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Hire the Top 1% of Retention & Lifecycle Marketing Consultants

Book operators who run lifecycle, email, SMS, and subscription at 8- and 9-figure ecommerce brands.

See the operators

About MentorPass

Est. 2020·10,000+ engagements·avg rating

The list

The 9 best retention & lifecycle marketing consultants

These are the people running retention inside real subscription brands, not agencies selling you a deck. Ranked by what they have built and how they show up on a call.

  1. 01Thomas Lalas

    Thomas Lalas

    Vetted operator50+ sessions

    Retention & LTV lead for Everyday Dose, RYZE, and Dose Daily; author of 'Retention Economics'

    Thomas has run retention and LTV across multiple 8 and 9-figure ecommerce brands and wrote the book 'Retention Economics'. He helps subscription-first CPG brands double LTV with data, not tactics. Founders call him the strongest retention specialist they have met, and say his offer strategy and testing frameworks saved them months of wasted budget.

Sound familiar?

From stuck to a plan you can run this week

The problems founders bring our retention & lifecycle marketing operators — and what they walk away with.

  1. Churn for our MRR is high and retention needs to be better.

    A lifecycle system that catches customers before they cancel and pulls monthly churn down to single digits.

  2. We don't have great LTV, so this gets scary quick if efficiency slips.

The scope

What a retention & lifecycle marketing consultant actually does

The work our retention & lifecycle marketing operators take on, from first call to ongoing.

  • Lifecycle flow architecture

    Map and build the email and SMS flows that carry a customer from first order to repeat: welcome, post-purchase, replenishment, win-back, and cancel.

  • Subscription program design

    Set the offer, billing cadence, and incentives that raise subscriber take rate and get customers to the third order.

  • Churn and cancellation reduction

    Diagnose where customers leave, then fix the cancel flow, payment declines, and the reasons behind both.

  • LTV and retention benchmarking

    Get clear on your real retention and LTV numbers and how cycle 1 and 2 churn compare to brands in your space.

  • Email and SMS program audit

    Review your Klaviyo account, campaigns, flows, and segments and leave with the specific gaps to close first.

How MentorPass works

The easiest way to hire a retention & lifecycle marketing consultant

Find your expert, book a call, solve your problem — and keep them on when you’re ready.

  1. 1. Find your consultant

    Browse the ranked list of vetted operators. Every profile shows their track record, the brands they’ve scaled, and exactly what they go deep on.

  2. 2. Book a call

    Pick a time and share your context up front. They review it before you meet — no spending the first 20 minutes on background.

The guide

What to know before you hire a retention & lifecycle marketing consultant

What a retention consultant does

A retention consultant owns the part of your business that decides whether a customer comes back. That means lifecycle marketing: the email and SMS flows, the subscription program, and the churn work that turns a first order into a second, third, and tenth. The math is simple. If acquisition costs keep rising and LTV stays flat, growth gets scary fast. One founder put it plainly: they didn't have great LTV, so efficiency had to be perfect or the whole thing got dangerous. A good retention operator fixes the LTV side so you stop depending on cheap acquisition that no longer exists.

The work is concrete. Mapping post-purchase, replenishment, win-back, and cancel flows. Setting subscription offer and billing cadence so more customers subscribe and reach the third order, which many operators treat as the real signal of product-market fit. Cutting churn by fixing payment declines and the cancel flow. Getting honest about your retention and LTV numbers and how your cycle 1 and 2 churn compares to brands in your space.

What to look for when hiring one

Hire someone who has run retention inside a real brand, not a generalist who learned it from a course. The difference shows up in the first ten minutes: an operator who has lived subscription will name the specific gap in your program instead of handing you a generic flow checklist. Look for direct, sometimes blunt feedback. The most valued operators here are the ones who told founders where their plan was wrong before it cost them months. Ask what they actually built and what number it moved. "Drove $2.3M in incremental revenue" tells you more than any list of skills.

Why founders use MentorPass for this

MentorPass lets you book the operator directly, by the session, with no retainer or agency contract in the way. The roster here runs retention at brands like Everyday Dose, RYZE, Grüns, True Classic, and Atlas Coffee Club. Most of the founders booking this work run ecommerce, so the advice lands on real problems at your stage. You can start with one call to get a roadmap, then rebook the same person as you ship. Founders routinely say a single session saved them months and a lot of wasted budget. That is the point: get the person who has already solved your retention problem to solve it with you, on one call, before you spend another quarter guessing.

Proof

Results from these retention & lifecycle marketing consultants

Average rating
4.98★

Average rating

Written reviews
85

Written reviews

Sessions booked
394

Sessions booked

Expert operators
9

Expert operators

We had a great call with Thomas. He helped us gain much-needed clarity across every pillar of retention, from our offer and positioning to customer onboarding and long-term strategy. He was able to look at the brand as a whole, identify the areas with the biggest opportunities, and give us a much clearer direction on what to prioritise moving forward. Thomas was extremely knowledgeable, thoughtful and easy to work with, and we came away from the call feeling far more confident about our retention strategy.
From a session with

Why MentorPass

MentorPass vs. the alternatives

When you need retention & lifecycle marketing help, you have four options. Here's how they actually stack up.

MentorPassAgenciesFreelance marketplacesFull-time hire
Time to first callThis weekWeeks of pitchesDays, hit or miss2–3 months

Industries

Where our retention & lifecycle marketing operators have done it

Real reps in these verticals, not theory. The kind of pattern-matching that only comes from having shipped in your category.

  • E-commerce Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing operators who've built and scaled DTC and online retail brands.
  • CPG Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing operators who've scaled consumer packaged goods brands in retail and DTC.
  • Agency Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing help built for agencies and professional service firms.
  • Marketplace Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing for multi-vendor marketplaces and platforms.
  • B2B SaaS Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing guidance for B2B software and platform companies.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does a retention consultant actually do?

They own the part of the business that gets a customer to come back: lifecycle flows, email, SMS, subscription design, and churn. On a call you bring your current numbers and program, and they tell you where retention is leaking and what to build first.

How much does it cost?

You book by the session and pay per call, so there is no retainer or agency contract. Most founders start with one call to get a roadmap, then come back as they ship the work. Several reviewers here say a single call saved them months and hundreds of thousands in wasted budget.

How are these consultants vetted?

Related capabilities

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Hire a retention & lifecycle marketing consultant who's done it before

Pick a consultant and book a call — or tell us what you're working on and we'll route you to the right operator in the network.

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Contact

4.97

Thomas Lalas

Retention & LTV lead for Everyday Dose, RYZE, and Dose Daily; author of 'Retention Economics'

Courtney Conway

Director of Retention & Lifecycle at Grüns

Andrew Windle

Head of Retention at Mars Men; prev. HexClad, Nutrabolt, Columbia, Blue Nile

Vetted operator
50+ sessions

On MentorPass

Hire Founders & Operators from Top Brands

LTV
Subscription
Email
Testing
View profile
  • 02Courtney Conway

    Courtney Conway

    Vetted operator

    Director of Retention & Lifecycle at Grüns

    Courtney runs retention and lifecycle at Grüns, a high-growth subscription brand. She builds the full strategy and the plan to execute it, not just a list of flows. Bring her your retention numbers and walk out with a roadmap you can ship.

    LifecycleEmailStrategySubscription
    View profile
  • 03Andrew Windle

    Andrew Windle

    Vetted operator

    Head of Retention at Mars Men; prev. HexClad, Nutrabolt, Columbia, Blue Nile

    Andrew leads retention at Mars Men and has owned email, SMS, and lifecycle at HexClad, Nutrabolt, Columbia, and Blue Nile. He will audit what you have running today and hand you a roadmap for what to build next. Useful when you know retention is leaking but cannot see where.

    EmailSMSLifecycleAudit
    View profile
  • 04Troy Petrunoff

    Troy Petrunoff

    Vetted operator

    Retention & lifecycle operator; ex RYZE Superfoods, True Classic, Every Man Jack

    Troy scaled retention at RYZE Superfoods, True Classic, and Every Man Jack through lifecycle marketing that drove $2.3M+ in incremental revenue. He works in personalization and AI-driven automation, with double-digit growth in Klaviyo-attributed revenue to show for it. Good fit if your flows are generic and your LTV is flat.

    LifecycleKlaviyoAutomationPersonalization
    View profile
  • 05George Kapernaros

    George Kapernaros

    Vetted operator

    Founder & CEO of YOCTO; retention advisor to Gratsi, Healf, Orbio, and Kilo

    George founded YOCTO and advises subscription brands including Gratsi (#1 boxed wine in the USA), Healf, Orbio ($600M+), and Kilo ($400M+). He engineers structural LTV growth from first principles instead of bolting on another flow. Bring him a subscription model you want to rebuild, not just patch.

    LTVSubscriptionLifecycleSystems
    View profile
  • 06Joseph Siegel

    Joseph Siegel

    Vetted operator

    Fractional Head of Retention at Boring Ecom

    Joseph works as a fractional Head of Retention and builds strategies that actually change the retention number, not just the open rate. His range covers email, growth, and customer development, so he connects retention to the rest of the funnel. Rated 5 across his sessions here.

    RetentionEmailGrowthFractional
    View profile
  • 07Michael Shewmake

    Michael Shewmake

    Vetted operator

    Founder of Atlas Coffee Club

    Michael founded Atlas Coffee Club, a subscription coffee brand, so he has lived the repeat-purchase model himself. He helps DTC brands acquire more efficiently and push LTV up. Founders say he gave them actionable advice they could implement the same day, especially in consumable goods.

    DTCSubscriptionLTVGrowth
    View profile
  • 08Erin Falter

    Erin Falter

    Vetted operator150+ sessions

    Consumer brand operator; GTM, lifecycle & retention from pre-launch to nine figures

    Erin has operated consumer brands from pre-launch to nine figures across GTM, lifecycle, and retention. With 150+ sessions and a 4.95 rating, she is one of the most-booked operators here. Founders call her an ideas machine who hands you high-ROI moves across acquisition and retention you had not considered.

    LifecycleRetentionGTMDTC
    View profile
  • 09Monica Grohne

    Monica Grohne

    Vetted operator40+ sessions

    Founder and retention & email expert

    Monica is a founder who lived retention from the inside and now teaches it. She works in Klaviyo, email, and community-first retention, and reviewers say she ran a full account audit and found campaign and flow gaps they were blind to. Strong pick if email is your main retention lever and you want it fixed.

    EmailKlaviyoCommunityAudit
    View profile

    • LTV high enough that rising acquisition costs stop deciding whether you grow.

  • We don't know how to take advantage of our subscription model.

    A subscription program built around offer, billing cadence, and the flows that get people to order three.

  • What's the best way to engage customers who are inactive but haven't canceled?

    Win-back and reactivation flows that reach silent customers before they churn for good.

  • Our flows are generic and we don't know which retention work actually moves the number.

    A prioritized build (post-purchase, cancel flows, win-backs) ranked by impact, not guesswork.

  • Loyalty and win-back mechanics

    Build the non-monetary incentives, early access, and reactivation campaigns that bring customers back without discounting margin away.

    • 3. Leave with a game plan

    Get specific, prioritized advice you can act on this week — and keep working with them ongoing if it clicks.

  • Keep them on

    Found your match? Keep your retention & lifecycle marketing operator on as an ongoing advisor as you scale.

    • Thomas Lalas
    Loved the session with Erin! She took her time to really understand the context of the project and then challenged some of my assumptions. I appreciated that because that's where real value is created, I don't seek mentors that only nod to everything I say. She was also generous with her time, always a good sign of a mentor that is here to be helpful. She didn't leave the call until I had some actionable steps for the next week 🙌
    From a session with Erin Falter
    Could not be happier with the call. Within 30 minutes Michael was able to give us actionable advice for changes we can implement ASAP. He understood exactly where we are with the business and we are already implementing his advice. Highly recommend for any brand owner, especially those in the consumable goods space. Will be booking another call with him in a few weeks.
    From a session with Michael Shewmake
    Book a session now! Monica is an incredible listener who takes the time to understand your specific needs and offer actionable advice. She is an accomplished marketer who is quick to offer clear, tailored, and value adding advice to meet your needs. Plus, I just like Monica. She is kind and generous of spirit. A gift to work with!
    From a session with Monica Grohne
    Who you actually getTop 1% retention & lifecycle marketing operatorsJunior account managersUnvetted freelancersHard to find senior talent
    Proven at your stageBuilt & scaled real brandsA playbook, not your contextVaries wildlyIf you can afford them
    CommitmentPer call — no lock-inMonthly retainerPer projectSalary + equity
    CostPer session$$$$ / month$$ / project$$$$$ + overhead
    Ongoing supportKeep them on as an advisorLocked into scopeChurn and rehirePermanent headcount
    Media Retention & Lifecycle Marketing Consultants
    Retention & Lifecycle Marketing for media, content, and publishing brands.
  • B2C SaaS Retention & Lifecycle Marketing ConsultantsRetention & Lifecycle Marketing guidance for consumer apps and subscription products.

    • Every operator on this list runs or has run retention inside real brands, not a consultancy. The ranking weighs what they built, their session count, and their ratings. Thomas Lalas, the lead, holds a 4.97 across 50+ sessions.

    Can they help with subscription specifically, not just email?

    Yes. Most of this roster works subscription-first: take rate, billing cadence, getting customers to order three, and structural LTV. Bring a subscription model you want to fix and they will work the offer and the mechanics, not just the flows on top.

    We're early and don't have much data. Is it worth it?

    Yes. Several founders booked these calls precisely because they were young and unsure which direction to take. The right operator sets your retention up correctly from the start so you are not unwinding bad decisions at scale.

    Can I keep working with someone after the first call?

    Yes. You can rebook the same operator, and many founders here do, treating the first call as the audit and the next ones as the build. Some mentors also work fractional if you want ongoing ownership.