Category GM  ·  Marketplace Operator  ·  Culture Builder

Kierra
S.
Underwood

I build verticals that move culture and move numbers. P&L owner, supply architect, and founder with 10+ years at the intersection of commerce, community, and credibility.

10+
Years Owning Categories
$1B+
Category GMV Managed
$5K
Peak Daily Revenue Built
18
Team Members Led
Norfolk, VA  ·  Detroit, MI  ·  Remote

The operator
behind the numbers

I'm a category GM and marketplace operator who builds businesses at the intersection of culture, commerce, and community. My background spans corporate retail at scale — buying and managing categories worth hundreds of millions at Dollar Tree and Lidl — and entrepreneurial full-stack ownership as the founder of Literature & Libations, a culturally-driven retail brand in Norfolk, VA with a pop-up presence in Detroit.

What drives me is the belief that the best category businesses aren't built on spreadsheets alone — they're built on deep market fluency, supplier trust, and cultural credibility. I understand how supply, demand, and liquidity interact in two-sided markets. I know how to build a go-to-market playbook from scratch. And I know how to recruit the kinds of sellers and creators who set the tone for an entire platform.

Detroit is home. I'm building my presence there intentionally — through community, family, and the kind of commerce that reflects the city's identity. That's not a career footnote. It's a conviction.

Category Ownership
Full P&L accountability across $43M–$1B+ verticals. Supply strategy, margin optimization, and cross-functional GTM execution.
Culture Fluency
Deeply embedded in apparel, streetwear, and fashion resale. I know the people, platforms, pricing dynamics, and cultural moments that move the market.
Entrepreneurial Operator
Founded and scaled a brick-and-mortar brand to $5K/day, a team of 18, and 20+ strategic partnerships — from concept to operating system.
Community Builder
Led 50+ ecosystem events, ran a $10.5M investor roadshow, and built programming that connects founders, creators, and communities.

A decade of
owning outcomes

Aug 2023 – Present
Literature &
Libations
Norfolk, VA · Detroit, MI
Founder & CEO
  • Founded and scaled a culturally-driven retail brand from concept to a 3,000 sq ft flagship generating $5K/day during peak cycles — owning full P&L, resource allocation, and GTM strategy.
  • Built and led a team of 18 with performance management systems that reduced onboarding time 40% and improved KPI attainment by 20%.
  • Recruited 20+ strategic brand and vendor partners, driving 15% YoY audience growth and 40% increase in community engagement.
  • Launched brand activation series generating $40K in incremental revenue and a 25% lift in event attendance over 12 months.
  • Implemented AI-powered inventory automation, increasing operational efficiency 35% and eliminating 10+ hours of weekly manual reconciliation.
Jun 2023 – Jul 2024
757 Collab
Norfolk, VA
Director of Innovation & Strategic Partnerships
  • Led vertical ownership of a 300+ founder ecosystem, growing partnership revenue 20–30% through multi-year alliance development.
  • Onboarded 8+ Innovation Partners; built operating infrastructure improving reporting accuracy 40% across 3 program areas.
  • Directed 50+ events annually, including an angel investing course that increased investor participation by 25%.
Nov 2020 – Nov 2022
Dollar Tree
Chesapeake, VA
Category Merchant & Associate Category Merchant – Tableware
  • Owned P&L for multi-hundred-million-dollar verticals — grew a $500M category 12% YoY and a $1B category 9% YoY through supply and assortment strategy.
  • Launched 40+ new SKUs; identified 20+ assortment gaps using market analytics, achieving 10–15% higher sell-through in targeted regions.
  • Directed cross-functional execution across UX, marketing, logistics, sourcing, and finance at national scale.
Oct 2019 – Nov 2020
Lidl US
Alexandria, VA
Purchasing Manager
  • Held full category ownership for a $43.8M portfolio — hit 100% of KPI targets and improved margins 8–12%.
  • Sourced 13+ new suppliers, contributing $5–7M in incremental sales potential and reducing out-of-stocks by 18%.
  • Directed full item lifecycle from market analysis through QA, packaging, and cost negotiation — achieving 15–20% cost efficiencies.
Dec 2022 – Apr 2023
The Gap
Partnership
Remote
Sr. Consultant – Negotiation Expert
  • Delivered negotiation advisory to Fortune 500 clients including CVS, BIC, and L'Oréal — generating $300K+ in verified savings for a single client and $1M+ annually across accounts.
  • Advised C-suite executives on deal strategy, securing favorable terms in 90% of engagements.
Dec 2016 – Sep 2019
Michaels
Irving, TX
Inventory Analyst
  • Led seasonal allocation across 1,500+ SKUs, achieving 10–15% sell-through lift and preventing $500K+ in estimated lost revenue during peak periods.
Sep 2015 – Dec 2016
Pier 1
Fort Worth, TX
Demand Planner
  • Managed forecasting and replenishment for 3,000+ SKUs using SAP APO — improved forecast accuracy 15%, reduced stockouts 18%, achieved 97–99% service levels.
May 2014 – Sep 2015
Dillard's Inc.
Arlington, TX
Assistant Buyer
  • Supported 30+ seasonal apparel launches — increasing category sales 8–12% through optimized receipt flow, supplier negotiations, and vendor partnerships.

The toolkit
that drives results

Business & Strategy
P&L Ownership Vertical GM Leadership GTM Playbook Category Strategy Budgeting & Forecasting Investment Planning
Marketplace & Commerce
Liquidity Dynamics Supply Elasticity CAC / LTV Pricing Strategy Demand Activation Two-Sided Platforms
Culture & Community
Apparel & Streetwear Fashion Resale Secondhand Markets Creator Ecosystems Brand Partnerships Community Stewardship
Supply & Operations
Supplier Acquisition Seller Onboarding Assortment Optimization Inventory Management Demand Forecasting Vendor Negotiation
Leadership & Execution
Team Building Cross-Functional Leadership Performance Management Operating Cadence Executive Influence
Tools & Technology
SAP / SAP APO Power BI SQL IRI / Numerator AI Workflow Automation QuickBooks Square POS

Built from
the ground up

01
Literature & Libations — Brand Launch & Scale
Founded a culturally distinctive retail brand integrating literary culture with curated beverage experiences. Built the P&L, supply chain, team, and community programming infrastructure from zero.
$5K/day peak revenue  ·  3,000 sq ft flagship
02
East Coast Investor Roadshow
Designed and executed a 5-day investor roadshow for 12 founding teams as Sr. Program Manager at 757 Accelerate — managing logistics, coaching, and investor relations end-to-end.
$10.5M+ in investment offers extended
03
$500M Category Rebranding — Dollar Tree
Led strategic assortment refresh and supplier realignment for the tableware vertical, launching 40+ new SKUs and repositioning the category's quality/value identity at national scale.
12% YoY category growth
04
Community Activation Series — L&L
Architected a cross-promotional event series with authors, beverage partners, and community organizations — leveraging CRM analytics and brand partnerships to drive measurable revenue lift.
$40K incremental revenue  ·  25% attendance lift
05
Fortune 500 Negotiation Advisory
Delivered executive negotiation strategy and live coaching to enterprise clients at CVS, BIC, and L'Oréal — building custom frameworks and blended-learning curriculum across 12-week cohorts.
$1M+ in annual client savings
06
AI Ops Integration — Literature & Libations
Designed and implemented an AI-powered workflow automation system integrated with Square POS, eliminating manual reconciliation and improving inventory data accuracy across the full operation.
35% efficiency gain  ·  10+ hrs/week recovered

Let's build something worth talking about.

Open to category leadership and GM opportunities — especially in apparel, streetwear, and culturally-driven marketplaces. Detroit-bound. Always building.

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