You may have heard the phrase “strategic plan” before. I talk about it a lot. Because it’s the front half of any good business plan, but it is the most poorly thought-out part of most business plans among CPG startups. The ones I’ve looked at seem
You might think saying ‘no’ is simply a luxury of an established business that has the privilege to turn down an opportunity that isn’t absolutely dead-on perfect. But you’d be wrong. Saying ‘no’ is one of the fundamental business skills never taught in school, especially in business
I’ve got news for some of you. Pitch Slams are simply entertainment for an audience gathered for some other purpose entirely (and a form of weak, patronizing philanthropy from hosting organizations). But these beginner contests have increased without any correlation to your average consumer startup's
In 2020, I predicted in a public webinar that premium CPG growth would snap back to its pre-pandemic annual growth rate trend by 2021. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the change in the Year-over-Year growth rate. This may sound super academic to a
Loyalty, defined as exclusive brand usage, may be a mirage in most categories (and in many premium segments within them). But this does not mean you can not retain fans for 2-3 years before the next modern thing catches their eye. Retention is different from loyalty
As a public figure in the CPG industry, I get a fair number of inbound messages, mainly on LinkedIn (and I answer every single message!). And some of them still are from folks in a hot hurry to get referred to this or that specialist.
I once got confronted by a Phase 2 founder with a great (but perhaps not wildly memorable) product that was chasing a not that interesting outcome in his category. Word-of-mouth was weak because a ‘great-tasting’ X isn’t culturally interesting in some categories. “James, I take any
I know “barriers” is a downer word, but it’s not just a marketing concept. It’s one of the more sobering realities entrepreneurs must face as they pursue growth. Deny barriers to trying your brand at your peril. Some premium innovations have few obstacles to uptake
Later this week, my June 1 episode of Startup Confidential drops. Episode 71 is a doozy where I take on the need for affirmative action for end caps. One of the final corrupt frontiers of white privilege in retail is the paid display. This is
What is ‘influencer marketing anyways’? And is it dying of inauthenticity and rampant fraud? Is ‘marketing’ even the right descriptor here? It’s well known that many ‘influencer’ campaigns fail to do anything other than build awareness in small lifestyle tribes. Not worthless by any means, but