Profits on Purpose

Walid Nasserdeen is the founder of W.NDeen Advisory and a fractional demand planning and S&OP partner for high-growth CPG brands. In this conversation, Nate and Walid dig into one of the most overlooked financial problems in the CPG space — inventory. From the hidden cost of excess stock to the revenue lost from stockouts, Walid breaks down why most founders are operating without a real foreca...

William Quartner is a Partner at Prelude Growth Partners — one of the most active growth equity firms in consumer, with a $600M fund and exits including a $400M sale of Bachans. In this conversation, Nate and Will get into what investors at this level are actually looking for: how they screen founders, why they take a category-first approach to identifying opportunities, and what makes a brand sca...

Brian Bethke has done this before. He built and exited a music industry brand — Supro and Pigtronics — before pivoting into the beverage space with Bear Maple Farms, a clean soda brand now in nearly 1,000 retail stores and backed by a $2M seed round. But success on paper hasn't made the journey any easier. In this conversation, Brian shares the unfiltered story behind Bear Maple Farms: the BevNet...

Kevin Larkai and Monté Burrow are the co-founders of Black Leaf Vodka, the first French organic vodka company in the United States. Their journey from a chance meeting in Cognac, France to building an award- winning spirits brand is a masterclass in resourcefulness, strategic focus, and the power of complementary partnerships. In this episode, we dive deep into the realities of scaling a capital-i...

Michael Salman went from managing tours for Usher and LL Cool J to the cannabis industry, and now he's disrupting the fresh salsa category in major retailers. As Co-Founder and COO of Cali FoodStar, Inc., Michael has landed his fresh salsa brand in over 200 doors in just six months, with major chains on the horizon. In this episode, Michael pulls back the curtain on the real economics of retail ex...

After raising $300K and spending two years building a CPG brand called Misery & Mayhem, Scott Turner and Nick Lagonia made a bold decision: scrap everything and rebrand in seven weeks on a $2,500 budget. In this raw conversation, the Dawnbreaker Oats co-founders share expensive lessons about influencer marketing, the honest feedback that changed their company, and what it's really like to run...

Most founders think their bottleneck is marketing or sales. It's not. It's operations. Aveline Elfar spent six years managing franchise operations before discovering that online businesses were drowning in even more operational chaos. Now, as a fractional COO specializing in health and wellness brands, she helps six and seven-figure founders reclaim 10+ hours per week through strategic automation...

Andy Whitehead traded physics research for a technology company, sold that to Samsung, and then decided to jump into the food and beverage space with FigBrew - a coffee alternative made from roasted figs. Unlike most early-stage CPG founders who work with co-packers, Andy has invested over $1 million into building his own production facility. He's even started his own fig farm, creating a vertical...

Most founders avoid this question until it's too late: Should you still be the CEO of your own company? Mackie Swan was brought in by the three original founders of WOO More Play—a sexual wellness brand sold in Anthropologie, Nordstrom, and Revolve—to scale a business they realized they shouldn't be running day-to-day. Three years later, she's taken the business to profitability while navigating t...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood sits down with Tapasya Bali, a rare entrepreneur who speaks both Wall Street and Main Street. After 16 years navigating high-stakes finance at Credit Suisse, Tapasya made a bold pivot at the peak of her career to co-found Yogasmoga, an athletic apparel brand that scaled to a $74 million valuation and earned her recognition as one of Goldm...

In this episode of Profits On Purpose, host Nate Littlewood speaks with Bellamy Grindl, founder of Retailytics, about the intricacies of inventory management and supply chain operations for e-commerce and CPG founders. They discuss the evolution of operations as businesses grow, common inventory challenges, the importance of breaking down silos between departments, and strategies for effective pla...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood speaks with Kat Bwye, founder and CEO of Deus Marca, about the importance of branding for purpose-driven businesses. Kat shares her journey from art school to building a brand consultancy, emphasizing that branding is more than just visual design; it's a strategic advantage. They discuss the brand operating system, the ROI of investing in...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Mehmet Can Ilker, co-founder of Ethnik Living, a successful home decor brand that started with minimal investment during the pandemic. Mehmet shares his journey from being an engineering student in Turkey to building a thriving e-commerce business focused on the US market. He discusses the challenges of bootstrapping, managing...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Teddy Oitzman, founder of Simply Trees, who shares his journey from having no experience in the plant industry to generating millions in revenue. Teddy discusses the importance of sales, understanding financials, and the challenges of running a seasonal business. He emphasizes the need for effective cash flow management and the...

In this powerful episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood sits down with Spencer Oberg, a true testament to overcoming adversity and the power of second chances. Spencer shares his remarkable, candid journey from incarceration to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the highly competitive plant-based food industry. Spencer walks us through his transformative years in prison - a period...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Eliza Blank, founder of The Sill and CEO of The Farmlink Project, who shares her journey from launching a successful D2C houseplant brand to transitioning into nonprofit leadership with Farmlink. Eliza discusses the importance of understanding customer behavior, the challenges of retail expansion, and the impact of COVID-19 on...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Manon Martin, founder and CEO of Les Hémons, a bridal lab in New York that is revolutionizing the wedding dress shopping experience. Manon shares her background in the fashion industry, the challenges brides face in traditional shopping, and how her company addresses these issues through innovative technology and a focus on cus...

In this episode of Profits On Purpose, host Nate Littlewood speaks with Sean Agatep, co-founder and COO of Vincero Collective, about the journey of scaling an e-commerce business from its Kickstarter roots to an eight-figure D2C brand. They discuss the challenges of navigating profitability, the importance of adapting to market changes, and the strategic decisions made to focus on sustainable grow...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Brittany Ogletree, founder of Bri Beauty, a clean beauty brand focused on solutions for acne-prone skin. Brittany shares her unique journey from studying acting to launching her own beauty line, emphasizing the importance of authentic marketing, community engagement, and feedback-driven product development. The conversation cov...

In this episode of the Profits on Purpose podcast, host Nate Littlewood speaks with Jessica Walther, co-founder and CEO of Itivate. They discuss Jessica's journey from corporate supply chain to founding a company that helps small businesses scale effectively. The conversation covers identifying founder pain points, the importance of organizational structure, and the balance between scalability and...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood interviews Beckie Prime, founder of Beck's Broth, a brand focused on functional beverages. They discuss Beck's journey from holistic nutritionist to entrepreneur, the challenges of scaling a business, and the importance of sustainability. Becky shares insights on funding, the evolution of her product, and the lessons learned from her expe...

In this episode of Profits on Purpose, host Nate Littlewood speaks with Kat Weaver, founder and CEO of Power to Pitch, about the intricacies of fundraising for e-commerce and CPG founders. Kat shares her journey from being a nervous pitch competitor to a successful coach, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in pitches, exploring various funding options beyond venture capital, and the signif...

In this conversation, Nate Littlewood interviews Novi Petrusich, the founder of Graymatter Labs, a cognitive supplement company. They discuss the unique value proposition of Graymatter, focusing on its subscription model, customer retention strategies, and the importance of financial metrics in e-commerce. Novi shares insights on market positioning, competitive analysis, and the challenges faced i...

In this episode of the Profits on Purpose podcast, host Nate Littlewood interviews Tom Eddelston, co-founder of FABRIC, an innovative beverage company focused on hemp-derived, non-alcoholic drinks. They discuss the brand's mission to promote mental health, the challenges of navigating the hemp beverage landscape, and the importance of compliance and long-term strategy in a rapidly evolving market....

In this episode, Andrew Arbogast shares his journey from flying Apache helicopters to founding Arbo's Cheese Dip, a veteran-owned cheese dip company. He discusses the importance of family, food, and community in his life, and how these elements inspired him to create a business that supports veteran causes. Andrew reflects on the challenges he faced as a solo operator, the lessons learned from ret...