The Business of People
Scaling a startup isn’t just about product and funding—it’s about people. The Business of People is a biweekly newsletter that helps startup operators build high-performing teams, scale operations, and drive commercial success.
I'm Melissa Theiss, the founder of Fledge, a consulting firm that helps founders, COOs, and HR leaders take tech companies from startup to scale-up. 🚀
I’ve served on the executive team and overseen people operations, finance, customer success, and revenue operations at bootstrapped, VC-backed, and post-IPO SaaS companies as they’ve scaled from 20 to 1,000+ people (<$2M to $350M+ in revenue).
Now, I specialize in Seed to Series B stage SaaS startups. Together, we solve your toughest and most pressing business challenges.
Interested, but not ready for a call? 📬 Email me at [email protected]
How We Can Work Together
I specialize in Seed to Series B stage or bootstrapped SaaS startups with 10 to 250 employees (<$2M to $50M+ in revenue). If that's you, then there are 4 different ways we can work together, based on your organization’s current and future needs.
Advisory Services (5 or 10 hours per month)
If you’re looking for ongoing, flexible advice for your internal team to act on, advisory services that can be scaled up or down month-to-month is a strong option. In this capacity, I offer frequent, in-depth guidance, but do not produce direct work product.
Scoped Engagement
Have a specific project that you need help with? We can do a custom scoped engagement. Common projects include completing an organizational diagnostic, establishing a total rewards program (e.g., pay bands, commission plans), developing an executive hiring playbook, and building out a repeatable performance management process (e.g., performance reviews, PIPs).
Ask Me Anything (AMA)
Have a few urgent questions? Or looking to learn how to get started with a project or initiative? 30- and 60-minute ask me anything (AMA) sessions with a shared Slack channel can be a great way to tap into enough external expertise to get your internal team on the right track.
Speaking Opportunities
Looking for a corporate speaker or podcast guest? I offer talks and workshops on topics related to compensation and benefits, maturing a people operations organization, and management / leadership training.