Although I caution against chasing unicorns, this is not meant to validate any brand's growth rate being in the single digits, YoY. This slow growth rate may be in line with the premium CPG sector overall, and it may be much faster than commodity brands
Wow. I knew it was bad, but not this bad. Where did I get this figure? From my early reading of Why Startups Fail? By Tom Eisenmann. In the book, he mentions research that indicates only about 22% of serial entrepreneurs’ second ventures succeed (i.e., succeed in making more money for early investors than was
Your margin is calling. But which one? Gross? Net? Retailer? Distributor? Oh my, this math is annoying. Especially in routes-to-market reliant on 3P distribution. Although most new founders focus on their own wholesale price and NOT on any of the ‘prices’ up the value chain to the shelf, where
Look, would you climb a 14,000 foot mountain without vetting your optimal route given current weather conditions or making sure you have the right supplies and physical training? Would you go on a 200 mile bike ride without planning your route, bringing spare tubes, and knowing how much food and
I have watched one entrepreneur with a very strong product line (and even strong velocity growth) more or less alienate any and all nodes of influence beyond his retail buyers with his needless, online ranting. How? Through unnecessary personal attacks on social media, especially LinkedIn. It’s one
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
I wish I were making this up. I really, really do. I now have heard too many anecdotes about BigCo refugees citing their ‘enthusiasm’ for my book as dubious social proof that they ‘totally get it’ and ‘are totally ready’ for startup life after working
Early on in my career in the premium end of CPG, I learned that most brands’ early adopters tend to be those folks more into natural/organic products in general. That is, they’re much more likely to notice new brands. And, even the less ‘pure and righteous’
On a webinar hosted by Gary Hirshberg in May, Wayne WU of VMG Partners pointed to a common problem before the pandemic. "[Brands chasing a pre-determined exit] are generally not the best brands to invest in because … they haven't focused on surprising and delighting
If you hang out with old school sales pros from the natural products industry, you will often encounter a belief that distribution (in the right locales and channels) is all you need to grow with an ‘incremental’ product. They are used to low EBITDA businesses