What do you stand for? In one sentence.
Try to be everything and you become nothing.
How we solve it
We sharpen your positioning: stance, promise, audience. As a decision, not a list of options.
My approach
Brand first. Then focus.
Then the shelf.
- 01 · FoundationBrand.No real added value, no brand. Everything else builds on it.Brand Sprint · 4–6 weeks
- 02 · FocusPortfolio.A few strong heroes instead of many products. Only then do you know what belongs on the shelf.Portfolio Sprint · 4–6 weeks
- 03 · ScaleRetail.On the shelf, what counts is what you bring to the category. With brand and focus, you have the answer.Ready Sprint · 4–6 weeks
After that, you grow through the portfolio again: new products, new lines, new retailers, more space.
What sets me apart
The whole picture,
not just one part of it.
I've never worked on just one part. I've always worked across the whole triangle: building brands, owning portfolios with direct revenue responsibility and representing both in front of retail. My career has become my method. So your brand doesn't just look good, it grows.
- Build the brandPositioning, story, brand codes
- Own the portfolioRange with direct business impact
- Answer to retailCategory story and pitch
Hard facts about me
- Start-upsIn Berlin, I got several D2C brands retail-ready or guided them on their way to the shelf.
- Big brands12 years at L'Oréal. Led Maybelline New York across Europe. Out of Paris.
- 2Worlds: corporate and start-up. I know what works in both. And what doesn't.
- 3Categories: beauty, personal care and supplements.
Brands I have worked on
- Maybelline New York
- L'Oréal Paris
- Essie
- Garnier
- NYX Professional Makeup
- SANTE
- Elvital
- Botanicals
- Dessange
Your entry point
Where are you right now?
Tap your step.
Great ads. But no brand?
40 SKUs. But no hero?
Big online. But want the shelf?
Show me the questions
01/03My offer · Brand BuildingBrand Sprint4–6 weeksPositioning & brand platform · Brand codes & story · Creative strategy
02/03My offer · PortfolioPortfolio Sprint4–6 weeksHero SKUs & roles · Brand architecture · Range, price ladder, roadmap
03/03My offer · Go RetailReady Sprint4–6 weeksReadiness check & category story · Listing range & pitch story · Sell-out plan & next step
Brand Building
Positioning, brand codes, brand story. So people choose you, even when no ad is running.
Would people recognise you without the logo?
Anyone can buy ads. Nobody can buy recognition.
How we solve it
We define your brand codes: colour, shape, language, imagery. Every touchpoint builds the brand.
Do you only grow while the ad budget grows?
Reach is rented. Brand is owned.
How we solve it
We build a creative strategy that connects brand and performance. Create demand instead of just buying it.
I've been developing brands for over twelve years.
From Essie to Maybelline New York.
Same story everywhere?
Website, ads, packaging: if every channel tells a different story, nobody remembers your brand.
How we solve it
We write your brand story and messaging once, properly. Then team and agencies brief from one source.
Why you and not the global brand?
Better isn't a reason. Different is.
How we solve it
We find the difference only you can own and make it visible. From product to claim.
Does your team know what's on-brand?
A brand that only lives in the founders' heads doesn't scale.
How we solve it
We turn the brand into a brand platform everyone on the team can decide with. Short, clear, usable.
Your result · Brand Building
?open gaps
Click through the posts. Your number of gaps will show up here.
Let's close the gaps
How we work
Brand Sprint
- Positioning & brand platform
- Brand codes & story
- Creative strategy
Portfolio
Hero products, clear roles, a brand architecture that carries growth. Fewer, but stronger.
Which 3 to 5 products carry your business?
40 SKUs aren't a range. They're a problem.
How we solve it
We find your hero products in your data and build the range around them.
Does every product have a job?
Without a role, every product is just stock.
How we solve it
We give every SKU a role: hero, traffic, profit or profile. Anything without one goes.
Are your products taking sales from each other?
Two near-identical products are one too many.
How we solve it
We clean up overlaps and build a clear price and benefit ladder.
Scaling isn't luck.
It's a system. Five brands in one category strategy.
Does your new product need a new brand?
Every new brand costs twice: money and attention.
How we solve it
We clarify your brand architecture: master brand, lines, sub-brands. So every launch knows where it belongs.
What happens if your bestseller slows down?
One bestseller isn't a portfolio.
How we solve it
We build an innovation roadmap that builds on the brand instead of diluting it.
Several brands in one house.
Do they add up?
A portfolio without roles is a general store.
How we solve it
We give every brand its own playing field. For brand houses, investors and growing teams.
Your result · Portfolio
?open gaps
Click through the posts. Your number of gaps will show up here.
Let's close the gapsHow we work
Portfolio Sprint
- Hero SKUs & roles
- Brand architecture
- Range, price ladder, roadmap
Go Retail
Retail-ready for dm, Rossmann, Müller and Douglas. And the next step for brands that are already listed.
Buyers think in categories. Do you know what that means?
Retailers don't buy products. They buy revenue per shelf metre.
How we solve it
We build your category story: which shoppers you bring to the shelf and which need you serve.
What does your brand look like on 30 cm of shelf?
Online you have endless space. On the shelf, three seconds.
How we solve it
We test brand and packaging in a real shelf context. Recognition, blocking, claims. Before you print.
Do you know who buys you on the shelf?
Your online customer isn't automatically the drugstore shopper.
How we solve it
We sharpen audience, message and look for the moment at the shelf.
I know both sides of the shelf.
The brand's. And the buyer's.
Do you have a pitch that isn't about you?
Buyers care about their category. Not your founder deck.
How we solve it
We build the category story for your pitch. Your team leads the meeting, with a brand that speaks for itself.
What happens in your first six months on shelf?
Listed isn't sold.
How we solve it
We plan sell-out before launch: shelf, media, creators, community. With KPIs from week one.
Already listed? Got a story for more space?
More space isn't a gift.
How we solve it
We build the story for more space: what you brought to the category and what comes next.
Your result · Go Retail
?open gaps
Click through the posts. Your number of gaps will show up here.
Let's close the gapsHow we work
Ready Sprint
- Readiness check & category story
- Listing range & pitch story
- Sell-out plan & next step
How I work
I don’t sit on the sidelines.
I sit at
your table.
No agency deck for the drawer. I work with your team until it sticks.
Reach is rented. Brand is owned.
3–4×
EBITDA is what buyers pay for Amazon aggregators today, down from 6–7×. Of 100+ players, 57 are left.
Source: FE International€16.6bn
in revenue for drugstore chain Rossmann in 2025, up 8.5%. 342 new stores follow in 2026.
Source: Kosmetik NachrichtenNo. 1
Drugstore chain dm is Germany's Brand of the Year 2025 according to YouGov and Handelsblatt. Ahead of LEGO and PayPal.
Source: Business PunkQuick answers
Who am I?
I'm Martin Kunze, a brand business builder and Chief Brand Officer based in Berlin. I spent 12 years at L'Oréal and led Maybelline New York across Europe. In Berlin I got several D2C brands retail-ready or guided them on their way to the shelf, across beauty, personal care and supplements. Under my label The Brand Scaler I help D2C brands with brand building, go-to-retail and portfolio strategy.
What does brand business builder mean?
I'm not a specialist for brand only or portfolio only. I've always worked across the whole triangle: building brands, owning portfolios with direct revenue responsibility and representing both in front of retail. That became my method: first a brand with real added value, then a focused range, then the shelf. Retailer meetings and the calculation of prices and terms stay with your team.
What does brand building and positioning include?
A clear positioning with stance, promise and audience, distinctive brand codes, a brand story with messaging architecture and a creative strategy that connects brand and performance. The goal is a brand people choose, even without an ad.
How does a D2C brand get retail-ready for dm or Rossmann?
By switching from online-shop logic to shelf logic: a clear role in the category, a few strong hero products, a shelf-ready look, a category story built on your own data and a plan for sell-out. I get the brand ready. Your team leads the conversations with the retailer.
What is portfolio strategy?
Portfolio strategy decides which brand and which product does which job: hero, traffic, profit or profile. It covers brand architecture, range, price ladder and an innovation roadmap.
Who do I work with?
Founders and management of D2C start-ups and scale-ups, especially in beauty, personal care and wellness. And investors and brand houses with several brands. In German and English, across DACH and Europe.
Let's talk.
Want to get retail-ready or take the next step on the shelf? Tell me where you are right now.
martin@thebrandscaler.io
