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Clear your search and topicTed Peterson explains how a personal mission shapes VIC Cloth, the challenge of premium pricing, online demand building, and choosing a retail partner for expansion.
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The hosts connect supply chain capacity, full product costs, customer fit, leadership credibility, and broker relationships to the decision to enter retail and secure a buyer meeting.
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Dror Sharon discusses early entry into Walmart, less obvious distribution costs, staffing for expansion, ECRM meetings, and extending a popcorn brand into functional foods.
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Susan Levy discusses the changing consumer healthcare market, prescription-to-OTC switches, focused strategy work, and the considerations emerging health brands need to address.
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The hosts explain how to choose among trade shows and conferences, define a plan, attract booth visitors, and use educational sessions to make attendance worthwhile.
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Leila Bahbah explains Opill's launch through community partnerships, social education, campus outreach, paid media, and clear positioning for a defined consumer.
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Kiowa Kavovit shares how a family business developed Eco Bandage, sharpened pitches for Shark Tank and Walmart Open Call, managed growth commitments, and evaluated investors and advisers.
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Jesse Bartley describes how Scent Beauty selects and builds fragrance brands, tailors digital marketing, and matches each brand to appropriate retail partners.
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Michael Law and Jana McDermott explain contract manufacturing capabilities, quality certifications, product development, fulfillment support, and the checks brands should make before selecting a partner.
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Bruce reflects on the New York Knicks' championship and the experience of supporting the team through a long wait.
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The hosts recap a grocery event covering food as medicine, women's health, leadership, TikTok, future shopper expectations, and community food access.
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Sudu Gupta outlines the information and timing needed for retailer item setup, the importance of understanding pricing and the P&L, and AI's role in catalogue operations.
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Colleen Kavanagh discusses consumer-facing purity verification, combining a food brand with ingredient supply, choosing retail expansion, generating trial, using AI, and raising capital.
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Mark Young explains why consumer need, founder conviction, pricing, and the choice between more retailers or more SKUs shape an emerging brand's growth.
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Courtney Law compares Boldify's Amazon and TikTok Shop approaches, explains affiliate recruitment and compensation, and discusses avoiding pricing conflicts across sales channels.
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Caroline Grace discusses brand purpose, her firm's 10 P's approach, common launch mistakes, and the foundations that help emerging brands enter the market.
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Mary Kate Kloeblen explains when to outsource logistics, common fulfillment mistakes, OTIF performance, partner selection and compensation, and communicating problems quickly.
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The hosts recap retailer calls for innovation, focused assortments and useful data, alongside consumer health deal activity and leadership changes discussed around the NACDS Annual meeting.
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Sean Ogar introduces research for concept, packaging, pricing and messaging decisions, with outputs designed to help emerging brands present evidence to retailers and investors.
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Mike Wysong shares a pharmacy perspective on emerging-brand innovation, keeping established brands relevant, mentoring leaders, and collaboration to address gaps in healthcare.
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Brooks Powell explains how Cheers approaches marketing, ACV coverage, regional versus national expansion, and the balance between growth, profitability, and long-term ambition.
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Andrew Allen explains how Fresh Scents works with retailers on product placement, uses research to guide brand and packaging updates, and selects partners to complement its team.
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The hosts review Expo West's educational sessions, innovation themes, retailer meeting challenges, RangeMe's role, and ways to make attending the show more effective.
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Harley Sutton discusses beauty and wellness convergence, TikTok awareness, the trade-offs of making products in-house, retail entry decisions, and managing a portfolio of brands.
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Todd Johnson explains price-pack architecture, internal alignment, retailer margins and velocity requirements, declining unsuitable opportunities, and planning price increases.
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The hosts recap consumer healthcare trends, acquisition discussions, leading through change, and using AI in innovation from the 2026 CHPA Self-Care Leadership Summit.
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John Pinto explains how revised positioning, stronger sales data, TikTok Shop, and a professional selling partner helped Boom Boom grow while maintaining pricing discipline.
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Hayes Reilly discusses recruiting through networks, executive career changes, the demands of moving into a smaller company, and evaluating roles at private-equity-backed businesses.
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Andy Whitman discusses investor meeting requirements, founder-investor alignment, precise financial preparation, recent deal activity, and setting clear goals for Expo West.
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Brian Bethke shares his move into CPG, the search for ginseng, a supplier setback that redirected the business, and lessons from developing functional soda.
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The hosts walk through attending before exhibiting, choosing the right show and booth location, staffing effectively, drawing visitors, and following up after the event.
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James Pippin explains what to consider when hiring a broker or sales agent, the benefits and pitfalls of the relationship, and the retail sales process.
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Greg Vetter recounts Tessemae's Whole Foods start, finding suitable manufacturers, reducing retailer risk, generating demand through bloggers, gathering candid feedback, and considering funding beyond equity.
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Luke Schneider discusses choosing retail partners, managing SKUs and pricing across channels, working with brokers, and finding investors who contribute more than capital.
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Andrea Cherkerzian shares her cookie brand's origin, the importance of clear partner communication, selecting a manufacturer, launching with Hy-Vee, and using RangeMe.
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The hosts recap specialty food and beverage discovery, sampling and retailer conversations, show organization, and the SFA Maker Prep pathway for emerging brands.
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Michael Law discusses evaluating manufacturing services and certifications, understanding what a manufacturer expects from a client, and managing the relationship for a successful partnership.
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Patrick Gibbons explains logistics support, vendor-of-record numbers, launch inventory needs, partner vetting questions, and what a logistics provider expects from an emerging brand.
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Chris Stanton discusses connecting brands with retail decision-makers, trade relationships, celebrity founders, and using online sales to learn before approaching physical stores.
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Wayne Bennett joins a recap of retail and supply chain readiness, measured expansion, manufacturer selection, packaging decisions, and transparent relationships with retail teams.
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Jeff Richards describes the opportunity behind Mooala, the difficulty of finding a manufacturer, building a broker relationship, and testing marketing tactics to improve retail sales.
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Trey Bowles explains funding options, investor fit, team assessment, sending material before meetings, and respecting the process of raising capital.
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Abby June Richards explains how strategic finance differs from accounting, why cash runway matters, and how the cash conversion cycle affects an emerging brand's financial health.
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William Hicks discusses Magic Mind's origin, ingredient diligence, direct customer feedback, the relationship between DTC and retail, and the search for an initial investor.
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John Nunziato discusses expanding beyond package design, maintaining a consistent brand presence across platforms, building healthy agency relationships, and standing apart from better-funded competitors.
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Paul Gerner shares a retailer perspective on getting noticed, assortment decisions, competition, retailer fees, and the behaviors expected from emerging brands.
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Ryan Moore explains trade-spend components, promotion planning, relationships with distributor buyers, and evaluating and adjusting promotional spending.
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Kat Weaver discusses funding routes for early-stage brands, what distinguishes successful fundraising efforts, and how founders can approach grants.
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Allison Ball explains why retail expansion needs a strategy, how buyer selling differs from DTC, what she sought as a buyer, and how to follow up professionally.
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The hosts explain how line reviews work, which sales, margin and service results to prepare, how to address problems, and why prompt follow-up matters.
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Eli Moore discusses generative AI, cleaning datasets, adapting retailer reports, and using AI tools to improve speed and efficiency across an emerging brand's work.
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Alex Gelbert discusses communicating product science, educating shoppers on Amazon, producing useful video at manageable cost, and observing consumer healthcare trends.
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Jeff Lovering joins a discussion focused on pricing and its importance to brand decisions.
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Raj Shah explains Obvi's retail transition, including slotting, trade spend and deductions, manufacturer selection, and treating brokers as close working partners.
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Adam Brown discusses social strategies for brands in physical stores, selecting creative work that supports sales, and choosing agencies with focused skills and category knowledge.
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Mike Lyons explains social commerce, how TikTok Shop and affiliates earn money, the ingredients of effective participation, and how an agency supports brands on the platform.
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Tanay Kothari explains retailer and distributor deductions, the effort needed to manage them, and how a deduction-management provider evaluates clients and potential savings.
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David Simnick explains how Soapbox connected its giving mission to product performance, focused on leading SKUs, built retailer-specific growth plans and approached outside investment.
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Kate LaBrosse introduces Naturally Network's learning resources and explains why emerging brands need to understand cost of goods and retail margins when setting prices.
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Patty Post describes the time, cost and persistence involved in developing an at-home strep test, choosing brick-and-mortar retail and attracting investors before revenue.
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Nick McCoy explains what buyers seek in emerging brands, how profitability and unit economics affect acquisition readiness, and what founders should expect from a sale process.
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Marie Mount describes how SneakPeek adapted packaging and marketing for stores, used consumer insights to build a category and demonstrated incremental sales potential to retailers.
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John Pearson discusses communicating a premium product's difference, learning through live selling, maintaining pricing across channels and aligning with investors, advisors and the board.
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The hosts review emerging food trends and brands, Specialty Food Association education, first-time exhibitor preparation and ways to make post-show follow-up more effective.
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Todd Matherly outlines what digital-first brands must prepare before entering stores and how outside commercial support, differentiation and an authentic brand story can support growth.
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Charles Miller explains foundational consumer research, category habits and practices, and how evidence can strengthen retailer pitches, pricing, packaging and communication strategy.
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Jackie Bae explains LUNR Capital's inventory financing approach, brand eligibility, cash conversion cycles and how founders can plan capital deployment while funding demand generation.
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Former UNFI buyer Greg Esslinger explains distributor readiness, retailer commitments, operating capital, fees, payment terms and promotional obligations that emerging brands must understand before committing.
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Maggie Olczyk shares how differentiated lupini-bean granola, selective retail placement and immediate feedback from sampling helped shape Avi Foods through the challenges of starting a brand.
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Jake Nelson explains how regional distributors evaluate emerging brands, which capabilities and promotional assets brands need, and how to build an effective working relationship.
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The hosts explain how meeting preparation, accountable problem-solving, broad account relationships and disciplined SKU discussions can make sales professionals more valuable to their retail partners.
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Scott Emerson discusses how packaging, digital-enabled sales and experienced sales representation help emerging brands build demand and navigate retail relationships.
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George Brown explains how concept testing reveals purchase interest and meaningful benefits, and which research findings help emerging brands demonstrate differentiation and incremental sales in retailer pitches.
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Paul Vraciu describes Salt Stick's expansion from running and bike shops, explaining the roles of packaging, clinical evidence, sampling and shopper fit across DTC, Amazon and stores.
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The hosts review NACDS Annual's purpose, retailer presentations, consumer uncertainty and retail media discussions, and explain how early strategic conversations can lead into later buyer meetings.
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Brooks Powell shares Cheers Health's origin, its route to US sale, and why marketing focus and a profitable DTC business mattered before entering brick-and-mortar retail.
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Dan Frieber traces Tango Chile Sauce from his grandmother's recipe to local selling, showing how persistence, feedback, packaging changes and an equipment investment helped the business progress.
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Jason Paulus explains how Acid Rain Water developed its vitamin-infused canned water, handled pandemic supply constraints, refined marketing through testing and built a trusted network.
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GNC merchant Roberta Townes explains how she evaluates emerging brands, what belongs in a buyer presentation, and how quality review, onboarding and marketing support shape a launch.
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Backstroke's founder explains how AI-assisted email campaigns can tailor brand messaging, support acquisition and retention, and target consumers by geography or retail account.
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Dr. Alexandra Sowa explains how GLP-1 users' needs informed SoWell's supplements and discusses selecting a contract manufacturer and deciding when and from whom to raise growth capital.
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The hosts recap CHPA's self-care summit, covering category trends, advertising returns, AI's business impact, acquisition lessons and observations from H-E-B's retail operation.
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Rob Catanzariti outlines broker readiness, mutual evaluation questions, manufacturing and funding prerequisites, and the communication needed to build a productive sales partnership.
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Tracey Priest reviews Expo West's audience, programming and product trends, and explains why first-time brands may benefit from attending before exhibiting and keeping follow-up focused.
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Lydia Lee explains how to set influencer goals, evaluate acquisition costs and customer lifetime value, support a clear brand story and allow time for measurable results.
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Michael Law explains how to evaluate manufacturing capabilities, facilities and certifications, align expectations, and use a manufacturing partner's services to support growth and innovation.
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The hosts explain how to choose events, set objectives, attract booth visitors, secure meetings and follow up personally so trade-show spending supports concrete business opportunities.
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Teddie Townsend explains funding options across growth stages, founder-investor alignment and the information, expectations and timing involved when emerging brands consider raising capital or selling.
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The hosts recap ECRM sessions on TikTok Shop, Amazon, Whole Foods' emerging-brand work, capital access, merchant-focused data storytelling and full-funnel marketing.
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Buck Robinson explains how targeted traditional media can build awareness quickly, concentrate advertising around specific regions or retailers and encourage the trial that supports sell-through.
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David Koifman explains how Kickfurther approaches inventory funding, accommodates different cash cycles and helps emerging brands retain cash for other growth needs.
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The hosts offer a practical account review covering promotional setup, retailer calendars, consistent pricing, velocity expectations, broker capabilities and funding for both inventory and demand.
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Nancy Kalish explains how competitive tasting, differentiation, shelf-life reformulation, retailer-level profitability and complementary hiring shaped the development of Rule Breaker Snacks.
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Greg Nielsen explains how direct consumer feedback, a focused assortment, selective retailer partnerships and consistent pricing can reduce complexity and support an emerging food brand.
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Bruce Montgomery and Tracey Priest explain broker responsibilities, timing, compensation, mutual evaluation questions and practical ways to manage the relationship.
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Paul Kenny explains the hands-on leadership emerging-brand sales teams need, how to match talent to accounts and channels, and how facts strengthen a brand's retailer story.
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Rob Clemons describes how Wonderbelly used its online launch to understand its consumer, established product differentiation, approached retail growth and sought investors who could add practical value.
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Neil Foster explains how a soft launch can expose business-model problems, why early awareness and trial matter, and how shopper fit and measured growth support a move into stores.
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Wayne Bennett joins the hosts to recap retailer and founder expectations, screening manufacturers, distinguishing innovation from novelty and using retailer resources to reach buying teams.
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Patty Klingbiel explains how foundational research clarifies a brand's target consumer, category role and benefits, and how concept testing can challenge founders' assumptions before significant retail and advertising spending.
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Rick Miller examines holiday consumer research, spending trade-offs and contrasting retailer results, then discusses how brands could adjust marketing for the 2024 shopping season.
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Skye Frontier explains attribution windows, the limits of ROAS and ad-attributed sales, and how incrementality measurement can guide more effective retail media spending.
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Rick Miller explains research that supports retailer assortment decisions, the Tradeoff Consumer's behavior and how marketing mix models can improve promotional budget allocation and investor confidence.
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Rusty Ray explains how buyers can evaluate brands, what to consider when acquiring nonstrategic brands from larger companies, and how sellers can prepare a transaction and manage expectations.
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Hayes Reilly explains how founders can attract senior talent and share responsibility, and what executives should consider before moving from a large CPG company into an emerging brand.
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Brandon Pogue discusses TruLabs' hydration focus, clear consumer communication, the pressures of a major first retail order, investor fit and building a sales function as the brand grows.
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The hosts explain how to assess expansion with an existing retailer using velocity requirements, assortment effects, buyer relationships and evidence from promotions and pricing.
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Gaylord VanGuilder explains Buddle's upfront research and pricing work, online launch, expert team, community ambitions and criteria for future retail partners and investors.
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Elliot Begoun explains TIG Brands' growth approach, why viable unit economics matter to investors, how founders can learn from rejection and how financing options fit different emerging businesses.
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Anu Bliss explains the financial and operational work behind Amazon selling, including seller models, changing fees, compelling content, cross-retailer pricing and the importance of the Buy Box.
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Erin Wojtysiak outlines Facebook business-account setup, the images and copy needed for advertising, and how to monitor campaign results while giving an initial plan time to develop.
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Andy Whitman explains why founders should time fundraising deliberately, avoid raising too much too soon, understand gross margins and prepare evidence and materials for potential investors.
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Alexis Paige explains how clear objectives guide influencer selection, collaboration, compensation and evaluation, whether the brand seeks awareness, conversion or a change in positioning.
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Corey Scholibo shares lessons from starting mission-driven brands, developing retailer and consumer appeal, driving demand and raising money.
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A veteran buyer explains how differentiation, online traction, presentation quality and demand generation influence an emerging brand’s retail prospects.
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Dan Mack explores the preparation, resilience, customer alignment and adaptable plans challenger brands need before pursuing regional or national retail.
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Ruby Jewel’s leader connects a focused product strategy with sales velocity, distributor relationships, professional selling and investor expectations.
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A focused discussion of challenger-brand traits connects authentic stories, close customer relationships, experimentation and organizational culture with differentiation.
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Understand the preparation, product-page content, shopper fit, fulfillment and attribution costs involved in choosing and testing a retailer media network.
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Doug Radi discusses flexible strategy, retail velocity and the full cost of each account when expanding a cookie-dough brand.
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Learn how offline media can complement digital marketing, target local retail demand and build a measurable growth story for investors.
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Marc Perez discusses a focused consumer audience, sales-team design, supplier selection and lessons from his private-equity experience.
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An investor explains how to prepare fundraising materials, assess investor fit and avoid common mistakes when approaching capital partners.
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Backstroke’s founder explains its approach to AI-assisted email marketing, budget flexibility and fundraising relationships.
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Andrew Weiss draws on brand-building experience to explain why demand generation and investment in a capable sales organization matter.
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A craft-brewery founder explains product quality, building a home-market base and navigating the complexity of alcohol distribution.
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A retrospective on Expo West 2024 covers category observations and planning for the time and financial commitment of attending or exhibiting.
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Carpe’s cofounder discusses developing an antiperspirant brand, handling consumer calls, building demand and raising growth capital.
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Susan Levy discusses consumer-healthcare trends, market entry and the process of bringing prescription medicines into over-the-counter retail.
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Learn how research can clarify the target consumer, improve brand communication and produce evidence that helps retailers understand purchase demand.
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The second Amazon discussion examines brand protection, advertising services, brand pages, search visibility and customer reviews.
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Assess whether a product fits Amazon and understand the costs and platform-process considerations involved in selling there.
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The Yard Rink team discusses research-led product refinement, seasonal demand, expansion choices and an NHL licensing agreement.
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A planning checklist emphasizes organization, reliable follow-through, retailer expectations and timely marketing activation.
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Doug Hall explains how product innovation, evidence of differentiation and clear consumer communication work together, drawing on his innovation and whiskey businesses.
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An entrepreneur with two reported eight-figure exits reflects on fundraising, mistakes and the personal demands of building a CPG business.
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TayCo Brace’s marketing leader discusses an ankle-support innovation and the growth choices involved in considering national retail distribution.
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An experienced retail executive explains buyer expectations, brand-performance measures and the support a sales-management partner can provide.
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An advertising leader explains the role of focus and clarity in the branding and marketing communication of an emerging business.
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Bobo’s founder traces the brand’s kitchen origins and its long period of bootstrapping before adding personnel and outside funding.
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A founder describes building meals around a family need, starting with a manageable footprint, improving packaging and prioritizing retail velocity.
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A senior merchant shares expectations, useful supplier behaviors and mistakes that can threaten a small brand’s relationship with a national retailer.
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A cocktail-mixer founder reflects on entrepreneurial commitment, brand creation and recognizing progress through the challenges of starting a business.
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The Tea Spot’s leader discusses the role of passion, an authentic brand story and packaging in building a lasting tea business.
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Floret’s team explains common deduction types and steps emerging brands can take to reduce deductions from retailers and distributors.
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Koia cofounder Maya French discusses launch lessons, mistakes to avoid when entering retail and considerations for raising funds.
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A practical discussion of show selection, preparation, objectives, materials and following up on leads after an event.
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A spirit-free cocktail founder describes a pandemic-driven business origin, the value of mentors and networks, and early fundraising approaches.
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A venture investor explains preparation, founder evaluation, investor fit and ways to approach a potential investment partner.
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Understand RangeMe’s discovery and sourcing offerings and practices for presenting a brand to buyers and improving an existing listing.
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A nasal-inhaler founder describes the brand’s origins, retail readiness, retailer challenges and choices about fundraising and investors.
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A practical discussion of price-increase timing, shelf-price implications, buyer objections and communication with retail and distribution partners.
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Evaluate retailer fit, trade channels, launch assortment, fulfillment capacity, cash requirements and geographic focus before accepting or expanding distribution.
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A product-discovery executive discusses ways emerging brands can build their business and use structured connections with retail buyers.
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A creative leader explains understanding consumers, developing brand voice and using packaging structure as a competitive advantage.
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Prepare a constructive response to a retailer’s performance warning by understanding expectations, checking data and building a clear follow-up plan.
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Learn when broker support may be appropriate, how regional and national brokers differ, and how brokers are compensated and differ from distributors.
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A gut-health company leader discusses differentiation, starting direct to consumer, fundraising preparation and evaluating readiness for traditional retail.
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An entrepreneur shares her business origins and discusses failure costs, responding to challenges and succeeding without outside investment.
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An investment executive explains how investors assess emerging brands, what information a pitch deck should contain and how to evaluate partnership fit.
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Barney Butter’s leader shares brand-building lessons, explains the importance of sell-through and discusses retail expansion and potential investor fit.
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A practical guide to choosing an initial retail channel and account, setting pricing and accounting for the financial consequences of failure.
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Koia’s cofounder shares lessons from developing the brand, assessing retail readiness and raising investment funds.
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A retrospective on the 2022 NACDS Annual conference considers its role for health-and-wellness manufacturers, suppliers and retailers.
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A former Walmart buyer explains readiness, meeting access and common mistakes, with advice on what small brands should establish before approaching a retailer.
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Build a concise meeting agenda and presentation that explains differentiation, the desired outcome and how the brand can help the retailer’s category.
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Understand the role of referrals, product differentiation, category credibility and adequate funding in securing a meeting with a prospective retail account.
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Assess manufacturing consistency, supplier confidence, supply-chain resilience, planning and retailer performance expectations before seeking distribution.
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The hosts introduce the show’s focus on helping emerging and challenger brands decide when and how to pursue brick-and-mortar retail.
Why it’s here