Turn pilots into contracts
Understand what schools value, who can approve a purchase, and what stands in the way. Set the offer, timing, and next ask.
For K–12 and EdTech founders
Grow the work
you believe in.
Go-to-market strategy and executive coaching, grounded in the work of growing high-impact education solutions at scale.
ContactYou have traction.
Now come the decisions.
Which districts, regions, and states have the right conditions for a great partnership? What should you charge? What can you promise? Where are the hidden risks and opportunities? Where should you focus your time?
I address these questions, help you build a repeatable revenue plan, and strengthen your capacity to lead it.
Explore the first 90 days →- Growth in adoption
- 100×
- YouthTruth · From 25 to 2,500+ schools
- Research & publications
- 40+
- Author and co-author of education reports and articles
- Year-over-year growth
- 34%
- BetterLesson · Revenue growth
- District & school leaders coached
- 2,000+
- In data for continuous improvement
A founder’s perspective
“Sonya has been a profound support to me as a person and a leader.
She has a rare ability to see the field clearly, ask the question underneath the question, and help you figure out what to do next. During the early stage of our business, she helped us shape a go-to-market strategy, make better decisions about where to focus, and build the structures we needed to grow well.
I trusted her to challenge my thinking, help me work through difficult leadership questions, and bring clarity when things felt messy. She combines deep strategic experience with genuine curiosity, care, and an unusual ability to understand both the organization and the people inside it.”
What we can work on
The decisions
in front of you.
You’ve built something schools need. Now you’re figuring out how to price it across the K–12 market, sell and deliver at scale, and build the team and systems to grow.
We’ll work through those decisions together, with educational equity and your mission at the center.
Make the numbers work
Review pricing, expenses, and revenue assumptions. Build a forecast that helps you decide what you can afford and when.
Find your best partners
Schools, districts, families, or regional education agencies? What are the environments where your work has greatest impact?
Build the team and the process
Define how opportunities move forward, who owns the next step, and where another hire would help. Develop the people carrying the work.
Choose smart growth
Thinking about state-wide adoption through the state DOE? What about grants via private philanthropy or local government? Which states have the best legislative and demographic conditions for your model?
Assess demand, funding pathways, and buying cycles to target adoption where it is most likely to take root and flourish.
You don’t need another founder in the room
A seasoned right hand who knows how to strengthen both the leader and the business.
Another founder can tell you what worked in their company. I bring a different vantage point: two decades working beside founders and executives across different organizations and stages of growth.
I’ve designed and pressure-tested plans, spotted vulnerabilities early, built revenue strategies, developed teams, advised through sensitive dynamics, and helped leaders focus on the work only they can do.
You stay in the founder seat. I help you see more of the field, make stronger decisions, and build what comes next.
More about my coaching approach →Experience in the work
I’ve built the business models,
led the teams, and sold to schools.
Start-up to scale
Grew from pilot to national organization.
I led the growth strategy that took YouthTruth from a grant-funded pilot in 25 schools to a national brand serving more than 2,500 schools across 39 states.
Over nine years, revenue grew 30%–70% annually.
Vice President of Sales
Drove opportunity.
I led a 12-person sales team across five time zones to 34% year-over-year growth and tripled the sales pipeline.
We used policy shifts, curriculum adoption, and district priorities to focus the market strategy and pursue larger contracts.
Business model transition
Retained clients through disruption.
I retained 80% of customers through two center closures by shifting services to in-home and online delivery.
I managed profitable operations and a team of 75 education consultants serving more than 200 accounts.
90-day growth sprint
What’s possible in 90 days?
I often like to start with a focused sprint. We agree on goals, deliverables, and a working rhythm while strategy and sales move in parallel.
Days 1–30
Read the market
Assess demand, funding pathways, customer segments, buyer needs, pipeline, pricing, costs, and capacity. Separate evidence from assumptions and decide where to focus.
What you leave withMarket and revenue assessment, priority customer segments, and growth priorities.
Days 31–60
Test the brand and offers
Pressure-test positioning, offers, pricing, and sales motions with real humans. Map out the strategies for the strongest opportunities while refining the pitch and economics.
What you leave withTested offers, pricing and positioning recommendations, and a focused sales plan.
Days 61–90
Build the engine
Turn what works into a repeatable sales process. Establish the forecast and operating rhythm, then identify the people, tools, and capacity needed next.
What you leave withRevenue roadmap, forecast, sales process, and resourcing plan.
You decide how hands-on you need me to be. I can join buyer and team conversations, co-present at conferences, pressure-test proposals and forecasts, or work primarily as a strategic advisor.
After 90 days, we decide whether to continue fractional support, scope the next phase, or hand the work back to your team.
Founder executive coaching is part of the work throughout.
Let’s talk
What are you
working through?
Bring the decisions in front of you and the growth you want to make possible.
Contact“We came in with a lot of ideas about where we could grow.
Sonya helped us sort through them, test our assumptions against the realities of our market, and get clearer about what should get our attention.
She brings strategic rigor and a real understanding of what it takes to run a mission-driven organization while you’re trying to grow it.
We left with clearer priorities, stronger sales practices, and a better way to keep the work moving. We’re seeing results right away.”