What if the secret to massive food business profits isn't growing revenue first? Sarah reveals a counterintuitive "grow last" strategy that transformed a seasonal business from $19K to $107K monthly profits in just two years.

This client's 14% gross profit margins were a ticking time bomb – every new sale was actually creating bigger losses. But instead of the typical "sell more" advice, Sarah implemented a radical two-year approach that flipped conventional growth wisdom upside down.

Year 1 Strategy: Fix everything inside the business first. Sarah walks through the unsexy but profit-generating work that most founders skip. Revenue stayed flat while profits more than doubled – proving the model worked before scaling.

Year 2 Strategy: Revenue growth. But rather than finding new customers or opening a new locations, the goal was to maximize customer value.

Tune in as Sarah breaks down her profit assessment process and all the details of the financial and operations strategy that resulted in 5X profit growth.

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What if the secret to a profitable food business isn't scaling bigger, but growing smarter? Sarah challenges the "grow fast or fail" mentality that's crushing food entrepreneurs, revealing why 75% of VC funded businesses fail and sharing a proven approach to sustainable growth.

You’ll meet two food founders who made the counterintuitive decision to right-size their businesses - one contracting from national to regional distribution, another strategically eliminating sales channels. The result? Better cash flow, higher profit margins, and businesses they actually love running again.

Discover the three warning signs that your business needs right-sizing, why gross profit margins below 50% slowly drain your cash flow, and the specific financial tools Sarah uses to help founders evaluate whether contracting could transform their bottom line. You'll hear practical strategies for building a financially sustainable food business that works for you, not against you. Plus: inspiring updates on where these founders are today- including one successful business exit and a beautiful rebrand that's thriving.

Financial Strategy Software is coming soon! Get on the waitlist now at thegoodfoodcfo.com/waitlist

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While most founders obsess over store count, Kartik Das, Founder of Doosra is building repeatable revenue systems. Rather than chasing new accounts Kartik focused on just 15 core retail partners and developed a multi-channel strategy that generates predictable cash flow.

Sarah and Kartik dive deep into Doosra’s financial playbook: the 90-day cash flow planning system that breaks large expenses into daily decision points, strategic use of 0% APR credit cards for working capital, and community crowdfunding. Discover why Kartik deliberately turned down major retail opportunities and how he validates market demand through methodical testing rather than expensive guesswork.

From creative funding solutions to building systems that scale without burning cash, this episode delivers financial insights food entrepreneurs can use to build financially sustainable businesses.

Learn more about Doosra

Website: www.eatdoosra.com

Instagram: @eatdoosra

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The Good Food CFO is launching first-of-its-kind financial strategy software built exclusively for food founders! 

After seven years of perfecting her approach with hundreds of clients, Sarah's taking everything she knows about building profitable food businesses and turning it into powerful software that doesn't exist anywhere else.

This isn't another generic financial tool trying to serve everyone. In this episode Sarah is sharing the three core features launching in the initial version of the software, including a growth simulator that lets you test scenarios for growing your food business before making moves. Adding a new sales channel? Considering a new product? Run the numbers and see when you'll break even, when you’ll become profitable and how much capital you'll need to get there.

Sarah shares why she swore she'd never be a tech founder (and what finally changed her mind), how winning June's $10,000 Amber Grant is accelerating development, and her bigger vision to use the software to prove local food businesses deserve serious investment. 

The software is launching soon! The waitlist is now open - hop on to be the first to know when the Beta version is available. 

Get on the waitlist today at thegoodfoodcfo.com/waitlist

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What if accepting failure could actually free you to build a stronger food business? 

Sarah talks with Alyssa Fernandez, founder of Ollin, who is revolutionizing premium baking by filling the gap between conventional and gluten-free cake mixes with Texas-based ancient grain blends.

Alyssa shares how she spent 18 months perfecting her heritage grain strategy before launch, why she's deliberately learning every aspect of her business before hiring, and her "bullets before cannonballs" approach to regional expansion. 

From identifying an underserved market to embracing the discomfort of cold-calling buyers, Alyssa shares raw insights about building a mission-driven CPG brand while staying market-smart. This episode provides essential wisdom for founders navigating the realities of food entrepreneurship.

Connect with Ollin:Website: Ollinyall.com

Instagram: @ollinyall

LinkedIn: Alyssa Fernandez

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Poppi's $1.95B exit is being hailed as the new "North Star" for food entrepreneurs – but Sarah isn't buying the headlines.

When she dug into the reported investor returns, the math literally doesn't work. Forbes reported returns that would individually equal the entire acquisition price – a mathematical impossibility. But if major publications can't do basic math on these deals, what else are we getting wrong?

With $39 million invested over seven years to fuel Poppi's rapid growth from Shark Tank to nationwide distribution, this wasn't a bootstrap success story. Sarah traces the money trail and questions who actually won in this deal. Was it the founders who built the company, or the investors who funded the journey?

As more independent food brands get absorbed by giants like PepsiCo, entrepreneurs need to know the real financial playbook – not the fairy tale version making headlines.

All findings discussed in this episode are opinions based on publicly available reporting. We've compiled every article, press release, and data source we referenced so you can do your own research and draw your own conclusions.

Food Republic: Mother Beverage/Poppi, here’s what happened after Shark Tank

The Wall Street Journal: Small Investor Group Scores 88-Fold Return in Poppi Sale

Space Funding: How $105,000 Invested in Poppi Turned Into $9.5 Million: The Power of Early-Stage Investing

Food Navigator: Poppi closes $13.5m funding round led by CAVU Ventures and backed by celebrity investors: 'Poppi is the modern soda for the next generation'

Forbes: Viral TikTok Prebiotic Soda Brand Poppi Raises $25 Million Series B To Expand Nationwide Through DSD

Taste Radio: How A Four-Letter Word Sparked Poppi’s Billion-Dollar Trajectory

BevNet: Best of 2023

Forbes: Poppi Investors Russell Westbrook, 24KGoldn Cash In On $2B PepsiCo DealPress Release from Pepsi Co.

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What happens when nostalgia meets innovation? Sarah sits down with Joe Nicchi, founder of CVT Soft Serve, who transformed a simple craving for East Coast soft serve ice cream into a nationwide success now in 3,000 stores.

After investing $150,000 in a vintage 1961 truck to bring authentic East Coast soft serve to LA, Joe spent years building cult-like brand loyalty. Then came the pivotal moment: when Jeff Bezos installed CVT's machine in his home, Joe realized he needed to democratize access to quality soft serve. Enter his revolutionary solution – soft serve pouches that deliver the truck experience anywhere, no machine required.

Sarah and Joe explore essential strategies for emerging food brands:

* Protecting margins like "your life depends on it"

* Building regional brand loyalty before retail expansion

* Innovation through packaging, not trendy product flavors

* Landing on shelves without traditional trade spend using velocity data 

* Being open about your vision to leverage unexpected opportunities

From breast milk storage bag prototypes to venture backing (you read that right!), Joe's journey proves that sometimes the best business opportunities come from solving your own problems – and being willing to admit when luck plays a role in success.

Learn more about CVT Soft Serve

Website: CVTsoftserve.com

Instagram: @cvtsoftserve

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Your inventory numbers are telling a story - but do you know how to read it? 

In this episode, Sarah answers listener questions about inventory turnover ratio - the metric that reveals whether your products are converting to cash or quietly draining your resources.

She shows how to turn a confusing ratio like "2.75" into clear insights - that inventory turnover ratio means it takes your business 146 days to sell through the product on your shelves. The eye-opener: Sarah shares how a rapidly growing meat company with impressive revenue was hemorrhaging cash because they had eight months of chicken inventory collecting freezer rent.

Listen in to learn:

• Step-by-step calculations for both accrual and cash-based businesses

• Why industry benchmarks miss the point

• And how to interpret your number based on lead times, growth plans, and cash runway. 

Essential listening for food entrepreneurs ready to make data-driven inventory decisions that protect cash flow.

BABOYOT Member Spotlight:

Amber Stevenson of Rosebud's Real Food

Learn more at www.rosebudsrealfood.com

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What happens when you choose to 'control your growth' instead of racing to expand? Sarah sits down with Ilay Karateke, co-founder and CEO of Bezi, the labneh brand redefining growth through meticulous data collection and strategic expansion.

Ilay shares her unconventional approach: launching direct-to-retail in handpicked New York stores, doing her own distribution, and running 5-10 demos weekly while tracking every data point. Every retail partner and expansion move is calculated to maintain profitability while building brand equity. 

The conversation reveals practical strategies for cash flow positive growth:

• How Bezi operates without brokers or distributors

• Why premium retailers outperform bodegas for brand positioning 

• Using demo performance data to drive every expansion decision

For founders questioning whether strategic growth can compete in today's rush-to-scale environment, this episode proves building on your own terms creates sustainable momentum.

Learn more about Bezi

Website: Eat Bezi

Instagram: @eatbezi

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You asked, Sarah is answering! We love these listener Q&A episodes, and today's cost of goods sold questions are absolute gold.

First up: When Google gives you two different definitions for the same term, which one should you trust? Sarah breaks it down and explains gross profit margin vs. net profit margin and which should be your starting point for healthy food business cash flow.

Then, we hear from a food founder who thinks they're "double charging" themselves for labor. Spoiler alert – they're not, but Sarah's explanation about theoretical COGS versus actual P&L numbers will probably change how you think about your own spreadsheets.

The episode wraps with insights from a recent live Q&A where tiered pricing sparked a fascinating conversation among members. One founder wants to simplify their pricing structure due to rising & fluctuating costs, while another realized tiered pricing may be a benefit. Hear Sarah’s recommendation on how they should determine their best pricing strategies. 

Keep those questions coming – we read every single email! You can reach us at [email protected]

Join The Good Food CFO Community: 

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