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Forward Share Network
Building Customer Success From Scratch – Kerin Smollen
Get Matched in 48 Hours →A B2B SaaS company that sells a product but has no structured customer success function is managing retention reactively – responding to churn signals after they appear rather than preventing them. Kerin Smollen builds the CS function proactively: the onboarding motion, the health scoring framework, the QBR cadence, and the first CS hire – so the company has a repeatable system before the next cohort of customers needs it.
What a missing customer success function costs a B2B SaaS company
Without a CS function, account management defaults to reactive support: customers reach out when they have problems, the team solves those problems, and nobody monitors whether customers are actually achieving value between support tickets. The cost compounds quarterly. Churn accelerates as cohorts age, net revenue retention drops below 100%, and the board flags that growth is being partially offset by customer loss. Most B2B SaaS companies do not build CS until this problem is visible – by which point they have already churned their earliest and most referenceable customers.
What Kerin builds in the first 90 days
Kerin runs a four-phase build: week one is a customer audit – segmenting the existing customer base by health signals, usage, and engagement. Weeks two through four produce the foundational playbook: the onboarding motion, the health scoring framework, the escalation protocol, and the QBR template. Month two is a pilot with two to three accounts of each health tier. Month three is a team build – hiring the first CS hire, running structured onboarding for that hire, and transitioning the playbook from Kerin to the permanent team. She stays for the first 30 days of the new hire's tenure to ensure the system survives the handoff.
When to build a CS function versus hiring a CS leader to build it for you
Hiring a CS leader to build a CS function from scratch is expensive and risky – a VP Customer Success who excels at scaling a 20-person team typically struggles in the zero-to-one build. Fractional CS expert operators like Kerin are experienced specifically in the zero-to-one build, which requires a different skill set: customer research, playbook design, process documentation, and the ability to operate without infrastructure. Once the foundation is built – playbook documented, one hire operational, metrics tracked – a CS leader can be hired to scale a working system rather than invent one.
A STAR case from the Forward Share Ventures network
Situation: A vertical SaaS company at $4M ARR had 140 active accounts and a 22% annual churn rate – double the category benchmark. They had no CS team, no onboarding playbook, and no health scoring. Account managers were handling support tickets and little else.
Result: Kerin joined for a 90-day build. She completed a full customer audit in week one, identified that 60% of churned accounts had never completed the onboarding sequence, and redesigned onboarding into a structured 30-day activation program. Within 90 days, the company had a CS playbook, a health scoring dashboard, and a hired CS associate running the new onboarding motion. Annual churn dropped from 22% to 14% in the first 12 months post-build.
"Most companies build customer success after they have lost customers they cannot afford to lose. The accounts that churn first are usually the most vocal advocates you had – and they churned silently, because nobody was watching."
– Kerin Smollen, Customer Success Expert Operator, Forward Share Ventures
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request an introduction to this expert operator?
Submit a brief through the match form at Forward Share Network. The team reviews your situation, confirms the expert operator's availability, and arranges a 20-minute introductory call – typically within 48 hours of your submission. No commitment is required before the intro call.
What engagement formats are available?
Three main structures: a structured advisory seat (one 60-minute session per month plus async availability), a scoped consulting project (30, 60, or 90 days with defined deliverables), or a strategic advisory retainer for ongoing functional partnership. The right format depends on your situation and timeline.
How much time does a typical engagement require?
Advisory engagements run roughly 2–3 hours per month per company, including the structured session and async exchanges. Scoped projects are more intensive for the duration – scope and time commitment are defined at kickoff. Most expert operators carry 2–4 active engagements simultaneously.
Are there placement fees or exclusivity arrangements?
No placement fees. Forward Share Network operates on an engagement model, not a transactional staffing model. Expert operators are not exclusive to any company – they bring the perspective of working across multiple situations simultaneously, which is a core part of the value.
What if my situation changes mid-engagement?
Engagements are structured with defined check-in milestones – typically at 30-day intervals. If your situation shifts, scope can be renegotiated at the next milestone. For scoped projects, the team can also configure a scope amendment before the halfway point if circumstances change materially.
Ready to match? No prep needed. 20 minutes.
Get Matched in 48 Hours →How It Works
Tell us your gap
20-minute read with Vish. We map the function, stage, and urgency — no deck required.
We match in 48 hours
You receive 1–3 STAR-verified operators matched to your exact situation — reviewed and accountable.
Deploy in days
No contract lock-in. Start with a sprint or ongoing engagement. Cancel any time.
How We Compare
The honest breakdown — what separates a Forward Share expert operator from your other options.
| Criteria | FSV Expert Operator | Staffing Agency | Full-Time Hire |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to deploy | 48 hours | 3–6 weeks | 3–6 months |
| Commitment | Cancel anytime | Contract-locked | 12+ months |
| Track record | STAR-verified outcomes | Resume-screened | References only |
| Cost model | Engagement-based, no fee | 20–30% placement fee | Base + equity + benefits |
| Quality | Top 5% — curated from 400+ | Available candidates | Best hire at this stage |
| Risk | Low — no long-term lock-in | Medium — fee non-refundable | High — mis-hire is 1.5–2× salary |
Find Your Expert in 48 Hours.
No prep needed. 20 minutes. You'll leave with a clear read on your gap — and the right operator to close it.
STAR-Verified · No Placement Fee · Cancel Anytime