Traffic
You're not reaching enough of the right customers. Traffic, awareness, and reach are falling short.
Built by operators. Not consultants.
We’ve learned the hard lessons, so you don’t have to.
We know which levers move the numbers - and we know how to pull them.
Flatbird Labs was built by former Fortune 500 CMOs who have sat in your seat - managing hundreds of millions in marketing spend, holding agencies accountable, and delivering growth when the board was watching. We know where waste hides, which bets pay off, and how to build the systems that make growth repeatable.
Finding the Real Growth Problem
Most CMOs are solving the wrong problem
They think they have a traffic problem when they really have a conversion problem. Or they have a retention problem they're treating like an acquisition problem. The budget keeps growing, but the results don't.
We built Flatbird because we have had the same struggles and frustrations. We've managed $240M+ in marketing spend at some of the largest brands in the country. We've hired the agencies, reviewed the decks, and made the calls. We know what that money should produce - and we know exactly where it leaks.
Our job is to dig in, diagnose which of the three problems you actually have - Traffic, Conversion, or Retention - and build the system to fix it for you. This is not a strategy deck. It is a working system tied to a revenue outcome, delivered in 90 days.
Most companies try to solve all three at once. We find the one that's costing you the most - and fix it first.
The three key problems we solve
Conversion
You're reaching the right customers, but they're not converting. The funnel, the offer, or the experience isn't doing its job.
Retention
You're acquiring customers, but not keeping them. Retention, loyalty, and lifetime value need work.
The Numbers Behind the Work
Results built at scale - before Flatbird Labs existed.
We didn't learn this on your dime. The systems we built inside the country's largest retailers and top-tier financial institutions drove real revenue at a scale most firms have never touched.
$300M+
In marketing spend managed and held accountable
90
Days from diagnostic to a live revenue system
9-fig
In incremental revenue generated across engagements
What We Build
No decks. Just working systems to deliver growth
Growth Diagnostic
Before we build anything, we find the real problem. We dig into your customer data, channel performance, and marketing spend history to identify exactly where your growth is stalling out - and which lever, if pulled, would move the number fastest. This is where every engagement starts.
Revenue Attribution System
If you can't tell your CFO which dollars are driving revenue, you're flying blind. We build the attribution infrastructure that gives you a defensible answer - so that every budget decision is grounded in fact, not agency reporting.
Customer Acquisition Engine
We build the strategy, media, and creative infrastructure to consistently bring in new customers at a cost that fits your business model - with real-time visibility into what's performing and what needs to shift.
Personalization and Loyalty Infrastructure
Generic marketing is expensive and forgettable. We build the data and delivery infrastructure to reach customers with the right message at the right moment - at scale, without a two-year tech project.
Market Expansion Infrastructure
New market. New product. New customer segment. We build the go-to-market systems that get you to new growth and revenue faster - with the strategic foundation to sustain it past launch.
Data Management and Performance Intelligence
Growth isn't a one-time event. We build systems that continuously leverage data to monitor performance signals, reallocate spend toward what's working, and surface the insights your leadership team needs to stay ahead.
How It Works
90 days from diagnosis to a working system
Step 1 - Diagnose
Find the Real Growth Problem
We dig into customer behavior, channel performance, spend allocation, and competitive position. We identify which of the three problems - Traffic, Conversion, or Retention - is costing you the most. That's where we start.
Step 2 - Blueprint
Build the Growth Plan
We translate the diagnosis into a clear plan: the growth lever we'll target, the system we'll build, the success metrics we'll track, and what your leadership can expect to see and when. No ambiguity. No 80-page deck, just a concise action plan.
Step 3 - Build
Construct the System
We build the growth product - whether that's an acquisition engine, a personalization system, or an attribution infrastructure - custom to your business, your data environment, and your revenue targets.
Step 4 - Validate
Confirm Before You Scale
Before full deployment, we validate the system is capturing the right signals and optimizing toward the right outcomes. Leadership gets full visibility before a dollar of budget shifts.
Step 5 - Activate
Launch and Drive Revenue
We activate the system, monitor performance against your growth targets, and execute adjustments in real time. The gap between strategy and revenue closes fast.
Always-On
Ongoing Growth Intelligence
The systems don't stop when they launch. Continuous performance monitoring, spend optimization, and growth signal analysis ensure your investment keeps compounding.
Who We Work With
We work with executives who are done waiting for answers and who need growth
The CMO
You've sat through enough agency presentations. You want someone who's been in your seat.
We've managed the agencies, reviewed the decks, and made the budget calls. We know what good looks like and we know when you're being sold. We work as a peer, not a vendor - and build the systems that make your team faster and your results defensible.
Outcome: Attribution clarity, faster decisions, and marketing ROI you can defend to the board.
The CEO
You know where you want to grow. You need the system to get there - without a two-year or longer timeline.
Your strategy is clear. The gap is execution. We identify the highest-leverage growth opportunity in your business and build the system to capture it - in 90 days, with a revenue outcome attached.
Outcome: A working growth system tied to a specific revenue target.
The CFO
You suspect half your marketing budget isn't working - you're right.
Most companies spend significant marketing dollars without knowing which investments are driving revenue and which are subsidizing agencies. We build the systems that answer that question - and give you the financial visibility to eliminate waste and redirect spend toward what's actually working.
Outcome: Budget accountability and measurable ROI for every dollar.
The PE Operating Partner
You need your portfolio companies to grow faster. You don't need more headcount.
We work with PE-backed companies to find untapped growth inside the existing business and build the systems to capture it. One engagement model. Deployable across your portfolio companies. Faster revenue timelines and stronger EBITDA performance without adding to the org chart.
Outcome: Accelerated revenue growth and operational infrastructure that drives exit value.
Who We Are
We are not consultants who studied your problem. We are operators who have lived it. We have faced – and solved – the same problems you’re facing.
Flatbird Labs was founded by Michael Chao, Patrick Hook, and Josh Neff. Amongst us, we have held CMO and VP-level marketing roles at Walmart, Dollar General, Lidl US, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. We have managed $300M+ in marketing budgets, held agencies accountable for real outcomes, and delivered growth under pressure from boards and PE sponsors alike. We have also made every expensive mistake that you are trying to avoid. That experience is what we bring to every engagement.
We work with a select number of companies at a time. If you want an operator in the room, not another deck, then let's talk.
Michael Chao
Co-Founder & CEO
15 years as a CMO and senior marketing executive at the country's largest retailers - built the revenue systems, managed the budgets, and delivered results when the board was watching.
Patrick Hook
Co-Founder & COO
SVP and VP-level digital marketing leader who built and scaled multi-million-dollar acquisition engines across two of the country's largest financial institutions - and held every dollar accountable to a revenue outcome.
Josh Neff
Co-Founder & CPO
20+ years building investment and portfolio intelligence tools for institutions managing $15B+ in assets - now applying that same discipline to building AI systems that solve real revenue problems, not flashy ones.
Start a Conversation - we can't wait to hear from you.
Tell us where you want to grow. We’ll come back with a real point of view.
We don't do proposals before conversations. Tell us the problem, and we'll tell you honestly whether we can help and how.
Email: hello@flatbirdlabs.com
Location: United States (serving clients nationwide)