Struggling to fund your CPG business as you scale into major retailers like Walmart and Target? Emily Reeves, VP of Capital Solutions at Bridge Marketplace, reveals how consumer product founders can access working capital without giving up equity. In this episode, discover proven financing strategies including purchase order financing, invoice factoring, and asset-based lending that help small businesses manage cash flow during critical growth phases. Learn why traditional banks often fail CPG companies, and what alternatives exist to fuel your retail expansion.

Welcome to DissedMedia: A Startup Story! In Episode 40, host Ben sits down with Emily Reeves, Vice President of Capital Solutions at Bridge, to decode the complex world of CPG financing and small business capital. If you're a founder struggling to understand how to fund inventory, manage cash flow, or scale your consumer packaged goods business into retail, this episode is your roadmap.

CPG Funding Fundamentals:

Retail Expansion Challenges:

Capital Solutions & Strategy:

Common Founder Mistakes:

Whether you're launching a food and beverage brand, scaling a consumer products startup, or navigating the transition from DTC to wholesale retail, understanding business financing options is critical. Emily shares real-world examples of founders who succeeded, and those who struggled, because of their approach to capital.

Emily Reeves is Vice President of Capital Solutions at Bridge, where she helps consumer packaged goods companies access the capital they need to grow. Starting her career in factoring (accounts receivable financing), Emily has spent years specializing in CPG lending, working with everyone from emerging brands to companies doing tens of millions in revenue. She's passionate about making business financing accessible and transparent, and helping founders avoid the pitfalls of predatory lending.

Bridge is a capital marketplace that connects businesses with over 200 lenders, offering financing solutions from $10K to $2M+. The platform serves CPG companies, franchises, and retail businesses seeking working capital, purchase order financing, and growth capital.

Email: [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode on CPG funding and small business capital, you'll also want to check out our previous episodes on:

If this episode helped you understand business financing better, please:

DissedMedia: A Startup Story brings you behind-the-scenes conversations with experts who've been there. Every week, we explore the real challenges of starting and scaling a business, from marketing to operations to finance.

Nearshoring can be the difference between a startup that crawls and a startup that ships. In Episode 39 of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben Olmos sits down with Brian Samson, founder of Plug Technologies, to break down how founders and operators can scale teams in Latin America (especially Mexico and Argentina) to extend runway, move faster, and keep real-time collaboration with US time zones.

Brian shares how he went from US talent acquisition to building nearshore operations on the ground, why Latin America is often the best “value for talent” (not the cheapest), and what startups should actually optimize for when hiring engineers, DevOps, QA, and more: speed, communication, and execution under pressure.

You will also hear the practical stuff founders care about, like avoiding painful delays from offshore time zones, how nearshore staffing can simplify contracts and payroll, and where models like Build-Operate-Transfer fit when you want flexibility without losing momentum. If you are hiring and trying to scale without lighting money on fire, this episode is a solid playbook. 

What if half the country could not safely eat at most restaurants and no one was talking about it?

In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, we sit down with Dylan McDonnell, founder of Foodini, to explore the future of food transparency, dietary safety, and why ingredient data is becoming a major competitive advantage for restaurants.

Diagnosed with celiac disease at age 10, Dylan left a successful career in corporate law to solve a problem millions face every day: not knowing what is actually in their food. We unpack how new regulations starting in California are forcing restaurants to disclose allergen information, why this shift is long overdue, and how transparency can increase customer trust, loyalty, and revenue.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why 173 million Americans are affected by food allergies or dietary needs

How Foodini helps restaurants reduce risk while driving growth

What new food labeling laws mean for the U.S. restaurant industry

Why personalized dining is the future of hospitality

If you care about health, startups, or the business of food, this conversation matters.

🎧 Listen now and share with someone who eats out carefully.

What does it really take to build companies that work consistently, predictably, and without leadership heroics? In Episode 37 of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben talks with Chris Hallberg, an EOS Implementer (since 2014) and leadership coach known for his “Business Sergeant” approach to execution and accountability.

Chris breaks down how leadership teams can reduce confusion, tighten alignment, and create “one source of truth” for strategy, meetings, priorities, and performance. A major focus is GoExpand, Chris’s agentic business operating system designed to keep execution tools, people systems (like assessments and performance reviews), and company knowledge connected, so teams spend less time hunting for answers and more time executing.

Links mentioned in the episode (to connect with Chris):

EOS profile: 

Business Sergeant (coaching + academy): 

GoExpand + free sandbox demo:  (sandbox resets every few hours; demo company “Figment”)

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn (Chris requests connections): search “Chris Hallberg”

Raising capital is one of the hardest, and most misunderstood, parts of building a startup. In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, we sit down with Robert Harary, venture capitalist and founder of Decko and Raisi, to break down what actually gets investors to say yes.

Robert shares his insider playbook on startup fundraising, from crafting pitch decks that capture attention in under 30 seconds to building investor outreach systems that consistently generate meetings. Drawing on experience investing in companies like OpenAI and working with hundreds of founders from pre-seed to Series C, he explains what VCs look for today, and why old pitch rules no longer work.

If you’re a founder navigating venture capital, angel investing, or institutional fundraising, this episode delivers practical, modern guidance you can apply immediately.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to raise smarter, faster, and with confidence.

Contact Robert and mention #banana for 20% off

What does it really take to build a successful podcast, and an online business, from scratch? In this powerful conversation, podcasting legend Cliff Ravenscraft shares the full story behind coaching top creators, leaving a family business, surviving burnout, and building a multi-six-figure business teaching others to launch shows the right way.

Cliff breaks down the 11-step blueprint founders should follow before launching a show, why most new podcasters struggle, and how to transform your expertise into a profitable platform without burning out. Whether you’re building a brand, pivoting careers, or creating as a side project, this episode shows you how to think bigger, and charge what your value is truly worth.

In This Episode:

Cliff’s journey from insurance agent to global podcast coach

Why most creators start at the wrong step

The hidden mindset blocks preventing profit

How to identify your true ideal customer

The right way to build a platform that pays you back

The dangers of burnout (and how Cliff nearly lost everything)

The pricing mindset shift every founder needs

Ready to build a platform that actually generates revenue? Cliff is offering listeners his full Building an Online Business course for $499 + a free 90-minute coaching session when you complete it. Email [email protected] and mention DissedMedia A Startup Story.

In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben sits down with Vijay Rajendran, startup coach, venture builder, and author of The Funding Framework, to unpack how startups evolve beyond the founder stage. Vijay shares the realities of scaling from vision to structure, explaining why sustainable growth depends on leadership maturity, clear communication, and the right balance of funding, sales, and people.

Drawing from years of experience mentoring founders and launching global venture studios, Vijay reveals how great companies are built on systems, not luck. He also spotlights Lingo Tune, a groundbreaking new venture that uses music to make language learning unforgettable.

Whether you’re launching your first startup or leading a growing team, this conversation offers powerful lessons on mindset, leadership, and scaling with purpose.

🔑 Key Topics:

📚 Learn more about Vijay’s work at mystartupsystem.com and follow Dis Media for more conversations that help leaders get better at what they do.

Explore more leadership stories and business insights at www.dailypitch.news.

#StartupStory #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #DailyPitch #BusinessStrategy

In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben sits down with AI author, podcaster, and digital marketing expert Matt Rouse to answer one of the biggest questions of our time: Will AI take my job?

Matt breaks down what industries are truly at risk, why AI’s rapid acceleration is misunderstood, and how business owners and knowledge workers can partner with AI instead of fearing it. From the evolution of early computing to today’s exponential AI breakthroughs, this conversation goes deep into the future of work, automation, creativity, and what skills will matter most over the next five years.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer, educator, or simply trying to stay ahead of the curve, this episode offers clear, practical insight into leveraging AI to grow, not replace, your career or business.

📘 Learn more about Matt:

00:00 – Welcome & Intro to Matt Rouse

AI replaces tasks, not whole careers—unless the work is entirely routine.

Jobs involving judgment, creativity, oversight, or complex decision-making become more valuable.

The real danger is linear thinking in a world of exponential AI growth.

Businesses using AI now will outpace those who wait.

Partnering with AI is the new baseline skill of modern work.

Identify the repetitive tasks in your workflow and automate the easiest 20% first.

Build a “daily driver” AI stack (ChatGPT + a specialized tool like Claude, NotebookLM, or Sora).

Use AI to create more versions of your content, not to replace originality.

Run one workflow entirely through AI (video script, blog summary, email follow-up) as a test.

Explore industry-specific AI tools to find leverage where competitors aren’t looking yet.

If entrepreneurship feels like driving with the brake on, this conversation with coach and Human Liberation founder Joel Bein will help you end the cycle. In this episode of DissedMedia A Startup Story we go beyond morning routines and quick fixes to address the root of anxiety, self-doubt, and negative self talk. Joel introduces a method of “unlearning” to dissolve deep-seated beliefs so patterns like “I’m not good enough” lose their grip fast and for good. You’ll learn simple prompts to spot the stories running your business, shift your state in minutes, and make cleaner, calmer decisions. It sounds bold, but the results speak for themselves, more focus, more follow-through, more creative momentum.

Get Joel’s free guide 5 Steps to End Negative Self-Talk here: https://thehumanliberation.co/guide/ thehumanliberation.co

In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story host Ben Olmos sits down with Dr. Eboni L. Truss, founder of The Unbecoming Movement, to explore what happens when professional success comes at the expense of personal authenticity. Dr. Truss shares her powerful story of “unspaghetti-ing” her life, untangling success from self-worth, to rediscover alignment, purpose, and peace. Together, she and Ben discuss the masks leaders wear, the myth of “fake it till you make it,” and how fulfillment begins when you stop performing and start being.

🎁 Download Dr. Truss’s Free 3-Step Guide for Executives & Entrepreneurs:

👉 A 3-Step Guide to Live the Life You Actually Want to Live 

💡 Connect with Dr. Eboni L. Truss:

• LinkedIn: Dr. Eboni L. Truss https://www.linkedin.com/in/eboniltruss 

• Website: https://eboniltruss.com/

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & the human side of business

02:00 – From teaching to entrepreneurship

05:00 – Losing authenticity while chasing success

09:00 – When success feels empty

11:00 – Choosing authenticity for yourself and your family

15:00 – Corporate identity vs. personal truth

18:00 – “Fake it till you make it”… then break it

20:00 – The process of unbecoming

23:00 – How to “unspaghetti” your brain

27:00 – The masks we wear at work and home

33:00 – Slowing down and rediscovering self

35:00 – Inside Dr. Truss’s guide: Success Isn’t Enough

40:00 – From performance to purpose

43:00 – Building supportive communities

45:00 – Closing thoughts & how to connect

Music: “Dollars” by Soundroll — Licensed via Envato Elements.