Michael Gonzalez
Headshot of Michael Gonzalez, founder of FitTea

Founder of FitTea · Operator CEO

I built a self-funded wellness brand to $100M+ in lifetime sales. Now I want to scale yours.

Hands-on operator for PE-backed consumer, wellness and beverage brands. At peak, FitTea did $18M in annual revenue with ~$8M in profit. I've owned every P&L, deployed $100–200K a week in paid media, led a 180-person team, and built our own manufacturing line.

Contact Me Résumé (PDF)

By the numbers

$100M+
FitTea lifetime sales
$18M
Peak annual revenue
~$8M
Profit at peak. Fully self-funded, $0 outside capital
180
Team members at peak, all reporting to me
$100–200K
Weekly paid-media spend managed
1
In-house manufacturing line built ("Big Bertha," Orlando, FL)

Every P&L owned end to end: acquisition, product, manufacturing, fulfillment and people.

The FitTea story

  1. 2013

    Built without outside capital

    No outside investors, no infrastructure, no playbook. I launched FitTea with my own money and grew it on its own cash flow. We never raised a dollar.

  2. Growth

    Built a paid-acquisition engine early

    I ran influencer and paid social at scale before most brands understood the channel, eventually deploying $100–200K per week in media. Every dollar of that spend answered to a profit-first P&L.

  3. Retail

    From DTC to national retail

    FitTea expanded from direct-to-consumer into national retail, including Walmart and Target.

  4. Operations

    "Big Bertha": our own manufacturing line

    To control quality, COGS and speed, I built an in-house manufacturing line in Orlando, Florida, bringing production under our roof instead of depending on co-packers.

  5. Peak

    $18M peak annual revenue, ~$8M profit, 180 people

    At peak, FitTea generated $18M in annual revenue and roughly $8M in profit, with a 180-person team reporting to me. Over its lifetime, FitTea did more than $100M in sales.

  6. 2020

    HappyTea and the public markets

    I founded HappyTea, and Happy Supplements Inc. began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange in December 2020.

  7. Today

    Clean exits. Ready for what's next.

    I've exited both FitTea and HappyTea with no ongoing obligations. I'm looking for my next operating seat.

Education: B.S. in Business Management, University of Central Florida.

What I'd bring to a PE-backed brand

Profit-first P&L ownership

I ran FitTea on my own money and delivered ~$8M in profit on $18M of peak revenue. Every dollar of spend had to earn its return, which is the same discipline a sponsor's value-creation plan demands.

Performance marketing at scale

Hands-on experience allocating $100–200K per week across paid and influencer channels, with rigor on CAC, payback and contribution margin.

Manufacturing & supply chain

I built an in-house production line. I understand COGS, capacity, quality and the make-vs-buy tradeoffs most DTC founders never touch.

Org building & leadership

Scaled to a 180-person organization with every function reporting to me. I hire, structure and hold teams accountable to the numbers.

Omnichannel growth

Took a digitally native brand into national retail, balancing DTC economics with retail velocity and trade spend.

Founder empathy, operator focus

I've been the founder. I can partner with founders through a transition while driving the plan the board signed up for.

Let's talk

I'm speaking with PE sponsors, boards and search partners about leading consumer, wellness and beverage brands.

michael@fitsells.com LinkedIn