Founder & Lead Brand Strategist
Every Chapter Gave Me a Different Seat at the Table
Kayla Lester
Founder & Lead Brand Strategist, Kinser Commerce Group
“My career has been rooted in retail and eCommerce for nearly two decades—but I haven’t experienced the industry from just one perspective.”
Indiana University Apparel Merchandising • Former Fortune 50 Retail Buyer • Nearly 20 Years in Retail & eCommerce
I studied Apparel Merchandising at Indiana University and began my career in the motorsports industry, working in product development and sourcing. That experience taught me what it takes to bring a product from an initial idea into the hands of a customer and how many decisions must come together behind the scenes to make it successful.
From there, I moved through several different seats at the table: marketing and eCommerce, corporate buying for a Fortune 50 retailer, building and selling through my own Amazon business, and managing established brands from the agency side.
Corporate retail taught me how buyers evaluate products, how decisions are made at scale, and what brands must do to stand out. Owning an Amazon business gave me an entirely different perspective. I experienced firsthand the responsibility of managing inventory, advertising, cash flow, and profitability when the business—and the risk—were my own.
Those experiences shaped why I created Kinser Commerce Group. I saw too many brands receiving fragmented advice: one partner managing advertising, another creating content, and another handling Seller Central, without anyone stepping back to understand how every decision affected the larger business.
At KCG, we bring marketplace strategy, advertising, content, and operations together under one connected plan. I remain directly involved in our clients’ strategy because I believe brands deserve experienced leadership, clear communication, and a partner who understands what is truly at stake.
“Behind every brand is a person or a team who has put a tremendous amount of time, energy, and belief into building something meaningful. I never lose sight of that.”
— Kayla Lester