Your startup doesn't need a CS strategy.
It needs someone who's built the function before.

For B2B Vertical SaaS companies at Seed through Series A. I build the systems, roles, and cadences that turn Customer Success into predictable revenue.

Let's Talk See How I Work
15+
Years in SaaS
4
Startups Scaled
90%+
Gross Retention
$45M
Series B Supported
The Reality

Most startups figure out Customer Success too late.

You closed your first enterprise deals. Renewals are coming up. Suddenly retention, onboarding, and expansion aren't problems you can handle ad hoc anymore. But you don't need a full-time hire to figure this out.

You need someone who has already built CS from scratch at companies like yours. Someone who can install the systems, train the first hires, and create the forecasting that turns Customer Success from a cost center into a revenue engine.

That's what I do. I step in as a fractional leader, build what needs to exist, and hand off a functioning organization that your team can run.

Signals you might need help

  • Renewals are handled by whoever happens to be available
  • You don't know your gross retention rate (or it's below 85%)
  • Customer feedback reaches product through too many intermediaries
  • Your CS team is reactive, fighting fires instead of driving expansion
  • Onboarding takes too long and every customer gets a custom experience
  • You're hiring your first CS person and aren't sure what "good" looks like
How I Work

Three frameworks for three stages of growth.

Every engagement maps to where your company is today. I don't bring a generic playbook. I bring the right framework for your specific inflection point.

Early Stage

Build Blueprint

Starting from zero? I design your first Customer Success organization: the systems, roles, cadences, and forecasting that make retention and expansion measurable from day one.

90%+ GRR CS drove over half of new revenue
Growth Stage

Rebuild & Scale

Existing CS that's reactive, not strategic? I restructure for growth through segmentation, playbooks, solutions engineering, and a mature forecasting model.

100% ARR Growth Supported a $45M Series B raise
Mature / Pivot

Optimize Model

Need to do more with less? I streamline operations through AI-driven automation, process clarity, and targeted resource reallocation to hit profitability.

$600K Saved 40% leaner while growing ARR to $14M
Proof of Work

What changes when I join your team.

Real results from real companies. Here's what the Build, Rebuild, and Optimize frameworks look like in practice.

"We brought Manuel in at BackEngine when we were early-stage and needed someone who could do more than advise from the sidelines. He got into the details of our GTM motion, opened doors we couldn't have reached on our own, and brought a commercial rigor that most startups our size simply don't have access to. He's not a consultant who shows up with a framework and leaves. He shows up, rolls up his sleeves, and builds alongside you. For any founder trying to figure out their customer and revenue motion, Manuel is the person you want in your corner."

EP
Eli Portnoy
Founder & CEO, BackEngine (Seed Stage)

"When we hired Manuel he inherited a nascent Customer Success program with some legacy debt to clean up and potential to be realized. He took what was already in place, cleaned things up, built around it, hired the right people, and established a Technical Services team. He accomplished everything we asked of him and more."

AE
Andrew Elliott
Chief Revenue Officer, People Data Labs

"Manuel is the person you want in your corner when things are on fire. He's a big-picture operator who understands how customer success, post-sales execution, and leadership discipline fit together. He'd be a significant asset to any executive team, or any founder who needs clarity, structure, and steady leadership during scale or transition."

RL
Ryan Link
Sr. Customer Success & Solutions Engineer, FOSSA

"Manuel built up an effective CS team that punched way above its weight. In a dynamic and challenging landscape, he led the team to deliver major improvements along key metrics such as time to value, NPS, and onboarding velocity. An invaluable asset to any organization standing up a new CS team."

SB
Steven Brent
Sr. Customer Success Manager, FOSSA

"Manuel is detail-oriented and methodical in how he tackles problems, with a strong grasp of both technical and customer-facing dynamics. He's also a highly effective remote leader. I've consistently relied on him for sound judgment and sharp negotiation instincts."

CL
Coco Li
Sr. Director of FP&A, FOSSA
Rent, Don't Buy

Senior leadership without the full-time price tag.

You need senior CS leadership, but a full-time executive hire doesn't make sense at your stage. A fractional engagement gets you that experience at a manageable price point, with no long-term commitment, no equity negotiation, and no severance risk.

I work with 2-3 companies at a time on a monthly retainer. This means you get someone who's seen what works across multiple GTM motions, not just one company's playbook. Typical engagements run 3-12 months, and I build to hand off, not to create dependency.

What you get

Executive-level CS strategy
From someone who's built the function four times
Hands-on execution
I join customer calls, build processes, and coach your team directly
Cross-company pattern recognition
Insights from multiple GTM environments, not a single-company lens
Built to hand off
I create systems your team can own, not dependency on me
Common Questions

What founders usually ask.

How is this different from hiring a consultant?
Consultants give you a deck. I give you a functioning CS organization. I'm hands-on: joining customer calls, building processes in your tools, hiring and coaching your first CSMs, and creating the forecasting models your board will rely on. When I leave, your team runs what I built. There's no 80-page deliverable gathering dust.
How many clients do you work with at once?
Two to three, maximum. This isn't a side hustle. Each company gets meaningful weekly time and attention. I limit my roster specifically so I can go deep, not wide.
What does the first 30 days look like?
Week one is listening: direct customer conversations, team interviews, reviewing your data and processes. Weeks two and three are diagnosis: where reality is being softened, where handoffs break down, what's actually driving churn. By week four, you have a concrete action plan with priorities, ownership, and timelines. No long discovery phase. I've seen these patterns before and can move fast.
Do you work with my existing team or replace them?
I work with them. If you have CS people already, I coach, structure, and elevate what's there. If you're starting from zero, I help you hire the right people and set them up to succeed. The goal is always to build capability your team owns, not to create dependency on me.
What happens when the engagement ends?
You keep everything: the systems, the playbooks, the forecasting models, the processes. I build to hand off. Most engagements run 3-12 months. By the end, your team is running CS independently and you have the operational foundation to hire a full-time leader when you're ready. I'm always available for a check-in after we wrap up.
What tools and platforms do you work with?
I'm tool-agnostic but opinionated. For early-stage companies, I lean toward lightweight, AI-native platforms that don't require a dedicated ops person to maintain. I've deployed DevRev, BackEngine, Vitally, and Catalyst in recent engagements. I've also implemented Salesforce Service Cloud for companies that needed it, but I won't recommend enterprise tooling where it doesn't fit. The right stack depends on your stage, your team size, and your budget. I'll help you pick what actually makes sense, not what looks impressive on a vendor slide.
What kind of companies are you the best fit for?
B2B Vertical SaaS at Seed through Series A, typically 10-30 employees, with an enterprise sales motion. You've closed your first customers but haven't built a structured CS function yet, or your existing CS is reactive and you know it needs to become strategic. If your product serves a specific industry vertical and your deals involve real implementation complexity, we're probably a good fit.
Honest Signals

What I'm thinking about.

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Manuel Harnisch
About

Manuel Harnisch

I've spent 15+ years in B2B SaaS, starting as employee #11 at a startup that grew to $80M+ in revenue and was acquired. Since then, I've built, rebuilt, and optimized Customer Success at four companies across network analytics, data services, open-source compliance, and developer tools.

I write Honest Signals, a newsletter for startup leaders about the uncomfortable truths that drive real growth. I'm fluent in English and German, and when I'm not working with startups, I'm training for ultra trail runs.

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