Go deeper than my book and learn how to build your own 1-page strategic plan for exponential growth. There are less than 10 spots available for the Oct Q4 cohort meeting this Friday. So, you may want to grab one now. My book does not coach you
Put simply; it's about the nature of averages. Even today, the problem is always in chain store systems with huge, store-level variations in demand for premium brands. A consumer brand’s sales in any chain will vary in U/S/W based simply on variations in-store traffic. But chain
I’ve written and spoken before about the false positive growth that Year-Over-Year (YOY) comparisons can yield busy founders who digest canned analytics from major syndicated providers. These often appear in default datasets, even SPINS PowerTabs. You’ll notice them set up in 52-week, 26-week, 13-week, and 4-week
I have met founders who seem terrified of planning. This is often in the beginning, in Phases 1 or 2. The business is all upside at this early point in the journey. And most entrepreneurs hate shutting down opportunities. They generally thrill on seizing them,
Folks who are new to planning, even 1-page strategic plans, often just don’t start. Why? Well, there’s a defeatist fog that overcomes them. If the plan tells me what to do, what if circumstances change? Then, it’s worthless, and I have to start all over? Hmmm
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
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
Unlike B2B sales or high-ticket (i.e.research-heavy) consumer categories like cars, everyday consumer brands do not have a real ‘consideration’ phase in the marketing funnel. At least one you can intervene in separately from awareness building. It’s not that there is no thought process or filtering of
Not everyone does. To break it down, we need to look at how various combinations of two variables play out, which combinations benefit from the precision of strategic planning, and where the precision lies. Two primary growth trajectories require intense strategic planning in-house: 1. Low growth and
Here’s something that costs nothing more to create and disseminate for a founder than for PepsiCo. A slogan. It shocks me how few founders take advantage of one of American culture’s big symbolic vehicles to create memorability. Begin with understanding your fans and developing a competitive thesis based