--- title: Go-to-Market Partner for First Marketing Hires | 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) ![10-2025\_GrooveGTM-Logo-Primary\_Web](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) ![Grayson-Speaking-AIS\_1200x800](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 My 20+ years working with Founders has taught me that two things can be true: the path to scale feels both exciting and overwhelming. How do you scale without burning too much cash, make the right hires, and stay focused on what actually drives growth? Hiring experienced GTM leaders full-time is expensive. Many consultants offer strategy without rolling up their sleeves to drive action. Your best bet feels like an early to mid-career hire with a ton of potential, but what do you do about their limited experience? And how do you keep up with a market moving faster than any one person can track? That’s where Groove GTM comes in. As your Go-to-Market Operating Partner, I help lean marketing teams move with purpose and build traction fast by aligning marketing with your mission, building your brand, and launching impactful campaigns. I also build AI into how your team works, so they punch above their experience level from day one. With proven frameworks, tactical playbooks, hands-on leadership, and AI-powered systems, I’ve helped startups grow from $1M to $70M while spending less than 1% of revenue on paid ads. My “yes, and” approach ignites go-to-market momentum and builds a strong foundation for long-term growth. Your first marketing hire will grow into a confident leader who can think strategically, move fast, and deliver results. Whether you're building in B2B or B2C, Groove GTM helps you turn early hires into growth leaders — equipped with the tools, instincts, and AI leverage to compete at the next level. Because when your first marketing hire grows, your whole business does too. ## 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\_1080x1080](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 potential but 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 15 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. We launch your first campaign 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 15 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 [![](https://groovegtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Groove-GTM_Primary-Logo-Coor.png?width=250&height=88&name=Groove-GTM_Primary-Logo-Coor.png)](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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We launch your first campaign using our 3:1 Flow." }, "name" : "What happens first?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "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." }, "name" : "What is the 3:1 Flow?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "We build AI into how your team works so they punch above their experience level from day one. 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