Startup product help from someone who’s done the work

Low-risk, high-value fractional product leadership that starts delivering on day one.

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Who I work with

I partner with early-stage B2B startups with sales-led models, typically Seed through Series B, often already generating millions in revenue, looking to grow without losing momentum.

These companies usually:

  • Sell into mid- and upmarket accounts with five–seven figure contracts and long deal cycles

  • Have founders or execs who are strong sellers, operators, or technologists, but not from product backgrounds

  • Run small product teams (0–3 ICs) that need clarity, structure, and direction

You might sense a product gap but can’t quite define it—or you’ve considered hiring full-time leadership but hesitate due to cost, risk, or uncertainty about what “good” looks like.

For these situations, I embed part-time, just enough to understand the business, then bring the clarity, discipline, and structure needed to help leadership and teams work together effectively.

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How I work as a product leader

Every engagement can be open-ended and custom designed around your goals, team, and stage. Think of my work across two spectrums:

Depth of engagement

Advisor
Fractional

  • Advisor: Work directly with founders and executives to clarify strategy and make product decisions without being part of day-to-day operations.

  • Fractional (embedded): As a fractional product leader, I join your team part-time, working alongside your existing team—in meetings, Slack, and roadmap discussions, just like an in-house teammate.

Focus of work

Strategic
Tactical

  • Strategic: Setting product vision, defining long-term goals, shaping org design, and connecting product decisions to business outcomes that drive growth.

  • Tactical: Improving product operations, refining process and communication, aligning teams around clear priorities, and ensuring roadmaps translate into real progress.

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Why founders hire me

I spent 10 years leading B2B and B2B2C SaaS products at early- and growth-stage startups. Most recently, I led a 0→1 product line at Truepic, a digital content verification platform backed by Microsoft and Adobe. Before that, I owned a $50M playback product line at JW Player, and helped then-series A PowerToFly pivot upmarket to serve the Fortune 500.

I’m known for my pattern matching, organization, judgement, and truth-telling. I also bring a technical mindset, which helps me earn trust.

Learn more about me
A smiling woman, Alicia Hurst, with long blonde hair, wearing glasses and a striped shirt, standing against a plain light background.

That’s high praise

“I have a newfound appreciation for your level of knowledge and management skill, and it was truly a privilege working with you.”

Screenshot of JW Player setup interface showing a video titled "Hiking on the Edge": an epic shot of a man hiking on the edge of a mountain during a colorful sunset. The interface includes options for player size, playback settings, and media preloading.
Screenshot of a webpage titled 'Sales/Assistance with phones' showing a list of candidates, including Mercedes Ledesma, with their location, profile picture, and brief description. The right side displays Mercedes Ledesma’s profile, skills, experience, and contact information.

“I wish you were my PM!”

View work highlights

FAQs about fractional product consulting

    • I operate as an independent LLC

    • Invoice monthly with net-30 terms

    • Engagements are flexible — you can start or stop with just 7 days’ notice

    • I’m available for anywhere from 1 to 20 hours per week, depending on your needs

    • Pricing is hourly and depends on the level of engagement and scope

    You can learn even more about fractional in my blog post.

  • I work with enterprise B2B companies selling into mid-market through Fortune 500 accounts, with high-value (five-plus figure) contracts and complex buying processes. In many cases, the buyer is not the product’s end user. I also have deep experience in B2B2C developer-implemented technology — products sold to businesses but ultimately experienced by the consumer.

    If your company falls outside of this, but it is technical, complex, or requires strong customer discovery and prioritization, there’s a good chance I can help.

  • Yes. If hiring is part of your long-term plan, I can help define roles, vet candidates, design interviews, and onboard them so they’re set up for success.

  • Yes. Fractional isn’t only for teams without product leadership. Sometimes staff augmentation in the form of another senior product leader—a right-hand partner who can plug gaps, challenge blind spots, or take on high-leverage work—is exactly what the team needs. In this way, it’s about reinforcing leadership rather than replacing it.

    I can work with existing product leadership as someone experienced enough to lighten the load, bring perspective, and help the existing team breathe again.

  • Most of my work is remote, but I can meet in person in NYC and travel for key workshops, kickoffs, or strategy sessions.

    I keep east coast hours and am typically available between 9:30am-6:30pm Monday through Friday.

  • I share my full pricing framework openly, including a calculator to see how different variables affect the rate for your engagement. Click here to visit my transparent rates page.

  • If I have availability, we can usually begin within 1–3 weeks.

Let’s talk about your product challenges

I offer a free intro call to swap ideas, share perspective, and explore whether working together makes sense.

Contact me