CURRICULUM VITAE

Lee Smith.

Growth Engineer

lee@arksmith.co.uk
Lee Smith
10+ years in startup environmentsMarketing · Operations · AI

I work as a growth engineer, combining marketing with a practical understanding of how your business operates. I examine where your customers come from, what happens once they arrive and which operational changes will turn that interest into profitable growth. You get someone who can deliver your marketing and identify opportunities to improve the performance of your whole business.

With over 10 years of working in startup environments, I’m used to making limited budgets work hard. I focus spend on opportunities with the highest potential return and the smallest practical team, avoiding unnecessary overhead. My role has been to identify those opportunities, implement and test them with minimal manpower, then scale what demonstrates value. That experience means I’m careful about where your money goes and practical about the resources needed to deliver results.

That remit has developed my expertise far beyond marketing. I’ve been hands-on with operations, administration, finance, social media, media production, automation, logistics, design and development. This allows me to take an opportunity from diagnosis through implementation, addressing operational obstacles along the way. If your marketing brings in enquiries but your follow-up process loses them, I can improve both. If growth creates more admin than your team can handle, I can build the systems to reduce that pressure.

Working in startup environments has meant continually applying new marketing techniques and technology to give the projects I work on a competitive advantage without relying on bigger budgets. My background in development and media supports practical expertise in AI automation, agentic workflows, and voice and visual media production using AI. Combined with my wider business experience, this allows me to assess where these tools can save time, reduce costs or create new opportunities, then implement the workflows that deliver that value.

I build revenue-generating systems and processes, then help scale them internally. Your business retains ownership of the process, the knowledge and the capability, reducing the reliance and ongoing overheads that can come with outsourcing. The work becomes part of how your business operates, grows with your team and adds lasting value to your company.

That’s the depth of involvement I bring. I can work independently or within your established team, understand how your business operates and identify constraints or opportunities with minimal disruption. If you need marketing expertise, I can deliver it. If you need someone embedded in the day-to-day work, I take ownership of delivery and continue identifying opportunities beyond the original brief.

I work best where commercial demand is high, resources are constrained and practical execution can make a measurable difference.

Performance marketingMeta Ads Manager · Google Ads · TikTok Ads Manager

Tools & technologies

  • Meta Ads Manager
  • Google Ads
  • TikTok Ads Manager
  • LinkedIn Campaign Manager
  • Microsoft Advertising
  • Google Merchant Center

Capabilities

  • Full-funnel campaign architecture
  • Audience targeting and retargeting
  • Budget allocation and bid strategy
  • Creative testing and iteration
  • CAC, ROAS and contribution margin analysis
  • Search and shopping campaign strategy
  • Influencer campaign planning
Analytics & measurementGoogle Analytics 4 · Google Tag Manager · Amplitude

Tools & technologies

  • Google Analytics 4
  • Google Tag Manager
  • Amplitude
  • PostHog
  • Mixpanel
  • Google Sheets

Capabilities

  • Event taxonomy and tracking plans
  • Meta Pixel and Conversions API implementation
  • Funnel, cohort and retention analysis
  • Attribution and measurement limitations
  • Experiment analysis and A/B testing
  • Dashboard design and decision reporting
App growth & ASOApple App Store Connect · Google Play Console · AppTweak

App Store optimisation (ASO)

Tools & technologies

  • Apple App Store Connect
  • Google Play Console
  • AppTweak
  • App Radar
  • Sensor Tower

Capabilities

  • Apple App Store ASO strategy
  • Google Play ASO strategy
  • ASO keyword research and rank tracking
  • App metadata optimisation
  • App icons, screenshots and preview optimisation
  • Apple Product Page Optimization
  • Apple Custom Product Pages
  • Google Play store listing experiments
  • Google Play custom store listings
  • ASO localisation
  • App rating and review management

App advertising and user acquisition

Tools & technologies

  • Apple Ads (formerly Apple Search Ads)

Capabilities

  • Apple Ads campaign and bid strategy
  • Apple Ads keyword and search-term optimisation
  • Google Ads App campaigns
  • Meta app install and app event campaigns
  • App ad and store-page message alignment

Mobile attribution and monetisation

Tools & technologies

  • AppsFlyer
  • Branch
  • RevenueCat

Capabilities

  • Install-to-paid-user acquisition economics
  • App onboarding and paywall testing
  • Subscription trials, churn and conversion analysis
  • Privacy-aware mobile attribution
CRM, lifecycle & searchKlaviyo · Mailchimp · Google Search Console

CRM and lifecycle marketing

Tools & technologies

  • Klaviyo
  • Mailchimp

Capabilities

  • Customer segmentation
  • Lifecycle email and SMS automation
  • Customer lifetime value and repeat purchase
  • Lead qualification and pipeline measurement

SEO and content marketing

Tools & technologies

  • Google Search Console
  • Semrush

Capabilities

  • Keyword research and search intent
Design & UXFigma · Adobe Illustrator · Canva

Tools & technologies

  • Figma
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Canva
  • Adobe XD

Capabilities

  • Layout and visual hierarchy
  • Typography and colour systems
  • Wireframing and user flows
  • Interactive prototyping
  • Responsive interface design
  • Design systems and developer handoff
  • Brand and campaign asset design
Image editing & photographyAdobe Photoshop · Adobe Lightroom · Capture One

Image editing

Tools & technologies

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Lightroom

Capabilities

  • Retouching and cleanup
  • Masking and selections
  • Image compositing
  • Colour correction for images
  • Product image preparation
  • Batch image processing
  • Image export and optimisation

Photography

Tools & technologies

  • Capture One

Capabilities

  • Camera exposure and manual settings
  • Composition and framing
  • Portrait photography
  • Product photography
  • Lighting for photography
  • Lens and perspective selection
  • RAW workflow and file management
Video editing & productionAdobe Premiere / Premiere Pro · CapCut · Adobe After Effects

Video editing

Tools & technologies

  • Adobe Premiere / Premiere Pro
  • CapCut
  • Adobe After Effects

Capabilities

  • Narrative editing and pacing
  • Colour grading for video
  • Subtitles and caption design
  • Audio cleanup and synchronisation
  • Multi-format video delivery

Video creation and creative strategy

Capabilities

  • Creative concept development
  • Direct-response scriptwriting
  • UGC and presenter direction
  • Camera operation for video
  • Lighting and sound on set
  • Product demos and explainers
  • Creative testing strategy
  • Production planning and asset management
  • Creative performance diagnosis
Audio & AI music productionAbleton Live · VST plugins · Virtual instruments

Tools & technologies

  • Ableton Live
  • VST plugins
  • Virtual instruments
  • Suno

Capabilities

  • Voice recording and microphone technique
  • Noise reduction and dialogue cleanup
  • Audio mixing and loudness control
  • AI music production
AI image generationChatGPT image generation · Midjourney · Stable Diffusion

Tools & technologies

  • ChatGPT image generation
  • Midjourney
  • Stable Diffusion
  • ComfyUI
  • Gemini image generation / Nano Banana

Capabilities

  • Image prompting and reference control
  • Inpainting, outpainting and image refinement
  • AI image quality and consistency checks
AI video & avatarsHiggsfield · Runway · Kling

Tools & technologies

  • Higgsfield
  • Runway
  • Kling
  • Seedance
  • Google Veo
  • Luma AI
  • HeyGen
  • Synthesia

Capabilities

  • Image-to-video and reference-led direction
  • Character and scene continuity
  • AI video quality and transcript checks
AI voice & speechElevenLabs · Whisper

Tools & technologies

  • ElevenLabs
  • Whisper

Capabilities

  • Text-to-speech direction
  • Voice cloning and identity consistency
  • Dubbing and speech localisation
  • Voice agent conversation design
  • Speech quality and pronunciation checks
AI automation & agentic workflowsZapier · OpenAI API · Anthropic API

AI automation and agents

Tools & technologies

  • Zapier
  • OpenAI API
  • Anthropic API
  • Gemini API

Capabilities

  • Agent workflow design
  • Tool calling and API orchestration
  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)
  • Automation reliability and monitoring
  • AI evaluation and regression testing
  • AI latency and cost optimisation

Agentic AI workflows

Tools & technologies

  • OpenAI Agents SDK
  • Claude Code
  • Codex

Capabilities

  • Multi-agent coordination
  • Agent memory and context management
  • MCP tool and server integration
  • Human-in-the-loop agent workflows
  • Browser and computer-use agents
  • Reusable agent skills and instructions
  • Agent task decomposition and handoffs

AI assistants and research

Tools & technologies

  • ChatGPT
  • Claude
  • Gemini

Capabilities

  • Prompt design and structured outputs
  • Source verification and output evaluation
  • Reusable AI workflows
  • AI tool selection and cost tradeoffs
AI models & deploymentHugging Face Hub · Hugging Face Diffusers · Hugging Face Transformers

Tools & technologies

  • Hugging Face Hub
  • Hugging Face Diffusers
  • Hugging Face Transformers
  • fal.ai
  • Runpod

Capabilities

  • Model selection and benchmarking
  • LoRA and model fine-tuning
  • GPU deployment and inference operations
Architecture & tech stack designSoftware architecture design · Tech stack selection and design

Capabilities

  • Software architecture design
  • Tech stack selection and design
Development & software deliveryPython · JavaScript · TypeScript

Development and integrations

Tools & technologies

  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • Node.js
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Visual Studio Code
  • Postman

Capabilities

  • REST APIs and webhooks
  • Authentication and access control
  • Database design and data modelling
  • Debugging, testing and error handling
  • AI-assisted development

Software delivery and cloud

Tools & technologies

  • Git
  • GitHub
  • Docker
  • GitHub Actions
  • Vercel
  • Cloudflare
  • AWS
  • Supabase
  • Firebase

Capabilities

  • Deployment, secrets and environment management
E-commerce & business operationsShopify · Notion

E-commerce and product operations

Tools & technologies

  • Shopify

Capabilities

  • Landing page and checkout optimisation
  • Product feeds and catalogue operations
  • Inventory pricing and promotions
  • Product design and manufacturing coordination
  • Packaging, fulfilment and logistics
  • New revenue stream development
  • Subscription offers and lifetime value

Growth strategy and business operations

Tools & technologies

  • Notion

Capabilities

  • Growth constraint diagnosis
  • Opportunity prioritisation
  • Commercial modelling and unit economics
  • Lean validation and experiment design
  • Workflow mapping and process improvement
  • Systems documentation and team handover
  • Stakeholder communication and delivery ownership

Growth & performance marketing

Acquisition funnels, conversion optimisation, retention and creative testing. Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, TikTok Ads Manager.

Analytics & app growth

Campaign measurement, cohort analysis, Apple and Google Play ASO, and app acquisition. Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, PostHog, Apple Ads.

Design & creative media

Photography, image editing, interface design and video production. Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, CapCut.

AI image, video & voice

Reference-led generation, character continuity and speech workflows. Higgsfield, Seedance, ElevenLabs, ComfyUI.

Audio & AI music production

Voice recording, audio cleanup, mixing, VST plugins, virtual instruments and AI music production. Ableton Live, Suno.

AI automation & agentic workflows

Agent orchestration, MCP integrations, RAG and reusable automation workflows. OpenAI API, Claude Code, Codex.

Development & architecture

Web development, API integrations, software architecture and tech stack design. Python, TypeScript, Node.js, Docker.

E-commerce & operations

Commerce systems, product operations, inventory economics and process improvement. Shopify, Notion.

MadFit — Growth, LTV & E-commerce

  • Built seasonal lifetime subscription campaigns targeting highly engaged audiences, increasing user LTV by 20% and adding 1,000+ new paying customers.
  • Designed structured exposure, engagement and conversion funnels across Meta, moving warm audiences towards purchase rather than relying on direct-response ads alone.
  • Optimised the purchase landing page to remove conversion friction, increasing conversion rate by 500%.
  • Built AI production workflows for video ad clips, subtitles and test variants at scale, reducing creator workload and accelerating creative testing.
  • Identified winning creatives that ran at up to 4x lower cost than alternatives, improving overall media efficiency and conversion performance.
  • Built a physical fitness equipment arm from scratch — covering product design, manufacturing, packaging, fulfilment, logistics and e-commerce — creating a new revenue stream and extending customer LTV beyond the app.
  • Launched the new product range, generating approximately $200,000 in initial revenue.
  • Extended the new equipment business into the creator’s existing audience and content ecosystem, integrating the product range with Google Merchant Center, YouTube and Meta to expand product visibility.

Madore Athletics — Brand Growth & Performance Marketing

  • Helped build the apparel business from concept to operation, turning the founder’s brand vision into a functioning commercial business.
  • Built cold, warm and hot acquisition funnels around existing brand audiences, converting attention from other parts of the brand into paying apparel customers.
  • Optimised hot audience campaigns to achieve up to 1,000% ROAS, maximising returns from high-intent traffic.
  • Ran always-on retargeting at approximately 600% ROAS, keeping the brand visible and converting visitors who did not purchase initially.
  • Built campaigns focused on repeat purchase and customer retention, increasing customer LTV to more than $600.
  • Developed influencer campaigns through talent agencies and direct creator relationships, expanding brand reach while keeping spend focused on placements with a credible path to conversion.
  • Replaced manual catalogue maintenance with automated product and pricing feeds across Google Merchant Center, YouTube and Meta, reducing the operational overhead of managing those channels.
  • Used pricing and promotional strategies to turn ageing inventory into customer acquisition opportunities while reducing warehousing costs.
  • Evaluated low-margin first orders against long-term customer value, using highly profitable post-purchase campaigns to make acquisition valuable beyond the initial sale.

Vibe Media — Growth Engineering, AI & Digital Products

  • Led digital product operations from concept through to launch, turning founder ideas into functioning products, acquisition funnels and scalable internal systems.
  • Used a fail-fast operating model to test ideas cheaply, discontinue weak concepts quickly and scale winning products.
  • Designed product, marketing and operational systems using AI and automation, reducing reliance on agencies, middlemen and unnecessary headcount.
  • Built dynamic AI-personalised web funnels, improving relevance to individual users while allowing rapid experimentation on conversion performance.
  • Designed personalised backend product systems, increasing the perceived value and relevance of the digital products themselves.
  • Built AI creative production workflows capable of generating hundreds of image and video ad concepts, allowing a minimal team to compete with much larger creative operations.
  • Produced high-CTR, high-engagement advertising, improving auction efficiency and reducing customer acquisition costs on Meta.
  • Achieved $50 acquisition costs, delivering approximately 5x return on acquisition spend.
  • Designed and validated workflows before hiring for execution, ensuring headcount was only added after a process had already proven its value.
  • Optimised internal operating processes across the wider business, increasing throughput while keeping the team deliberately lean.

My approach is simple: find the opportunities in your business with the biggest commercial potential, get hands-on with testing them using minimal resources, then scale what works. Those opportunities might sit in marketing, operations, product, automation, logistics or the processes connecting them.

I focus on outcomes that build on each other: more revenue, higher customer value, lower overheads and a stronger business. Wherever possible, I automate repeatable work and keep valuable systems internal, so your business retains ownership of the processes and the capability to keep growing.

Here’s what that looks like in practice.

  1. 1

    Understand your business inside out

    I start with your customers, products, goals and how your business operates day to day. I work with you and your team to examine marketing performance, systems, costs and operating capacity. This establishes where you want to go, what’s already performing and which constraints are limiting progress.

  2. 2

    Map your business and find the opportunities

    I map how your customers and work move through your business, from attracting attention to making a sale, delivering your product or service and bringing customers back. This helps uncover where you’re losing revenue, where your processes create friction and where your team is spending time on work that could be simplified or automated. I also look for untapped opportunities to reach more customers or get more value from what you already have.

  3. 3

    Focus on what will make the biggest difference to your business

    Together, we prioritise opportunities based on potential return, cost, effort and the resources you have available. I translate that into a clear delivery sequence, an agreed budget and practical measures of success. I prioritise the strongest commercial return for the smallest practical investment, while identifying deeper issues that need resolving to support your growth.

  4. 4

    Build and test with minimal resources

    I implement the work, whether that means building a campaign, improving a sales journey, automating a workflow or testing a new revenue stream. I start with the smallest practical version that lets us assess the idea properly. This establishes whether it can deliver value before you commit to more software, manpower or budget.

  5. 5

    Measure, improve and scale what works for you

    I assess the results against the outcomes we agreed, whether that’s more revenue, better margins, lower acquisition costs, repeat purchases or time saved. I use those results and feedback from your team to improve the approach, stop work that isn’t earning its place and increase investment where there’s a clear reason to do so.

  6. 6

    Build lasting capability inside your business

    Once an approach has proved its value, I help make it part of how your business operates. That includes automating repeatable work, documenting processes and equipping your team to run and improve them. Your business retains the systems, knowledge and ownership, allowing growth to continue without unnecessary overheads. As your business develops, I keep looking for the next opportunity to improve it.

Throughout the process, I work closely with you and your team, keeping you involved in the decisions that matter and giving you a clear view of what I’m working on, why it matters and what results we’re seeing.

  • I find the biggest constraint on your growth, whether it sits in marketing, operations, product, automation, logistics or process.
  • I build the solution with minimal manpower, proving its commercial value to your business before adding cost or complexity.
  • I automate repeatable work wherever possible, reducing your overhead and increasing your team’s throughput.
  • I keep valuable systems inside your business, reducing your reliance on agencies and keeping ownership of the process with you.
  • I focus on outcomes that compound for your business: more revenue, higher LTV, lower overhead and a more valuable business.