CPG accelerators exist now in most major markets; many operate attached to commercial kitchen operations. The best have credibility with distributors and local retail chains, credibility that can rub off on you if you secure a spot. What I continue to see that concerns me is
Most new CPG founders with an omnichannel or brick retail focus have heard people talking about SPINS data, Nielsen data, etc. One reason is that this is the data that elite sales teams demand to manage their accounts and mess with buyers’ heads. But did you
A few years ago, I had a series on Founder Archetypes on my podcast. A few of the archetypes focused on founders with serious functional biases - such as branding or finance. So, what is functional bias? It’s an irrational prioritization of one of the 4Ps
My award-winning, best-selling business book for consumer founders still sells every day. If you haven’t grabbed a copy, please consider it. Here’s an excerpt that might tempt you to grab a copy. “The Power of Focus, or the Law of Frito-Lay Ironically, there is another critical law
SkinnyPop’s ultra-fast exponential growth ride is by now quite famous. A crack CPG sales team led the charge up the ramp. Velocities grew organically as the accounts turned on and on. But one of the problems that Amplify Snacks inherited was that the growth decelerated fast
Why is a conservative formula for a brand’s Total Addressable Market (TAM) so elusive in the world of early-stage consumer brands? Among many others, the folks who study consumer behavior just aren't involved in these calculations. In a less giddy world than ours, bottoms-up formulas for
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
When you bring in a business consultant, they should be a rented business partner scanning the entire enterprise. In other words, be prepared to fire people and shake things up if need be as you make use of their input. Or you are wasting your effort. Half
In the world of early-stage consumer brands, you are generally premium-priced vs. the Lay’s, Philadelphia, and Oreo in your category. Sometimes, you’re very premium-priced. Premium pricing will shut down almost all curiosity trials from the average American in a conventional supermarket if they’ve never heard
The primary reasons to exit early (early being Phase 2 or Phase 3) is that a) you are sick of operating the business and cannot find a suitable person to step in (or quickly enough OR b) you want an ‘entity’ to finance its growth