How an interim CMO helped thesheet to build and scale their marketing [Case Study]

I am excited to present thesheet and its founders Oliver Ahlberg and Ronald Uus. In only 1,5 years they managed to build multiple marketing channels, established cost-efficient ads and created content that brings in steady stream of organic traffic.

I personally think that their key to their success is Oliver and Ron, who are very driven, take the impact of marketing seriously and are not afraid to experiment. Here is their full story.

Company: thesheet
Industry: Interior design
Team size: 5
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Services provided by Ott: Marketing action plan, workshop, monthly coaching.
Result: Marketing channels in place, cost-efficient ads running, social proof established, monthly organic traffic and leads.

**Oliver Ahlberg - CEO, Founder**

Oliver is extremely driven and not afraid to experiment and test new solutions. In addition to thesheet, he is also the co-founder of Skeleton Technologies and an Investor of 15+ companies.

**Ronald Uus - CPO, Founder**

Ronald has the perfect mix of skills. Great eye for design and technical chops to bring the art to life in a useful way. He is also the founder of Bynew design studio and previously the Head of Design at OCCO.

What unites Oliver and Ron is the love for beauty and design. They have built something very unique in the world of interior deisign - 1 tool for interior designers where they can create spec sheets and easily work with clients. For people who don’t know, interior designers are forced to use 5 or more different tools to manage their projects. It’s a mess and interior designers are really frustrated. thesheet is on a mission to fix that.

Why thesheet hired an interim CMO?

Oliver explained, "Budget-wise, it was a no-brainer. In addition, we didn’t have enough work for a full-time CMO."

With previous positive experiences working with marketing consultants, Oliver sought someone with both a technology background and hands-on experience. "I looked at Ott's LinkedIn and he had the competence and experience needed. It was an easy choice for me." said Oliver.

First impressions and feedback on the workshop

Expectations for the workshop were pragmatic. "My expectation for the workshop was to get an action plan—a list of things we can start doing that move us closer to what we want. And we got it." Oliver said.

What stood out was the practical orientation: “What I remember... is making the ‘friends list’ of who to ask likes on social media posts. Co-founder Paul mentioned recently that he’s used it again with his other businesses.” said Oliver.

Ron echoed the positive impression: “My first impression with you was that you work in a similar way to me—personalised, dedicated and hands-on.”

Format of working in 3-week sprints and their feedback

The consulting format used recurring 3-week sprints. “Three weeks is a good cycle. It’s a sweet spot—gives enough time to get things done, not too frequent and not too long so things don’t get off track.” Oliver said.

Ron and Oliver appreciated the effect of external help.“Having an outsider made people more committed to getting things done. Internally, people can rationalize unfinished tasks, but when someone external comes in, it changes things.” said Oliver.

Seamless integration was also noted: “You got used to our work methods, like Basecamp, and responded quickly. It felt smooth, almost like you were part of the team from a distance, which was the goal.” said Ron.

A standout of the process was team development. “For Chelsea (Growth Marketer), the transition was fast.” said Oliver. Training included JTBD methods, blog content, case studies, and advanced topics like Pinterest SEO and marketing tracking. Ron emphasized, “You helped Chelsea develop a lot through blog posts and communication.”

Results

I want to emphasize that the whole thesheet team achieved a lot in only 1.5 years. I pushed and guided them in the right direction, but they did all the hard work and deserve the credit. I am proud to be a part of it.

What they got done?:

Improved social proof across all channels through case studies, dedicated client feedback page, and integration of client, influencer, and statistical testimonials.

Delivered 20+ well-written blog posts generating 10,386 views, with organic traffic reaching a steady 350 monthly and totaling around 6,000 in 1.5 years. Shout out to Denry Vendelin whose copywriting skills are unmatched.
Established SEO driven content workflow. Advanced keyword research and AI-optimized web structure.
Successfully launched new social channels— enhanced Instagram presence (4000 followers) with quality visuals and hundreds of likes on key posts. Pinterest (15,000 monthly profile views), YouTube (190 subscribers, 80,003 views, 38 videos)
With the help of Marko, they created an industry-leading tracking system to see where leads come from and how long they will stay.
Ott taught the team methods like JTBD, SEO Best Practices, and ad tracking which lead to effective campaign management and lower customer acquisition costs.
Total website traffic (May 2024–October 2025): 73,000 sessions, 53,765 engaged sessions; blog and content now rival key competitors for authority and reach.

Oliver noted that Organic growth became a key success metric, with strong content driving traction. “You pushed us to invest our time into doing SEO blog posts.”

Ron added: “The biggest surprise was how quickly we caught up in SEO and interior design software searches; our blog, copy, FAQ became resources I now recommend to my other clients. Organic growth is our number one traffic source, which is impressive. We are on the same level as our biggest competitor.”

Oliver likes how multiple tests with ad formats lead to a plug and play solution. “The results we achieved with ads are surprisingly good. Now, I just flip the switch and maybe tweak some copy, but it basically works.”

Why Recommend Ott to Other Companies?

Oliver: “I already have recommended you... For someone with experience, an external perspective is valuable for challenging ingrained views and adding new ideas. Also, having someone push the blog and the importance of SEO was useful; less for me to worry about.”

Ron: “I’d recommend you for your professional approach, accessibility, and ability to grow a brand together.”