Guidance for brands at complex growth stages
Most brands don’t have a talent or effort problem.
They have a complexity problem.
Strategy, ownership, and operations haven’t kept up with the scale of the business. Priorities compete, decisions get revisited, and functions pull in different directions.
Somewhere between the planning session and the quarterly review, momentum quietly leaks out of the business. The organization is capable, it’s just no longer operating as one connected system.
That’s where 41 Summits comes in.
Three Expeditions
Consumer brands navigating complex growth typically find themselves constrained by one of three causes of strain: strategy that hasn’t kept pace with the market, ownership structures that haven’t kept pace with the team, or operations that haven’t kept pace with the complexity.
Each expedition is scoped to one of those constraints so the work starts in the right place rather than trying to fix everything at once.
Strategy Alignment
The commercial strategy that got you here isn’t moving the business forward the way it used to. Channels are underperforming, priorities are unclear, or you’re spreading capital across too many bets without a clear logic holding them together.
Ownership Architecture
The business is growing but it’s not clear who owns what at the next level. Swim lanes haven’t been defined, decisions keep floating back up, and the leadership structure that exists was built for where the business was – not where it’s going. The next stage requires defining what those roles actually are, delegating real authority into them, and resisting the pull to stay the hero of every decision.
Operating Rhythms
The strategy exists but something breaks in the handoff. Sales, marketing, brand, and ops are each doing their part, but the work isn’t connecting the way it should. Every week feels more like managing chaos than building momentum.
Our Services
Go-to-Market & Channel Strategy
A unified go-to-market and channel strategy that every part of your organization – from sales to marketing to ops to customer experience – can actually execute against.
Sales & Marketing Alignment
Coordinate your retail, wholesale, and DTC so channels support each other instead of cannibalizing margin. Sales and marketing work from the same playbook across the business.
Team Execution & Accountability
Clarify ownership, improve decision-making, and reduce drag so execution gets cleaner and faster.
Fractional Sales, Marketing & Commercial Leadership
Embedded leadership for strategic decisions and execution support without the cost or commitment of a full-time executive.
How the Work Unfolds
Every engagement is guided by these principles:
Clarity
Orient to reality.
See what’s true, what matters, and what must change.
Alignment
Commit to the path.
Simplify priorities and unify decisions across the leadership team.
Trust
Cultivate cohesion.
Strengthen communication, collaboration, and confidence across the team.
Integration
Embed new rhythms.
Turn insight into durable habits through cadence, systems, and accountability.
Purpose-Built Frameworks Behind the Work
Strategy and Go-to-Market
As a certified GTM OS partner, Marshall uses a framework that surfaces where growth is breaking down across strategy, channels, execution, and leadership – so the work starts with the right constraint.
Leadership and Operations
As a certified Working Genius facilitator, Marshall uses the assessment to identify where leadership and execution are breaking down – so teams can work with less friction and more momentum.
About Marshall
I’ve led sales for craft beverage brands, grown wholesale and channel revenue by double digits across multiple categories, and built distribution from scratch. I’ve worked with leaders at brands ranging from $100K to $100M+.
I’m also an owner and operator. I know what it feels like to make a channel bet that didn’t pay off, sit in a leadership meeting where everyone has a different version of the plan, and wonder whether the problem is the strategy or the team.
Those scars help me guide founders and leadership teams today.
Take the Trail Finder
Start with the short diagnostic for brands navigating complexity. You’ll get a clearer read on what’s holding growth back, and a better sense of what to address first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this work?
1. Start by taking the Trail Finder
It only takes a few minutes and helps surface what is creating the most drag in your business.
2. Review the Results
We’ll schedule a 15-minute call to review what surfaced, identify the most likely constraint, and figure out the right next move together.
3. Begin the work where it makes sense
Every engagement is scoped to the actual problem. We start with Trail Finder and let the work tell us what comes next.
Why ’41’ and why ‘Summits’ – ?
Anyone who has climbed a mountain knows it requires preparation, determination, and grit, especially as the summits get higher. But climbers also know something else: once you summit one, you’ll want to climb another. The name honors that as well as the founders and entrepreneurs who choose an extraordinarily difficult path, especially in CPG and craft beverage. Every challenge is a summit. Every summit prepares you for the next one.
’41’ comes from biblical and numerology traditions. Many know that 40 represents testing and trial, but 41 represents the breakthrough: finding clarity after turmoil and discovering the path that was meant for you.
That’s the work. That’s the name.
What is the Trail Finder?
The Trail Finder is a short diagnostic that surfaces where growth is actually breaking down in your business. It takes less than 5 minutes and covers strategy, channels, team alignment, and execution. After you complete it, we’ll schedule a brief call to walk through what it surfaced and figure out the right next move together. It’s free and there’s no commitment required.
What if we aren’t a good fit?
If your needs are execution-focused or out of our expertise, or if the timing just isn’t right, we may recommend a trusted partner with that specialty.
Who do you work with?
Specialty CPG and craft beverage brands that have built real traction and are navigating the harder part of growth: more channels, more complexity, more decisions than the team can cleanly absorb. Typically founder-led, closely held, or early sponsor-backed, with at least some commercial leadership in place.
What is a Fractional?
Fractional means you get experienced executive-level leadership embedded in your business without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Instead of a salary, benefits, and a long onboarding process, you get focused strategic engagement scoped to what your business actually needs right now. It’s an increasingly common model for growing brands that need senior commercial expertise but aren’t ready for, or don’t need, a full-time CMO or CRO leader on payroll.
A common concern is ‘I only get a fraction of your focus.’ In practice, fractional engagements work because the work is strategic, not just operational. You’re not paying for an employee, you’re paying for the right thinking at the right moments. The brands that get the most out of this model are the ones who want a sharp outside perspective embedded in their decisions, not someone to manage.
Do you work remotely or in person?
Both. Most of the strategic work happens remotely: calls, working sessions, async collaboration. For the right engagements, in-person time can be valuable, particularly for leadership alignment work and team facilitations.
What if I’m not in Craft Beverage or CPG?
The work translates. The frameworks – GTM OS and Working Genius – apply across industries. And the core problems of channel complexity, leadership alignment, and execution drag show up in a lot of places. If you’re dealing with those problems, reach out, or take the Trail Finder Assessment and that will tell us both whether there’s a fit.