Founders new to the food industry often make costly mistakes when they jump in with third-party distributors too soon. Listen to Dr. James Richardson's interview with Greg Esslinger of Natural Food Ally as they discuss the 3 top wrong actions founders take when working with distributors. Part 1 of 2 Parts. (Part 2 will be published on May 15.)

Greg's experience includes 10 years at the largest natural foods distributor in the country (UNFI) in various positions including, purchasing, sales, and category/supplier management.  Five years ago he founded Natural Food Ally, a consulting firm, with a focus on advising brands on the natural channel and how to increase profitability within the constructs of the distributor model.  He has taken a keen interest in helping brands to avoid the many distributor deductions that plague the natural food industry.

Most recently Greg has joined Floret, a deduction management platform designed to enable brands to manage their deduction work flow more efficiently, clear distributor deductions more quickly, as well as gain key data and insights into their tradespend in real-time.  

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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Is there more than one way to execute a Root Cause Analysis on your consumer brand? Absolutely...but that shouldn't stop you from performing a complete analysis. In Episode 92, Root Cause Analysis for Founders, I break down the steps on why you need to do one and some blind areas that you and your team may not be seeing. Valuable questions are offered to ask yourself before you hire another marketing consultant to improve your topline.

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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It’s time to revisit my original episode! It’s on the dark and painful Phase 1 of the Skate Ramp. And it’s your antidote to the trade media clickbait in which white men raise more money than they deserve and just skip to Phase 3. Not helpful. Learn how to make it through the Death Funnel alive. My most popular and downloaded episode ever.

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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The awkward removal of Miyoko's founder Miyoko Schinner is another reminder of how institutional investment can go very badly if founders aren't fully educated and aware of what they are getting into. And they are a reminder to me about how founder ego can cause folks to believe they need more money than they do. Investors in a rush to monetize a fad, will often goad founders into taking a large sum a commercial bank would never loan them and which they don't really need (even to grow exponentially). 

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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Trend content is not my focus. However, this Boba tea thing just tickles my brain too much. The explosion in this foodservice category occurred during the pandemic and continues to this day. It's a perfect case to explore the difference between a "fad" and a "trend."  I also wrestle with the issues behind the formation of new beverage categories, using bottled, RTD Boba tea as my foil. Hope you enjoy. 

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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One reason young folks don't last in the startup world is that too many haven't suffered a massively alienating experience and pushed through. This is especially true for the average founder who is white and upper-middle-class. Teaching 'entrepreneurship' to those without resilience is a bizarre feature of campus life today. Listen to me explain why getting alienated is the entrepreneur's real superpower.

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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This is something founders don't discuss openly enough. There are toxic upper limits to survival for early-stage consumer brands. You should know them if you need to pull the fire alarm rope and get yourself to financial and emotional safety. Remember, entrepreneurship is still a choice, not a prison sentence. Don't let the psychology of sunk costs create a bigger problem for you and your family. 

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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It can be very tempting to look at your balance sheet or cash flow and then pick only tactics you can afford based on your present snapshot. The problem with this is not your financial responsibility. The problem is that you can't compete effectively and grow rapidly until you prioritize competitive strategy first and then determine the relevant playbook you can afford. I promise you that you won't end up with the same playbook, even if it costs the same. Have a listen and see what you think.

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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Population reach vs. prevalence of heavy-users. This is an important statistical distinction when studying the impact of any social phenomenon. Organic food is no different. In this episode, listen to what most journalists mess up when they explain why organic food took off twenty-five years ago. For the full deets, check out my Substack essay on the topic - https://bit.ly/3YGUDIB

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

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The challenge you face here is cultural. American marketers, as a tribe, just don't care about learning from consumers. They insist on influencing and telling to the exclusion of basic empathy. They are arrogant beyond belief. This is fine when you're selling a commodity for which the advertisement is the only possible variable left to create an advantage.  But when you're selling product innovation, you need a persuasive story, and you need to write that story based on what your fans have figured out about your product. Fans hold the keys to successful marketing creative. Everything else is just buying attention and trial. And it's super expensive. 

Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com

Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]