Fractional CMO · Head of Growth
Jan 2024 – May 2025 US DTC compression socks · $4M+ annual revenue

Crazy Compression

Built 8-figure profitable growth foundation
& mentored CEO.

Proof, first

Impact Highlights

OKRs & plan of action
$7.5M target
Turned a 17-page founder plan into channel-specific OKRs and a weekly execution rhythm.
Ad spend supervised
~$1M
Cut wasted spend — $277.6K → $172.8K/mo while net profit rose 3.2×.
Jan–Jun 2024 net profit
vs prior-year loss
First profitable April on record. Same window was a net loss the prior two years.
Org-wide alignment
Finance-first
Every channel owner sees Revenue, COGS, Ad Spend, variable ops, Contribution Profit.
Mentoring CEO & team
Data-backed
Weekly 1:1s teaching Triple Whale KPIs so decisions stopped living in each channel’s platform dashboard.
CS stack upgrade
Zendesk → eCom-native
Replaced legacy Zendesk with an AI-powered Shopify-native support stack.
Email marketing talent
Global hire
Onboarded offshore email talent under my guidance — clear KPIs, not a black box.
Google Ads agency
Incremental
Onboarded Paid House for Google. They brought a CRO specialist with them.
A/B testing culture
Visually
Installed systematic landing-page and creative testing instead of one-off opinions.
Creative & media buying
CBO rebuild
Consolidated the Meta account (CBO) and rebuilt the creative → landing-page loop.
Founder-led vertical video
Top-performing ads
Got the founder on camera. Those prospecting ads became the top spender.
Hire / fire against P&L
Profit-aligned
Exited and hired agencies and operators against financial health — not vanity metrics.

Founder, on camera

CEO Testimonial

Nate Banks, Founder & CEO. He had already sat with 5 of the 10 largest US firms. None of them could show a game plan that wasn’t going to cost an insane amount of money.

Nate Banks video testimonial thumbnail
Nate BanksFounder & CEO, Crazy Compression

Transcript

“I feel like the next evolution is what we’re tackling. And yes, I’ve had these team members in place, and there are certain metrics they should be held accountable for. But it seems — not making excuses — that, man, I’ve really, just in the last maybe 8 to 12 weeks, I’ve been able to sit down in the CEO chair.”

“And what you’ve been able to bring to the table, because I do value your opinion, your depth of knowledge in what you do is unmatched with people, even the largest firms that I’ve talked to here in the States. And before talking to you, I probably talked to 5 out of the 10 largest, and just most of them could not show me a game plan that wasn’t gonna cost an insane amount of money. And even people that were in that firm or using those firms couldn’t even tell me that it was working.”

Monthly P&L

Net Profit by Month

June 2024 back to January 2022. H1 was the weak season two years running. Peak was August 2023. April 2024 is the first profitable April on the chart.

US$96K US$48K 0 −US$15K Jun24 May24 Apr24 Mar24 Feb24 Jan24 Dec23 Nov23 Oct23 Sep23 Aug23 Jul23 Jun23 May23 Apr23 Mar23 Feb23 Jan23 Dec22 Nov22 Oct22 Sep22 Aug22 Jul22 Jun22 May22 Apr22 Mar22 Feb22 Jan22 2024 intervention Peak (Aug 2023) Net loss month

How decisions actually got made

Data-backed operating system

Triple Whale dashboards used to coach finance-first decisions
Improved data-driven decision making. Weekly reviews on the right KPIs — blended CPA, net profit, MER — not channel ROAS.

~$1M under supervision

Media buying, five months

Meta Ads Manager showing $967,104.70 spent January through May 2024
Jan–May 2024 Meta Ads Manager. $967,104.70 total spend in-window. Simplified account structure, creative workflow, and Triple Whale as the decision layer — not more campaigns.

The operating plan I wrote

OKR Execution Timeline

The founder had a 17-page plan. Siloed channel leads could not convert it into targets. I wrote the OKR cascade — $7.5M objective, three key results, six operating areas, quarterly actions.

Objective — 2× revenue with a healthy profit margin

Full-year 2024 operating plan. I owned the translation from founder vision → channel OKRs → weekly rhythm.

KR 12× sales — $625K/mo run-rate toward $7.5M
KR 2Healthy profit margin — more net-profit dollars than 2023
KR 3MER 47% → 40% with a capped fixed-cost budget
gantt dateFormat YYYY-MM-DD title Crazy Compression Project Timeline section Objective 2X Revenue with Healthy Profit Margin :active, 2024-01-01, 2024-12-31 section Key Results 2X Sales ($625K/m → $7.5M in 2024): 2024-01-01, 2024-12-31 Healthy Profit Margin : 2024-01-01, 2024-12-31 Reducing MER from 47% → 40% : 2024-01-01, 2024-12-31 section Acquisition Reduce Blended CPA : 2024-01-01, 2024-06-30 Scale Ad Spend to $250K/m : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Daily Posting + Community Setup : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 2024 Organic Content Calendar : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Run Content Flywheel : 2024-07-01, 2024-12-31 Make TikTok Shop LIVE & Hire someone : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 TikTok Shop Revenue Contribution 10%+ : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 TikTok Shop Revenue Contribution 25%+ : 2024-07-01, 2024-12-31 Make Amazon Store LIVE & hire someone/team : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Plan, execute, review Amazon Prime day Performance : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Review & Reallocate Resources : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 Launch Top 5 Commerce Intent LPs : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Competitor Research → Add/Optimise Pages : 2024-04-01, 2024-09-30 25%+ Revenue Contribution for Organic Search : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 section Conversion Clear Pending Replies, Bots, FAQs, Auto-replies, Triggers : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Automate & Optimise CS : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Improved Customer Satisfaction : 2024-07-01, 2024-12-31 Improve Page Speed, HP, PDP, CLP, Cart, Checkout & Post Purchase : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Improve AOV : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Personalised Experiences & A/B Testing : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Friction less Purchase Experience : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 section Product Highlight USPs in all Marketing Channels : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Review & adjust Discounts & Pricing : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Review & Improve Product Packaging : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Refine Product Positioning : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Streamline the fulfilment process : 2024-04-01, 2024-09-30 Friction less BFCM & Holiday Delivery : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 section Retention Improve LTV : 2024-04-01, 2024-09-30 Achieve $100+ LTV : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 Re-evaluate ManyChat : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Establish Email & SMS KPIs : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Optimise Email & SMS : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Grow Lists, Update & Sanitise Segments : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Become Highest Revenue Contributing Channel : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 section Finance Clarifying Channel Specific KPIs : 2024-01-01, 2024-03-31 Review Finances & Plan Actions : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Setup eCommerce Friendly Financial Reports : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Take Financial Decision : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31 section OPs Centralised communication system : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Project & Task Management : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Maintain a Google Drive Media Repository : 2024-04-01, 2024-06-30 Build SOPs : 2024-07-01, 2024-09-30 Review & add/remove Tech Stacks : 2024-01-01, 2024-09-30 Establish a Company Hub : 2024-10-01, 2024-12-31
OKR cascade. $7.5M objective → 3 key results → 6 areas → quarterly actions across 2024.

Context

Executive Summary

Crazy Compression, a US-based DTC compression sock brand at $4M+ annual revenue, hired me as Fractional CMO / Head of Growth to break through a profit ceiling. The founder had consulted 5 of the 10 largest US agencies — none delivered a cost-effective game plan.

The founder did not arrive with a finance-first brief. He had a 17-page growth plan, a team already in seats, and no operating system that turned either into channel targets. I supplied the missing clarity: Contribution Profit as the decision layer (not ROAS), an OKR cascade the siloed leads could actually run, and coaching that moved the CEO into the chair and the team onto documented systems.

Outcome in 5 months (Jan–May 2024): Net profit moved from $6.5K → $20.8K/mo while ad spend dropped ~$105K/mo ($277.6K → $172.8K). By June the growth foundation was installed. Total compensation was $33K including the $3K audit. I advised against a $10K/mo retainer and pointed the remaining budget at roadmap execution.

Situation & Diagnosis

Where they started (Jan 2024)

  • Revenue trajectory: 2020 $1.1M → 2021 $1.47M → 2022 $2.25M → 2023 $4.1M (~45% YoY)
  • Profit problem: Ad spend was running ~43–50% of revenue. H1 had been a net-loss season two years running.
  • Peak month (Aug 2023): $548K sales, $326K GP, $95.8K net profit — the model works at peak; the machine did not work in H1.
  • Founder’s 2024 plan (“Operation Sell Socks,” 17 pages): $7.5M target, 600–800 pairs/day, 5 new lines, 3.5-day ship window.

The bottleneck I actually solved

Siloed domain leads — Meta, Google, SEO, Email/SMS, Ops — could not consume a holistic founder PDF and turn it into channel targets. Translating that plan into per-channel OKRs, budgets, and a weekly rhythm was the job. The founder did not hand me that architecture. I built it.

Structural gaps

  • Metric confusion: Every seat optimized for its platform metric — ads ROAS/CPA, email/SMS opens and clicks, support tickets — not Contribution Profit.
  • No financial OS: Monthly P&L review did not exist for channel owners. Fixed cost sat at ~$48K/mo and was invisible.
  • Profit was overstated on the dashboard: Operating expenses were not fully loaded, so yearly numbers looked healthier than H1 actually was.
  • Lead leakage: Meta Commerce Manager leads never synced to Klaviyo. No serious popup capture.
  • CS ops: Zendesk without a Shopify-native, AI-assisted workflow. Balls dropped daily.
  • Pricing math: 75% discount logic hid unit economics.
  • Execution discrepancies: Caught channel owners gaming metrics against misaligned incentives.

Intervention: What I Built

1. Financial operating system

  • Monthly Contribution Profit P&L for every channel owner.
  • OKRs cascading from $7.5M → quarter → month → week, by role.
  • Ad spend guardrails: Meta ~$6K/day at a 1.5× ROAS floor; Google $1K/day; TikTok as a test budget.
  • Result: Apr→Jun ad spend −$105K/mo while net profit tripled.

2. Coaching architecture

  • Weekly 1:1s with each lead — coaching, not status theater.
  • Backup roster + role SOPs so the company was not one-person-deep.
  • Moved quick comms to Slack with thread discipline.
  • Founder video ads: he got on camera; those ads became the top prospecting spender.

3. Meta account consolidation (CBO)

  • Collapsed a fragmented campaign structure into Campaign Budget Optimization.
  • Weekly creative reviews tied to post-click metrics, not just CPA.
  • Video commerce + new product landing pages — the founder called the first one “beyond awesome” and reused it as the launch template.

Inherited (already there in Jan 2024)

  • Triple Whale
  • Zendesk
  • Klaviyo
  • Existing Meta account structure (pre-CBO)
  • Existing Google Ads structure
  • Incumbent SEO, Email/SMS, and Ops leads

Introduced or evaluated by me

  • Richpanel — Shopify-native CS to replace Zendesk
  • Visually — A/B testing culture
  • Social Snowball — affiliate program
  • Paid House — Google Ads, then CRO
  • ESP migration — warm-up discipline, no premature blasts
  • Advanced popups — plugged the Meta → Klaviyo leak
  • Finaloop — evaluated, not blindly installed

4. Product, CS, and pricing execution

  • 5 new lines on calendar (Memorial Day + family/military honor angle).
  • 75% discount math made explicit so the team could see unit economics per tier.
  • Meta Commerce Manager → Klaviyo sync repaired.
  • DC staffing held at 7–10 knitting machines; 3.5-day ship window hit.

How I work

Profit-first, not vanity-first

Platform metrics diagnose. Contribution Profit decides. A “winning” ad account or inbox that loses contribution gets cut.

Coach the team, don’t replace it

Diagnose the gap, write the SOP, coach, build a backup. Fire last. Core team stayed.

Systems over heroics

Atomic Habits + E-Myth. If the founder steps away, the machine still runs.

Vendor transparency

Head-to-head evals, shared dashboards, no black-box retainers.

Financial literacy in every seat

Media buyer knows GP/unit. SEO sees traffic → contribution. Email knows payback.

Translate founder vision → channel work

A 17-page PDF is not an operating system. Per-channel OKRs are.

Engagement Timeline

Onboarding & access

Shopify, Meta, Google access. Timezone declared. Financial baseline. 17-page “Operation Sell Socks” received — not yet runnable.

Diagnosis & OKR design

I wrote the OKR cascade from the founder PDF. Deep-dives with each lead. Contribution Profit P&L designed.

Financial OS + coaching live

Mar 11 full-team walkthrough: “Exactly what I was looking for. Very thorough, very thought out.” Hard coaching conversations started. Slack migration begun.

CBO + vendor upgrades

Meta account consolidation. Visually, Social Snowball, Paid House. Advanced popups. First profitable April ($6.5K). Ad spend $277.6K.

Launches + spend discipline

New lines live. Founder videos become top prospecting creative. CS stack upgrade. Ad spend $217.5K. Net profit $14K. Execution audit catches metric-gaming.

Foundation installed

Ad spend $172.8K. Net profit $20.8K. 3.5-day ship window hit. $33K total compensation. Advised against $10K/mo retainer. Transitioned away.

About

Sourav Ghosh

Fractional CMO · 7-figure US DTC brands · 1,000+ founders mentored across 60+ countries

I’ve spent 10+ years in eCommerce growth across 1,000+ brands. I work as Fractional CMO / Head of Growth for 7-figure DTC brands — typically those spending $1M+/quarter on advertising.

After a decade running an agency, I work directly with a small number of brands: finance-first operating systems, team coaching, and profit-first spend decisions. No vanity metrics. No agency bloat.

Connect

Questions or custom engagements: [email protected]

Sourav Ghosh