Case Studies

Supporting multi-channel launches across CPG, E-commerce, retail, and digital operations

A large consumer packaged goods company needed support across two highly complex product initiatives happening simultaneously:

• the launch of a new beauty e-commerce experience
• the development and rollout of a new consumer ice cream brand

Both projects involved dozens of stakeholders, overlapping timelines, technical coordination, brand management, creative execution, and operational pressure.

The challenge wasn’t a lack of ideas.
It was orchestrating execution across multiple teams, systems, and deliverables without losing momentum.

The Boulder

The company needed someone who could move fluidly between:

• strategy and execution
• creative and technical teams
• ecommerce and physical retail
• vendors and internal stakeholders
• development and customer experience

The work required constant translation between departments, rapid problem-solving, and ongoing prioritization under tight deadlines.

The Implementation

Sharon stepped in as a high-agency implementation lead across both initiatives.

For the beauty brand, the work included:

• helping develop and launch a Shopify e-commerce experience
• designing and refining site content
• coordinating user acceptance testing (UAT)
• managing Jira workflows and development coordination
• ensuring accurate brand representation across teams
• sourcing additional technical and creative resources
• negotiating Shopify Plus/VIP pricing and platform logistics

For the ice cream launch, the work expanded into broader consumer brand implementation, including:

• supporting packaging development
• coordinating launch deliverables
• assisting with customer testing initiatives
• helping manage in-store and pop-up promotional materials
• aligning creative, operational, and launch workflows

Across both projects, the role consistently evolved based on whatever was needed to keep execution moving forward.

The Result

The projects successfully moved from fragmented initiatives into coordinated launches with functioning systems, aligned teams, and completed deliverables.

The value wasn’t tied to a single department or specialty.

It came from the ability to:

• see the entire operational picture
• identify bottlenecks early
• connect teams effectively
• reduce friction
• and keep complex launches moving under pressure

The WYB Takeaway

In large organizations, projects rarely fail because of one catastrophic mistake.

They fail quietly through:

• communication gaps
• unclear ownership
• delayed decisions
• operational friction
• and too many disconnected moving parts

Sometimes the most valuable person in the room is the one who can connect the dots, keep everyone aligned, and make sure the work actually gets finished.

Helping bring a forgotten World War I memoir to life

When my client inherited her grandfather’s World War I memoir, she also inherited an enormous unfinished project.

The manuscript — originally written on a typewriter decades earlier — was over 500 pages long and filled with deeply personal first-person accounts from World War I, including experiences as a Jewish refugee and participation in the Meuse–Argonne offensive. Like many meaningful family projects, it carried immense historical and emotional value… but also overwhelming complexity.

For years, the project sat unfinished.

That’s where What’s Your Boulder? came in.

The Boulder

The challenge wasn’t simply “publishing a book.”

The real obstacle was the sheer weight of the process:

• converting and organizing a massive typewritten manuscript
• editing and preparing the text for publication
• sorting through archival family photographs
• determining print strategy and production workflows
• coordinating multiple editors and collaborators
• maintaining momentum on a deeply emotional long-term project
• transforming a personal family archive into a professional publication

Like many important projects, the issue wasn’t lack of desire. It was friction.

The Implementation

Working together in regular in-person sessions, I helped guide and organize the project from concept to execution.

The work included:

• converting the manuscript into an editable digital format
• extensive copy editing and editorial refinement
• coordinating additional editorial review
• organizing and curating historical imagery
• helping shape the overall structure and production process
• managing publishing logistics and print decisions
• creating systems to keep the project moving consistently forward

Most importantly, the process transformed an overwhelming “someday” project into a functioning, real-world publication.

The Result

The memoir, now published as Clean Breeches, is available in paperback on Amazon, with additional formats in development.

What began as a forgotten typewritten manuscript became:

• a published historical memoir
• a preserved family legacy
• a public historical contribution
• an ongoing media and marketing project with potential future adaptation opportunities

The WYB Takeaway

Some of the most important projects in life don’t fail because people don’t care.

They stall because the emotional, technical, and logistical weight becomes too heavy to move alone.

Sometimes the real value isn’t just strategy.

It’s having someone who can help carry the boulder all the way to completion.

Turning a product idea into an operational online company

A prospective client originally posted a simple request: they wanted someone to build a Shopify e-commerce site for a product they already manufactured and sold through brick-and-mortar channels.

At first glance, it sounded straightforward.

But after initial discovery conversations, it became clear that what existed wasn’t actually an e-commerce business yet.

It was an idea for one.

The Boulder

The client had:

• a product
• industry knowledge
• existing physical distribution
• and enthusiasm

What they didn’t yet have was:

• a digital business model
• an e-commerce strategy
• operational infrastructure
• branding
• online positioning
• fulfillment systems
• marketing pipelines
• or customer acquisition strategy

Even basic foundational elements were still undefined, including:

• the company name
• domain registration
• trademarking
• logo development
• social presence
• payment processing infrastructure
• delivery logistics
• and customer targeting

The project quickly revealed itself to be far larger than “building a website.”

The Implementation

I stepped in not simply as a web developer, but as an implementation and business-building partner.

The work included:

• helping define the actual e-commerce business model
• determining delivery structure and geographic rollout logistics
• developing the Shopify e-commerce experience
• creating branding, logo, and positioning strategy
• securing the domain and trademark
• setting up payment and e-commerce infrastructure
• building social and digital marketing foundations
• developing a go-to-market strategy and rollout sequencing
• identifying target customer segments
• differentiating the product within a niche market
• designing marketing collateral across print and digital channels
• creating materials for delivery vehicles, drivers, postcards, and advertising campaigns

The project evolved into a phased long-term launch strategy designed to build demand gradually and sustainably over time.

The Result

What began as a request for a Shopify site became the operational launch of an entirely new e-commerce business.

The client retained ownership of the product and fulfillment side of the operation while relying on Sharon to help architect, coordinate, and execute the systems required to bring the business to market.

Most importantly, the process transformed an abstract idea into:

• a functioning business structure
• a launch roadmap
• a market positioning strategy
• and a scalable operational foundation

The WYB Takeaway

Many founders dramatically underestimate what it takes to build a business online.

A website is not the business.

The real work lives underneath:

• operations
• logistics
• positioning
• systems
• customer acquisition
• fulfillment
• branding
• and execution consistency

The challenge usually isn’t ambition.

It’s understanding — and managing — the thousands of moving parts required to turn an idea into a functioning company.

Translating complex workflows across marketing, technology, operations, and client experience

A major financial services firm needed to modernize a critical client reporting workflow that had historically existed in print.

The organization was transitioning toward a Salesforce-driven process, requiring coordination between internal technology teams, marketing stakeholders, operations, and client-facing departments.

The challenge wasn’t simply technical implementation.

It was translating years of institutional knowledge, nuanced workflows, and high-touch client expectations into a modern system without disrupting the client experience.

The Boulder

The project sat at the intersection of:

• marketing
• enterprise technology
• print production
• operations
• compliance realities
• and high-net-worth client communications

Everyone involved was already overloaded with day-to-day responsibilities.

Although many team members held pieces of the expertise internally, nobody had the bandwidth to fully own and coordinate the initiative across departments.

Without dedicated implementation leadership, the project risked stagnating indefinitely.

The Implementation

Working as a fractional marketing and implementation lead embedded within the organization, Sharon became the connective layer between teams.

The role involved:

• collaborating directly with the internal Salesforce development team
• translating legacy print workflows into scalable digital processes
• helping map operational requirements into technical execution
• coordinating communication between marketing, technology, and operations
• preserving client experience standards throughout the transition
• managing vendor relationships tied to print production and distribution
• improving print and fulfillment workflows to reduce delays and increase reliability

The work also required navigating relationships across every level of the organization — from C-suite leadership to operational staff and mailroom logistics.

Because the project touched so many disciplines simultaneously, success depended not just on technical understanding, but on the ability to see the entire ecosystem clearly.

The Result

The organization was able to move a deeply embedded legacy process toward a more scalable and integrated Salesforce-driven workflow while maintaining continuity for high-net-worth clients.

More importantly, the initiative continued moving forward instead of becoming trapped in organizational overload.

The value came from having someone who could:

• understand technical conversations
• navigate operational realities
• communicate across departments
• maintain momentum
• and reduce friction between teams with competing priorities

The WYB Takeaway

In large organizations, important initiatives often don’t fail because they’re impossible.

They fail because nobody has the bandwidth to connect all the moving parts.

The biggest bottleneck is often not expertise.
It’s coordination.

Sometimes the highest-value role isn’t the specialist.

It’s the person who can see the whole system clearly enough to make it function together.

Turning expertise and ideas into functioning businesses

Many professionals leave corporate careers with:

• deep industry expertise
• strong networks
• excellent ideas
• and the financial resources to start something new

What they often don’t have is firsthand experience building and operating a company from the ground up.

That gap is where What’s Your Boulder? comes in.

The Boulder

Starting a business is rarely just about the product or service itself.

Behind every successful company is an enormous operational ecosystem, including:

• branding
• positioning
• websites
• domain infrastructure
• email systems
• invoicing
• CRM implementation
• trademarking
• social media
• marketing systems
• hiring
• onboarding
• client experience
• sales pipelines
• events
• partnerships
• and operational workflows

For first-time founders coming from corporate environments, the sheer number of moving parts can quickly become overwhelming.

Most have spent their careers inside organizations where all of these systems already existed.

Building them from scratch is an entirely different challenge.

The Implementation

Sharon works alongside founders as an implementation and operational partner, helping transform ideas into functioning businesses.

The work often includes:

• creating cohesive brand and digital presence
• developing websites and online infrastructure
• setting up operational systems and workflows
• implementing CRM and client management processes
• helping structure go-to-market strategy
• developing friction-free customer experiences
• sourcing trusted vendors and technical resources
• supporting hiring and team growth
• assisting with LinkedIn and relationship-based business development
• creating memorable brand touchpoints through events, collateral, and client experience

The role frequently expands and evolves based on the founder’s needs.

Rather than forcing founders to become experts in every operational discipline simultaneously, the process allows them to stay focused on:

• the product
• the vision
• the client relationships
• and the core expertise that led them to start the business in the first place

The Result

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by operational complexity, founders are able to build businesses with:

• stronger infrastructure
• clearer positioning
• more consistent client experiences
• scalable systems
• and forward momentum

The company begins to take shape around the founder — rather than depending entirely on them to personally master every moving part.

The WYB Takeaway

Corporate experience and entrepreneurial experience are not the same thing.

Many brilliant professionals underestimate how much invisible infrastructure goes into building a successful company.

The challenge usually isn’t intelligence or capability.

It’s execution across dozens of interconnected operational layers.

Sometimes the fastest way to move forward is having someone who already understands how all those pieces fit together — and can help build the business around the vision.