A strategic GTM reset for Arise Energy
INDUSTRY
Energy
COMPANY STAGE
Seed
ENGAGEMENT
5 months
When I joined the team to cover a maternity leave, the company had been running a predominantly ad-driven GTM motion for its digital energy procurement marketplace. Despite steady investment, traction was limited.
Before changing tactics, we stepped back to evaluate a more fundamental question: were the assumptions behind their ideal buyer actually sound?
How it started
Arise Energy built their software around a critical assumption: The ideal customer doesn’t need an energy broker.
Rather than optimizing around that belief, we paused. If this assumption was wrong — or only partially true — no amount of ad tuning would fix the underlying issue.
The “hold on, wait a minute” moment
To pressure-test the assumption, we ran a focused customer interview program aimed at understanding:
When and why businesses turn to brokers
Where brokers add real value and where they don’t
What types of buyers are comfortable self-serving vs. seeking guidance
The interviews revealed the underlying emotional and operational risks that buyers associate with energy procurement.
Re-grounding in customer reality
With these insights in hand, I led an Amazon-style PRFAQ workshop alongside the co-founder and CTO with the goal of achieving company alignment.
Together, we worked through:
The real problem Arise Energy is uniquely positioned to solve
Who that problem is most painful for (and who it isn’t)
Why this problem is worth solving now
What success looks like from the customer’s point of view
By forcing clarity at the narrative level, we aligned product, marketing, and leadership around a shared definition of value.
From insight to alignment: The PRFAQ
What began as maternity leave coverage evolved into a strategic reset. By the end of the engagement, Arise Energy had:
A sharper, more realistic view of its ideal customer profile
Clearer positioning rooted in buyer motivation, not internal assumptions
Leadership alignment around why the product exists, not just how it’s sold
A foundation to rebuild GTM strategy beyond paid acquisition alone