Commercial & Digital Growth
Strategy is easy. Knowing what to do next isn't.
Minds & Mates helps ambitious companies turn complexity into clarity, strategy into action and digital potential into commercial growth.
A consultant shouldn't just give you more work.
Most companies don't suffer from a lack of ideas. They suffer from too many.
Too many priorities. Too many initiatives. Too many dashboards. Too many meetings.
Minds & Mates exists to bring clarity to that complexity — to understand the business, challenge what needs challenging, decide what matters, and help make it happen.
Think. Prioritise. Execute.
What I do
Where I can make a difference
Commercial Strategy, growth & the economics of the business
Commercial strategy, business models, growth opportunities, pricing, customer economics and prioritisation — finding the few moves that actually change the numbers.
E-commerce From storefront to retention to international scale
E-commerce strategy, Shopify, customer journeys, conversion, retention, CRM, performance and international growth — built to scale without losing the plot.
Digital Operating models, technology, data & experience
Digital transformation, digital operating models, technology, data and customer experience — making the digital side of the business coherent instead of accidental.
Marketing Positioning, acquisition, retention & brand
Marketing strategy, positioning, acquisition, retention, brand, performance and the connection between marketing spend and commercial results.
Leadership Senior sparring, structure & execution
Senior sparring, team structure, prioritisation, management, organisational development and execution — the difference between a good plan and a plan that ships.
The difference
I'm not here to give you a deck.
I'm here to understand the business, challenge the assumptions, find the priorities and help the organisation execute.
Sometimes that means strategy.
Sometimes it means fixing the funnel.
Sometimes it means rebuilding the organisation.
Sometimes it means asking why you're doing something at all.
Great minds. Real mates.
Two words, for a reason.
Minds
The thinking
Strategy. Experience. Analysis. Commercial judgement.
Mates
The relationship
Trust. Collaboration. Challenge. Execution.
How I work
Think. Prioritise. Execute.
Understand
Understand the business before prescribing solutions — customers, economics, organisation, data, technology, market.
Prioritise
Separate what matters from what is merely urgent, and identify the few things that can actually move the business.
Align
Create clarity across leadership, teams and stakeholders.
What are we doing? Why? Who owns it? What does success look like?
Execute
Strategy only matters when something changes. Work alongside the team to turn decisions into action.
Ways to work together
One brain. Different ways in.
Fractional CMO
Senior marketing leadership without a full-time CMO commitment.
Fractional CDO
Senior digital and e-commerce leadership, for when the organisation needs it.
Commercial Advisor
Senior sparring for founders, CEOs and management teams.
Growth Partner
A hands-on partner to spot opportunities, prioritise initiatives and drive execution.
Project / Transformation
A defined strategic or commercial challenge that needs senior ownership from start to finish.
Experience
20+ years of making digital and commercial things happen.
More than two decades across e-commerce, marketing, digital transformation, commercial strategy, growth and leadership.
Trusted by founders, CEOs and leadership teams across e-commerce, retail and DTC.
Who's the mind?
Jan Thisted Ettrup-Mikkelsen
Senior commercial and digital leader with 20+ years of experience across e-commerce, marketing, growth and business development.
I've spent most of my career somewhere between business, technology, marketing and people.
I like complexity when it can be turned into something simple. I like strategy when it leads to action. And I like working with people who want to build something better — not just talk about it.
A quick reframe
Your business probably doesn't need more ideas.
It probably needs fewer.
Fewer priorities. Fewer initiatives. Fewer meetings. Fewer things that nobody owns.
And a much clearer view of what actually moves the business.
Let's talk
Got a problem worth solving?
Tell me a bit about the business and the challenge. I read every message myself and reply personally.
Prefer another way? Find me on LinkedIn or call +45 21 27 14 87.