. It’s really that simple. Building brands, driving demand, and developing confident, impactful leaders - that's my groove. Ready to find yours? **Pages** Home Services Portfolio About Contact FAQ Landing Page Thank You **Let's connect** [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/graysonleverenz/) Copyright © 2026, Groove GTM ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "description" : "Groove GTM is a go-to-market operating partner that helps founders turn their first marketing hire into a growth leader, with frameworks, playbooks and hands-on leadership.", "founder" : { "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#grayson" }, "logo" : "https://groovegtm.com/hubfs/10-2025_GrooveGTM-Logo-Primary_Web.png", "name" : "Groove GTM", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/graysonleverenz/" ], "url" : "https://groovegtm.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#service", "@type" : "ProfessionalService", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Durham", "addressRegion" : "NC" }, "areaServed" : "United States", "description" : "Scalable frameworks, proven marketing playbooks and hands-on leadership that support first marketing hires and develop marketers who drive growth.", "image" : "https://groovegtm.com/hubfs/Grayson-Speaking-AIS_1200x800.jpg", "knowsAbout" : [ "Go-to-market strategy", "Marketing team development", "Coaching first marketing hires", "Campaign planning", "Answer engine optimization", "AI in marketing", "B2B marketing", "Consumer marketing" ], "name" : "Groove GTM", "parentOrganization" : { "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#organization" }, "serviceType" : "Go-to-market operating partner", "url" : "https://groovegtm.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#grayson", "@type" : "Person", "alumniOf" : [ { "@type" : "CollegeOrUniversity", "name" : "Wake Forest University" }, { "@type" : "CollegeOrUniversity", "name" : "UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School" } ], "image" : "https://groovegtm.com/hubfs/Grayson-Speaking-AIS_1200x800.jpg", "jobTitle" : "Founder", "name" : "Grayson Leverenz", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/graysonleverenz/" ], "worksFor" : { "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#organization" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "name" : "Groove GTM", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://groovegtm.com/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://groovegtm.com/#faq", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "A go-to-market operating partner works inside your company to build your marketing engine alongside your team — typically a first marketing hire — then steps back once they can run it. 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