I launched my current business in 2017 with a series of LinkedIn videos, including why you need a strategic plan. Keeping you and your team accountable is the most important reason to write a straightforward plan consisting of three things: your revenue targets for 2-3 years maxyour 1-line competitive
Up until the pandemic, I saw lots of strange over-investment in emerging concepts in CPG. ZX ventures invested $1.5M in a brand new Switchel brand as they began building investments in a non-alcoholic portfolio. $1.5M for a brand that has sold less than $500,000 is
I’ve been following a snack food company that simply refuses to accept that their product is a sensory hot mess. The product isn’t inedible like tempeh, but it’s messy and not tasty. Dry when it should be moist. You know what I mean. In the
The vast majority of CPG startups operate as B2B businesses. They don’t interact with their consumers. They aren’t curious about how they receive and use their products. As long as case volumes grow, they’re happy. As long as their wholesale price can float operations and
The experience of approaching co-mans for your CPG business is when most founders realize the meaning of ‘zero leverage’ business conversations. Ouch. Co-mans are notorious for ‘using’ startups to plug small holes in their production capacity without caring about the end product quality. You are
The keyword here is: over-rated. What I’m about to say stems from internal and external sources gathered over the years but primarily emerges from my interpretation of Whole Foods’ fundamental role in modern food culture and modern retail. As many of you know already, I’m not a
If you hang out with old-school sales pros from the natural products industry, you will often encounter a belief that distribution (in the suitable locales and channels) is all you need to grow with an ‘incremental’ product. They are used to low EBITDA businesses that
‘Tis the season of pumpkin-flavored everything, folks. Most of it is inedible in my experience. Some of it, though, is amazing. If you’ve been mulling over whether or not to add seasonal flavors to your UPC mix as an early-stage brand, this post is for
It’s the time of year when you’re preparing next year’s plan, I hope. As you move farther up the Ramp, though, the risk of losing focus grows. Why? Well, now you have the cash to entertain all manner of distractions you quickly ignored early on: adding lots
I have the privilege of advising some of the brightest entrepreneurs out there in CPG today. Yet, intelligence alone (IQ) does not prevent a founder or her team from literally becoming blind to very likely, but negative interpretations of her brand’s KPIs. Again and again and