Brand Builder

Welcome to our first ever Battle of the Brands.

We spoke to 10 interesting emerging brands on the Hot Products floor of Expo West, and asked them to tell us their unique brand story - what inspired their product? What problem are they solving? What are they all about?

10 Brands, 10 stories, but there can only be one.

The winner of the Battle of the Brands gets a full length Brand Builder episode. And it's all up to you.

Just let us know which story you liked the best. Post it on social media using the hashtag #brandbuilderbattle. Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram - use the hashtag and we'll see it.

The Brands

1. Wilde Chicken Chips
2. Health Lab Beauty Balls
3. Bubba's Fine Foods
4. Laiki
5. I'm different
6. Nothing But the Fruit
7. Chomps
8. Little Secrets
9. Magic Dates
10. Ketosweets

#brandbuilderbattle

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

The Super Bowl of Snacks. CPG Christmas. Whatever you call it, it's one of the most anticipated trade shows of the year. This is where deals are made, where dreams come true, where fortunes rise and fall.

And it's only a few days away.

Yes, this week we're going deep on The Natural Products Expo West (known by pretty much everyone as "Expo West").

In this episode, we go over everything from how to tweak your elevator pitch, to how make yourself memorable, to the real value of the show.

We start with this question - today is Monday. Expo starts Thursday. What should brands be doing right now to make the most of their Expo experience?

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

There was a certain point in the early days of LivBar where most people probably would have given up.

Despite a product that people really loved and some encouraging momentum, the future of LivBar seemed to be in jeopardy. Their "big break" with a major grocery chain had just fallen through, and the company's co-founders had lost their passion for the business and were looking for the exit

But for co-owner and soon-to-be CEO Jayson Selander, quitting was not an option.

"I didn't have a choice," he recalls. "There was nothing inside of me that was telling me to stop."

This week, Brand Builder sits down with Jayson, a tenacious entrepreneur and a fascinating interview. He's a CEO who loves strategy, but doesn't consider himself a "planner." He's a passionate entrepreneur, but inherited a business with legacy brand and core values. Through it all, his tenacity, his knack for solving the problem in front of him, and his designer's eye have helped elevate the LivBar brand and deliver great tasting bars to thousands of happy consumers.

Takeaways

• Jayson has a background in graphic design, and as an entrepreneur, it's been a huge asset. We talk about what it means to have a designer's mindset, and how it can help you lead your company.
• With Expo West coming up, it's a great time to ask - are those big trade shows worth the expense? Jayson thinks so, hear why in this interview.
• Finally, what do you do when that Big Break doesn't pan out? Jayson went through this. Hear how LivBar recovered and what he learned from the experience.

Jump to

• The LivBar origin story. 3:42
• How Jayson's experience as a designer has elevated the LivBar brand. 6:20
• How LivBar comes up with their unique flavor profiles. 8:36
• How to bounce back when your "big break" falls through. 11:08
• Why so much of the LivBar experience feels hand made. 13:56
• Why Jayson loves Expo West. 19:50
• Jayson's final advice for entrepreneurs. 21:37

Links

• LivBar
• Connect with Jayson on LinkedIn
• 26 and 2, LivBar's onsite yoga studio
• Salt and Straw

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Evan Delahanty is not a foodie.

Yes, the man who founded Peaceful Fruits, a company that makes honest, whole fruit snacks ... was not all that into food at first.

So how did he end up at the helm of a company that's changing the fruit snack game?

It's all about connecting people and markets to the Amazon. Evan spent 27 months as a community economic development specialist in Pikin Slee, a remote village of Suriname accessible only by canoe. Giving back to this amazing place has become Evan's life's work.

Takeaways

• How do you know which ideas you should commit to, and which you should leave for someone else? Evan share his framework for evaluating these.
• We've heard a few times on this show that emerging brands should run with as lean a team as possible. This makes every hiring decision critical. Evan shares one question that will tell you whether or not an applicant has what it takes to join your squad.
• Kickstarter is actually a great way to help launch a CPG brand. But what are best practices? Evan shares his experience and top tips.

Links

• Peaceful Fruits
• Connect with Evan on LinkedIn

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Some people follow their dreams in a figurative sense. And then there's JJ Rademaekers.

JJ is the founder and CEO of JJ's Sweets. Their signature candy is an award-winning, coconut milk caramels called Cocomels, and the idea for Cocomels came to JJ in a dream.

For this special episode of Brand Builder, we sent our intrepid field reporter Travis Miller to Boulder, CO, to see where JJ launched JJ's sweets, and to learn how JJ went from scientist, to musician, to candy maker, and finally to candy business-maker.

Takeaways

• Don't cut those corners. JJ shares with us a few lessons he learned the hard way.
• Build the right team for your growth stage. JJ explains why he's built a hybrid team, when to make that first critical hire, and how he iterates his team as the business scales.
• Get your product out there. The proverbial (coconut) cream rises to the top. Share your product with taste makers for some earned media magic.

Jump to

• JJ describes the dream that inspired Cocomels. 2:35
• Some of the early failures JJ encountered while managing his own candy production. 6:29
• Tips for rebranding. 8:27
• How Cocomels ended up in Oprah magazine. 11:34
• JJ's newest creation, and the process he took to develop and launch the product. 13:13
• Why networking is so crucial to building out your business. 14:41
• Tips for maximizing your experience at trade shows. 18:56
• How to build your team to your growth stage, and how to adapt as your business scales. 22:50
• How to keep the big picture in view. 26:05

Links

• Cocomels
• Connect with JJ on LinkedIn

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Missed Fancy Food Show this year? Well we've got you covered. This week we talk to our resident brand partnership experts Allison Schmidt and Taylor Clute, who are fresh from the floor of the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.

In this episode, Allison and Taylor tell us their favorite products and brands from this year's show, explain how brands can cut through the noise on a crowded trade show floor, and share why attendees should treat trade shows like Coachella if they want to survive.

Here are some of the top brands we saw at this year's Fancy Food Show in San Francisco:

• Edoughble
• Zee Zee's nutrition bars
• Miracle noodles
• Hakuna Banana
• Gluten Free Bar
• Moon Bark
• Dang Foods
• Belgian Boys
• Don Bugito
• Field Trip

Top trends:

• Edible cookie dough
• Savory chocolate
• Keto-friendly everything
• Sugar alcohol as a sweetener
• Grain free granola
• Ancient grains
• Carb-less noodles (seriously!)

Want to get in touch with Taylor or Allison? Contact them directly - [email protected] or [email protected].

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Want to be more confident in your decision making, build a better team, and realize your potential, both as a business leader and as a human being? Well, this episode makes a strong case that you should cancel that professional coaching session and head straight for the Amazon rainforest.

We're joined this week by Tyler Gage, the founder and CEO of RUNA and the author of Fully Alive: Using the Lessons of the Amazon to Live Your Mission in Business & Life.

RUNA is an Amazonian beverage company that creates livelihoods for indigenous farmers in Ecuador. Their brand of tea bags and bottled beverages are made from guayusa tea, a native Amazonian tree leaf with more caffeine and double the antioxidants of any tea.

One of the most fascinating things about Tyler is that he's been able to connect two worlds that, on the surface, appear to have nothing in common - Shamanic principles from the indigenous peoples of the Amazon region and our modern world of high growth startup brands.

Tyler's story is a fascinating one, and in this conversation he demonstrates how the lessons of the Amazon have helped him build an incredible brand and become a more fully realized version of himself.

Takeaways:

• What can the indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest teach us about business? A lot more than you probably think. Tyler shares the Shamanic principles he's applied growing RUNA.
• What's the most important skill for on the fly decision making? Tyler tells us what it is and how to hone it.
• Finally, Tyler tells us why getting lost is sometimes the key to finding your path - in business, and in life.

Jump to:

• The RUNA origin story, which involves a depressed collegiate athlete, Shamans, and a rare leaf found deep in the Amazon rainforest. 4:45
• The power of intuition, and how you can hone it to make better decisions at your business. 11:45
• How short term goals can help early stage brands find their footing. 12:34
• How to build a better team, and how to build a board of advisors. 19:03
• Why being lost in life is actually a privilege. 28:36

Links

• RUNA
• TylerGage.com
• Tyler's book, Fully Alive
• Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn
• Email Tyler

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

The Consumer Packaged Goods space is 3.5 times the size of Tech, but you'd never know it based on how much attention Tech companies receive compared to CPG brands.

Part of the reason has to do with efficiency, and the relative ease with which tech startups can access capital - and make splashy headlines as they take on funding or make big exits.

Compared to Tech, CPG just isn't efficient. Right now, the best way to learn about new opportunities - both for investors and brands - is to attend a few gigantic, hectic trade shows each year.

Ryan Caldbeck is here to change all of that.

Ryan is the founder and CEO of CircleUp, an investment platform that provides capital and resources to innovative, early-stage consumer brands. They've developed game-changing machine learning technology called Helio that continuously analyzes 1.2M CPG companies to help connect investors with brands and brands with resources.

In this episode, Ryan tells us why he founded CircleUp, why he's so bullish on data, and why right now is the best time to be an entrepreneur.

He also shares a DIY data hack that any brand - regardless of resources - can deploy to help make smarter decisions and iterate their products at the speed of the market.

Takeaways:

• We know data is king - but what if you're a young brand that can't afford the money, or time, to invest in it? Ryan presents an ingenious DIY data hack.
• What's the #1 metric that investors and retailers care about? Ryan lives and breathes data, and tells us the right KPI to focus on.
• How do you optimize sampling for maximum insights? Not all sampling is equally effective - Ryan tells you what you need to know.

Jump to

• Ryan describes the journey to find his purpose and the origins of CircleUp. 4:40
• A great breakdown of CircleUp's mission and the Helio technology platform that powers much of what they do. 9:19
• The DIY data hack that all emerging brands should use to make decisions and iterate their product. 15:10
• Why you should think twice about sampling at that big music festival. 22:00
• The most important KPI for emerging brands. 23:20
• Why right now is the best time to be an entrepreneur. 24:33

Links

• CircleUp
• The Up Round (CircleUp's blog)
• Ryan's blog on Helio
• Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

When we last left Project 7 founder Tyler Merrick, a few missteps and some bad luck had put Project 7 in a bad spot. As in, "this might kill the business" bad spot.

Rather than give up, Tyler asked himself, "If we were to take one more shot at it, what would that look like?"

The rest is CPG history. Tyler killed all product categories except one, and doubled down on an old strategy from his days in pet food.

And it paid off. Tyler and Project 7 disrupted a declining category and pulled of the impossible, becoming the top selling gum at major retailers like Target. Most importantly, Tyler and his team have been able to make a huge impact in the 7 areas of need that inspired Project 7 in the first place.

Takeaways & Recap:

• If you really want to make a difference, lead with product and brand. It doesn't matter how great your cause marketing is or how charitable your customer. At the end of the day, features and benefits drive consumer behavior. You need a thriving business before you can give back.
• Hire smart. Not sure whether or not make that next hire? Only pull the trigger if you're confident the revenue they bring in will be 2.5x their salary.
• Let your sales numbers tell a story. Start with the buyers who are on board with your concept in order to provide proof of concept - show some momentum and you'll have a nice little velocity story to bring to the more skeptical buyers.
• Practice Radical Responsibility. Tyler had to make some hard choices, and he maintained his credibility as a leader by shouldering some of the blame.
• Innovate inside the box. You can diversify your product line without adding too much risk by innovating within limitations.

Jump to

• The strategy that would bring Project 7 back from the brink, and disrupt the gum industry in the process. 2:18
• How Tyler and the team went about the business of repairing relationships and getting back on shelves. 7:15
• How Tyler deployed "Inside the Box Innovation"to jump to the top of their category and diversify their offering. 13:30
• Finally, Tyler returns to the mission and purpose that inspired Project 7 in the process. 22:21

Links

• Project 7
• Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Tyler Merrick's world changed when he heard the following two words for the first time:

"Social entrepreneur."

Up to that point, Tyler had created a veritable pet food empire, providing dog and cat owners with gourmet, out-of-the-box food and treat combinations. But while the business was undoubtedly successful, it was anything but fulfilling for Tyler.

Then came a fateful conversation with a fellow socially-minded business owner, who opened his eyes to the concept of social entrepreneurship.

Tyler took the conversation to heart. He sold the pet food business not long after and launched Project 7, a gourmet specialty candy brand dedicated to creating one of a kind customer experiences while giving back to 7 areas of need. Basically, Project 7 comes up with totally out there flavors - like birthday cake flavored gum or moscow mule flavored organic gummies - and then partner with non profits who are making an impact both in America and abroad.

In part one of this two part episode, we embark on a journey of transformation with Tyler, and learn from his early mistakes building a consumer brand centered around doing good.

Takeaways

• In social entrepreneurship, is your cause a lead actor or part of the supporting cast? Project 7 was founded on Tyler's desire to bring more purpose to his life's work. Finding the right way to position the causes he cared about involved a giant learning curve. Tyler shares how he found the balance that would allow the causes to shine and the business to flourish.
• Stay lean. Think your business can't reach the next level without hiring a bunch of CPG heavy hitters? Well, Tyler and Project 7 expanded to 12,000 stores with fewer than 10 full time employees. He shares a very specific tactic for figuring out whether or not you really need to make that next hire.
• How to bounce back. One of the most interesting parts of Project 7's success story… is that it could have easily ended. Tyler answers the question - how do you recover from the brink of failure?

Jump to

• The origins of Project 7, and why Tyler felt the need to transition out of the pet food game and launch a CPG brand. 5:19
• The right way to do cause marketing. 17:50
• Tyler's specific tip for knowing whether or not to make that next hire at your company. 24:55
• The SNAFU that almost sunk Project 7. 30:00

Links

• Project 7
• Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn

Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! [email protected].

Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.