Harinder Singh

Strategic Growth Operator

Kuala Lumpur · Remote  |  ​  |  LinkedIn  |  GitHub  |  Download PDF

I build strategic frameworks and execution systems that turn broken growth into revenue. When startups hit walls (wrong GTM, no product-market fit, leaking CAC), I audit, diagnose, architect the fix, and implement it.

Client Work (2022–2026)

01 VoiceFrom AI 2 months · AI / GTM / Product
Frontier Speech-to-Speech AI Lab · First Marketing Hire AI
  • Built positioning, website, and full marketing foundation from zero
  • Developed use cases, ran 24 ICP interviews, signed 2 design partners
  • Launched abuse detection system: 350+ reports/month down to under 20
  • 24 ICP discovery interviews completed and documented
  • 2 design partners signed pre-launch
  • Abuse reports: 350+ avg/month → <20 after detection rollout
  • Contract completed June 2026 · Product validated and launched
Brief
Joined as one of the first hires at a frontier speech-to-speech AI lab. There was no product — just a model. No website, no positioning, no marketing playbook, no precedent. The brief was to figure all of it out.
Constraints
  • You cannot market a model the way you market a product — there is no UI, no onboarding, no obvious user journey
  • No existing playbook for frontier speech AI GTM at this stage
  • 2-month hard timeline: validate, position, launch
  • Use cases had to be invented, not inherited — required deep research into who could actually use real-time voice translation and why
What I did
  • Built positioning from scratch: identified what "speech-to-speech at frontier quality" actually means for different verticals
  • Designed and built the website and all foundational marketing assets
  • Developed 2 primary use cases through UX research and competitive analysis
  • Ran 24 ICP interviews to validate use cases and surface real problems
  • Use case 1: partnered with an Among Us-style MMO for Gen Z/Alpha — introduced real-time voice translation across all users, then layered in AI-powered abuse detection (sexual content, slurs) with a 3-strike monitoring and ban system targeting predatory behaviour
  • Use case 2: real-time voice translation interface — users speak to their phone or laptop and receive translated speech back instantly, no typing required
  • Managed full GTM motion through to launch
Results
24 ICP interviews completed. 2 design partners signed. Abuse reports in the MMO partner dropped from 350+ per month to under 20 after detection rollout. Contract ended June 2026 upon successful launch.
Learnings
Marketing a model before it becomes a product is a positioning problem, not a channel problem. The work is entirely about finding the gap between what the technology can do and what a specific person is already trying — and failing — to do. Every use case came from interviews, not assumptions. The abuse detection angle was discovered in user research, not invented in a brief.
01 Enginemailer 4 months · Fractional CMO
B2B SaaS Email Marketing Platform SaaS
  • Technical + content SEO and Answer Engine Optimization
  • Paid funnel: LinkedIn to landing page to Meta and Google retargeting
  • Marketing dashboard and analytics infrastructure
  • Hired and trained 2 marketing team members; scaled paid budget $0 to $20K/month
  • SEO: 400% traffic increase, 40% signup lift, 2% conversion to paid
  • Paid: 1,200% signup increase, 7% paid conversion, ~$4 CAC
  • Top 3 for primary keywords in region, full team handoff
Brief
Established email marketing platform with a finance-background CEO. Marketing was random and disconnected with no strategy, no funnel, and no attribution. Needed to go from zero marketing infrastructure to a self-running growth engine in 4 months.
Constraints
  • CEO had no marketing intuition; every decision needed explaining from first principles
  • Had to hire, train, and execute simultaneously with no existing team to delegate to
  • 4-month window meant quick wins were needed to justify paid budget scaling
  • Mature product but unclear positioning, competing against Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign
What I did
  • Repositioned around regional advantages: faster support, lower price point
  • Built technical SEO foundation and AEO content layer targeting AI search surfaces
  • Built paid funnel from scratch: LinkedIn awareness, dedicated landing page, pixel capture, Meta and Google retargeting loop
  • Implemented GA4 and GTM with full funnel attribution and live marketing dashboard
  • Hired two marketers (SEO/content and paid ops) and documented all systems for handoff
Results
400% organic traffic increase, 40% signup lift, 2% free-to-paid conversion. 1,200% paid signup increase, 7% paid conversion, ~$4 full-funnel CAC. Top 3 regional keyword rankings. Complete team handoff with playbooks.
Learnings
Audience segmentation should have happened in week 1, not week 6. Paid leads converted at 3.5x the rate of organic — that insight reshaped the entire channel mix. Earlier attribution visibility would have accelerated the paid scale decision by 6 to 8 weeks.
02 JS Morlu 18 months · Digital Marketing Manager
Professional Services — CPA Firm Prof. Services
  • Built complete SEO infrastructure from zero
  • AI sales agents and chatbot automation for lead qualification
  • Content marketing engine and automation workflows
  • SEO: 0 to 210K organic visits/month
  • Leads: 10x increase in qualified leads
  • Paid budget: $25K/month to $0 (fully replaced by organic)
  • CAC: 30% reduction
Brief
CPA firm with zero organic presence, fully dependent on $25K/month paid marketing and a manual sales process. Every lead required human intervention to qualify. The business had no defensible growth channel.
Constraints
  • Professional services SEO is slow; results take 6 to 12 months to compound
  • Paid could not be cut until organic could absorb volume, requiring both to run in parallel
  • Strict compliance requirements limited what could be said in content
  • AI tools were novel internally and required constant re-selling for buy-in
What I did
  • Audited every content gap against search demand, built a 12-month content calendar
  • Implemented technical SEO: site architecture, schema markup, Core Web Vitals, internal linking
  • Built AI qualification chatbot that pre-screened leads and routed by service type and urgency
  • Created AI-assisted content pipeline producing 3 to 4 articles/week at near-zero marginal cost
  • Documented full playbook and transitioned paid budget to zero as organic hit targets
Results
0 to 210K organic visits/month over 18 months. 10x increase in qualified leads. 30% CAC reduction. $25K/month paid budget reduced to $0.
Learnings
The AI content pipeline should have been built in month 2, not month 7. The chatbot qualification saved roughly 15 hours/week of sales team time — framing the ROI in recovered hours rather than lead quality would have gotten faster internal buy-in.
03 Galaxy Racer / Nigma Galaxy 1 year · Digital & PR Strategist
Esports & Gaming — Dota2 Esports
  • Brand marketing strategy, digital PR and media management
  • Merchandise and event monetization
  • On-ground PR at international tournaments: interviews, podcasts, livestreams
  • Paid managed: $25K/month
  • Revenue from merch and events: $50K/year
  • Tournament prize money generated: $2.4M across 3 championships
  • 40% brand awareness increase, 45% lead gen improvement
Brief
Esports organization with a top Dota2 roster needed to move beyond pure sponsorship revenue. Brand marketing was reactive, PR was ad hoc, and there was no monetization playbook beyond tournament prize money.
Constraints
  • Brand value was entirely tied to team performance — a bad tournament could undo months of brand-building
  • Esports audiences are highly skeptical of corporate marketing; authenticity is non-negotiable
  • Tournament schedule was unpredictable, requiring campaigns built around volatile travel windows
  • Merch and events require supply chain infrastructure that did not exist yet
What I did
  • Built content flywheel around players' personalities: interviews, behind-the-scenes, tournament vlogs
  • Launched limited merch drops tied to tournament wins to create scarcity and urgency
  • Managed all media at international events: press credentials, player interviews, livestream coordination
  • Ran paid campaigns targeting esports audiences on YouTube, Twitter/X, and TikTok
Results
$25K/month paid budget managed. $50K/year from merch and events. 3 international championship wins. $2.4M prize money. 40% brand awareness increase, 45% lead gen improvement.
Learnings
Merch drops work when tied to emotional wins but require 6 to 8 weeks of supply chain lead time. We left money on the table because we could not fulfil demand fast enough after tournament wins. Pre-staging inventory and building a waitlist mechanism would have captured that.
04 Cali-Ink 3 months · Growth
Tattoo Studio Chain — 2 Locations F&B / Local
  • Full funnel: organic to paid to referral to retention
  • Local SEO, Google Business Profile, retention sequences
  • Gender-segmented channel strategy (Instagram/GMB vs Reddit/SEO)
  • 3 months: 25% revenue increase
  • 6 months: 75% revenue increase
  • 14+ months later: growth sustained, blueprint used for a second studio
Brief
Two-location tattoo chain with 2+ years of flat revenue, no local SEO, no marketing funnel, no tracking. Good product, but invisible online.
Constraints
  • Owner skeptical of paid marketing and wanted organic-first, which slowed the full funnel launch
  • 3-month engagement required ruthless prioritization
  • Two locations with different customer profiles and service mixes
  • No existing tracking; could not measure anything at baseline
What I did
  • Installed GA4, GTM, and call tracking to establish baseline in week 1
  • Customer interviews revealed two segments: women (impulse, Instagram/GMB) and men (research-heavy, Reddit/SEO)
  • Built channel strategy around each segment rather than trying to reach both the same way
  • Optimised GBP for both locations; built retention sequence with post-tattoo care emails and a 3-month nudge
  • Launched paid only after organic showed traction around week 6
Results
25% revenue increase at 3 months. 75% revenue increase at 6 months. Growth sustained 14+ months later.
Learnings
The gender-segmented channel strategy came from week-2 customer interviews, not assumptions. Those interviews should happen on day 1 of every engagement. The "time for another tattoo" email had a 34% open rate — retention sequences are underrated for high-consideration services.
05 Pure Ink Bangkok 4 months · Growth
Tattoo Studio — Bangkok F&B / Local
  • Complete digital presence built from scratch after prior agency scam
  • Full funnel: paid, organic, content, website and landing pages
  • Hired and handed off to 2-person local team
  • 500+ 5-star reviews
  • 80+ weekly bookings entirely from digital channels
  • Sustainable system with local team ownership
Brief
New Bangkok tattoo studio that had been scammed by a previous agency. Zero digital presence, severe trust deficit, 4-month window to become viable.
Constraints
  • Every decision needed evidence and transparency after the prior agency burn
  • Bangkok tattoo market is competitive with multiple established players
  • Had to adapt a proven playbook for Thai audiences, tourist traffic, and the expat community
  • Hard 4-month stop; the system had to run without me by month 5
What I did
  • Rebuilt website with conversion-optimized structure and booking integration
  • Implemented aggressive review velocity strategy with automated post-visit request sequence
  • Built GBP targeting both locals and tourists with dual-language keyword targeting
  • Ran paid on Meta and Google with separate targeting for tourist intent and local repeat customers
  • Hired 2-person local team, trained on all systems, documented full playbook
Results
500+ 5-star reviews within 4 months. 80+ weekly bookings entirely from digital channels. Fully self-running system handed to local team.
Learnings
Tourist traffic drove roughly 60% of bookings vs. local — a ratio I did not anticipate. Splitting tourist vs. local audiences in paid from week 1 instead of month 3 would have compounded results significantly. Review velocity was the single highest-ROI activity on the engagement.
06 Baseus Agency engagement
3C Ecommerce — Power Banks and Chargers, SEA Ecommerce
  • Multi-platform paid (Meta, Google, TikTok) and influencer management
  • Led customer comms around China 3C regulatory change to protect margin
  • Embedded with 5-person performance team
  • Peak spend managed: ~$2.5M/month
  • Team led: up to 40 people
  • Margin protected through proactive regulatory comms
Brief
China-brand ecommerce at significant scale in SEA. Managing multi-platform paid and influencer at ~$2.5M/month while navigating a 3C certification regulatory change that threatened margins and customer trust.
Constraints
  • At $2.5M/month, every attribution error has major financial impact
  • China-brand perception challenges in SEA meant customer trust was fragile
  • The 3C regulatory change forced a product messaging overhaul mid-campaign
  • Team of 40 meant decisions moved slowly; alignment was a constant challenge
What I did
  • Managed paid performance across Meta, Google, and TikTok with embedded performance team
  • Led influencer strategy across MY, SG, TH, PH: negotiation, briefing, tracking
  • Drafted proactive customer communications around the 3C change before it became a PR issue
  • Repositioned the regulatory change as a quality and safety signal rather than a disruption
Results
~$2.5M/month peak spend managed across 3 platforms. Team of 40 maintained performance during regulatory transition. Customer margin protected with no significant churn.
Learnings
At this scale, the most important skill is not media buying — it is organisational communication. The 3C crisis was handled well specifically because we got ahead of the story. Proactive framing of bad news as quality signals is a transferable playbook for any regulated category.
07 TheVillaList 3 months · GTM and Product
Luxury Villa Marketplace — Bangkok Marketplace
  • GTM strategy and product development roadmap
  • Supply-side acquisition strategy for listing inventory
  • Marketing foundation for launch
  • Platform launched with strategic positioning
  • Initial supply-side inventory established
  • PMF validation framework and developer relationship playbook delivered
Brief
Pre-launch luxury villa marketplace that needed a complete GTM strategy before writing any product code. Classic marketplace problem: needed supply before demand, but needed credibility to attract supply.
Constraints
  • Zero product at start; strategy had to account for a platform that did not exist yet
  • Luxury property moves slowly — 3 months is not enough to fully validate demand
  • Chicken-and-egg dynamic: developers will not list without buyers; buyers will not come without listings
What I did
  • Recommended supply-first strategy: secure developer listings before driving buyer traffic
  • Built developer outreach playbook with positioning, pitch deck, and relationship cadence
  • Defined product MVP scope around what needed to be built to get the first listing live
  • Created PMF validation framework with specific metrics before scaling demand-side
Results
Platform launched on schedule. Supply-side inventory secured through developer relationships. PMF validation framework in place.
Learnings
Luxury property developers want references and exclusivity signals before committing — a simple outreach sequence was not enough. The playbook needed a co-marketing angle (feature the developer as a brand, not just list their properties). That pivot came late in month 3 rather than being built in from the start.
08 Yakiniku Kuro 3 months · Web and Local SEO
Multi-Location Japanese BBQ Chain F&B / Local
  • Full website rebuild and paid funnel setup
  • Local SEO and GBP optimisation across all locations
  • Top 5 for primary keywords, Top 20 for secondary
  • Increased local discovery and foot traffic across the chain
Brief
Multi-location Japanese BBQ chain with no cohesive digital presence, inconsistent GBP information, and no SEO strategy. Discovery was happening despite the web presence, not because of it.
Constraints
  • Multi-location SEO splits authority and is harder to rank than a single-location business
  • 3-month engagement required prioritising GBP quick wins over longer-term content SEO
  • F&B seasonal volatility made it hard to isolate SEO gains from seasonal traffic
What I did
  • Rebuilt website with location-specific landing pages and schema markup
  • Standardised all GBP listings: photos, hours, attributes, Q&A, keyword descriptions
  • Built local citation profile across food directories
  • Set up paid targeting "yakiniku near me" and competitor brand terms
Results
Top 5 rankings for primary keywords, Top 20 for secondary. Measurable increase in directions requests and calls from GBP.
Learnings
GBP optimisation delivers faster ROI than website SEO for multi-location F&B — the feedback loop is days, not months. Front-load GBP in week 1 for any restaurant client. High-quality food photography drove more profile actions than any other single change.

Experience

MIMR Growth Lab Jan 2025 – Present

Strategic Growth Operator · Kuala Lumpur / Remote

JS Morlu Jun 2023 – Jan 2025

Digital Marketing Manager · Remote

Galaxy Racer Jul 2022 – Jun 2023

Digital Strategist · Kuala Lumpur

Skills and Tools

Strategy: GTM, Growth Frameworks, Positioning, PMF
Paid: Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn Ads
SEO: Technical, Content, AEO, Local
Analytics: GA4, GTM, Mixpanel, Conversions API
Code: React, Node.js, PHP, Python, SQL
Automation: HubSpot, Zapier, n8n, Make
Spoken: Malay, English, Mandarin, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi + intermediate Korean/Japanese/Thai
Written: Malay, English, Mandarin, Punjabi, Hindi + intermediate Korean/Japanese/Thai
Infra: Supabase, Redis, Vercel

Certifications