The person behind Smart Moves.

I'm Michelle Zuther. I've spent over twenty years building and turning around brands across FMCG, beauty, skincare, fashion and lifestyle.

Being first-generation Australian taught me early that you make your own opportunities. It is the same instinct that shows up when I'm working with founders now - the willingness to hustle, stay scrappy, and pivot when the plan stops working.

I built my career inside large, multi-national organisations, running multi-million-pound P&Ls, delivering double-digit growth, and taking brands into new categories and new markets. Then, I started moving into founder-led businesses, and I noticed something. The teething problems that faced start-ups and early-stage scale-ups were rarely a lack of good ideas. They were too many ideas, and not enough conviction about what actually mattered, structure and speed fighting each other instead of working together.

Smart Moves exists to fix exactly that, bringing the rigour of twenty years inside multi-national brand-building to founders and growing businesses who need that same senior thinking, without losing the speed and instinct that got them this far.

How I Work.

I don't hand over a deck and disappear. I get properly into the detail, your business, your customers, your numbers, before I recommend anything.

Whatever the engagement, you get me directly, not an account manager or a junior team standing in for me. The thinking and the delivery come from the same person, so nothing gets lost in the handover between strategy and execution.

And, I move at the pace a growing business actually needs, not the pace built for a much bigger one. Fewer meetings about meetings. More decisions made and acted on.

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Who I work with.

Most of my work falls into one of two camps, businesses building something new, and businesses trying to find their way back after losing focus.

  • Founder-led start-ups and early-stage scale-ups in beauty, skincare, personal care, fashion accessories and lifestyle

  • Established brands that have lost focus through underinvestment and need someone to work out what actually matters again

  • Businesses with a product and some traction already, ready to build the marketing function properly

    Who this isn't for. 

    And to save us both time, this probably isn't the right fit if:

  • Your business is B2B rather than B2C or D2C

  • You are pre-revenue or still validating the idea itself

  • You want execution only - copywriting, social content, ads etc., - without the strategic thinking behind it

  • "I worked closely with Michelle across all launches, relaunches and new season introductions at Olivia Burton. She brought clear organisation and much-needed structure to what was previously a hectic process, and was a highly valued partner throughout our time working together."

    Charlotte Thompson, Product Development Manager, worked together at Olivia Burton

  • "Michelle balances a strategic approach with real attention to detail. She's a strong communicator, passionate about her brand, and always able to pivot to new challenges."

    Denise Selby, General Manager, managed Michelle directly

Frequently Asked Questions.

  • Generally I work best once there's a product and some traction, rather than at the pure idea stage. If you're not sure where that leaves you, the Contact page is the fastest way to find out.

  • Yes. My background spans the UK, North America, Europe and Australia, and most engagements run perfectly well remotely with occasional calls to match your time zone.

  • Both, depending on the engagement. Marketing Projects and Fractional Leadership both go as deep into delivery as the work needs. This isn't a strategy deck handed over, with me gone the next day. 

  • Yes, we remain actively involved until solutions are fully operational and staff are confident.

  • Either. Marketing Projects are fixed-scope and time-bound. Fractional Leadership is ongoing. Which one fits usually becomes obvious once we have talked through what is actually going on in your business and the challenges you are facing.