The way I see it

Most weak strategies surface as "marketing problems".

Not enough leads. Messaging that doesn't land. A funnel that leaks. They look like marketing problems — but underneath, they're almost always strategy problems: unclear positioning, a fuzzy customer, no real focus. Fix the root and the symptoms take care of themselves. That's the work I do — improving the quality of the decisions the whole business rests on. It's the idea behind my book, What Holds Up the Roof.

Where I help

What we work on together

Senior, judgment-first guidance on the decisions that move a business forward — not tactics for their own sake.

Positioning & differentiation

Get crisp on what you are, who you're for, and why you win — so everything downstream gets easier.

Customer understanding

Replace anecdotes and assumptions with real discovery, so decisions rest on evidence, not hunches.

Messaging & value proposition

Say the thing that makes the right people lean in — and stop trying to talk to everyone.

Go-to-market strategy

A focused motion that fits your stage and market, instead of scattered activity that burns cash.

Founder judgment

A trusted thought partner in your corner, so you make faster, better calls with less second-guessing.

Momentum & systems

Turn one-off wins into repeatable systems the business can run without depending on any one person.

Fractional CMO

The Fractional CMO Program

Senior marketing leadership without a full-time hire. I set the strategy and own the growth — while my team and AI tools do the heavy lifting — so you get a real go-to-market engine at an early-founder price.

See the program →

Why me

25 years bringing startups to market.

I've co-founded and scaled four startups to successful exits, advised three companies to billion-dollar outcomes — an IPO, a merger, and a private-equity deal — launched a startup incubator at San José State University, and taught thousands of business students as an adjunct professor. My whole career sits at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and execution — the throughline of my book, What Holds Up the Roof.

Startups founded & exited

Billion-dollar exits

25+

Years building & advising

100s

Founders advised & coached

A principle I build on

Your brand is your promise. Don't make promises you can't keep.

And these days a visible body of work beats a resume — it's evidence, not claims. So I help founders build both: the business, and the reputation that makes people trust them before the first conversation.

What Holds Up the Roof: The Four Principles of Entrepreneurship — a book by Michael "Mash" Ashley

Resources · The book

Trends come and go. Principles endure.

My book What Holds Up the Roof is a business fable — the four principles of entrepreneurship, drawn from 25 years of building and advising, told through a founder learning what actually keeps a business standing when the plan falls apart.

Read it on Amazon Out now on Amazon

More ways to learn from me

Newsletter

Mash on Substack

Occasional essays and field notes on strategy, marketing, and building companies — sent straight to your inbox.

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Community

Inspiring Founders

A community of growth-stage founders learning alongside each other — peer groups, workshops, and candid conversation about what actually works.

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Podcast

The Podcast

Every Thursday I sit down with founders and leaders — from first-time builders to CEOs scaling past $10M — to unpack what really works.

Listen in →

I help startupsaccelerate growth.