Early-stage B2B companies often face a common struggle: brilliant products but shaky paths to market. While many focus solely on product development or chasing funding rounds, the real challenge lies in building sustainable revenue streams. Few understand this better than Colleen Pimentel, who draws from 25 years of experience across finance, product, and sales to help founders bridge this gap. Through McKenna Pimentel Consulting, she’s developed practical methods that turn technical expertise into market success, helping B2B SaaS and web3 companies build foundations for steady growth.
Tackling Growth Challenges with Experience
Nobody knows the challenges of scaling companies quite like Colleen. Starting in finance as a CPA and controller, she moved into technology consulting, implementing complex systems across North America. Her career path then led her to Oracle in California. “I came on as a product analyst but very quickly got promoted to a product manager,” she says. Before long, she was leading multiple product teams. The next phase saw her dive into customer engineering and business development, where she built programs generating billions in sales pipeline. For the past 12 years, she’s worked in B2B SaaS sales across company stages and sizes, from small businesses to enterprise accounts. This varied background gives her unique insight into what makes companies succeed.
Breaking Down the Growth Formula
Through McKenna Pimentel Consulting, Colleen works with B2B SaaS and web3 companies to build revenue engines. She’s developed a practical methodology that breaks the process into manageable chunks. It starts with customer validation – figuring out who really needs your product and why they’d buy it. “The first step is identifying the ideal customer profile,” she explains. This means getting clear on value propositions for each type of buyer, understanding their challenges, and knowing the competition.
Next comes translating those insights into marketing that actually works. This means creating materials that speak directly to customer needs – from website content to white papers that showcase value. The third piece focuses on sales enablement. As Colleen points out, “Everyone in a company should be selling.” She helps teams nail down their pitch, handle tough questions, and deal with competitors. Only then does she move into lead generation and sales execution. This systematic approach helps companies avoid common pitfalls that waste time and money.
Connecting Ideas to Market Success
Despite having a successful career, Colleen chooses to help founders because she sees untapped potential. “When I engage with them, it’s like they inspire me,” she shares. “They tell me about something they’re creating, which I’m like, ‘Wow, this makes a lot of sense. This could create a lot of value.'” But she often notices a gap: “I start asking them questions about how they’re going to market it, how they’re going to get it to the world. And it’s pin drops.” That’s where she steps in – helping smart founders turn good ideas into growing businesses.
Three Keys to Revenue Growth
Drawing from her experience, Colleen offers three practical tips for companies looking to grow in 2025:
- Keep Testing Your Market Assumptions: “Markets change and the worst thing is to be marketing to the wrong persona or to the right persona but with the wrong message,” she says. Regular customer validation keeps you on track.
- Build Your Foundation Right: “Sales is an art, but go-to-market foundation is pure science,” Colleen notes. “When you build the foundation and layer it appropriately, it becomes a giant springboard for rapid growth.”
- Focus on Cash, Not Just Funding: She sees too many founders stuck in the funding chase. “Too many founders spend all their time chasing funding instead of building a sustainable revenue engine,” she observes. Better to build steady cash flow first.
For Colleen, this work feeds a deeper purpose. “I want to create impact in this world,” she says simply. She plans to spend the next 15 years helping founders build confidence and get their products to market effectively. She’s not interested in making companies dependent on her advice. Instead, she aims to empower them. “They don’t need me forever. They need me for a short little time frame. But if I can help to empower them and get their message out, I’ve really made an impact. And that’s what drives me.”
To learn more about building effective growth strategies, connect with Colleen Pimentel on LinkedIn.
