Strategic Marketing Leadership · Petoskey, MI
I help businesses clarify their positioning, strengthen their brand, and build smarter marketing systems that support real growth.
For founder-led companies that need senior-level marketing direction without hiring a full-time executive.
Jake Knight, Northern Michigan
They're clarity problems. Positioning problems. "We've been doing a lot but nothing's really working" problems.
I work with founder-led businesses and leadership teams who've outgrown the DIY phase but aren't ready for, or don't need, a full-time marketing executive. I bring senior-level marketing direction: strategy, positioning, messaging, and systems that connect your brand to real business outcomes.
The goal isn't more activity. It's better decisions.
You're the de facto CMO and you know you shouldn't be.
I step in as a strategic marketing leader. That means setting direction, building plans, aligning your team, and making sure every dollar and hour moves the business forward. This isn't 'more marketing.' It's the thinking layer that makes marketing work.
People visit your site and still aren't sure what makes you different.
I help businesses define who they're for, what they stand for, and how to communicate it with clarity. When your positioning is right, everything downstream gets easier: the website, the content, the sales conversations.
You're running campaigns but nothing connects.
I build the connective tissue between your brand, your content, your lead flow, and your follow-up. Marketing should be a system, not a collection of disconnected efforts you reinvent every quarter.
That usually looks like: founder-led companies in premium services, custom home and design, tourism and hospitality, or creative industries. Businesses where the work is excellent but the marketing hasn't caught up, or where growth has created complexity that no one's stepped back to organize.
If you've got a strong business and a nagging feeling that your marketing should be doing more for you, we should probably talk.
Founder-led businesses
Premium service businesses
Custom home, design & build firms
Tourism & destination brands
Creative businesses
Growth-minded companies with complexity
Before more content, campaigns, ads, or tactics, the business needs to be clear. Clear about who it serves, what it offers, why it matters, and what should be left unsaid.
Activity can create motion without progress. The work starts with direction. Stepping back and asking better questions, before more time, money, or energy gets spent on execution.
Marketing isn't just messaging. It's also structure. The right systems help a business capture opportunities, follow up consistently, and reduce dependence on memory or individual heroics.
Not the other way around. The point is stronger positioning, better leads, and decisions your team can actually sustain.
I spent 21 years in performance arts: teaching, directing, building programs from the ground up. That background gave me something I use every day: a trained eye for what's working and what isn't, high standards for craft, and an instinct for how people respond to what they see and hear.
I've also built and run my own business for over 20 years, led marketing inside B2B SaaS companies, managed ad spend for regional and national brands, and served as the marketing director for a luxury custom home builder. I think in systems, I care about the details, and I don't recommend things I wouldn't do myself.
Luxury Custom Homes
B2B SaaS
Service Division Launch
"He immediately impressed me as someone that gets the impact that Marketing can have on the success of other departments including Partnerships. He was able to take that broad view and digest it into actionable steps and activities that we could work on, and we saw immediate results. From working with Jake, I know he will have a big and immediate impact on any company he gets involved with."
"I was impressed by how Jake orchestrated his approach, from identifying the right story to tell, to whom and why, to segmenting the right customers, and selecting the appropriate channels. Jake built the program from scratch and managed to deliver outstanding results. I wholeheartedly recommend Jake for his expertise and professionalism."
"I had the pleasure to work with Jake on product strategy and client experience platform work. He is a stand up human, a supportive teammate, gracious leader, consummate professional, and a wildly talented designer. He has the skill and intelligence to navigate complex issues with grace."
"Jake was without question the best subject matter expert on all things Account Based Marketing. He introduced 6sense to the company and pioneered its necessity to upgrade our marketing strategies. We saw a major uptick in marketing qualified leads. I would highly recommend him to any organization looking for a marketing leader."
"His vision, work ethic, and strategies are always fresh and inspiring. Jacob consistently thinks outside the box and pushes those around him to think in ways that drive growth and success. I would highly recommend Jacob in all of his future endeavors."
No articles are published yet. I am working on practical pieces about positioning, brand, and building marketing systems that hold together.
Let's talk
If your business needs clearer strategy, sharper positioning, or a marketing system that actually holds together, I'd like to hear what's going on. I work with a small number of clients at a time, and every engagement starts with a conversation.