I coach founders, CEOs and exec teams through the moments that decide a company's trajectory. The ones where having someone who has already lived them changes the outcome.

I have been in various seats. Three decades in, I have built, scaled, failed, repaired, and kept learning. I was founding CMO of Bazaarvoice (scaled to 500 people, $50M, IPO). Founder and CEO of Mass Relevance (150 people, 300+ clients, an Emmy, merged with Spredfast). Co-founder of Clearhead (Design optimization agency acquired by Accenture). Earlier, I ran Dell.com consumer, where I helped push online revenue past $3.5B and launced Dell's CRM group and spearheaded corporate change leadership. I am the author of two books on word of mouth marketing, an original co-founder of Capital Factory having advised hundreds of companies, invested in many, and a board member of over ten.

The moments I have coached that make a difference include a VP hires, comp and equity calls, pitch decks, go to market strategy, product roadmap, firing a co-founder or a friend, board management, category positioning (Play Bigger), the budget the quarter after a raise, partnerships, acquisitions, and exit.. And then there are the small but critical in-the-business moments.

My core competence is seeing the hidden structure inside complexity and naming the opportunity others can sense but cannot yet articulate. I have worked at the edge of every technology wave, from e-commerce and social to immersive reality and now AI. I am at my best choosing the next best hour or dollar to spend.

I work via 1:1 CEO coaching, strategic planning workshop, executive-team and board ongoing advisory, and board member/investor seat. 

If one of these moments is coming, let's talk before it arrives. Message me!

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• “He cuts right to the heart of the issues, making the time spent together dense with impact.”
  Ellis Winstanley, Tech CEO & Board Member

• “He quickly analyzes complex issues and develops innovative solutions in realtime that unlock a company's hidden potential.”
  Chris Pacitti, Founder & Partner, Elsewhere Partners

• “He feels more like a balanced and wise friend than a vendor.”
  Ethan Holland, Vice President, Draper Media

• “He has a cool head in hot situations and a clear balance between short term tactical requirements and long term strategic needs.”
  Craig Montgomery, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Info-Tech Research Group

• “I would invest my own money in any company in which Sam Decker is materially involved.”
  Harry Joiner, Founder, EcommerceRecruiter.com / CMOsearch.com

• “He has a tremendous amount of ‘pattern recognition’ to help them from his experience at both Dell and Bazaarvoice.”
  Brett Hurt, Co-founder & former CEO, Bazaarvoice and data.world

• “He has an innate ability to put himself into the other person’s shoes and operate with that perspective in mind.”
  Ryan Cush, Software GTM Executive