Brett Queener

Brett Queener

Managing Director
Product Tech, GTM Tech, Future of Health, Future of Work, Industry Cloud

“It’s so rewarding to partner early with founders as they navigate the “product fit” waters and successfully emerge as fully formed leaders and market validated versions of their initial audacious visions.”

Favorites
Book

Station Eleven, A Farewell to Arms

Movie

Deer Hunter, Moonlight

App

Notion, The Athletic

What it's like to work with me

I am very direct, somewhat intense, and demand excellence without taking myself too seriously. I will “get into the weeds” and push you hard to be great while having your back – and hopefully make you laugh along the way.

Interesting fact

I grew up primarily overseas as a child in Brazil, Thailand, and Jamaica. 

Bio

My entire career has been focused on growing software companies fast and at scale. I live at the intersection of product and GTM and dig deep with founders in helping them both build a scalable business and become more effective leaders. 

I started my software career at Siebel Systems helping build a juggernaut of alliances and marketing organizations in the on-premise world. I then joined Salesforce.com where I did an amazing job at “failing upwards” for 12 years - running Revenue Operations, then Products, and then leading several of our larger acquired business units. I then tested my pre-revenue entrepreneur mettle and lived the “hard things about hard things” as COO of SmartRecruiters, which has subsequently become a unicorn. 

I live in Santa Barbara with my wife Lisa and my dog Gigi. My children have flown the coop but promise to come visit alot. During my down time, you will catch me on my Tonal, obsessing over GSW hoops & 49ers football, making rhone style red wines, and stealing away moments to play Japanese RPGs.

What Founders Have to Say

 “As a founder, I've learned there are two types of investors. There are investors who are highly strategic and will help you navigate fundraising, planning and high-level roadmap & go-to-market direction.  Then, there are investors who take on more of a coach role, where they'll  happily dive more deeply into the details of the business and will be your first call when you go through a low moment or need a second opinion on a potential candidate. Brett is the unique kind of investor who brings the perfect combination of both and I can confidently say that I wouldn't be the CEO I am today and Spekit wouldn't have experienced the growth it has if it wasn't for his mentorship and support.”

Melanie Fellay, CEO & Co-Founder, Spekit

In the News
Article
In a Post ZIRP World, Founders Need to be Wary of T2D3
Brett Queener
November 2, 2023
Article
A Quick Exercise to Get Your Initial Messaging Correct
Brett Queener
July 9, 2022
Article
3 Verbs & 3 Adjectives: An Intentional Product Strategy for your Startup
Brett Queener
April 4, 2022
Article
11 Things Founders Should Expect from their Seed Stage VC Partner
Brett Queener
February 4, 2021
Article
If I Had Duck Feet: Why You Must Pick One Identity in Your Early Days
Brett Queener
April 28, 2019
Article
Building Your First Sales Capacity & Pipeline Requirement Plan
Brett Queener
March 19, 2019
Article
The 10 Golden Rules of SAAS Sales Compensation
Brett Queener
February 24, 2019
Podcast
Brett Queener Unfiltered: A Wake Up Call for Tech, 2024 Planning, and Driving High Performance
Brett Queener
December 7, 2023
Podcast
Brett Shares His Playbook on LA Venture Podcast
Brett Queener
August 17, 2023
Podcast
Bonfire's Brett Queener on The Deal Podcast
Brett Queener
November 9, 2022
Podcast
The Product Superpowers That Few Flex: Intention and Conviction.
Brett Queener
March 21, 2022
Podcast
Bonfire's Brett Queener on Pendo's Product Love Podcast
Brett Queener
January 14, 2021
Guide
A Guide & Template for a Great Board Meeting
Brett Queener
March 4, 2023
Guide
Enterprise Sales Process and Forecasting Final Thoughts
Brett Queener
June 23, 2022
Guide
Enterprise Sales Process & Forecasting - Part II
Brett Queener
June 22, 2022
Guide
Enterprise Sales Process & Forecasting - Part I
Brett Queener
June 21, 2022
Guide
Running a Great Board Meeting
Brett Queener
May 13, 2022
Guide
Nail Your Startup's Narrative in 4 Steps
Brett Queener
March 21, 2022
Guide
A Guide to Hiring Great Startup Leaders
Brett Queener
July 2, 2021
Guide
A Guide to Building your First Customer Success Organization
Brett Queener
July 30, 2020
Guide
A Guide for Setting up Your Own Sales Comp Plans
Brett Queener
February 28, 2019
Guide
A Guide to Sales Process & Forecasting Mastery for Non Self Serve Startups
Brett Queener
January 28, 2019
Video
The Top Founder Mistakes to Avoid on the Path to $10M ARR
Brett Queener
October 20, 2023
Video
Sales Leader to Investor: Take Your Sales Skillset to the Next Level
Brett Queener
April 21, 2023
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