GTM advisor · senior go-to-market judgement, a few hours a month

GTM advisor: what the role is

A GTM advisor, or go-to-market advisor, is a sounding board with a track record. The work is a monthly session with the founder or leadership team, a review of the pipeline and the plan, and a phone call when a big decision comes up: a new market, a price change, a first sales hire, a channel partner. The advisor has usually built and run a go-to-market function before, and has made the expensive mistakes on someone else’s budget.

The board-level and investor advisory role

Some GTM advisors sit closer to the board. An investor may ask for one after a funding round, or a board may want commercial judgement it lacks. The British Business Bank notes that equity investment often means adding experts to your board, and that founders should decide what skills they need and how hands-on they want investors to be. An advisor who reports to the board is still not a director unless they are appointed as one; see the non-executive director comparison below.

Choosing an advisor for the gap, not the name

The British Business Bank’s guidance on choosing an independent adviser warns against appointing advisers for their name only: start from the gaps in your own skills and knowledge, and ask whether you can work with the person regularly. It also says choosing the wrong adviser could be worse than not having one. For a GTM advisor, the gap is usually specific: enterprise sales, a product-led motion, a new country, or pricing.

GTM advisor vs non-executive director: advice, or a seat on the board

A non-executive director is appointed to the board. They vote on board decisions and carry the seven general duties of a company director under the Companies Act 2006, including independent judgement and avoiding conflicts of interest. A GTM advisor is not appointed to the board, has no vote and does not carry those duties by default.

The line can blur. Companies House notes that the duties still apply to someone who acts as a director without being formally appointed, or who controls a board without being on it. An advisor who starts directing the company rather than advising it should be appointed properly, or step back. For listed companies, the FRC’s UK Corporate Governance Code sets out what the board and its non-executives are expected to do; private companies often borrow from it.

If the company needs commercial judgement in the boardroom with the accountability that goes with it, appoint a non-executive director; we run non-executive director recruitment. If it needs a sounding board for the founder and the go-to-market team, a GTM advisor is the lighter and quicker arrangement.

How GTM advisors are paid: a retainer, advisory shares, or both

There is no standard price. In practice a GTM advisor is paid by a monthly retainer, by advisory shares or share options, or by a mix of the two. The British Business Bank’s guidance says there is no hard and fast rule about the cost of an adviser, and that many expect some sort of retainer as a sign of commitment. Start from what the advisor can add, not from the budget.

Advisory equity needs care, because the tax treatment depends on the scheme and on the advisor’s relationship with the company. HMRC’s guidance on Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) sets out the company conditions and a working-time requirement, and its manual says individuals are only eligible for EMI options if they are employees of the company or a qualifying subsidiary. Shares or options granted outside the tax-advantaged schemes do not have the same tax advantages; see HMRC’s overview of tax and employee share schemes.

This page is not tax or legal advice. Before granting or accepting advisory shares, the company and the advisor should each take advice from an accountant or lawyer, and put the terms, including vesting and what happens when the arrangement ends, in writing.

If the advisor works through their own limited company, the off-payroll working rules (IR35) may apply. Status is decided by how the engagement runs; a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.