Go-to-market advisor for founders and PE/VC-backed consumer product brands. From launch strategy and retail readiness to brand due diligence for investors.
Vantage Business Consulting is a Phoenix-based consulting firm led by Carlton Hawkins, helping supplement, CPG, beverage, food and home fragrance brands plan their go-to-market, get retail ready and prepare for investors, drawing on 34 years in consumer brands, including Dial, Bath & Body Works and Innovative Brands.
Go-to-market consulting for supplement, CPG, beverage, food and home fragrance brands, based in Phoenix.
Consumer brands at every stage, from first product to post-acquisition. We work on the commercial side, from pricing and retail to inventory and the P&L.
Early brands that need proof before they spend big. We test demand and sharpen the product before you scale.
Growth brands moving from DTC or regional into national retail. We sort out pricing, distributors and retail readiness so the first rollout sticks.
Mature brands that need new life: turnarounds, line extensions and innovation, where our founder started at Dial.
PE and VC owners and acquirers of divested brands. We build the go-to-market plan fast so the brand earns from day one.
Sound familiar? Let’s talk about where your brand is today.
Start with Basecamp, then work with us in the way that fits. Every engagement is milestone-based, not an open-ended retainer.
A fixed-scope, strategy-only engagement for brands getting ready to launch or relaunch. Every deliverable comes as a one-page visual and a written plan your team can run with.
Senior go-to-market leadership embedded in your team, without a full-time hire. For management teams and PE and VC-backed portfolio companies.
Pitch decks, line sheets, trade show prep and wholesale pricing for the move from DTC into retail.
Sourcing, formulation input and launch sequencing, from White Barn Candle Co. to private-label frozen pizza.
An operator’s read on a consumer brand before you buy it. From someone who has acquired brands, led multiple M&A integrations and exited two PE-backed businesses.
Talk through a deal →Selling supplements or functional beverages? See our wellness and health approach →
One process for every engagement, scoped to where your brand is today. Basecamp covers Audit and Design in 30 days.
A market and competitive audit, stakeholder mapping, and an honest read on what's working, what's costing you money, and where the opportunity is, before anything changes.
Positioning, messaging, and channel strategy, plus the sales tools your team needs: pitch decks, line sheets, battle cards, and a packaging and messaging review.
Campaigns and buyer or retail outreach, with a KPI dashboard that shows your leadership team or investors progress, not just impressions.
Consumer brands are our focus. The same go-to-market and growth work applies in a few neighboring areas, and our founder has run it in each.
Customer acquisition, retention, and lead generation, run on CAC, lifetime value, and margin.
See how we work with DTC brands →Personalized tools, DTC growth, and retail entry, planned around the claim rules that trip up most wellness brands.
See our wellness and health work →Fan, ticket, and sponsorship marketing, from season-ticket programs to arena activation.
See our sports and live events work →Organic and all-natural frozen pizza for private label
Launched in three national grocery retailers, which kept reordering for at least 18 months.
Sized the category, built the pricing and margin case, and took the concept to retail buyers for a PE-owned private-label manufacturer.
Retailer names are withheld to respect those relationships.
Decorative scented-oil plug-ins
Developed for Target and on its shelves for two to three years, a strong run for the category.
Built the line, packaging and pricing, and served as the US face to Target’s buyers. When Target’s plans changed, moved the remaining inventory through other retailers.
Renters and tuition insurance for college students
Since then, the company has raised funding and grown its school partnerships tenfold.
In six weeks, built the first buyer journeys and personas for students and parents, the content and influencer strategy, and the measurement framework.
The channels that carry the go-to-market plan day to day. Run in-house or coordinated with your existing team.
Search and shopping ads managed against margin targets, not just click-through rate.
Organic search foundations so the brand shows up when buyers are already looking.
Answer engine optimization: getting the brand named when shoppers ask AI tools.
Creator and ambassador partnerships built on the same trust-based approach used for national brand launches.
34 years across global CPG, two private-equity-backed platforms and two pro sports franchises. Every launch was a team effort.
Co-founded an SEO, AEO and GEO firm in Gilbert, AZ and leads its marketing.
Go-to-market consulting for supplement, CPG, beverage, food and home fragrance brands, based in Phoenix. Advises PE and VC firms on consumer brand due diligence and post-close planning, under NDA.
Ran day-to-day advertising and branding for single-game tickets, travel packages and season tickets, managing about $7M in annual spend and the media relationships, with Growthloop as the customer data platform behind the audience work. Attendance grew from about 1.6 million in 2022 to about 2.4 million in 2025. Built a $299 Season Pass that sold about 5,000 in its first season and fed season ticket leads. Created the first DBACKS.TV subscription campaigns on MLB.TV, growing it from about 12,000 subscribers in the second half of the 2022 season to approximately 50,000 in 2025.
Built the brand from scratch in 8 months. 100,000+ social followers.
Led product marketing for an alternative mutual fund manager, using brand management and digital marketing to drive awareness and adoption among financial professionals, all under FINRA and SEC advertising rules.
Built the ecommerce platform and directed paid search, SEO, and SEM behind Vitamin Advisor. Grew online sales from under $1M to over $10M, roughly 10X.
Built DTC digital programs, including an interactive retail kiosk initiative with Intel at national grocery and drug chains. Generated 17,000 quotes and 2,000+ opted-in leads.
Led brand and influencer strategy, including the Tim Tebow partnership.
Led the $100M acquisition of Pert Plus and Sure from Procter & Gamble (backed by Najafi Companies), grew both 20% through new launches, and sold to Helen of Troy in 2009.
Backed by Charterhouse and other private equity and venture capital investors. Rebuilt and grew Claire Burke and Vitabath 40%. Sold to a private investor in 2003.
Launched the White Barn Candle Company line and the original Wallflowers line. White Barn generated over $100M in its first year, and Wallflowers reached $200M in its first 18 months.
Brand management at a large CPG company.
Media relations for an NBA franchise.
Carlton is a strategic marketing person who can formulate those marketing strategies into strong selling strategies. He is excellent at delivering those strategies through strong sales pitches. He is strong at forging relationships as well.
Phil Neri, Managing Partner, Strategic Relationships, Blue Dot Seats, Phoenix, AZ
Getting ready to launch, relaunch, or move into retail? Tell us what you're building.
Prefer a call? Pick the one that fits.
