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When's the last time you chose a growth channel, Amazon, a new retailer, DTC, because it was genuinely the right move for your brand? Not because an opportunity happened to land in your inbox?

Most first-time founders are reactive with channel growth. Chasing opportunity wherever it shows up feels productive, but without a strategy behind it, you're often not ready for what comes next.

In this episode, Stephanie breaks down the three things a real channel strategy comes down to:

1. Define the actual goal. "More sales" isn't a goal, it's a given. Get specific: grow your email list, increase repeat buys on Amazon, boost sell-through on shelf.
2. Audit what's already in place. Find the gaps, then double down on what's working and fix what isn't.
3. Track the KPIs that actually matter. Don't get fooled by vanity metrics like follower counts. Engagement is what counts.

Small Bites with Stephanie delivers one quick, useful lesson at a time from three decades in CPG. No lectures, no workbooks, just something you can use.

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

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Meet Meg Wittenmeyer of Bifrost Butters. She and her husband Joel founded this chef-inspired compound butter brand in 2024. 

Meg shares a fantastic year of momentum with Sari that includes reworking their packaging from hand-wrapped logs to premium paper tubes with designer Christopher, landing their first big retail goal at Kowalski's stores after placements in two other retailers, and exhibiting at the Fancy Food Show in NYC, which was key to some of those placements. She's also proud to share that Bifrost was named a Shelfie Awards finalist. 

Meg digs into their production scale-up and what it takes to stay self-manufactured on their family farm. One of the biggest takeaways: the repeated hard calls around packaging, pricing, distribution, and capacity got a lot easier with FBS coaching and the Fuel founder community behind her.

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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Don't just replace your salary, dream big. In this episode, Stephanie sits down with Sari on her six-month "Pink Sojourn" since leaving Denver in May, using her farmers market and coaching business as proof that entrepreneurs can build systems and let go of control instead of staying place-bound. The team unpack what makes this possible... years of small steps, embracing "B-minus" work over perfectionism, and CEO-level thinking instead of micromanaging. And, they close with a shared message: don't settle, go build the life you actually want.

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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Does Amazon feel like a huge behemoth that cannot be tamed? We've got good news for you! Luke from Waypoint Growth Partners joins Stephanie to break down what it actually takes to be profitable on Amazon. The look at unit economics, ROAS, ACOS, TACOS, and why racing to the bottom on price is a losing game. Luke also shares a real story of a brand that was failing, but once they fixed their margins and actually raised their prices, they became a category leader.

To learn more about Luke and Waypoint Growth Partners or to get your free Amazon audit go to https://www.growwithwaypoint.com/, or go ahead and email Luke directly at [email protected]

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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Ever wonder if a product label is actually compliant, or are you just hoping it is? Stephanie's guest in this episode is Lauren Rockteacher, a food scientist and the founder of Proof & Panel, a label compliance agency helping food, beverage, and supplement brands navigate the regulatory maze of FDA, USDA and FTC with over 17 years in the industry.

They dig into why brands should never send labels to print before a compliance review, the real differences between FDA and USDA requirements, and a protein-claim mistake that could get a product pulled off shelves. Lauren also breaks down what belongs on a PDP (they explain what a PDP is) and why a graphic designer isn't a brand's compliance expert.

Their philosophy: facts combat fear. The more founders understand the actual requirements, the less overwhelming compliance feels, and the fewer costly surprises down the road.

Download Lauren's label compliance checklist 

Learn more about Lauren and the services she provides at ProofAndPanel.com

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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Stephanie sits down with Sari for a conversation about how CPG founders should decide when, and whether, to move into a new sales channel, emphasizing self-awareness, true costs, margin analysis, and strategic patience over comparison and FOMO-driven impatience. They close with a shared reminder that discipline, facts, and knowing your "why" beat chasing every opportunity, and tease a future episode on fear and false urgency.

And, grab the roadmap and Sales Channel quick training with Sari https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/roadmap

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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We're back!  After a six-month hiatus, the Food Business Success podcast is returning with an exciting announcement: Stephanie Robbins is stepping in as the new podcast host, along with being the new president, chief go-to-market officer, and business partner with Sari. In this episode, Sari and Stephanie sit down to discuss navigating entrepreneurial burnout, the power of realigning your vision, and what to expect from the newly relaunched Launch & Grow program, now updated for 2026! 

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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What if that food business idea that keeps calling to you isn't just a crazy fantasy—what if it's a dream seeking you as the perfect person to bring it into reality? In this final episode of the podcast, I'm sharing the most important truth from five years and 260 episodes: your desire to create something matters, even if you never achieve traditional "success." 

Whether you're just starting or wondering if you should invest more in your business, this episode will help you understand why following your delicious dream serves something bigger than just you. 

Plus, I'm leaving you with a powerful Future Self visualization (get it here) and a library of 260 episodes to support your journey forward.

Get the searchable Podcast library at https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/podcastlibrary 

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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As entrepreneurs we are programmed to think we need to say "yes" to everything, but often, it's the opposite. We need to start saying "no" or strategically quit things that are no longer supporting the vision. My guest today is Alli Ball, founder of Food Biz Wiz and creator of Retail Ready. We have a powerful conversation about why winners quit all the time and how to know what to quit with integrity and excitement for what's next. 

Follow Alli on IG at @itsalliball or https://www.alliball.com/

Want more support saying no and strategically quitting the wrong things so you can go all in the right things that scale your biz? Check out the Make or Break It Year Power Groups for 2026. https://www.foodbizsuccess.com/powergroup 

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

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We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...

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Have you ever thought about your "natural" work style - you know when you are in flow and feeling super productive? Often times, we fight against the "shoulds" of how we are supposed to be as a boss or entrepreneur. And then if you want to hire a team - whoa - this adds so much complexity to your business and it's so tempting to hire for ease (no conflict) instead of hiring for strengths that offset your weaknesses. 

In this episode, Sue Frech shares how entrepreneurs can use Kolbe to stop fighting their nature, maximize their own productivity, and build high-performing teams by strategically matching people's conative strengths to the right roles. Discover how understanding your team's instinctive approach to getting things done can boost performance, reduce conflict, and help everyone work more naturally and have more fun!

If you would like to join us for the call with Sue Frech, I am opening it up to everyone on the FBS email list for $70. This includes the Kolbe Assessment and the call with Sue on 11/20/25 at 11am MT to go deeper into using the Kolbe. You can purchase here.

Get in touch with Sue Frech https://www.linkedin.com/in/suefrech/ or email her at [email protected]

👋We're Food Business Success®. We mentor early-stage founders with real coaching, strategy, tools, and systems to help them avoid common pitfalls and build a brand that lasts. We're also home to the Launch & Grow Accelerator.

[Learn more about coaching] | [Explore Launch & Grow]

NEW for YOU!
We've completely revised our Launch & Grow Accelerator with a full update for 2026. Grab your m...