Entrepreneur-in-Residence; Bentonville, Arkansas

Fieldbook Studio, an Alloy Partners venture studio located in Bentonville, Arkansas, is focused on creating advantaged companies across the retail value chain. Our newest venture is designed to address a significant and overlooked opportunity in the independent retail and emerging CPG ecosystem by rethinking how product discovery and brand expansion happen across this market.

Independent retailers represent more than 1.7 trillion dollars in annual spend, yet the process of discovering new products remains highly fragmented. Retailers lack a curated and reliable way to identify trend-forward items for their stores. Emerging CPG brands face high customer acquisition costs and a challenging pathway to retail exposure. This new venture solves these challenges by creating a curated sampling and discovery platform that connects retailers with emerging brands and helps brands expand into retail more efficiently.

Fieldbook Studio is seeking an Entrepreneur in Residence who will lead this concept through early commercial validation, operational development, and long-term scale. This role is intended to transition into a founding CEO role at the time of incorporation.

This is an opportunity to build a zero-to-one company inside the Bentonville retail ecosystem with the full support of the Alloy Partners venture studio model.

• Develop a deep understanding of the problems facing independent retailers and emerging CPG brands
• Translate market insights and early pilot activity into a clear company strategy and value proposition
• Shape product themes and guide how curated discovery will work across the platform

• Step into the leadership of early pilot activity and monthly sampling cycles in motion at the time of hire
• Build strong relationships with emerging CPG brands and manage onboarding, product sourcing, and curation
• Lead retailer acquisition efforts, including referrals, partnerships, and network development in priority markets
• Identify and predict consumer trends to guide product offerings and develop a six-month trend pipeline and corresponding brand network

• Develop and execute the dual‑sided commercial strategy for brands and retailers
• Shape pricing and economic models and refine a repeatable go‑to‑market motion
• Identify growth pathways that support long‑term scale, including retailer network expansion and brand channel partnerships
• Explore enterprise adjacency opportunities within large retail ecosystems

• Manage the operational workflows required for a monthly sampling and discovery platform, including sourcing, fulfillment, and logistics
• Build scalable systems and operational processes as volume increases
• Evaluate long‑term operational models

• Deep independent retail background required, including buying, merchandising, forecasting, and experience with physical product dimensions and case pack design
• High credibility within the retail community and strong relationship‑building instincts
• Experience leading sales teams or serving as a head of sales with accountability for revenue targets
• Ability to recognize and predict consumer trends with a strong social media presence or portfolio that demonstrates trend fluency
• Understanding of scalable business dynamics and familiarity with building businesses capable of reaching one hundred million dollars in revenue
• Hands‑on execution mindset ready to inherit and refine a live pilot
• Comfort traveling to trade shows and partner events, and building multiregional retail relationships
• Must be based in Northwest Arkansas, including Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers, or Springdale
• Experience as a retail founder is preferred
• Experience in funded startups or prior fundraising preferred

• Competitive compensation. Note that this will be a 1099 position until the concept is launched and incorporated, which could take several months. At that time, the role will transition into a W2 position with founder shares issued.
• A collaborative, entrepreneurial environment with a proven venture…