Company name:

Ekogram.pl (Nutcraft)

Company size:

30-50

Services provided:

Position

E-Commerce Manager

Time to Recruit

8 weeks

Technology:

Shopify, Base, Apilo, GA4

As the company continued to grow, it became clear that the e-commerce area required dedicated ownership. Until then, many key decisions and operational tasks were handled directly by the founder or coordinated through external agencies and freelancers. This model worked at an earlier stage, but at a revenue level of around PLN 20 million it started to create bottlenecks, slow down execution, and increase the founder’s operational workload.

Initially, the role was perceived as a typical E-commerce Manager focused on fast, aggressive scaling. However, during the discovery phase it became evident that such a profile would not fit the company’s premium positioning and long-term vision. Ekogram was not looking to scale through rapid product expansion or mass-market tactics, but through steady growth, better processes, and a consistent premium customer experience. That means we had to focus more on passionate e-commerce manager with attention to details instead of scaling first.

This led to a clear talent gap. Most available candidates had backgrounds in high-volume e-commerce, while the company needed a hands-on manager who understood a boutique, quality-driven brand and could work closely with existing agencies and freelancers instead of immediately building a large in-house team. At the same time, the internal HR capacity was limited, making it difficult to run a focused and well-calibrated recruitment process internally.

The main goal of the assignment was therefore to define the role accurately and find a candidate who could take end-to-end ownership of e-commerce while aligning with the founder’s vision and the brand’s premium standards. The process lasted around 2–2.5 months and included regular check-ins, joint CV reviews, and fast feedback after each interview to continuously refine the search direction.

Ultimately, a hands-on candidate with relevant experience in quality-focused e-commerce was selected and relocated to join the company. The new hire quickly took over key responsibilities, reduced the founder’s operational burden, and supported the company’s transition from a founder-led structure to a more professional and scalable setup, while maintaining its boutique character.

As Ekogram continued to grow, its founder-centric operating model began creating execution bottlenecks across the e-commerce function. Strategic decisions, operational oversight, and partner coordination were concentrated around one person – limiting scalability and increasing operational dependency at a critical stage of growth.

The company needed a commercially minded E-commerce Manager who could introduce ownership, structure, and operational discipline while respecting the brand’s premium positioning, quality standards, and carefully built customer experience.

The challenge was not volume hiring – it was identifying a rare blend of operator, strategist, and brand-conscious leader.

As a strategic recruitment partner, we supported the client throughout the entire hiring process, starting with a deep discovery phase and precise role definition. Instead of simply executing a standard brief, we worked closely with the founder to fully understand the company’s growth plans, brand positioning, and real needs within the e-commerce area.

Our support included:

• redefining the role and clarifying expectations

• sourcing candidates on the Polish market

• screening and qualitative HR verification

• coordinating interviews and gathering structured feedback after each stage

• advising on cultural and strategic fit

• supporting the onboarding phase

Our goal was to manage the entire recruitment process so the founder could stay focused on running and growing the business. At the same time, we ensured that the selected candidate would not only have the right skills, but also truly understand the boutique and premium nature of the brand.

What made our approach different was the consultative mindset. We challenged the initial assumption of hiring a typical growth-driven e-commerce manager and helped reshape the role into a hands-on position aligned with steady, quality-focused scaling.

After the candidate was hired, we stayed involved through regular check-ins and feedback loops. We monitored satisfaction, collected insights after key milestones, and ensured that expectations on both sides remained aligned.

Thanks to this approach, we acted not only as a recruitment provider but as a long-term partner, supporting the company’s transition from a founder-led setup to a more structured organization while preserving its premium character.

The recruitment process ended with a successful hire who matched the client’s expectations both in terms of skills and mindset. The selected candidate quickly took ownership of the e-commerce area, which significantly reduced the founder’s day-to-day operational burden.

Shortly after onboarding, the client shared very positive feedback about the new hire’s performance, communication, and overall fit with the organization. The manager integrated smoothly into the existing setup and began working effectively with agencies and freelancers while bringing more structure to processes.

A key result was the reduced dependency on the founder. With a dedicated person responsible for e-commerce, decision-making became faster, priorities clearer, and execution more consistent.

Equally important, the new hire aligned well with the company’s premium and quality-focused approach. Instead of pushing aggressive scaling, the focus remained on steady growth, better processes, and maintaining high brand standards.

Overall, Relout’s IT recruitment helped the company move from a founder-led operational model to a more professional and scalable structure, while preserving its boutique character and long-term brand vision.