VarageSale: Executing GTM Playbook for Sequoia-Backed Marketplace

Recruited to full-time position to lead the North American expansion of secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia Partners and Lightspeed Ventures.

VarageSale was Sequoia Capital's first non-USA investment

Quick Summary

VarageSale needed a growth marketer to scale their secondhand marketplace across Canada and the US with an annual budget of approximately $1M USD.

• 350,000+ engaged users at average $7.50 USD customer acquisition cost

• 25 buy/sell communities launched with 20%+ daily active users

• 24% increase in average monthly listings

• $400K revenue-share partnership with Georgia PTA

Built and managed a matrix marketing team of 8 to execute a data-driven GTM playbook.

Context: GTM Playbook for North American Market

VarageSale is a high-growth secondhand marketplace backed by Sequoia Partners and Lightspeed Ventures.

I was recruited yo a full-time position to lead their expansion across Canada and the United States, combining data, launch playbooks, and a matrix marketing team to deliver a cost-effective North American expansion program.

Objectives

• Add 250K+ users in new communities with average DAUs of 5%+ over baseline.

• Average annual budget approximately $1M CAD/year.

• Grow passenger signups (with credit card) at COCA < $10.00 CAD

I managed a talented team of 4 digital and 4 community marketers

Approach

• Apply data-led approach to surface expansion priorities

• Partner with US nonprofits and charities to support launches

• Collaborate with talent team to hire US-based marketing resources

• Support central team of digital marketers

• Develop creative supply-side programs to attract 'super sellers'

Social was a critical channel to support user growth

Deliverables

• Created ICP Heat Map at zip-code granularity powered by census and other data

• Developed Launch Playbook to drive buy/sell community launches

• Managed marketing team of 8, including 4 Digital Marketers and 4 regional Community Managers

• Developed dashboard to track launch campaign metrics

• Launched loyalty and consignment programs to attract power sellers

• Negotiated partnerships with community organizations, charities, and physical locations

• Built $400K revenue-share partnerships with Georgia PTA to reach critical ICPs (young moms)

I built a highly-successful consignment-based app to support our super users

Results

• 350,000+ engaged users at average $7.50 USD customer acquisition cost (target was under $10.00)

• 25 buy/sell communities launched with 20%+ daily active users (target was 5%+)

• 24% increase in average monthly listings via product-market fit and customer-focused initiatives

• Established talented marketing team of 8

Partnering with local and national charities was essential to growth

About Chris McLellan

Chris McLellan is an AI-forward marketing professional with 15+ years' experience helping startups and scaleups grow. As a certified Chartered Marketer, he has delivered 50+ launch campaigns for companies backed by leading investors including Sequoia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Sir Richard Branson.

Chris is a member of the National AI Committee at the Canadian Marketing Association, Founder and volunteer producer at Ask AI, a nonprofit AI focused on AI and the future of work, and co-author and Technical Lead of the Data Collaboration Framework, a Canadian international standard in data ownerships and digital innovation.