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HARRY’S COMMENTS: In their search for a world-class Chief Growth Officer, we are working with a midwest-based CPG firm that specializes in the development, manufacture, and DTC marketing of safe, non-toxic cleaning products delivered in refillable & sustainable packaging.

My own family uses this client’s products, and I have closed searches for them before. Great company. Lovely people. What follows is the most transparent job posting I have ever written. And my client’s CEO approved it.

This is a VERY BIG, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT role for the company, and the pay package will reflect that. For the first 6-8 months, this role will be remote (with midwest travel). By month 9, however, you’ll need to relocate your family to an absolutely pastoral — yet fairly out of the way — midwest location. This is non-negotiable.

If you’re cool with that, keep reading …

As noted above, this client is a high 8-figure bootstrapped CPG ecommerce company selling non-toxic, refillable cleaning products. They’ve served 555,000+ families, eliminated 16 million single-use plastic containers, and manufacture in their Midwest HQ.

The current revenue split is 75% DTC, 20% Amazon, 5% retail. Subscriptions represent 55% of revenue (124,000 active subscribers). How’s that for transparency?

The firm just lost its CMO, who was brilliant at funnel building, yet the CMO and Founder felt it was time to go in different directions. They remain dear friends. The Founder describes the past year as “corporate bulimic,” with lots of hiring/firing after bringing everything in-house from agencies.

You’re inheriting a rebuilt team (last 6-12 months), and the CEO/Founder calls this role “the most important hire of my career.” You’ll have a clear mandate to scale customer acquisition from ~384K one-time buyers to 1M+ customers over the next 5 years.

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

Here’s a look at the firm’s Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats:

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STRENGTHS

1. Authentic Founder Story Creates Differentiation Competitors Can’t Copy

The Founder started this company after his son had a severe allergic reaction to conventional laundry detergent. That origin story is marketing gold — it answers “why should I trust you?” before customers ask. In a category drowning in greenwashing claims, this personal narrative cuts through. The Founder explicitly understands psychological triggers: “emotion sells, logic justifies.” He knows direct response, NLP, and persuasion frameworks deeply. This is all a huge plus.

What this means for you as CGO: You’re joined at the hip with a Founder who understands marketing at a sophisticated level. You won’t be educating him on why emotional storytelling matters — you’ll be scaling what already works. This guy gets it.

2. Refillable Pioneer Position = Category Leadership

The company pioneered the refillable cleaning revolution 8+ years ago. They own “first mover” credibility. The 555,000 families who’ve adopted the refillable ritual create switching costs through habit formation and a refillable container inventory. Once customers have their bottles throughout their home and a subscription rhythm, consistency bias makes competitive displacement difficult.

The refillable model also creates elegant unit economics: first order includes containers (higher AOV), subsequent orders are refills only (lower fulfillment cost, higher margin). Average customer orders 5.5 refills per year with 26% churn at 90 days — room for improvement, but the foundation works.

What this means for you as CGO: You’re not inventing a new business model. The refillable flywheel is proven at scale. Your job is optimization (cut 90-day churn from 26% to 18%, increase refill frequency from 5.5 to 6.5/year) and customer acquisition at scale.

3. Mission-Driven Culture Attracts Like-Minded Talent and Customers

The firm’s mission (chemical freedom, environmental impact, and charitable giving to safe houses and communities in need) attracts values-aligned employees and customers. The firm has generated $500K+ for charitable causes, and in a world where Gen Z and millennials choose based on values, this creates retention advantages.

What this means for you as CGO: If the mission resonates, you’ll find marketing and recruiting for a noble purpose easier than competing simply on price. If you’re mission-agnostic, this role will grind you down.

4. Proven Unit Economics Give Confidence to Scale Spend

Current performance indicates the business model works: Blended CAC: $55-60, Day 0 ROAS: 1.0 (break-even), Day 30 ROAS: 1.7, Average LTV: $240 (target $320), Contribution margin per order: $11 (target $15). The company is profitable and growing, unlike competitors burning VC cash. The Founder’s insight on attribution laddering is sophisticated: “We can buy at 0.6 ROAS on Meta, which generates 2.3-2.8x ROAS versus long-tail Google search.” He understands cross-channel dynamics most CMOs miss.

What this means for you as CGO: You’re not being hired to “fix broken economics.” The machinery works. You’re being hired to pour gasoline on the fire by improving CAC efficiency, LTV expansion, and conversion optimization while adding new channels.

5. Existing Team Infrastructure Provides Foundation

Three Executive Directors report to CGO: ED of 3P & Media (~12 people, best-in-class Amazon/TikTok/affiliate skills), ED of Brand (former CMO of two large eco-health influencer brands, content creation excellence), and ED of Lifecycle (20-year email/SMS veteran who generated more revenue in 2 weeks than prior 5 months combined). You’re not starting from zero. The bones exist. Your challenge is elevating their strategic thinking and filling gaps (currently no Conversion Rate Optimization “CRO” manager, no PR manager, No SEO Manager).

What this means for you as CGO: You need to be a coach and strategist, not just a doer. The Founder explicitly needs someone who can mentor and can multiply impact through people. So important!

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

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OPPORTUNITIES

1. Eco-Cleaning Category Experiencing Exponential Growth

The Founder: “It’s only taken me a decade to be at the right place at the right time.” Consumer awareness of toxic chemicals in household products is accelerating. Parents are hyper-vigilant about invisible threats to children’s health. The emotional drivers — fear of harming kids, guilt about plastic waste, eco-anxiety about climate legacy — are intensifying, not fading. Market research confirms millennial parents with young children are the highest-propensity buyers for non-toxic cleaning. This isn’t a niche anymore; it’s approaching mainstream.

What this means for you as CGO: You’re riding a tailwind. Customer acquisition isn’t about creating demand; it’s about capturing existing demand better than competitors. The market will grow 15-20% annually for the next 3-5 years whether you’re brilliant or mediocre. Your job is to take share!

2. No Direct Competitor Has This Exact Model

According to the Founder, “No direct line-by-line competitors exist.” Think of it this way: A funded concentrate brand focuses on premium positioning. A tablet-based competitor innovates on packaging. A multi-brand marketplace isn’t own-brand focused. A doctor-positioned brand uses different credibility angles. Mass-market retail brands aren’t subscription/refillable. This client owns the intersection of: refillable + founder story + Made in USA + subscription DTC. That’s defensible differentiation if communicated clearly.

What this means for you as CGO: You’re not fighting in a red ocean. There’s room to own specific emotional territory (relief from fear, pride in protecting family, freedom from toxic trade-offs) that competitors aren’t claiming. Your brand positioning work is about sharpening this, not inventing it.

3. International and Retail Expansion Are Wide Open

The firm’s Mercado Libre launch in Latin America (Q1 2025) targets markets where CAC is more efficient than saturated US channels. Big-box retail exploration offers bulk purchase economics and mass-market credibility. These aren’t hypothetical — they’re in motion. And recently, the Founder/CEO won a major regional entrepreneurship award, creating credibility that opens doors with retailers and investors.

What this means for you as CGO: You have permission and resources to experiment with new channels. But you’ll need to set clear contribution margin hurdles and move fast before competitors lock up shelf space. Be ready.

4. AI Search and Content SEO Are Unsaturated

The company has limited visibility on AI search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI) because its site lacks schema markup, FAQ-format content, and crawlable written content. The Founder explicitly said: “Content is huge for us, especially written content for its AI crawlability and video content for paid/organic social.” Competitors appear in every “Best Non-Toxic Cleaning Products 2025” roundup article, while my client doesn’t — despite having a better founder story and more customers. This is pure execution gap, not product/market problem.

What this means for you as CGO: Hiring a PR, content strategist and SEO specialist to dominate key search terms could add $5-10M in low-CAC organic traffic over 2 years. This is relatively cheap (one hire, 6 months of content production) with compounding returns. Make it happen.

5. VIP/Loyalty Program Upside Is Massive

The company has 555,000 families who’ve purchased, yet there’s no sophisticated VIP-tier program. A loyalty program exists but isn’t gamified or tiered. Research shows loyalty programs increase repeat purchase rates 27% on average. If the company can move repeat purchase rate from 32% to 45% (target in KPIs), that’s incremental millions without spending a dollar on acquisition. VIP-level perks (early access, special content or merch, advisory board seats, featured spotlights) create emotional attachment that’s more defensible than discount-driven loyalty.

What this means for you as CGO: This is a Year 1 “quick win” that doesn’t require tech stack overhaul or massive budget. You should have launched tiered engagement (Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum) based on purchases, referrals, NPS scores, and UGC creation by Month 6.

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

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WEAKNESSES:

1. WordPress/WooCommerce Tech Stack Is Actively Hurting Growth

Right now, the team ships minimal A/B tests per week due to tech stack limitations. Target is 10+ tests/week. Migration to Builder.io/Next.js is planned but not executed. Every week without testing velocity leaves 50+ basis points of conversion rate improvement on the table. Current site CVR: ≤3.8%. Target: ≥5%. Do the math: The gap represents millions in lost revenue annually.

Unvarnished truth: This is a Week 1 priority requiring CEO alignment on budget, engineering resources, and timeline. You must pursue this conversation immediately.

2. Attribution Chaos Means Budget Allocation Is Guesswork

The Founder freely admits: “Our first-party data and platform data never align.” Meta claims 2.5 ROAS, Google claims 3.0, TikTok claims 2.2 — but blended Day 0 ROAS is actually 1.0. Platforms are double/triple-counting conversions. There’s no dedicated BI analyst building attribution models or running incrementality tests. Media buyers optimize to platform-reported ROAS, which means they’re likely over-investing in bottom-funnel (branded search, retargeting) and under-investing in top-funnel awareness. Not great.

Unvarnished truth: You’ll need to align with the existing BI team in your first 60 days and run quarterly incrementality tests to understand what’s actually working. Until you do, 30-50% of ad spend is probably wasted on non-incremental channels. The Founder knows this problem exists. He needs you to solve it.

3. “Corporate Bulimic” Year Left Team Culture Bruised

The Founder’s description of “binging and purging” on hires — firing every agency, bringing in-house, rebuilding the team — means you’re inheriting people who’ve seen instability. The CEO knows I’m sharing this. The marketing team went from 6 to 30 people under the Previous CMO, and then that leader left (very amicably, but still). The CEO has jumped in as the Ad-Hoc CGO, and now the team is getting their third leader in 18 months. The three EDs are all relatively new to their roles (hired/promoted in the last 12 months) and they haven’t built deep trust with each other yet.

Unvarnished truth: Your first 30 days must be about listening and relationship-building, not “new CGO comes in with bold vision and changes everything.” The team needs stability more than brilliance right now. Earn trust before wielding authority. Not this sort of thing one reads in a job posting, I realize.

4. Midwest HQ Location Creates Real Talent Constraints

Internal documentation explicitly flags this: “Midwest HQ talent pool is limited — need to recruit nationally and relocate.” Hiring a local CRO Manager, PR Manager, BI Analyst, or Media Buyer isn’t happening, and soon you’ll see this first hand: The role requires your relocation within 6-8 months. If you have a spouse with a specialized career, school-age kids, or aging parents elsewhere, this could be a dealbreaker.

Unvarnished truth: If you’re a coastal urbanite who needs daily direct flights and urban amenities, this location will feel claustrophobic. Be honest with yourself about fit before accepting. The small town vibe must be a feature for you, not a bug.

5. Channel Over-Concentration Creates Platform Risk

Current revenue mix: 75% DTC, 20% Amazon, 5% retail. Target: 60% DTC, 25% Amazon, 15% retail. But without proactive oversight, the Founder warns, the team may default to Amazon because it’s the most straightforward, and the company may drift to 70% Amazon in 3 years at the expense of other channels.

Unvarnished truth: Diversification sounds good in strategy decks but can be painful in practice. DTC requires constant change management. Retail requires supply chain excellence and margin sacrifice. International expansion often requires local investment.

You’ll need to a.) manage for a 60/25/15 channel mix even when short-term DTC ROAS looks better, and b.) coach your team on how to finesse Meta and TikTok, which when managed ham-handedly can wipe out DTC brands overnight.

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

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THREATS:

1. Rising CAC Across Entire Digital Advertising Industry

The Founder: “CAC is not getting cheaper.” He’s not lying: Meta CPMs have risen 30-40% post-iOS 14. Google CPC inflation continues. TikTok is getting more competitive. The easy money era of Facebook ads is over. Every efficiency gain requires genuine skill — better creative, smarter targeting, faster testing velocity — not just spending more. Competitors with VC funding can afford to lose money on customer acquisition for years. But not my client.

This company is bootstrapped, which means they can’t sustain negative unit economics to buy market share. They must be profitable on every cohort within 3-6 months.

Unvarnished truth: If CAC rises from $55 to $75 while LTV stays at $240, the business model breaks. Your job is to defend CAC through CRO, better creative, channel diversification WHILE expanding LTV through churn reduction, cross-sells, loyalty simultaneously. Fail at either and the company misses the $250M target.

2. Greenwashing Fatigue Makes Differentiation Harder

Every CPG brand now claims “eco-friendly,” “non-toxic,” “sustainable.” Consumers are skeptical because they’ve been burned by performative green marketing. If this company sounds like “just another eco-brand,” then the founder story and refillable differentiation get lost. Competitors are innovating, too: One has more Instagram-worthy packaging, another has a “one product replaces 12” simplicity message, and another is building a multi-brand marketplace capturing more wallet share.

Unvarnished truth: You’ll need to be aggressive about owned positioning. Something specific like: “We’re the only refillable cleaning brand that makes anxious parents feel confident their home is safe while eliminating plastic waste guilt.” Generic “eco-friendly” messaging will get out-shouted by better-funded competitors.

3. Economic Downturn Could Hit Premium Eco-Products

Call me a cynic, but if the US enters a recession, there’s a risk that consumers will trade down from the company’s products to mass-market alternatives. Eco-products are often perceived as “nice-to-have premium” rather than “must-have necessity.” My wife’s counterargument: Health-conscious parents don’t compromise on children’s safety even in recessions.

If the company is positioned as “protecting your baby from toxins” (emotional painkiller) rather than “helping the environment” (nice-to-have vitamin), it’s more recession-resistant. But the messaging has to emphasize family health over planetary impact. My opinion. YMMV.

Unvarnished truth: You need to stress-test pricing and offer strategies for recessionary scenarios. Can the company launch a “budget-conscious parent” tier with smaller refill sizes or longer delivery intervals? This planning needs to happen in Year 1, not when the recession hits.

4. Founder Attention Split with Marketplace Startup

The Founder is simultaneously building a second company (a marketplace/platform business). If 30% of his time goes to the startup, that’s 30% less strategic guidance, decision-making bandwidth, and Founder storytelling available for this company’s growth. The Previous CMO was the Founder’s close friend — that relationship provided context, trust, and shorthand communication. You’re the new person earning that trust.

Unvarnished truth: You need to establish clear decision-making authority in Week 1. What can you approve without the Founder? What requires his input? What’s the escalation path if he’s traveling or focused on the startup? If this isn’t crystal clear, you’ll waste cycles waiting for feedback on decisions you could have made yourself. Again, the Founder approved this posting. He understands what I’m telling you.

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

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Bottom Line: Is this role worth the next five years of your career?

For the right operator, this is a career-defining opportunity. You’re not being hired to “fix broken marketing” or “turn around a struggling brand.” You’re being hired to scale what’s already working; to take a profitable, mission-driven, bootstrapped 8-figure business to $250M in 3-5 years, with a strategic exit that could generate life-changing wealth. Don’t believe me? Go read about successful CPG exits.

The Founder is a sophisticated operator who understands direct response, customer psychology, and unit economics. He’s giving you C-suite authority, meaningful equity, and resources to build a 40+ person team. The product is legitimately differentiated, the mission attracts talent, and the market tailwinds are real.

Having said that, you will fail in the role if …

• You can’t relocate to the Midwest HQ within 6-8 months (non-negotiable)
• You’re a pure strategist who can’t coach, mentor, and build people
• You need 100% of founder attention to succeed (Founder is splitting time with startup)

You will succeed if …

• You’ve scaled $50M+ ecommerce businesses before and know the playbook
• You can build teams that 10x your leverage (hire, train, multiply impact)
• You thrive in “measure three times, cut once” cultures (patient, deliberate, no knee-jerk)
• You love subscription/retention mechanics (55% of revenue is subscription)
• The mission genuinely resonates (protecting families, environmental impact, freedom)

The most likely failure mode is underestimating how much of your first year will be *building infrastructure* (tech stack migration, hiring A-players, attribution models, team stabilization) versus *executing brilliant strategy*. If you come in expecting to immediately deploy your $200M growth playbook, you’ll be frustrated by operational gaps.

But if you can spend Months 1-6 building the foundation, Months 7-12 scaling what works, and Years 2-3 compounding those gains, you’ll architect a unicorn exit.

NOW THE $64,000 QUESTION: Are you willing to bet 5 years of your career on a bootstrapped cleaning products company in the Midwest? If yes, this is potentially the best role you’ll ever take. If no, be honest now and save everyone time.

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.

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Key Responsibilities

Growth Strategy & Execution

• Lead the strategic planning and execution of scalable growth strategies across DTC, Amazon (1P/3P), retail, and other ecommerce marketplaces
• Drive customer acquisition and retention across multiple digital and offline channels, optimizing LTV, CAC, and overall revenue performance
• Own the entire growth funnel: performance marketing, SEO/SEM, lifecycle and retention marketing, CRO, and affiliate channels

Leadership & Team Development

• Manage, mentor, and grow a cross-functional team of 20+ professionals across key verticals: brand/creative, performance marketing, lifecycle, and partnerships
• Foster a culture of experimentation, learning, ownership, and excellence across the team
• Partner with People Ops to recruit, retain, and develop top-tier talent across all growth-related functions

Brand & Creative

• Own brand strategy and positioning in collaboration with Creative and Product teams
• Drive alignment across marketing channels to deliver consistent, compelling brand messaging and storytelling
• Champion customer-centric thinking in creative, lifecycle touchpoints, and content strategies

Ecommerce & Marketplace Growth

• Optimize DTC infrastructure and experiences (web UX, cart flow, checkout conversion)
• Spearhead Amazon (1P/3P) and third-party marketplace growth, balancing performance marketing with operational logistics
• Utilize analytics to test and refine product bundling, promotions, cross-sells, and upsells

Data & Technology

• Partner with Analytics & Tech teams to build and refine a data-driven marketing and attribution framework
• Implement and evolve martech stack to support customer segmentation, automation, and personalization

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Key Requirements

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years in marketing or growth leadership roles, including VP or C-level experience
• Proven success scaling a CPG or ecommerce company from $50M to $200M+
• Deep expertise in DTC and 1P/3P ecommerce, including Amazon, Shopify, and performance platforms (Meta, Google, TikTok, Klaviyo, etc.)
• Strong background in customer lifecycle marketing, segmentation, and retention strategies
• Demonstrated ability to lead and scale high-performing teams (20+)
• Comfortable in dynamic, entrepreneurial environments—bias for action and results

Preferred Attributes

• Experience with mission-driven or sustainable products
• Track record building omnichannel brands
• Understanding of consumer insights, customer research, and growth experimentation frameworks
• Experience navigating operational complexity across fulfillment, CX, product, and digital teams

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary + performance-based bonus + equity potential
• Comprehensive health benefits package
• Relocation support to Midwest HQ
• Professional development opportunities
• Mission-driven, values-oriented culture with a commitment to innovation and community

🟥 Applications for this role are being coordinated by Harry Joiner. To apply, CLICK HERE.