Building a high-performing marketing team is crucial for scaling e-commerce brands, as team structure often determines growth potential and effectiveness.
To effectively scale, organizations must hire with a forward-looking strategy, preparing for future roles rather than focusing solely on immediate needs.
Diversity in skills and experiences within teams fosters innovation, enabling companies to adapt and better respond to shifting market conditions and opportunities.
Deep dives
Understanding Growth Barriers in E-Commerce
Growth stage e-commerce brands often encounter an invisible ceiling that hinders their progress. This limitation is typically not related to product quality or performance, but rather to issues within team structure. Many organizations fail to adequately prepare their teams for future growth, hiring for immediate needs without a long-term vision. As a result, they may struggle to fill gaps with the right expertise, limiting their potential to scale effectively.
Hiring Strategies for Scaling Organizations
When building teams for scaling organizations, it is crucial to hire not only for current needs but also future roles. Many brands make the mistake of maintaining inflexible structures, which can stifle growth when market demands change. To counter this, businesses should consider flexible staffing options such as contractors or agency partners, enabling them to adapt as necessary without committing to full-time hires. A clear strategy based on organizational goals is essential for ensuring that the right talent is brought on board when needed.
The Importance of Diverse Skill Sets
Teams lacking diversity in skills and experiences can significantly hinder an organization's ability to innovate. A homogeneous team may create a cycle of repetitive ideas rather than fostering creativity and new approaches. It is essential for organizations to seek individuals with varied capabilities who can contribute beyond their defined roles. By leveraging talent with flexible skill sets, companies can respond more effectively to shifting market conditions and capitalize on new opportunities.
Recognizing the Need for Leadership Delegation
Entrepreneurs often struggle with the transition from doing everything themselves to delegating responsibilities effectively. Founders need to evaluate where their time and expertise can be best utilized, recognizing that they cannot handle every task alone without sacrificing growth. Empowering talented team members to take on key responsibilities allows founders to focus on strategic aspects of the business. This delegation not only aids in personal productivity but also enhances team morale and fosters a culture of trust.
Consumer Insights Over Sales Reactions
Brands must prioritize understanding consumer needs and behavior rather than solely reacting to sales data. This understanding requires ongoing engagement with consumers to grasp how their preferences evolve over time. Initiatives like focus groups and product trials provide valuable feedback that can inform marketing strategies and product development. By staying attuned to consumer insights, brands can innovate effectively and maintain a competitive edge in their respective markets.
Building a Flexible Marketing Organization
A successful marketing organization is characterized by its ability to adapt to changing market dynamics. As businesses consider moving from direct-to-consumer (DTC) models to retail, they need strategic thinkers who can provide oversight during this transition. Essential roles include brand managers and digital marketing specialists, but flexibility in hiring is crucial to accommodate evolving needs. By identifying key positions and utilizing part-time or outsourced expertise, brands can build a robust marketing structure that supports sustained growth.
Jenica Oliver is the Founder and Fractional CMO at Blueprint Marketing Group, a certified women- and minority-owned marketing consultancy helping CPG brands scale through omnichannel expansion. With over 20 years of marketing experience, she has held leadership roles at companies like Yum! Brands, Mission Foods, and Borden Dairy Company. As an advocate for small- and minority-owned businesses, Jenica serves on several boards, including the Women’s Business Council and the Minority Supplier Development Council’s Minority Business Enterprise Input Committee (MBEIC).
In this episode…
Building a high-performing marketing team can be the silent killer — or the secret weapon — for growing e-commerce and CPG brands. Many companies hit a plateau — not because of weak products or poor performance — but because their scrappy, early-stage team can’t support long-term scalability. How do you know when it’s time to restructure, and how can you do it without breaking your budget?
As a seasoned marketing executive, Jenica Oliver has developed a framework for scaling teams strategically. She stresses the importance of building for where you want to go — not where you are today — and recommends leveraging fractional roles, agency partnerships, and diverse skill sets to bridge capability gaps. When balancing innovation with daily operations, brands should identify the team members best suited for creative, forward-thinking projects versus those who excel in managing existing processes. By aligning roles with core strengths and emerging capabilities, companies can unlock surprising talent and avoid frequent restructures.
Join William Harris in the latest episode of the Up Arrow Podcast as he interviews Jenica Oliver, the Founder and Fractional CMO at Blueprint Marketing Group, about restructuring teams to unlock growth in the DTC and CPG space. Jenica explains how to gather authentic, actionable consumer insights, the impact of misaligned team structures on company performance, and the challenges brands face when shifting from DTC to retail.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
