01
Acquisition tuned to margin
Meta and Google structured for creative testing and scale, TikTok and CTV where they earn a place, and budgets set against contribution margin, not platform ROAS.
Fractional CMO for DTC and ecommerce
A fractional CMO for DTC and ecommerce brands that need growth to be profitable, not just bigger.
I'm Monica Hacker. I've built growth for Stitch Fix, Summer Fridays, Huggies and Luce Divina, and I now work as a fractional CMO for DTC and ecommerce founders. Paid, retention, conversion and the AI system that runs it, with one senior person accountable for the number.
Based in New York and Miami. Working with ecommerce founders across the US.
The pattern
Most DTC brands don't have a traffic problem. They have a margin problem.
Here's what I see in most ecommerce accounts by the time a founder calls me. Revenue is up and profit isn't. Meta is doing the heavy lifting and every creative slump shows up in the P&L. Discounts are propping up conversion. Email sends are up and email revenue is flat. And nobody can say, with a straight face, what a customer is worth after shipping, returns and the second order that never came.
That's not a channel problem. It's a system problem. Growth that comes from one channel and a discount code doesn't compound. Growth that comes from a funnel that converts at full price, a retention engine that brings people back, and acquisition tuned to contribution margin instead of ROAS does.
So that's where I start. Not with a new campaign, with the economics. What a customer costs by channel, what they're worth at 90 days and 12 months, what's profitable after discounts, shipping and returns, and which lever moves that first.
What I run
How an engagement usually works.
02
A site that converts at full price
Product pages, offers, bundles and checkout built around how your customer actually decides. Fewer discounts, higher AOV, cleaner attribution.
03
Retention that pays for acquisition
Email and SMS built around repeat purchase and replenishment, a post purchase flow that earns the second order, and subscription that people keep.
Who this is for
Founders I tend to work best with.
A DTC or ecommerce brand that is already spending on growth, with a small team or an agency and nobody senior connecting the pieces. Sometimes a founder still running marketing herself. Sometimes a brand with a full team that has plateaued and can't say why.
I keep my roster small on purpose. You get me, in the room, close to the numbers. Not a junior account manager and a templated report.
Running on Shopify? Selling on subscription? I go deeper on both: fractional CMO for Shopify brands and fractional CMO for subscription DTC brands. Or drop your store into the free audit and I'll send you three things I'd tighten up.
Where to start
Start with a DTC and Ecommerce Growth Audit.
Before a retainer, a clear read on where revenue is leaking: store, product pages, checkout, retention and the economics behind it. Delivered in 7 to 10 days with a recorded walkthrough.
What I look at first
- Acquisition: what a customer costs by channel and how much rides on Meta
- Revenue quality: contribution margin after discounts, shipping and returns
- Customer behavior: repeat rate, time to second order, subscription churn and LTV
- Site and funnel: where product pages and checkout lose the sale
- The verdict: where growth is leaking and what to fix first
Starting at $1,500
Delivered in 7 to 10 days
Credited toward your first month if you move to a retainer.
Fair questions
What ecommerce founders ask me first.
What does a fractional CMO do for a DTC brand?
Owns the growth number. Sets the strategy across paid, email and SMS, the site and retention, leads whoever is already doing the work, fills the gaps, and reports on what is actually driving profitable revenue. With me you also get the AI growth system underneath, so reporting and the first pass of the work run without you.
How much does a fractional CMO cost for an ecommerce brand?
With me, from $8,500 a month for about 10 to 12 hours a week, with a 4 month minimum and a review at month 3. Paid acquisition and funnel on its own starts at $4,500 a month. A Growth Audit is $1,500 and is credited toward your first month.
When is a DTC brand ready for a fractional CMO?
When you're already spending on growth, paid is running but not scaling profitably, retention is thinner than it should be, and nobody senior is holding the whole picture. If you're pre-revenue, start with the free site audit instead.
Do you replace my agency?
Usually no. I lead them, set the priorities and hold the work to a number. If they're not the right fit I'll tell you plainly, but I'm not here to replace a team that's working.
Which ecommerce brands have you worked with?
Stitch Fix and Huggies during my agency years at NoGood and Forward Progress, Summer Fridays and Luce Divina directly. Most of my current roster is DTC, beauty and wellness, and healthcare.
Let's make your growth profitable.
I take on a few new clients each quarter. If you're building an ecommerce brand that's real, let's talk about what's next.
Book a call →Thirty minutes. Bring your numbers, or just bring the problem. You'll leave knowing what I'd fix first.