Ben Smith
Former AG1 COO - scaling to >$600m and $1.2b valuation in 4 years. Growth & Ops expert.
Sam G
“Ben is an incredible operator and it's easy to see in just the short conversation we had. No matter where your business is at, you will be well served to connect with Ben. Whether that be marketing, supply chain, or recruiting, Ben not only has the track record but can help articulate what it takes to build a $1B brand. Couldn't recommend him more highly!”
About
Over a 16-year career, I've built and scaled operations across some of the fastest-growing consumer brands in the world — turning complexity into competitive advantage and helping companies grow from scrappy startups to global powerhouses. I've lived and worked across the US, UK, Australia, and China, leading teams of 500+, managing $200M+ budgets, and optimizing operations across $750M+ P&Ls. From supply chain and technology to people strategy and product development, I've led virtually every function that sits between a great product and a great customer experience. As COO of AG1 (Athletic Greens), I joined at $23M in revenue and helped scale the business to $600M+, overseeing end-to-end supply chain, customer service, quality assurance, HR/people, strategic projects, product safety, and product development through extraordinary growth. The company reached a $1.2B valuation, and I continue to serve on the Advisory Board. I love helping operators and leaders solve complex challenges and plan for the future. Whether you're scaling your first team, navigating hyper-growth, or figuring out how to make the leap into senior leadership — I'm always happy to connect.
Experience
COO - Earth Breeze
Lead high-growth multi-channel CPG company through channel expansion, strategy and positioning shifts and product innovation.
Advisor - AG1
Continued advisory to AG1 team
COO & CSCO @ AG1
Joined AG1 at approximately $23M in revenue and helped scale the business to a $600M+ run rate, representing roughly 30x growth during his tenure. As COO, led the majority of functional areas across the organization through a period of hyper-growth and achieving a valuation of $1.2b
COO @ Sugarfina
Oversaw operations for three company-owned production and fulfillment facilities in the US, Mexico and Canada, employing over 500 people producing over 30M units per annum. Oversaw Supply Chain, Technology, Customer Service and Product Development Departments Created the supply chain, operations, and technology strategies to enable growth from $24M to over $64M in 2 years. Delivered ~$6.4M in COGS reduction through labor and tax structure incentives by relocating a large manufacturing and fulfillment operation with over 200 people to a Maquiladora in Mexico. Achieved less than 2% attrition while closing a production and fulfillment center employing >200 people. Designed and created a quality control app with real-time dashboard for metrics, taking the quality control rate from ~75% to >98% on average.
COO @ Fame & Partners
Served as a business partner to the CEO on the organization’s financial, budgeting, and administrative processes— with an eye to continuously developing and improving systems. Manage all global operations in US, Australia and China. Setup company supply chain in Suzhou, China, including product development and production teams. Enabled 300% revenue growth by designing and executing the supply chain and logistics scale strategy. Reduced average on-demand garment production time from 9 days to 5 days. Improved customer satisfaction by setting up the US and Australian returns center operations (3PL) and fully automating returns from request to refund without associate intervention. Designed an on-demand manufacturing and quality control system to enable rapid scale and material improvements in quality.
General Manager, Australia - Williams-Sonoma
Lead Operations for Williams-Sonoma's expansion into the Australian market from start-up to $100m in annual revenue in less than 3 years. Oversaw a DC Budget and P&L management of $22M per annum to manage national transport hubs in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Singapore. Led full operations management of over 2M units outbound and 600 FEU’s inbound per annum and overall inventory management of circa 14K+ SKUs and 800K units across multiple locations. Reduced Australian supply chain costs >$10M by negotiating activity-based cost model with 3PL. Achieved a 30% increase in demand by cost modeling current eCommerce shipping charges and presenting a more profitable and appealing charge structure. Delivered a 25% reduction in receiving labor by designing an automated carton receiving and label printing system for the retail stores. Created and executed strategy to support Australian country growth from zero to $100M in 3 years, including establishing a 360K ft2 main distribution center and regionalized transport hubs in each capital city of Australia.
5.0
Thomas
Engaging with Ben for a strategy session was an extraordinary experience, far surpassing my expectations. In our 30-minute call, Ben demonstrated a remarkable depth of knowledge in DTC ecommerce, offering insights that were both profound and immediately actionable. His methodical approach to problem-solving, combined with his ability to distill complex ideas into clear, manageable steps, was invaluable. He not only addressed my immediate concerns but also provided a strategic vision for scaling my business. Ben’s experience as a COO shone through in his detailed understanding of operational challenges and growth strategies. His advice on organizational dynamics and international commerce was particularly enlightening, giving me a new perspective on how to navigate the intricacies of my business. What set Ben apart was his genuine commitment to understanding my specific situation and tailoring his guidance accordingly, best value for money, highly recommended!
Tom S
An absolute pleasure & honor to talk with Ben - thoroughly enjoyed our time together. Ben listened well - he asked AMAZING questions in the lead-up to the call which meant a much more effective & impactful discussion. Ben Listened, brought relevant ideas & concepts for us to consider - he challenged our current way of doing things & also provided multiple tangible & useful tools that can be/will be/have been implemented immediately...along with some longer term thoughts & thinking models & suggestions He also validated many of the things & approaches we are taking with the business - which in itself was excellent as we are often so in the weeds it's hard to know if the path & 'million decisions' taken per day are actually right or not... MASSIVE thank you to Ben & also Mentor pass for making this call happen We look froward to more discussions Tom
Austin G
Based on his background, I knew Ben would be insightful but I had no idea of how much his knowledge extended in both depth and width of various subjects! My business is nowhere near the size of some of the brands he's helped build yet he was still able to provide advice, insights and strategy that was applicable in both our current size and strategies for future growth. Moving forward, I will be scheduling calls with Ben consistently because I want him in our corner to help us grow our brand to the next level. Thanks Ben.
Travis H
The first of many calls with Ben for me, I think! It was just a 30min session but I’ll be dissecting it for a week. Ben was super methodical in all his responses and clearly prepared well. Because of this, he delivered so much clarity and value in such a short space of time. He used his knowledge and experience to offer specific insights/ advice and even offered a few extra minutes to finish answering all my questions. Gonna book 60mins next time! 10/10 would recommend.
Sam G
Ben is an incredible operator and it's easy to see in just the short conversation we had. No matter where your business is at, you will be well served to connect with Ben. Whether that be marketing, supply chain, or recruiting, Ben not only has the track record but can help articulate what it takes to build a $1B brand. Couldn't recommend him more highly!