April Schatschneider

About April Schatschneider

With over 20 years of experience in merchandising and marketing for retail, e-commerce, and CPG, I am a passionate and results-oriented leader and consultant who helps businesses optimize their performance and profitability.I’m the Founder of OPEX Collective, where we provide fractional marketing and operations leadership for founder-led, ecommerce, CPG, and service-based businesses that have outgrown DIY growth but aren’t ready for a full executive team.Most companies don’t have a traffic problem.They have a systems, execution, and prioritization problem.Marketing spend increases. Results plateau. Margins tighten. Teams react instead of lead.That’s where I come in.I work hands-on with leadership teams to diagnose what’s actually limiting growth, build clear roadmaps, and execute alongside internal teams to improve profitability, performance, and scalability.What I Do:• Fractional CMO & growth leadership• Marketing strategy tied to business outcomes• Ecommerce & DTC optimization (acquisition, conversion, retention)• Marketing + operations alignment• Systems, process, and execution frameworks• Scaling without hiring a full C-suiteWho I Work With:• Founder-led businesses ready to scale• Ecommerce & DTC brands hitting a growth plateau• CPG brands navigating margin pressure and channel complexity• Service businesses that need structure, not chaosMy background spans ecommerce, CPG, and high-growth businesses, with experience leading marketing, operations, and cross-functional teams through periods of scale, transition, and complexity.At OPEX Collective, we blend strategy with execution—so growth actually sticks. If you’re trying to scale without burning cash or hiring too fast, let’s talk.

Experience

1. CEO

   Opex Collective

   Sep 2018 — Present · Cleveland, OH, US

   Provide fractional CMO and operations leadership for founder-led, ecommerce, CPG, and service-based businesses scaling from early growth through mid-market.• Diagnose growth constraints across marketing, operations, and finance to identify root causes impacting profitability, conversion, and scalability.• Lead end-to-end growth strategy spanning acquisition, conversion, retention, and lifecycle marketing, with a focus on ROI and sustainable performance.• Align marketing strategy with operational systems to eliminate bottlenecks between demand generation, fulfillment, and customer experience.• Build and implement execution roadmaps, KPIs, and dashboards to support data-driven decision-making and leadership accountability.• Partner directly with founders and executive teams as embedded leadership, reducing reliance on agencies and avoiding premature full-time executive hires.• Support go-to-market strategy, channel optimization, team structure, and process design to enable repeatable, scalable growth.• Improve marketing efficiency, margin performance, and operational clarity through systems, prioritization, and hands-on execution.

Education

• Northwood University

  BBA, Management, Marketing & Accounting

  2006 — 2009

• Lorain County Community College

  PSEO, Business Administration and Management, General

  2004 — 2006

• Avon High School

  Graduated with Honors

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Retail
• Time Management
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Online Merchandising
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Strategy
• E-Commerce
• Marketing Strategy
• Budget Forecasts
• Problem Solving
• Vendor Relationship Management
• Merchandising
• Management
• Team Building
• Private Label
• Strategic Planning
• Forecasting
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Social Media Marketing
• Brand Development
• Sales Management
• Inventory Management
• Marketing
• Competitive Analysis
• Erd
• Third Party Vendor Management
• Leadership
• Salesforce.com
• Big Data Analytics
• Market Research
• Customer Analysis
• Budget Management
• Product Development
• Multi-Channel Retail
• Mdm
• Business Forecasting
• Customer Service
• Social Media
• Sharepoint