Why Stump Me exists
Nathaniel Wells
A social experiment for good
I went back to school for a Master of Accountancy. I need to keep myself sharp, and real business problems give me a reason to keep applying what I know.
I enjoy difficult work, and I want to keep extending the range of problems I can solve. Stump Me lets me contribute my experience, learn through the work, and help someone move their business forward.
My Christian faith shapes why I give my time. I believe we are all made in the image of God. People of every background and belief are welcome.
The work is pro bono. If it helps and you choose to pay afterward, that money helps me help the next person. If you pay nothing, that’s fine.
The experience I bring
I bring the experience to advise Fortune 100 businesses. My career spans global sales, enterprise technology, product strategy, program leadership, and cloud alliances. Here is some of the work behind that experience.
01 / Product & operations
I helped simplify a product line from 166 SKUs to 14 profitable offerings, then expand it deliberately to 31. I managed global partnerships and produced $1.8 million in shipped white-label revenue and more than $7 million in contracts.
The work combined product decisions, commercial relationships, and manufacturing operations.
02 / Growth & delivery
I booked more than $20 million in fiscal-year revenue, secured 12 new projects in 12 months, and managed 87 on-site contractors and three program managers.
Winning the work and organizing its delivery were both part of my responsibility.
03 / Global alliances
I developed partnerships across AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, IBM, Red Hat, and Wasabi. I expanded an AWS relationship to more than 90 contacts across four continents, listed products in cloud marketplaces, and secured design wins.
I also helped build a global reseller network of more than 2,000 people.
04 / Enterprise technology
I built an AWS alliance around enterprise edge-data movement, working across executive relationships, contracts, compliance, financial implications, and technical requirements.
The work required commercial and technical decisions to hold together.
Where we can put that experience to work
A growth decision affects capacity and cash. A technology investment changes how people work. A reporting problem can conceal a problem with the underlying operation. We examine the connections before choosing the work.
Illustrative examples
We examine the commercial assumptions, operating capacity, and financial implications together. The decision needs to work across the business.
The engagement can produce a decision model, a comparison of options, or a focused test of the assumptions that matter.
Working together
We agree on the business objective, scope, responsibilities, and completion criteria. The engagement can include consulting, coaching, analysis, a practical work product, or a combination.
Describe the workTell me the result you want, what is happening instead, and your authority to make a change.
I read submissions personally. When a problem is a good fit, we talk it through and decide what to work on together.
We examine the evidence, test assumptions, and develop the recommendation, decision, or work product.
We review what we accomplished, hand over the work, and discuss how you can put it to use.
Leadership & education
I progressed through ground-surveillance systems, military-intelligence systems maintenance and integration, and Special Forces communications. I left with an honorable discharge as a Sergeant First Class. My responsibilities included the U.S. Army Pacific IT help desk, infrastructure upgrades, and leadership of specialized intelligence teams.
I earned a BBA at Middle Tennessee State University with minors in economics and finance. I returned to school for the Master of Accountancy to deepen the financial and accounting discipline I bring to business decisions.
I use AI in research, analysis, and building software. I direct and review the work. When the right result is a tool, we can define software that operates without an AI service at runtime.
Participation
This invitation is for owners and authorized leaders of established United States businesses with stable operating revenue and offices in the contiguous United States.
Enough to understand the situation and the result you want. Use nonconfidential information. If the engagement requires confidential evidence, we agree on its handling before you provide it.
Your submission stays private. I ask separately before using your story, a quotation, or identifiable results in a case study or my book.
You receive a submission reference on screen. I review requests on a rolling basis and follow up by email when a problem looks like a good fit.
Submit a business problem
Describe the outcome, the current situation, and your role in changing it.
For owners and authorized leaders of established U.S. businesses with stable operating revenue and offices in the contiguous United States.
I read submissions personally and follow up by email when a problem looks like a good fit.