Road 2 Retail

Episode # 115. On today's episode we spend time with Tanay Kothari the founder and CEO of the deduction management platform, Floret. Tanay shares with the audience the importance and the labor that goes into managing deductions from both retailers and distributors. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

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YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/@road2retail327. Discussion points today with Tanay include: - How Floret supports brands of all sizes (from Small to large brands) manage their deductions. Understanding the types of deductions- How Floret started, and the gap Tanay saw in the market- What does Floret look for when deciding to work with a brand- How much savings can be realized when working with Floret- How Floret is different from other deduction management platformswww.tryfloret.com Enjoy the show! Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be at the show? DM us on LinkedIn!

Episode # 114 Today we speak with David Simnick, the cofounder and CEO of the mission driven personal care brand- Soapbox. David and his team have been building Soapbox for over a dozen years. He candidly shares the highs and lows of starting and running an emerging brand and how the team's desire to 'give back' led to their mission to provide personal cleansing products to those in need. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast at: Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbdSpotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/@road2retail327. Among the many points we cover with David today include: - That no matter how hard they tried in the early days to kill their brand- the team kept plugging away and learning. Eventually evolving to a winning commercial approach- With a mission driven brand- the mission must make sense to the consumer that the tie to the brand is logical- While the brand mission may be a differentiator in the category and help you secure some retailer meetings and distribution- the products must perform and sell in order to remain in distribution- Why it is best to focus on your top skus and to have a unique growth plan with each retailer versus 'getting too clever with your plan'- Counsel on what to expect when taking on an investor- In the very early days of Soapbox, his landlord thought he was up to 'illegal activities'!- David is offering a special discount for listeners of the Road 2 Retail podcast. Go to www.soapboxsoaps.com and enter the promo code: Road2retail20 to save 20% on your purchase!Enjoy the show! Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn!

Episode # 113. On today’s episode the Road 2 Retail team speaks with Kate LaBrosse from the Naturally Network. Kate shares great insight from her vast experience in the natural channel. Give us a follow-on LinkedIn. Learn more at https://www.road2retail.com.Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast at: Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbdSpotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/@road2retail327. Among the topics covered in this episode include:- What is the Naturally Network and how does the Naturally Network help small/emerging brands?- What is the CPG Academy? What does the Academy offer Naturally Network Members?- The introduction of the Retail Launch Pad: An on-line learning platform- Why establishing pricing is critical to brands starting out. Kate shares the definition of COGS and her margin calculator.Enjoy the show! Please follow to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn!

Episode # 112 Our guest on today's show is Patty Post - Founder and CEO of the at home medical testing firm Checkable. Patty shares her story (and determination!) of working with subject matter experts and the regulatory authorities to bring an at home Strep Test to market. Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbdSpotify- https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY or our YouTube channel-    / @road2retail327  . Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Among the many topics covered with Patty today, a few of them include:

• The genesis of her idea was, that as a mother of three, she was burning a lot of time taking time off from work, going to the doctor, then the pharmacy when it was pretty clear that strep throat may be present. 36MM doctor visits for strep each year- split 50-50 kids and adults

• She highlights the time and expense necessary to get a medical device approved

• Why Checkable is opting to go to brick & mortar right away vs a DTC strategy

• How to think through taking on investors when you are a pre-revenue business

• A fan of the Cheers brand (note: we are too!)

Enjoy the show! Please follow to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn

Episode # 111. On today's episode we spend time with Nick McCoy- Cofounder and Managing Director at Whipstitch Capital. Nick and the Whipstitch Capital team have completed over 170 transactions since 2004 and have worked with both long-established brands as well as becoming a 'go to' investment bank for emerging brands looking to grow or transact. Nick shares his views on emerging brand transactions from the perspective of both the buyer and the seller. Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts-https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd or Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY or our YouTube channel- https://www.youtube.com/@road2retail327 . Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Discussion points today with Nick include: - The dry spell for transactions in the consumer space that may be resolving now and the conditions that drove that environment- A brand that wants to sell needs to demonstrate they have the "head room" to keep growing. If you are a smaller brand- strong profitability is vital- Post covid, unit level economics and profitability are now looked at closely versus simply history of sales growth- What are the steps and approximate timing of a transaction when a brand enters a sell process?- Advice on what profile to look for in an investor when an emerging brand looks to take on outside capital Enjoy the show! Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Want to be on the show? DM us on LinkedIn!

Episode #110

Our guest on today's show is Marie Mount - Senior Director of Marketing for the SneakPeek gender reveal brand. Marie takes us through how the team at SneakPeek has taken the brand from DTC into retail and how they have used insights from consumers, retailers and their agencies to position the brand for continued growth. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Discussion points with Marie today include: - 80% of people want to know the sex of their baby in advance- The importance of deeply and truly understanding your consumer and their needs- How they helped to build a new category delivering incremental sales to retailers- How the SneakPeek team used insights to develop new packaging for retail- The changes they have made to their approach to marketing as the brand evolves from DTC only to brick & mortar retail- A Blue Apron fan! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 109.

Our guest on the show today is John Pearson - CEO of Navage. John walks us through the team's disciplined approach to growth, their commitment to solving consumer problems, and working with investors. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Follow on Spotify here: https://lnkd.in/ewWcnYpY

Follow on Apple here: https://lnkd.in/gs3BfXbd

Among the topics discussed with John today include: - Taking over the business from successful, innovative founder: Martin Hoke - How to position, manage and grow a product that is roughly 5X the cost of most solutions in the category- The point of difference of your product must be clear to both the consumer and potential retail partners- Make a little, sell a little, learn a lot! No learning better than live selling to the consumer- How important it is to control your pricing across channels and retailers- Working with investors, advisors and your Board. Alignment is critical! Enjoy the show!

Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 108. On today’s episode of the Road 2 Retail podcast, the team provides a recap of The Fancy Food show that occurred on June 29th through July 1 in New York City. The team discusses trends, new brands at the show, and the educational programs the Specialty Food Association offers to members. Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts [insert link], Spotify [insert link], or on our YouTube channel [insert link]. Plus, give us a follow-on LinkedIn and learn more at https://www.road2retail.com.Among the topics covered in this episode include:- What is the Specialty Food Association (SFA) and how are they supporting small and emerging brands via their Makers Prep Course? - We discuss all the details around this show and note the next FSA show set for San Diego in early 2026.- What should first time and exhibitors and attendees due to maximize their investment of time and money?- What were the biggest trends at the show?- What were the coolest and most innovative brands at the show?- What are the best practices for following up after the show?https://www.specialtyfood.com/

Episode # 107. Today's guest is Todd Matherly - Executive Vice President of Market Performance Group. Todd talks to us today about MPG's new initiative to help emerging brands achieve business success across all channels and disciplines of commercial operations. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Today's discussion points include: - A recap of Todd's experience as a long time merchant at Walmart and Sam's Club. - The familiar refrain of the importance of differentiation for your brand relative to competitors. - Todd discusses MPG's "end to end solution" his firm offers to help emerging brands manage their business. These services are also offered a la carte so founders can offload certain important tasks to experts in order to spend their valuable time on the aspects of their business they enjoy.- Authenticity and a great story are common characteristics of emerging brands that gain traction with consumers.- A detailed discussion around actions a DTC/Amazon only brand needs to consider (and nail) when considering the move into traditional brick & mortar retail.- And finally- we have found a highly dedicated Mizzou fan. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 106. Today's guest on the Road 2 Retail podcast is Charles Miller - President & CEO of Persuadable Research. Charles takes us through the types of foundational research an emerging brand should execute in order to give themselves the greatest chance at success. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Topics covered with Charles today include: - The differences in the two types of people that start an emerging brand and their approaches: CPG veterans and pure entrepreneurs - The importance of a 'habits & practices' study so that emerging brands can understand the category they are entering and where they fit- Bringing the right research to the table when pitching a retailer is critical: is your pricing logical, is your communication strategy clear, and will you drive incremental category performance?- Once again, we hear from another expert the importance of your brand packaging: is it working hard for you?- A/B testing can tell a brand which executions within their marketing programs are working better, but research is still needed to understand the consumer and shape communication strategy- A reference to The Cure, Yeti, and the Miami Dolphins? What a combo! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.