A Structural Growth Review compares a company's current leadership architecture against what it needs to look like at the next stage of growth, and identifies the two or three hiring decisions that, if made correctly and in the right sequence, unlock the most meaningful value in the next 90 to 180 days.

We research the brand externally to form an initial hypothesis, then have a structured conversation to get the internal context we cannot see from the outside. We synthesize both and return a prioritized sequencing recommendation specific enough to act on. Our March 30th conversation with Gerry gave us a fairly comprehensive picture of both Brand Holdings assets in a single session. What follows is that synthesis.

The methodology is diagnostic, not prescriptive. We are not looking for confirmation of a search. We are looking for the two or three leverage points that, if acted on in the right order, change the trajectory of the business.

Pattern operates by purchasing Dr. Emil inventory at wholesale and reselling on Amazon at retail, capturing an estimated 25–30% spread. Their financial incentive is tied to the spread — not to growth. They earn a consistent margin whether the brand grows or holds flat. This is a structural misalignment, not a performance failure. It is also why this is the third or fourth agency with the same result.

The ad budget doesn't disappear when you bring the channel in-house — it already exists inside Pattern's model, just invisible. What you're comparing is Pattern's total margin capture above true operational costs versus the in-house operator's personnel cost.

Pattern's contract renews December 2026. Migration takes approximately four months in either direction. Early termination may be possible given the gap between what was sold and what was delivered. To have an operator in seat, ramped, and generating visible data before the December decision, the search needs to begin now.

Knockaround is the growth story in the Brand Holdings portfolio. At approximately $40M in revenue, the brand has executed on the original thesis: transforming a 98% DTC sunglasses brand into a true multichannel business with wholesale across Dick's, REI, and Academy, PGA Tour official eyewear status, and a growing partnership portfolio spanning NFL, NHL, and MLB.

The gap is not visible yet. But it is structurally present and will become visible at the $50M–$60M revenue mark if not addressed before then.

The Head of Ecommerce carries three functionally distinct roles simultaneously: DTC operations, Amazon marketplace management, and performance marketing. At $40M with a DTC-majority channel mix and growing wholesale, each will grow independently in different directions. Consolidating them in one seat creates a ceiling that will show up in declining efficiency as the brand scales.

Two marketing people reporting directly to a CEO managing full P&L, wholesale relationships, a growing partnership portfolio, and the holding company architecture is not a scalable model. NFL, NHL, MLB, and PGA Tour official eyewear status is a significant commercial asset. Activating it at full value — co-branded drops, media integration, league-specific campaigns — requires dedicated senior marketing leadership with the authority to build and execute a multi-year strategy. Without a CMO, the commercial translation of that awareness is happening at a fraction of its potential.

Knockaround built its reputation as design-forward and community-driven. The shift to meaningful wholesale is a commercial success. The risk — which Mike has watched play out across a decade of brands at this stage — is that wholesale growth creates pressure to standardize the brand presentation in ways that erode the identity that made DTC work. Managing this tension requires someone whose full-time job is brand architecture. The CMO hire at Knockaround is not just a marketing function. It is the person who protects the exit multiple.

This profile lives at a specific intersection: enough outdoor/lifestyle DNA to hold the brand's community identity, enough commercial rigor to build performance marketing infrastructure and activate the partnership portfolio. The best candidate is performing well inside another brand right now and not looking — exactly why this requires proactive market mapping, not a posting.