Work with Jim Harrer

I've spent 40 years building software companies, from a $5K bootstrap to a NASDAQ listing to two board-recruited turnarounds. Now I help founders and CEOs do the same, without having to learn every lesson the expensive way.

Startup Mentoring

One-on-one mentoring for early-stage founders: product-market fit, customer development, and the early decisions that decide whether a company gets off the ground. I've been the founder who bootstrapped from a bedroom, and I've mentored dozens of founders through accelerators.

Product-market fit
Customer development
Founder decisions
Early-stage scaling

Founder Coaching

I've been the founder who mortgaged everything, taken a company public on NASDAQ, and been the turnaround CEO called in twice to save the ship. Coaching for founders and CEOs who want a sounding board that has actually sat in the chair.

Through an IPO
Through turnarounds
Through exits
Through disruption

Product & GTM Strategy

Positioning, story, and go-to-market. From the first commercial email response management system to Azure Integration Services and Visual Studio marketing, I've built products and told their stories for 40 years. If your product is an aspirin, I'll help you sell the headache.

Positioning & story
Go-to-market
Product marketing
AI-era strategy

Why me

Founded Mustang Software with $5K and grew it to a NASDAQ IPO
Turnaround CEO of two NASDAQ-listed companies
Led the team that took Azure Logic Apps from Public Preview to GA and to a Gartner Leaders quadrant spot
Senior PMM for Visual Studio and Visual Studio Subscriptions
Core mentor, FoundersPad startup accelerator
Founder of Atom Labs, building in the AI era

Who it's for

Early-stage founders looking for product-market fit, CEOs navigating growth or trouble, and teams that need product or go-to-market direction. If you're building something that matters and want a sounding board who has done it, reach out.

Start a conversation

The first conversation is free. Tell me what you're building.

Get in touch