Hi, my name is Jeff & I'm one of the founders of Paragon Fitwear (www.paragonfitwear.com & www.instagram.com/paragonfitwear). Thanks for checking this posting! Let me tell you about the role, our brand, and the opportunity we've got for you.
To save us both some time, this is not a good job for someone who:
- Wants to show up, be told what to do, and then do it.
- Frequently needs to talk things through with someone else
- Wants to work in a business with a lot of structure, as opposed to creating that structure themselves
This is a good job for someone who:
- Is excited about taking over a department, running their own experiments and building processes where few exist
- Can work & think well independently, doesn't need lots of real-time communication
- Is highly adaptable
So far, so good? Here's a little about our brand.
About Paragon
We make exceptional quality activewear at an affordable price. We're 100% online, direct-to-consumer, and fully remote with a very small team of staff spread throughout the US. We have 3 owners working full time and 5-6 part time or contractors.
We believe in social responsibility. We're a carbon neutral brand, we've recently committed to donating 1% of net income to environmental protection & other social justice causes, and we're working hard on improving the sustainability of our supply chain.
We've been experiencing explosive growth. Our biggest bottleneck over the last 2 years has been selling out of inventory within weeks, days, or even hours. Our annual revenue is mid seven figures & has been doubling or tripling each year for the last 2 years. Our average product review is 4.7/5 stars with over 7,000 reviews & our rate of return customers regularly exceeds 50%. Simply put, once customers try our products, they're in love. The future is bright!
So far, marketing has been led by me (Jeff). You will be our brand's first full time employee. We're so excited!
What you'll do
-
Grow our revenues. The big kahuna! Accomplished by developing & executing monthly & quarterly marketing strategies. We have a rough playbook & channels that are working for us, but there is major opportunity for improvement with how smoothly this process runs, ideas we haven't explored & more.
-
Experiment, systematize, build. We've focused on just the highest leverage marketing work so far, so we've got a skeleton but not a lot of muscle on it. Some of our channels aren't very developed, content marketing is sporadic, there's a lot of opportunity for messaging unification and very little is documented. The list goes on. There's much to be done here with experimentation, systemization, and building! You could say we've got a great sandbox to build castles in.
-
Lead our marketing related OKRs. We use OKRs to make sure the most important work gets done & gets done right. For example, we have an OKR for building out our influencer team & a staff member who's executing this. As Director of Marketing, you'll be responsible for creating OKRs, making sure they stay on track, & deliver the right results.
-
Manage our team. We have a small number of part time staff helping out with marketing. An important part of the role will be managing their work. You'll lead weekly syncs with our influencer manager, social media manager, paid social agency and web developer. You'll be the upline for making sure they're pointed in the right direction & you'll be ultimately responsible for any projects they're working on. Later on, we may have you doing hiring too!
-
Become world class. A growth company needs leadership that grows. You will be allocated at minimum 5 hours per week of company time for any self-directed learning, research, or development which will help you with your job (personal productivity, mental health, management tips etc). We also have an unlimited book stipend. Our goal is to give you a platform to become world class. If you someday choose to leave Paragon, we want other companies lining up around the block trying to hire you.
Some important cultural values
-
Work-life balance. No one is asked to work more than 40hrs/wk, work weekends or holidays. It is very rare that an "emergency" can't wait until the next business day. Business days are M-F.
-
Flex hours, asynchronous first. We default to asynchronous communication to enable flex hours & allow you to go deep on your work. Work at times of the day that suit you.
-
Growth mindset. We believe in fostering an atmosphere where our personal potential is unknown & unknowable, something to be continuously developed. Challenges are for embracing. Failures can be opportunities. Feedback is about current capabilities. Learning & improving is the goal.
-
Integrity. We do what we say we'll do, by when we say we'll do it. With a small team, everyone needs to be airtight!
-
Communication. Good communication takes effort & is key for a distributed team. Clear & intentional. Honest & tactfully direct.
Requirements
We don't have firm requirements, but the more of these areas you can demonstrate experience or proof for, the better!
-
Digital marketing. You've grown a brand or website to seven figure+ revenues or 100,000+ monthly site visitors. Your wheelhouse includes ecommerce B2C and physical goods.
-
Leadership & management. You've got experience setting direction & running the show. Past teams you've led will have great things to say about how you managed them.
-
Strategic. You can see entirety of a plan or situation & communicate it clearly. You can grasp the scope, key variables and what will/won't work. You prioritize effectively with value orientation. You see when something is or isn't working with clear eyes, and integrate new info to improve understanding.
-
Entrepreneurial. You're always on the hunt for new opportunities & aren't afraid of trying something new. You understand the concept of minimum viable and the importance of reality testing assumptions. You get excited when results disprove your theories. You're big on talking to customers, and even bigger on watching what they actually do.
-
Attention to detail. Important things don't slip through the cracks with you. You're extremely organized & proactive in thinking about what people will need.
-
Tenacity. You're ready & willing to go the distance to get something important done.
-
Love activewear. Kind of a gimme, right? You appreciate really well made clothing, especially activewear.
Benefits
- Competitive pay
- 15 days paid vacation & all federal holidays
- Flex hours, work whenever you want
- 100% remote, work wherever you want
- Work with colleagues who have a white-hot burning desire to better themselves, the industry & make a splash
- A platform to become world class, build something awesome and have a ton of fun
PLEASE NOTE: Because this is our first director-level hire, we'd like to hire you initially on a 3 month contract basis to see if we're a good fit for each other. This would not affect onboarding or pay. We'd just set a target date where we evaluate if we're in mutual agreement about the fit & need to be on the same page about this being a trial.