Work with me

If you’re the founder of an open source company and you’re struggling to differentiate your project and product in the competitive ecosystem, I can help. Here are the different ways I work with companies.

  • Positioning. Take the product you have now and find the best market for it. The fastest way to find product-market fit is to work with me.

  • Open source strategy. Use open source to create a competitive advantage and win your market. Don’t “give back,” get ROI from your investment in open source.

We can work either virtually or in person.

Book a discovery call

One hour strategy call — $750

Do you have a problem you’d like to talk through and think I can help you make progress in a one hour call? This option is ideal for situations where you have a specific question or, for example, need to prepare for an event, and want someone who understands open source business models and businesses to help you make progress on a specific issue.

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What people say:

“When I read some of Emily’s articles about open source on LinkedIn, I was surprised and intrigued at how accurate her perspective was. There are a lot of misconceptions and concepts about open source, but she clearly understands what’s going on, and we think a lot alike.

As a rapidly growing Series A startup, we needed help with our positioning but weren’t sure where to start. Although our marketing had evolved over time, we lacked a well-thought-out strategy.

I knew we needed to approach our positioning thoughtfully and make sure we did everything right because we had a lot riding on this. It made sense to reach out to Emily and mind-meld with someone who could help navigate our positioning process.

Her workshop was unique because we ended up with a positioning canvas, a set of opinions, a point of view, a positioning statement, and a breakdown of how our features meshed into that statement. She walked us through a set of questions, acted as project manager, and helped us reach consensus.

We left with an artifact, surprising new discoveries, and a written distillation of the workshop. Emily did an excellent job of managing the team, making them feel heard, and getting people on the same page. Ultimately, as CEO, I felt like I was able to absorb the final result and make it my own. My team walked away feeling the same way because everything just made sense.

Emily was the first moment where we actually had positioning and a clear point of view. She helped us understand the importance of the language we use to describe our brand, products, and services.

Customers may have a visceral sense of what you do, but they’re going to use the language you give them. If that language is in the wrong category, or is too complex, or doesn’t convey the value your customer will receive, they’ll be communicating convoluted phrases to everyone down the line who needs to hear clear reasons for working with you. This includes their procurement department, their managers, and the person who signs your contract.

With the shift in positioning and language used to describe our products and services, we’ve received a lot more calls from customers who are speaking the same language as we do. This has resulted in an improved conversion rate in terms of demos booked. If you’re looking for someone to help you get your positioning signed, sealed, and delivered, Emily is well worth the investment.”

— Mike McNeil, CEO, Fleet

Check out more testimonials here.

Are you the founder of an open source company who feels like you can't make a good case for why someone should choose you over the competition? Do you struggle to explain how the project and product are related to each other and why someone should choose one over the other? We should talk. Send me an email or fill out the form below.