A burned-out founder. An untapped email list. And a marketing strategy that delivered 700% revenue growth in four years. 

When I started working with this DTC skincare brand, the founder was burned out. She'd spent 15 years building her business to $250K in annual revenue — a real achievement, but one that came at a cost. She was exhausted, working alone, and flying by the seat of her pants.

The business had potential, but the infrastructure wasn't there:

No real website. The existing site was unprofessional with poor functionality — PayPal buttons instead of a proper store, no organization, no clear customer journey.

Inconsistent content. She had a YouTube audience but posted sporadically. Conversions were low because there was no system to nurture viewers into buyers.

An unused email list. She had 220 email subscribers sitting in a list — and wasn't sending them anything.

No operations. A friend was "helping" with shipping, but there was no inventory tracking, no accountability, and no systems.

No business plan. When I asked about her goals, the answer was simply "make money and grow." No targets, no timeline, no strategy.

She had a loyal following and a quality product line — high-end boutique skincare that her customers loved. What she didn't have was the marketing infrastructure to scale.

 I embedded myself in the business, starting with weekly meetings to understand the founder, her customers, and the skincare industry. I studied her product vendors, watched every one of her old videos, and learned the business inside and out.

I started by building a solid foundation.

Year One (2018): Infrastructure

I redesigned the website from the ground up — professional, functional, and connected to a Shopify store that could actually handle eCommerce. I started writing blog content to support SEO. And I worked with the founder on consistency, helping her get back to regular video production despite her burnout.

When the existing shipping arrangement wasn't working (no inventory tracking, no accountability), I vetted and hired a reliable shipper who could work within the systems I was building.

Year Two (2019): Email Marketing & Team Building

In April 2019, I launched the email marketing program. We started with that cold list of 220 subscribers and began nurturing them with consistent, valuable content.

I also recommended two new revenue streams: a wholesale store for other licensed estheticians, and a "Beauty Club" paid membership offering personalized skincare advice, early product access, and community.

By late 2019, sales had doubled. With that growth, we could afford to hire a marketing manager. I vetted the candidate, brought her on board, and had her execute the social media strategy I developed while I continued managing email.

We established monthly content strategy meetings — myself, the owner, and the marketing manager — to plan themes, products, and messaging. Everything stayed on brand and aligned.

Year Three (2020): The COVID Pivot

When COVID hit, the founder panicked. She was somewhat out of touch with how much her business had grown online and feared that closed studios would mean closed sales.

I assured her the foundation was solid — and recommended we double down on what was working. More email. More video. More engagement with the Beauty Club community.

I also encouraged her to launch her own custom skincare line instead of only selling other brands.

I created lead magnets to accelerate list growth. I pushed content. I kept the strategy consistent while competitors went quiet.

2020 became the biggest year in the company's history. We hit $1 million in sales.

We scaled operations to match — moving shipping to a dedicated location with two team members who could get orders out within 24-48 hours.

Years Four and Five (2021-2023): Sustained Growth

With the systems in place, growth continued. The founder became more consistent with video production. The marketing strategy I'd built kept compounding. By the time I transitioned out of the engagement in early 2023, the business had reached $2 million in annual sales.

Revenue Growth ........................................   $250K → $2M (700% increase)

Email List Growth ........................................   220 → 6,000+ subscribers

Email Revenue Share .............................   65% of total revenue

Email Open Rate ........................................    34% average

Customer Retention Rate....................    65%

Timeline  ..........................................................    4 years (2018-2023)

The turning point came during COVID. While many brands pulled back on marketing, we leaned in. The result wasn't just a good year — it was the best year in the company's history.

But here's what mattered more: email marketing continued to generate 65% of revenue long after COVID was over. That's not a pandemic anomaly. That's the power of building an owned channel — an asset that keeps working month after month.

This business didn't grow because of viral moments or lucky breaks. It grew because we built systems: a functional website, a nurtured email list, a content strategy, a team, and the discipline to stay consistent.

Over four years, I served as a strategic marketing partner — embedded in the business, not advising from the sidelines. My work included:

• Website redesign and Shopify integration
• Email marketing strategy and execution (list building, campaigns, automations)
• Content strategy (blog, video support, social media direction)
• New revenue stream development (wholesale store, membership program)
• Team building (hiring, vetting, and managing marketing and operations staff)
• Operations consulting (inventory systems, shipping processes)
• Ongoing strategic leadership and founder support

When I transitioned out of the engagement, the business had the strategy, systems, and team to continue operating without me. That's the goal: build something sustainable, not something dependent on any one person.

If you're running an eCommerce or DTC brand and you're ready to scale strategically — not just work harder — I'd love to talk.