Food & Beverage brands often start a business with a very personal why: a family member got cancer and needed healthier food, the founder went through a health crisis of their own, allergies led to creating a new formulation of a popular product. 

As your business grows, however, the demands can pull you in many different directions. 

Raising money, gaining entry to more retailers, adjusting product-market fit, Amazon growth; they all take your focus off of why you started this thing in the first place. 

Jordan Buckner, CEO of Foodbevy, joins us on this episode of The Longer Game to share his experiences with why he started a business, why he eventually exited, and why he is helping other founders now on their journey. 

One of his biggest epiphanies came from realizing his identity was tied to being CEO of his company. He wasn't sure what could possibly be next if it didn't work out. 

The truth is simple: everyone shows up to the table enough. You don't have to achieve anything to be enough. You don't have to do anything to be worthy of being loved. 

Grab your favorite protein bar, take a bite, and let those neural pathways develop as we get started.

What they cover:

1. Founders often build from a place of passion or need and but not the proper business acumen to create strong unit economics, which make for a long-lasting CPG brand.

2. Right now it's very easy to start a food & beverage business in the beginning because of all the resources and the partners but there is a ginormous chasm between that and building a profitable and self-sustaining brand.

3. Brands often start with why but it's easy to lose it along the way because of the needs of the business pulling you in so many directions.

4. Successful CPG brands have to be built on an amazing product. You may be able to sell it once but getting consumers to keep buying is a different story.

The Longer Game explores the future of retail across Amazon, ecommerce, and brick-and-mortar.

The goal is simple: help brands grow by understanding how all channels work together.

Retail is evolving. The brands that win are the ones willing to adapt.

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Learn more: https://thelongergame.com

About the Guest:

Jordan Buckner is the CEO of Foodbevy, a media platform that helps food and beverage founders grow from the early startup days through scaling, with inspiring stories, education, and connections to great partners. Before Foodbevy, Jordan founded and ran T-Squares, a line of energy bars, an experience that shapes how he supports founders today.

Connect with Jordan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbuckner/

Website: https://www.foodbevy.com

About the Host:

Michael Maher is Chief Idea Officer of Cartology, an Amazon-focused agency helping brands grow revenue and profitability.

Connect with Michael:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/immichaelmaher

Email: [email protected]

Sponsored by Cartology

https://thinkcartology.com