Heart Surgery to SaaS.
Door-to-Door to AI.
The unconventional path that taught me how businesses actually grow — and why I build differently now.
Devin Oakes
Dad of 4 · Mesa, AZ
Fractional CMO × AI
I grew up in Wyoming. Had heart surgery and spinal fusion as a kid — spent more time in hospitals than playgrounds. That experience gave me two things: a tolerance for pain that most people don't have, and an obsession with understanding how complex systems work.
I was supposed to be a doctor. Full-ride scholarship, honor societies, the whole track. Right before starting medical school, someone recruited me into door-to-door pest control sales. As a newlywed, I put our stuff in storage, left our apartment, and drove to Utah.
That decision changed everything. What follows is the real story.
Built Different
Literally.
Born in Wyoming. Heart surgery. Spinal fusion. Spent more time in hospitals than playgrounds. Wanted to be a doctor — probably because I grew up surrounded by them.
That experience gave me two things: a tolerance for pain that most people don't have, and an obsession with understanding how complex systems work. Pattern recognition started early.
Full Ride
Full Schedule.
French horn. Piano. Vocals. Marching band, choir, symphony. Student leadership, service groups, honor societies. The kind of kid who did everything and did it well.
Earned a full-ride scholarship plus several others. Graduated from MCC and ASU. The plan was medical school. The plan was safe. The plan was about to change.
"Come Make Money"
Selling Pest Control.
Right before medical school, got recruited into door-to-door sales. As a newlywed, put everything in storage, left our apartment, and drove to Utah.
The first few weeks were brutal. Genuinely terrible. But with no backup plan and a wife counting on me — I figured it out. Ended as the top rookie in the office. Medicine never happened.
Branch Owner
15+ Moves. A Daughter.
Recruited large teams across Utah, Colorado, and Washington. Moved 15+ times chasing the next market. Learned sales, leadership, recruiting, and comp plan design at the hardest level.
It was the most formative experience of my life — and the most unsustainable. After having our daughter, decided to leave the door-to-door life and bring the family back to Arizona.
$20K+ Deals
Over the Phone.
Started selling high-ticket offers — $20K+ deals, one call at a time. Lead → appointment → call → close. It was duplicatable, measurable, and addicting.
Brought this system to solar and it clicked. The process wasn't just sales — it was engineering. Every piece could be measured and optimized. I was hooked on the machine.
Kanyan. Mastermind. STAKT.
Built from Real Pain.
Got so deep into the systems I started building them. Kanyan.io for appointment routing. Solar Mastermind to teach the process. STAKT to solve commission tracking nightmares.
Every product was born from a problem I lived. Not market research — real pain. Our own commission mess at Primitive Power is what created STAKT. Software built by operators, for operators.
Millions Gone
Overnight.
Three solar install partners closed their doors. Left us holding millions in unpaid commissions and liability. Reps we'd recruited, trained, and promised pay — and the money wasn't coming.
We shut the doors on Primitive Power. Hardest moment of my life. But it burned one lesson into everything I do now: build systems you control. Don't build revenue on someone else's foundation.
AI-Powered Everything
The Final Form.
Took everything — sales, systems, commission design, the pain of scaling without infrastructure — and went full-time on STAKT and fractional CMO consulting.
Then AI changed the game. Built an AI marketing department with 60+ specialized skills. The same process I became addicted to, supercharged by AI. Today I help businesses build the machines I wish I'd had.
THE TAKEAWAY
Build systems you control.
Losing millions in unpaid commissions taught me something no business book could: if your revenue depends on someone else's infrastructure, you don't have a business — you have a liability.
I don't build on rented land. And I won't let my clients either.
OFF THE CLOCK
Who I Really Am
Just out here tryin' to be a good dad.
Faith
Active in my church. It grounds everything. The ambition means nothing without something bigger than the scoreboard.
Family
Dad of 4. They're why I build systems that run without me — so I can be home for dinner, at the recital, present for the moments that matter.
Fitness
Lift weights daily. After heart surgery and spinal fusion as a kid, I don't take a working body for granted. The gym is where I think clearest.
Finances
Build wealth that creates options, not chains. Every decision filtered through: does this give my family more freedom or less?
“Win without giving up
what matters most.”
That's the filter. Every client engagement, every system I build, every business I start — it has to pass that test.
CURRENT VENTURES
What I'm Building Now
STAKT
SaaSBorn from real pain — commission tracking for field sales teams.
QuantumCrew.ai
AI Agency60+ AI skills, 28 integrations. The marketing department I deploy for clients.
Primitive Power
Home ServicesWhere it started and ended. The hardest lesson and why I build differently.
Want to work together?
Reach out on any platform or book a call to get started.