Our Team

Caitlin McCarthy - Founder

Caitlin McCarthy is the founder and CEO of Natural Solutions, a marketing solution organization focused on socially and environmentally sustainable product companies.

With over 5 years of experience in developing marketing strategies and promoting products in the natural products industry, Caitlin believes that the success of a brand relies heavily on in-store product support and promotions.

Through her experience, Caitlin recognizes that genuine enthusiasm, a professional and organized presentation and thorough product knowledge is the only way to truly make an impact on consumers. Therefore, Caitlin not only exhibits these ideals when promoting brands personally but ensures her employees hold the same knowledge and enthusiasm for every brand that Natural Solutions represents.

Caitlin originally became involved in the natural products industry while she was still attending college. She was hired as a part time brand ambassador for Ineeka, a fair trade, organic and biodynamic tea company based in Chicago. She immediately became engrossed in her role and quickly worked her way up to a position in which she ran their nationwide product support program. Through her work with Ineeka she became extremely interested in the field and passionate about working to promote socially and environmentally responsible businesses.

Caitlin left Ineeka to become Sales Manager at Out of Africa, a fair trade, organic shea butter bath and body product company, where she oversaw and managed client relationships through every phase of the sales cycle. During her time working with Out of Africa, Caitlin was able to gain an immense amount of knowledge and experience working with corporate buyers to create and manage large scale marketing plans and promotions.

Caitlin holds a B.A. in Fashion/Retail Management with a focus in Management and Marketing from Columbia College Chicago and continuously adds learning through trade shows and conferences in the ethical product industry.

EXPERIENCE

NATURAL SOLUTIONS
April 2011 – Present
Natural Solutions (www.naturalsolutionsdemo.com) is an innovative marketing solution organization focused on socially and environmentally responsible product companies.

Founder and CEO
Responsible for providing leadership to position the company at the forefront of the industry, as well as Creating, communicating and implementing the company’s vision, mission and direction.

· Create and implement an effective business plan and budget for organization.
· Oversee company operations to insure efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources.
· Promote the company to local, regional and national constituencies.
· Plan and implement strategies for generating resources and revenues for the company.
· Hire, train and evaluate performance of employees to ensure compliance with objectives of the company.

OUT OF AFRICA
May 2010 – March 2011
Out of Africa (www.outofafricashea.com) is a premium line of body care products made from organic and fair trade African shea butter.

Sales Manager
Responsible for the managing client relationships through every phase of the sales cycle, with the additional duties of establishing and overseeing marketing plans and strategies and creating and managing a nationwide demo program.

· Established plans and strategies to maintain and expand customer base within the gift, specialty, gourmet, spa, food service and hospitality segments.
· Provide information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data and trends.
· Conduct one on one and group sales presentation.
· Sustain rapport with key clients by making periodic visits, exploring specific needs and anticipating new opportunities.
· Resolve customer complaints regarding sales and service.

INEEKA
2008–2010
Ineeka (www.ineeka.com) is an industry leading and award-winning grower and marketer of pure organic teas.

Director of Sales and Marketing
Responsible for leading a nationwide product demonstration program, including the oversight of 20 employees, with the additional duties of developing high-impact marketing strategies and executing creative sales promotions to support a fast-growing, national specialty beverage business.

· Developed new accounts and maintained existing ones within the gift, specialty, gourmet, spa, food service and hospitality segments.
· Conducted trainings and demos for the products.
· Provided merchandising support and conducted store-level and regional events.
· Established and maintained contact with decision-makers in regional buying organizations.
· Provided support to the current sales and marketing team within the natural and specialty segments.

EDUCATION
COLUMBIA COLLEGE OF CHICAGO
May 2008
Columbia College of Chicago (www.colum.edu) offers students a comprehensive learning experience in the arts.

Bachelor of Arts Degree
Retail Management Major
· Marketing & Management Concentration