275. Building a successful food brand requires more than just hard work; it demands strategic support. Founders should seek mentors, advisors, and experts to accelerate growth, avoid costly mistakes, and gain a competitive edge. By surrounding themselves with a diverse advisory team, founders can benefit from accountability, expertise, and a broader perspective, ultimately leading to sustainable growth.

You don't need more opinions. You need fewer, better inputs.

Mentors have already made the mistakes you haven't yet. Advisors have conquered the mountain you're climbing. Mastermind peers help you see what you can't see yourself.

They shorten your learning curve. They hold you accountable. They expand your network. They give you perspective. They remind you that you're not alone.

This is how you get that competitive edge.

Action step: list your "board of 5" (ops, finance, retail, marketing, leadership). Where's your biggest gap right now?

274. Understanding how your business works, particularly your sales engine, is crucial for scaling and achieving growth. This involves knowing the rules of the game, simplifying your business to its core functions (making and selling), and learning from both successes and failures. By mastering these aspects, you can gain a competitive advantage, build trust with retailers and investors, and align your team for success.

Most founders struggle with the day-to-day mechanics of running a business. It's normal. But here's the truth you can't afford to ignore:

You cannot scale what you don't understand.

And not understanding how sales really work at retail is one of the fastest ways to sabotage your own runway.

Once you understand those rules, you can stop playing defense. You can start using the advanced strategies we're talking about in this series, my podcast, my webinars, and my guides to maximize every opportunity instead of constantly feeling like you're behind.

You were not born knowing how to launch and scale a brand. No one is. But you can learn how your business works at a deep level. And when you do, everything changes:

Retailers trust you more.

Investors see you as less risky.

Your team feels more aligned.

You gain control over your growth instead of feeling dragged by it.

273. If you're trying to scale a food brand, stop improvising.

Growth isn't luck. It's sequence: strategy → execution → retail trust → repeatable demand.

If you're building a food brand right now, you're probably feeling the weight of a thousand decisions—distribution, cashflow, supply chain, retail expectations, investor pressure, and the constant push to "scale faster." But here's the hard truth most founders don't hear until it's too late:

Your brand will only grow as strong as the foundation beneath it. And most brands don't realize their foundation is cracked until the damage is already showing up on the shelf.

Building a strong foundation is crucial for food brand growth, as it prevents collapse and accelerates profitable growth. A robust business plan, clear goals, and regular foundation audits are essential components of this foundation. By focusing on these fundamentals, brands can achieve clarity, stability, and the confidence to scale successfully.

Here's what that looks like.

1. A Robust, Living Business Plan

2. Goals That Guide Your Decisions

3. Annual (and Ongoing) Foundation Audits

4. Investor Readiness Is Retail Readiness

The 30 Days to Prosperity Challenge is relaunched as a masterclass to help emerging CPG founders scale profitably. The series focuses on building systems, discipline, and retail execution for sustainable growth, rather than simply increasing distribution. It provides actionable strategies, retail insights, and tools to help founders align their brands with retailer goals and convert shoppers into loyal customers.

Action step: write your next 90 days as 3 phases: build / prove / scale. What phase are you in right now?

272. If you're an emerging CPG founder, you're probably feeling it right now—the rising cost of doing business, the pressure to scale faster than your infrastructure is ready for, and the nagging fear that one wrong move could shorten your runway. Most of the advice you've heard—isn't only outdated, it's dangerous in this economy.

Here's the part no one says out loud: the path most founders are following is built on assumptions that were never designed for small, mission-driven brands. And when the rules don't serve you, you need a better rulebook.

This series a masterclass to help you extend your runway, strengthen your retail partnerships, and convert occasional shoppers into loyal evangelists.

The 30 Days to Prosperity Challenge is relaunched as a masterclass to help emerging CPG founders scale profitably. The series focuses on building systems, discipline, and retail execution for sustainable growth, rather than simply increasing distribution. It provides actionable strategies, retail insights, and tools to help founders align their brands with retailer goals and convert shoppers into loyal customers.

271. Discover the common pitfalls that lead to trade spend failures and learn how to fix them with effective brand management and marketing strategies. In this video, we'll delve into the world of trade marketing, exploring the importance of data analytics and business intelligence in informing your brand strategy. By understanding consumer behavior and implementing a solid category management process, you can improve customer retention and drive sales. We'll also discuss the role of brand positioning and branding 101 in creating a strong brand awareness, as well as the benefits of strategic planning and merchandising in the natural products expo and plant based markets. Whether you're an entrepreneur or a small business owner in the fmcg industry, this video will provide you with valuable insights and tips on how to optimize your trade spend and achieve your business goals through customer experience management and retail solved strategies. By leveraging data analyst expertise and applying a well-crafted positioning statement, you can take your brand to the next level and stay ahead of the competition. Learn how to create a successful brand strategy that drives results and grows your business.

Trade spend often fails for emerging CPG brands due to a lack of strategy, leading to excessive spending and reduced profitability. This episode explores the five main reasons for trade spend failure, including a lack of understanding of true costs, incomplete promotion agreements, and promoting the wrong SKUs. By implementing a fully loaded cost model, creating detailed promotion agreements, and focusing on promoting the right products, brands can turn trade spend into a strategic growth lever.

Promotions should drive trial and build awareness, not reward existing customers. To be effective, promotions should focus on SKUs that drive repeat purchases, increase basket size, and reflect core brand attributes. Measuring post-promotion retention is crucial to determine the success of promotions, as it indicates whether shoppers are becoming loyal customers.

270. The Uncomfortable Truth About Why Retailers Say No is a crucial topic for entrepreneurs and small business owners, particularly those in the natural products and plant-based industry, to understand the intricacies of trade marketing and brand strategy. In this video, we delve into the world of consumer behavior, customer retention, and customer experience management, highlighting the importance of data analytics and business intelligence in making informed decisions. By examining the category management process and merchandising strategies, brands can better position themselves in the market, creating a strong brand awareness and brand building foundation. Whether you're attending the Natural Products Expo or simply looking to improve your marketing strategy, this video provides valuable insights into the uncomfortable truth about why retailers say no, and how to use this knowledge to inform your strategic planning and brand positioning. With a focus on branding 101, fmcg, and category insights, this video is a must-watch for anyone looking to improve their customer journey and ultimately drive sales. By leveraging data analyst expertise and understanding the complexities of customer behavior, brands can develop a robust positioning statement and improve their overall brand management, leading to increased customer retention and a stronger brand presence in the market.

Emerging CPG brands often fail to secure retail placement because they focus on pitching their product rather than demonstrating how it contributes to the retailer's category growth. Retailers prioritize products that increase basket size, drive traffic, and differentiate their assortment. To succeed, brands must align with retailer strategies, understand shopper behavior, and showcase how their product solves a specific need and drives profitable category growth.

To successfully pitch a brand to retailers, focus on selling category growth rather than the product itself. This involves understanding the retailer's persona and strategy, using data effectively, and demonstrating how the brand can help the retailer achieve their objectives. By positioning the brand as a strategic partner, rather than just a vendor, and providing unexpected insights and merchandising solutions, small brands can compete with larger ones and secure shelf space.

269. In today's competitive consumer packaged goods (CPG) landscape, a single bad retail deal can have far-reaching consequences for your brand, impacting brand awareness, customer retention, and ultimately, your bottom line. Effective brand management and brand building require a deep understanding of consumer behavior, customer experience management, and strategic planning. By leveraging data analytics, business intelligence, and trade marketing insights, you can develop a robust brand strategy that drives brand positioning and merchandising efforts. A well-crafted positioning statement is also crucial in differentiating your brand and guiding category management processes. For entrepreneurs and small business owners, understanding the customer journey, category insights, and customer engagement is vital in navigating the complexities of the fast-moving consumer goods (fmcg) industry. In this video, we'll explore the importance of retail analytics, trade insights, and customer experience management in building a successful CPG brand, and provide actionable tips on how to avoid common pitfalls and create a winning brand strategy that resonates with your target audience and drives long-term growth. By applying these principles and leveraging the power of data analyst expertise, you can ensure your brand stays ahead of the competition and achieves branding 101 success.

The podcast "Bulletproof Your CPG Brand" focuses on helping emerging CPG brands extend their runway and boost sales. The host, Dan Lohman, emphasizes the importance of protecting the value these brands create, rather than solely focusing on velocity. He highlights three strategies, including fixing promotion agreements and deductions, to achieve this goal.

The show outlines three strategies to help small brands succeed in retail. First, tighten up promotion agreements to prevent unnecessary deductions and maintain cash flow. Second, own your shelf strategy by proactively guiding product placement and ensuring consistent merchandising. Third, align your brand story across all platforms to create a consistent and compelling message that resonates with customers.

268. Uncover valuable insights on where to find new shoppers to grow sales and profits in a competitive market. After spending 20 years working in the food, beverage & wellness industry, Diane created this podcast to introduce you to the powerhouse women who have found success on every level. Her goal is to give you direct access to their insights and expertise in order to help you make your business "Gooder".

Today's Free Downloadable Guide: Top 10 Strategies To Build Sustainable Sales And Profits. Nothing happens until someone buys your products and shoppers can't buy what they can't find. To grow sustainable sales and profits, brands need to become experts in their core customers and their retail partners, maximize their product assortment and merchandising, and optimize their trade spending. This guide contains the secret to getting your product onto more store shelves and into the hands of more shoppers.Get instant access on the show webpage: RetailSolved.com/session265

267. Unlock simple strategies to easily attract the perfect buyer and enhance your sales success with these actionable tips. Tracy Enos with Linked Acceleration discusses her book asked is your LinkedIn profile costing you opportunities? She highlights a creative strategy to engineer business opportunities for busy executives. This is how you attract the perfect buyers for your products to grow and scale your brand.

Today's Free Downloadable Guide: Top 10 Strategies To Build Sustainable Sales And Profits. Nothing happens until someone buys your products and shoppers can't buy what they can't find. To grow sustainable sales and profits, brands need to become experts in their core customers and their retail partners, maximize their product assortment and merchandising, and optimize their trade spending. This guide contains the secret to getting your product onto more store shelves and into the hands of more shoppers.Get instant access on the show webpage: RetailSolved.com/session265

266. Learn how to instantly gain an unfair competitive advantage in today's market with expert strategies and insights. Category management, developed in the early 1990s, revolutionized the packaged goods industry by enabling data-driven insights and collaboration between manufacturers and retailers. This process, which automated data retrieval and fostered trust, benefited consumers through improved product offerings.

Today's Free Downloadable Guide: Trade Management Essentials To Grow And Scale Your Brand. Trade marketing includes everything required to get your brand in the hands of shoppers. It's your growth engine and the largest item on your P&L. Trade marketing is crucial for brand growth, but 70% of trade spending is wasted or ineffective. Learn the essential strategies and tactics to save money and boost profits.Get instant access on the show webpage: retailsolved.com/session266