Fractional Sales Leadership Case Study
How a Food and Wellness Brand Built a Sales Function from Zero with Fractional Leadership
Challenge: Three verticals. One person. No playbook.
A fitness and wellness brand, known for studio operations, fitness equipment, and beauty products, was launching its first food product and expanding all three categories across omnichannel retail simultaneously, but came to ForceBrands for support to find a sales leader who could help develop a go-to-market and expansion strategy to drive distribution across all their product verticals.
The operational challenge was compounded by something harder to quantify: culture fit. With the founder closely involved in the business, the right candidate didn't just need the right résumé, they needed to know the brand, believe in it, and bring genuine enthusiasm for what it represents.
The Role Scope: Director of Distribution & Sales
The role was scoped as a fractional, contract engagement, remote-eligible, starting at 20 hours per week, with responsibility across all three product lines.
Core objectives included:
- Retail & omni-channel strategy
- Wholesale account development
- Amazon & online retail
- Brick-and-mortar outreach
- Target, Erewhon, Whole Foods go-to-market execution
Because this was the brand's first dedicated sales hire, the role also carried an inherent consulting dimension. The candidate would need to help shape the sales function, not just execute within an existing one.
How ForceBrands Helped:
ForceBrands' rare combination of deep food and beverage roots, fitness and wellness experience, and a fractional placement model made it uniquely positioned to recruit across all three verticals while structuring the engagement to match the brand's stage and budget.
Acting as a strategic partner before the search even began, senior consultants clarified the distinction between candidate archetypes and steered the search to prioritize long-term fitness and wellness expertise over the immediate focus on their new product launch, while advising on a fractional model that let the brand launch the sales function quickly, stay within budget, and retain flexibility to scale, with ForceBrands handling all sourcing, HR, and compliance. The result was a fast, well-fitting placement that has since grown in scope.
"The fractional model meant they could course-correct fast. And the minute they saw the right profile, they were ready to move on an offer."
Caroline Weber,
Vice President, Contract Staffing
Finding the Right Candidate: The search that found a brand believer
The recruiter searched across fitness, beauty, and food/condiment verticals, prioritizing depth of experience and a track record of bringing product to market. The fully remote scope broadened the talent pool, and the fractional structure made it possible to attract senior-level talent who might not have been available for a full-time role.
Early candidate slates skewed toward food and beauty and didn't resonate with the type of individual the organization required. After revisiting the brief, the search pivoted to lead with fitness and wellness, seeking candidates who also had beauty credentials and could stretch into the condiment space. That recalibration unlocked the right profile.
The successful candidate had worked across multiple small, entrepreneurial companies, wearing many hats, building from scratch, and taking ownership without a defined playbook. But what truly set her apart was a deep, authentic connection to the brand. She was a true brand believer. That combination of versatility, startup fluency, and brand affinity made her an immediate yes.
Cultural Fit: More than a résumé match
With the founder closely involved in every hire, culture alignment wasn't a nice-to-have—it was a gating factor, and candidates who didn't already know and believe in the brand were unlikely to succeed. The right candidate's enthusiasm was genuine, earned from being a real fan, and her small-company background meant she was comfortable with ambiguity and ready to help build the sales function from zero rather than plug into existing infrastructure.