Sport & Wellness · Scale-up · Brazil
How to scale a commercial operation that depended on the founder
Kokua Sport Care & Wellness was growing more than 30% a year, but its commercial operation was concentrated in the founder, with no structure to scale and a decisive channel choice ahead: accelerate through marketplaces or protect margin and brand.
Ongoing engagement — Advisory Board since 2022 · Illustrative figures
The core findings of the diagnosis
- What we found
- >80% of B2B deals depended solely on the founder, a critical structural risk for scaling.
- Recommendation
- Design the organization's evolution in stages tied to revenue, with a lean model and outsourced production; hire commercial leadership and set up a two-level approval policy.
- Expected impact
- A founder freed up for strategy, and every hire tied to a growth stage.
- What we found
- 12–25% commission on the marketplaces assessed, which would push net margin down to around 5–10% and dilute the premium positioning.
- Recommendation
- Don't bet growth on marketplaces: a low-cost pilot on a single specialist channel, with a go/no-go criterion set in advance, and priority on the brand's own e-commerce and specialist retail.
- Expected impact
- Growth without sacrificing margin or brand, with a data-based channel decision.
- What we found
- 5–8× the B2B ticket compared with B2C, yet B2B accounted for less than half of the commercial focus.
- Recommendation
- Shift the mix towards B2B, starting with specialist chains, which decide within weeks, before the large retailers, and using the first wins as leverage.
- Expected impact
- Revenue growth without a proportional rise in cost, and less seasonality.
What was discussed and delivered
Channel strategy
- Marketplace assessment: margin, brand and dependence
- Staged pilot with a go/no-go criterion
- Margin-preserving alternatives: own e-commerce, specialist retail, affiliates
- B2B expansion plan with prioritized accounts
Staged organization design
- Team evolution across 4 revenue stages
- Lean model with outsourced production
- Job descriptions for the first hires
- Sales supervisor handbook
Commercial Policy 3.0
- Discount rules based on objective criteria
- Markup, payment and shipping terms
- Two-level approval hierarchy
- No more case-by-case negotiation
2026–2028 Projection
- Financial model with monthly and annual projection by channel
- Product mix analysis
- Ranking of the largest B2B customers
- KPIs and integrated diagnosis
Margin-Based Commissions
- Rewards smart negotiation, not just volume
- Automatic simulator per order
- Aligned with the discount policy
- Documented gradual rollout
E-commerce
- Technical, UX and purchase-funnel audit
- New home page built for conversion and repeat purchase
- Site architecture and SEO
- Prioritized recommendations
Multi-year target (illustrative): 2–3× growth over the period, driven by B2B and by margin-preserving channels, with an organization that grows in stages and depends less on the founder.
* Illustrative figures, kept confidential.
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