What the work looks like, week to week
- Own the growth plan: channels, budget split and the monthly target.
- Run paid ads with an agency or a small team, and judge results by cost per order and repeat rate.
- Fix the website and checkout with the product or Shopify team.
- Run retention: WhatsApp, email and loyalty, with tools such as MoEngage or CleverTap.
- Report a weekly dashboard to founders: orders, cost per order, repeat rate, contribution margin.
- In GCC martech roles: choose and roll out tools, and train marketing teams to use them.
Who this suits
Marketing managers who like owning a number, can work with founders, and are fine with a small team and fast changes.
Probably not for you if you want a large team and a fixed annual plan.
Free tools and sources to start with (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Google Ads Help: Performance Max. How Google's AI-run campaigns work (support.google.com).
- Shopify Help Center. How a direct-to-consumer store, checkout and reports work (help.shopify.com).
- Data Studio. Free dashboards for a weekly founder report (cloud.google.com).
Your first proof
Pick one direct-to-consumer brand you know. From its public site, ads (Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center) and app-store or marketplace reviews, write a 2-page 90-day growth plan: where you think orders come from, 3 tests in priority order, what you would measure, and what you would stop. Mark clearly that it is an outside-in plan.
Your realistic 90 days
You will be ready to interview for direct-to-consumer head of growth, startup marketing lead and GCC martech roles with a written plan that shows how you think about the whole funnel.
Assumes 2 to 3 hours a day alongside job applications, a laptop and a phone, and free plans only. Every step has a smaller version and a way to pause. A signal is not a promise of a job.
Worries people bring to this route
- I've only worked at large companies. Your plan shows you can work lean; say what you would do in the first 30 days.
- Startups are risky. Ask about runway and how long the role has been open; read reviews.
- I'm not hands-on with ads anymore. Spend 2 weeks on Skillshop and Meta's free courses and say so.
What AI changed in your old tasks
| You used to… | Now you… |
|---|---|
| Approved agency plans | Own the funnel and the weekly number |
| Reported brand metrics | Report orders, cost per order and repeat rate |
| Planned yearly | Plan in 2-week tests |
Your first 7 days
| Day | Task | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | List 5 direct-to-consumer brands you buy from | 5 brands |
| 2 | Pick one for the plan | One picked |
| 3 | Check its ads in Meta Ad Library | Notes written |
| 4 | Check Google Ads Transparency Center | Notes written |
| 5 | Read 30 reviews and note complaints | Notes written |
| 6 | Draft 3 tests | 3 tests |
| 7 | List 10 founders or growth heads to message | 10 names |
Days 1–30
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write a 2-page outside-in 90-day growth plan for one direct-to-consumer brand | about 6 hours over 3 weeks | plan published | 1 page. | Stop at the end of the step you are on and note where you stopped. |
| Show the plan to 5 founders or growth heads | about 1 hour | 5 messages | Just 2 this week. | Stop sending for now and keep a list of who you contacted. |
Signal by day 30: A founder or growth head replies with a question about your plan.
Days 31–60
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build a sample weekly founder dashboard: orders, cost per order, repeat rate | about 8 hours | dashboard link | A blank template. | Stop at the end of the step you are on and note where you stopped. |
| Apply to 10 'head of growth', 'head of marketing direct-to-consumer' or 'martech manager' roles | about 5 hours | 10 logged | Just 5 this week. | Stop sending for now and keep a list of who you contacted. |
Signal by day 60: You get a case round for a growth role.
Days 61–90
| Step | Time | Done when | Smaller version | If you need to pause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practise a case: cost per order rose 40% in a month. What do you check? | about 2 hours | 3 runs | 1 run. | Optional. Skip it if the week is full. |
| Ask 3 former colleagues or agency partners for referrals | about 2 hours | 3 asks | Just 1 this week. | Stop sending for now and keep a list of who you contacted. |
Signal by day 90: A final round or a referral.
Where the openings are, and what to type
Start with LinkedIn, local job boards and company career pages; senior roles are often filled by referral, so ask early.
- LinkedIn search string:
("head of growth" OR "head of marketing" direct-to-consumer OR "growth lead" OR "martech manager" OR "marketing transformation") - Local job board keywords: head of growth, head of marketing direct-to-consumer, growth marketing lead, martech manager, marketing transformation
Job-hunt moves that matter for this route
- Search direct-to-consumer and startup roles on LinkedIn, Wellfound and the biggest job boards in your country; GCC martech roles on company career pages.
- Lead with one budget you owned and the number it moved.
- Name the tools you have used: Google Ads, Meta, Shopify, MoEngage, CleverTap, Salesforce.
Fake-job traps
Watch for 'growth partner' offers that ask you to invest, unpaid trial projects longer than a few hours, and anyone asking for an OTP. Real employers never charge you to hire you. Use official domains only. Report it to your national cybercrime or consumer fraud agency and to the job site where you saw the ad.
Common questions
Is head of growth a senior role? At startups it often is; check team size and reporting line in each post.
What is a GCC martech role? A role at a global company's offshore centre that runs marketing tools and processes; posts often ask for Salesforce or Adobe experience.
Startup head of growth check
Your 30/60/90 quests
XP: learning 20 · proof 60 · outreach 40. Ranks: Wayfinder → Builder → Pathmaker. Progress stays in your browser only.
Quick quiz: does this path fit?
Answer each, then press Check. Every answer explains itself.
Make your path card
A shareable reminder of where you're heading. The day count starts the first time you open this page; quest XP comes from your log above.
Scam check before you apply anywhere
- Real job and gig platforms are free to join. Never pay a "joining" or "training" fee.
- Never share one-time codes, bank or payment app PINs. No genuine employer needs them.
- Use official domains only; type the address yourself.
- Report it to your national cybercrime or consumer fraud agency and to the job site where you saw the ad.
Small steps, every day.
Each quest has a smaller version for hard weeks, and a pause button. Nothing is lost.
Keep exploring
Sources
Checked 30 Oct 2026. We opened every link below ourselves. Search volumes on this site come from OpenSEO keyword research (Oct 2026).
| What we checked | Where |
|---|---|
| Data Studio: Free dashboards for a weekly founder report | cloud.google.com |
| Shopify Help Center: How a direct-to-consumer store, checkout and reports work | help.shopify.com |
| Google Ads Help: Performance Max: How Google's AI-run campaigns work | support.google.com |