Lisa Schaefer | Marketing, Brand & Growth Partner
Strategy
I build growth systems for consumer brands — not just campaigns.
The examples below reflect strategic and operational leadership across brand, growth, and go-to-market initiatives in consumer and regulated markets
Promescent
Developed brand repositioning for this science-backed sexual wellness brand, expanding audience relevance and emotional resonance; supported +15% new customer acquisition and +16% improvement in purchase conversion.
Curio Wellness
Led this $67M+ wellness product manufacturer on omni-channel marketing strategy to support market expansion, contributing to 52% YoY revenue growth and 102%+ growth in web engagement.
iAnthus
Directed regional brand and marketing strategy across 10 retail locations and six product brands in the Northeast, supporting approximately 45% year-over-year revenue growth.
McCormick & Company
Introduced the company’s first direct-to-consumer brand, spanning brand development, product commercialization, and eCommerce launch; delivered 15% month-over-month web sales growth, 32% brand sales growth, and 64% margins.
Babe.
Founded and scaled an award-winning women’s apparel boutique, achieving $682 sales per square foot, 52% gross margin, 7.2 inventory turns, and 28% YoY revenue growth; business was later acquired by a leading competitor.
Career Highlights
I work across different stages of growth — from building brands from the ground up to refining and scaling what already exists.
The detailed work below reflects a mix of leadership roles and advisory engagements, all centered around brand, DTC, and retention.
Emerging Consumer Product Brand
DTC Go-To-Market & Growth Strategy
Role: Consulting Engagement
OVERVIEW: Led full commercialization strategy for an emerging consumer wellness brand, building a scalable DTC and Amazon business from the ground up.
The focus was simple: move fast, validate demand early, and build a growth engine that could scale without unnecessary complexity or cost.
THE PROBLEM:
-Entering a new and unproven product sub-category
-No existing go-to-market strategy or demand signals
-Pressure to launch quickly without over-investing upfront
-Multiple dependencies across product, packaging, and fulfillment
-Need to build infrastructure that could scale from day one
WHAT I DELIVERED:
-Built a lean, test-and-learn go-to-market strategy focused on speed and capital efficiency
-Launched simultaneous DTC and Amazon channels to capture early demand
-Developed positioning and messaging to clearly differentiate in a crowded wellness space
-Established foundational acquisition strategy across paid and owned channels
-Built lifecycle and retention programs to support repeat purchase and LTV
-Created operational alignment across product, marketing, and fulfillment
THE OUTCOME:
Enabled a 9-month launch timeline with parallel execution
Successfully validated demand in a new category
Built a scalable foundation across DTC and Amazon
Established early customer acquisition and retention systems
Created a model designed for efficient, long-term growth
KEY SKILLS:
DTC Growth Strategy | Go-To-Market Planning | eCommerce (Shopify) | Amazon Launch Strategy | Lifecycle & Retention | Operational Planning | Analytics & KPI Development
Curio Wellness
High Growth Strategy for a Leading Science-Driven Cannabis Brand
Role: In-house Leadership | VP of Marketing
OVERVIEW: Led marketing strategy during the transition from medical to adult-use, helping scale a leading, science-driven cannabis brand in a rapidly expanding market.
The focus was to drive growth without diluting the brand — expanding beyond a medical audience while maintaining a premium, highly differentiated position.
THE PROBLEM:
-Rapid shift from medical to adult-use significantly expanded the market
-Increased competition and more price-driven consumer behavior
-Need to evolve messaging beyond a medical audience
-Risk of brand dilution in a newly commoditized category
-Limited structure across acquisition, retention, and lifecycle
WHAT I DELIVERED:
-Refined brand positioning to translate science-led credibility to a broader consumer audience
-Built full-funnel acquisition strategy across digital, OOH, and traditional channels
-Developed lifecycle marketing programs across email and SMS
-Introduced retention and loyalty initiatives to drive repeat purchase and LTV
-Led go-to-market strategy for product launches across multiple categories
-Partnered with product and retail teams on assortment, pricing, and merchandising strategy
-Collaborated with field teams and retail partners to drive in-store execution and sell-through
-Aligned messaging across brand, product, and retail touchpoints
-Established KPI framework and performance tracking to guide optimization
THE OUTCOME:
-Supported revenue growth from $27M to $67M in under one year
-Expanded audience from ~160K medical patients to 4M+ adult-use consumers
-Maintained position as the leading brand in the market during expansion
-Increased repeat purchase and customer lifetime value
-Strengthened brand equity in a more competitive, price-driven landscape
KEY SKILLS:
Brand Strategy & Positioning | Premium Brand Development | Full-Funnel Marketing Strategy | Customer Acquisition |
Lifecycle & Retention Marketing | Customer Segmentation | Performance & KPI Development | Cross-Channel Campaign Integration
Regulated Consumer Telehealth Brand
Full-Funnel Go-To-Market Strategy
Role: Consulting Engagement
OVERVIEW: Led go-to-market strategy for a telehealth cannabis platform, focused on launching and scaling a compliant, conversion-driven DTC growth model.
The approach prioritized speed to market while building the foundational systems needed to support ongoing retention and repeat engagement.
THE PROBLEM:
-No clear go-to-market strategy or structured acquisition approach
-Limited visibility into conversion performance across the funnel
-No lifecycle or retention infrastructure in place
-Complex regulatory constraints impacting messaging and channels
-Need to launch quickly while building a scalable foundation
WHAT I DELIVERED:
-Built and executed go-to-market strategy across paid, owned, and partner channels
-Developed positioning and messaging aligned to compliance and conversion
-Launched acquisition campaigns and landing page infrastructure
-Established full-funnel tracking across key actions (purchase, booking, engagement)
-Defined core customer segments and audience strategy
Then layered in growth infrastructure:
-Built lifecycle marketing programs in Klaviyo (email + SMS)
-Implemented date-driven renewal flows tied to recertification timing
-Created segmentation strategy based on cardholder status and behavior
-Developed test-and-learn framework to improve CAC and conversion
THE OUTCOME:
-Exceeded launch conversion goals by 23%
-Successfully launched a compliant, conversion-focused DTC model
-Established full-funnel visibility and performance tracking
-Built lifecycle and retention systems to support repeat engagement
-Improved acquisition efficiency through better targeting and messaging
-Created a scalable foundation for long-term growth
KEY SKILLS:
Go-To-Market Strategy | Persona Development | Consumer Segmentation | Lifecycle & Funnel Design | Regulated Marketing | Performance Marketing Strategy | Content & Messaging Strategy | Growth Modeling
If you're building, scaling, or trying to get unstuck, let’s connect.