Road Trips with People Building and Growing Emerging Brands.

Today we speak with Doug Hall, Founder of the Eureka! Ranch and Co-Founder of Brain Brew Distillery. Doug and the Eureka! Ranch are one of the preeminent new products and innovation firms in the country. He has helped companies such as Nike, Diageo, Disney and Bank of America accelerate their innovation processes and drive growth. Brain Brew Distillery is his latest venture offering custom whiskey to consumers and also making gold medal winning bourbons in global competitions.

Doug talks about the critical nature of differentiation in any new product coming to market AND how to prove this- to yourself, inside your company, and most importantly- to the consumer. Through his years of creating new products, he goes into great detail on the importance of the clarity of your brand communication. An inventor and entrepreneur at heart- Doug's passion for innovation is undeniable.

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On today's show we speak with Garrett Gingerich, the Chief

Marketing Officer of TayCo Brace. Garrett takes us on a journey through his career, transitioning from marketing agency executive to crossing the chasm and stepping into the client-side to facilitate brand and company growth. TayCo Brace is a young company on the incline of their growth curve as they bring true innovation to bracing and support for ankle and hindfoot injuries. Whether

you are an NFL player, an injured weekend warrior, someone with chronic ankle instability, or simply a person looking for a better solution to injury recovery - TayCo Brace has a story to tell. Garrett shares with us the decisions his company is working through right now as they determine the best path forward to grow their business and the important decisions in front of them as

they consider beginning to sell through national retailers. TayCo Brace is truly on the Road2Retail right now!

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Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube or follow us on LinkedIn.

On today's show we speak with Jason Reiser, the President of Market Performance Group (MPG). Jason has served in roles of increasing responsibility in merchandising at several of the country's largest retailers: Sam's Club, Walmart, Family Dollar, Vitamin Shoppe, and Dollar General. Jason talks about what makes small, emerging brands successful, what they must get right when dealing with a national retailer, and provides specifics around what a buyer watches with regard to brand performance. In his current role at MPG, Jason provides insights with regard to how a firm like his can help small brands and suppliers win at retail via their expertise in sales management, solutions, and retail & brand strategy.

Please enjoy today's show. Subscribe to Road2Retail on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube or follow us on LinkedIn.

oad 2 Retail: Episode31. On today's show we speak with Vicky Holland. Vicky is the past President and current Chief Growth Officer of Pathfinders Advertising. Over the course of Vicky's career, she and her agency have helped brands of all sizes and categories shape their marketing communication and branding. Vicky offers insights and examples of what small, emerging brands need to get right and the importance of focus and clarity in a brand's messaging. We hope you enjoy today's discussion. Please subscribe to Road2Retail on iTunes or Spotify and follow us on LinkedIn.

In today’s episode of Road2Retail Founders Series, we interviewed Beryl Stafford, the founder, and President of Bobo’s oat bars. From creating Bobo’s in her kitchen to a very successful brand Beryl shares with our audience her entrepreneurial journey. Berry bootstrapped the Bobo’s brand for 12 years before taking on additional personnel and funding. This is a must listen for any small and emerging brand. Please follow the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

On this episode of our Founders Series, we interview Laura Meemken, the CEO of All Clean Food. Laura shares with our audience her journey of starting the All Clean Food brand from her own kitchen because her kids had food allergies. She wanted o to provide tasty, kid-friendly meals that would be available at retail to help other families that wanted quick, quality meals. Laura also adds insights into the importance of starting small, packaging and the value of “Sell through (Velocity) vs. Sell in (Distribution)

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On today's podcast, the Road2Retail team speaks with Mike Wilkins about how a small, emerging, challenger brand needs to think and act with regard to working with a national retailer. Throughout the course of Mike's career he has served as a Buyer and a Head Buyer at several large, national retailers across multiple classes of trade. Mike shares his experience and advice on actions what small, emerging, challenger brands should take to ensure success while also highlighting areas where a brand can get in trouble. We hope you enjoy today's show. Please subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes or Spotify, Follow us on LinkedIn

On this episode of our Founders Series, we interview Nigel Smith, the founder and CEO of the Zurena brand of cocktail mixers. Small emerging brands will not want to miss this episode. Nigel is authentic and real about his entrepreneurial journey of creating a brand. Nigel shares so many great quotes and insights such as, “a start up is like a marriage” and “celebrate the wins along the way.”

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On this Road2Retail podcast, we interviewed Maria Uspenski, CEO of The Tea Spot brand. Maria has been at the helm of The Tea Spot for 19 years and has much wisdom to share with our small and emerging brands’ audience. Maria highlights the importance of authenticity, passion and the story behind a brand. She also emphasizes the importance of packaging. Please follow the Road2Retail podcast on LinkedIn, Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.

On today’s episode we discuss a hot topic in the CPG industry: Deductions. Road2Retail interviews Greg Esslinger and Tanay Kothari from Floret. These two guys are experts when it comes to deductions. They share with our audience the best practices when it comes to deductions and what small and emerging brands can do to mitigate deductions from retailers and distributors. The Floret team also share the top types of deductions to beware of. Please follow Road2Retail on these platforms: LinkedIn page, Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.

In this episode of Road2Retail we celebrate International Women’s month by interviewing Maya French, co-founder of the beverage brand Koia, with our guest host Krista Anderson, founder of ESSTAR. On this episode Maya shares with our audience the lessons she learned while launching Koia and other brands in the small and emerging brand arena. Maya also shares what small and emerging brands should consider before launching into retail and some mistakes to avoid as well as her insights into fund raising.

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As your brand begins to gain traction, one way to accelerate the growth is to attend a trade show. But where do you start? There are so many and the cost (financial and time) is not cheap. On today's show we discuss how to select a show, the best way to attend, what to bring, how to prepare, and how to follow up on your leads. A couple of keys: know what you want to accomplish going in and work the show hard from open to close each day! We hope you enjoy today's discussion. Please subscribe to us at Road2Retail on iTunes and Spotify

In todays' episode we speak with Rebecca Styn- the Founder of Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails. She shares her story about how her brand came to be out of necessity due to Covid. Rebecca also shares an interesting perspective on the value of mentors, building and a network, and offers some unique ideas on fundraising she pursued to help get her brand off the ground. We hope you enjoy, and learn something, from today's show. Please subscribe to our podcast at our Road2Retail page on LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify or iTunes

A Discussion with Ryan Springer- Founding Partner at the Investment firm Midnight Venture Partners In today's Road2Retail episode, we speak with Ryan Springer- one of the founding partners at Midnight Venture Partners. Ryan shares his insights on what a small, emerging or challenger brand should consider as a checklist before approaching a potential investor. In his role as an investor, Ryan shares what he looks for in a brand (and its founder!) before making a financial commitment. Ryan also offers solid recommendations on what a brand owner should look for in an investor partner. And finally, Ryan delivers some great ideas on how to best approach a potential investor. We hope you enjoy this discussion with Ryan Springer. Please subscribe to our podcast on Spotify or iTunes, and follow us on our Road2Retail YouTube channel or LinkedIn.