Startup Confidential

Send us Fan Mail This is part two of my interview with Yoni Reisman, founder of Tip Top Cocktails.  In this episode, we explore how he came to realize others were better suited to manage the day-to-day operations of the business, a very tough call for any founder Riding the Ramp.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedbac...

Send us Fan Mail This episode launches a new series I’m calling Rising Stars - Founders new to CPG who have defied the odds, built growing eight-figure businesses without the interference of premature institutional money.   This is part one of my interview with Yoni Reisman, Co-Founder, Chairman, and former Chief Executive Officer of Atlanta-based Tip Top Proper Cocktails. Established in 2018 by Y...

Send us Fan Mail Every creative mind on LinkedIn has railed against the upcoming launch of Pepsi prebiotic. That’s because it’s NOT very creative. Growth strategy for a legacy brand is very different from what works in the early-stage. Making trends and following trends each have their place in the ecosystem. Watch my take on what’s going on here. It’s not AI-psychosis, I assure you.  Your Host: D...

Send us Fan Mail Hopping from buyer meeting to meeting may get you into the seven figures, but it won’t garner your business fast growth through $100M and beyond. Not without really lucky amounts of word-of-mouth. Really lucky. Waiting until you’re $10M in ARR to get strategic is a surefire path to misfires and stagnation. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.pre...

Send us Fan Mail How could creativity be a founder liability? When it distracts you. This is the third installment in my series on founder archetypes. I think many of you will recognize yourselves in this episode. The good news? You can be cured! Check it out and let me know if you agree. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send...

Send us Fan Mail This is the second installment in my series on founder archetypes. While I’m glad to see MBAs and finance-trained folks launching CPG brands, they do have a huge problem taking some of the most critical risks necessary to achieving fast growth. Have a listen! Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on...

Send us Fan Mail Business doesn’t teach you how to say “no” to bad deals. Yet, it’s the most important skill you have to learn, not just to deflect unsolicited pitches from creepy agencies and suppliers. You need to learn how to say “no” to a bad deal you originally sought out…but which now looks horrible. This is very hard for new founders. Have a listen! Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Pre...

Send us Fan Mail If you want to Ride the Ramp, you must hire superb functional executives. Hold on, though. What makes you think you’re ready to do this? In this episode, I explore two hidden attitudes that make it hard for founders to find above-average talent. Hint: it’s not your salary frugality that is the biggest barrier. Have a listen! Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Sol...

Send us Fan Mail You do not need a 85-page defensive Powerpoint plan. But you do need a plan. And one-page is more than enough to keep your business disciplined in the early Phases. This episode makes the case and explains one key data source you need to have to make even a 1-page plan useful.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Pleas...

Send us Fan Mail Many founders worry about diluting the quality of their product in order to scale. Understood. Yet, diluting the ‘quality’ of your audience is essential. Snobby brands do not scale. Listen in as I explain why. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: admin@premiumgrowthsolu...

Send us Fan Mail  I finally spent some time to prove to all you door-counting crazies that doors do not equal value to your business. In the process, I developed a tool to plan your ACV build in a restrained manner, a tool you can reproduce (legally) on your end with your SPINS or NIelsen IQ retainer.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.c...

Send us Fan Mail How do mission-driven founders get in their own way? It’s not that hard, depending on how ideological your company’s foundations. The most fundamental issue with missionary zeal, when you do not channel it professionally into scaling a disciplined brand is this - you become overly anchored in the end goal and don’t take the journey seriously.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of...

Send us Fan Mail It’s time for a contrarian view. Most founders in CPG should not be focused on rapid growth. It is far easier to create a stable, satisfying seven-figure CPG business if you let go of a need to scale (and grow fast to get there). In this episode, Sarah and I explore the key financial math that forces your hand as a founder. Do you really want to pursue rapid growth?  E-mail Sarah...

Send us Fan Mail It’s not uncommon for brands to scale mostly as B2B enterprises with minimal emphasis on sophisticated consumer marketing. When product design carries you that far, it can be easy to overlook the marketing department. Then, when you turn to ask them for acceleration, you realize you do not have the right team at all. Or, even worse, you don’t even believe. For the founders who del...

Send us Fan Mail I never urge anyone to become an entrepreneur. Ever. That’s because I am one. Sometimes, continuing the business could endanger more than your finances. In this episode, I give you five clear signals that, when combined, make it clear you should wind down. Remember, you can always try again later in your life. Always.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions...

Send us Fan Mail Believe it or not, I used the same fieldwork techniques to build my own B2B brand that I urge you to deploy in my book. In this episode, I explain how I used a flywheel of goodwill connecting tradeshows to LinkedIn to build my business. Fans are critical oxygen for any entrepreneur. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com...

Send us Fan Mail  In ten days, the updated and expanded edition of Ramping Your Brand goes live in all formats. In this episode, I go over what has changed and why you should grab a copy even if you have the 1st edition.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: admin@premiumgrowthsolutions...

Send us Fan Mail American media loves to reinforce the ideal of the visionary entrepreneur who ‘bootstraps’ to glory with no initial resources. The reality is that those who do pull this off usually have one or more superpowers as they started. My growing case study research suggests that having one of the following superpowers is key to beating the odds of making it through the Phases. Make sure...

Send us Fan Mail One of the more common problems lurking at the Fancy Foods show, if you’ve ever been, is sitting at every booth in plain sight. It’s on the sell sheets of various specialty food brands that exhibit there. It is their SRPs. They’re not just premium. They’re artisanal. And these prices just don’t scale. Pricing 100% above the market share leader in a category is one thing. Pricing 4...

Send us Fan Mail Despite one or two “diet” food brands like Atkins that are still kicking around, diet food innovation is generally a graveyard of CPG innovation. But GLP-1 drugs raise the profile of a different outcome, indirectly supporting weight management  - satiety. But are GLP-1 users an innovation segment or a marketing audience? The difference matters, if you’re going to launch a brand wi...

Send us Fan Mail A lot of us are sick of hearing about Liquid Death, the entertainment brand that happens to sell water. In this episode, I explain why it’s so hard for the average CPG startup to build an entertainment-based brand. It’s not the category. That’s not the barrier.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback...

Send us Fan Mail   In 2025, the Trump administration’s stated policy moves may easily trigger a recession in the U.S. by late in the year or in 2026.  This is a great time of year to create a Plan B for your marketing playbook to adjust how recessions impact premium-priced early-stage CPG brands. Have a listen and spend a day getting ready in advance.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium...

Send us Fan Mail The perils of the first $500,000 in recurring sales are many. Most are related to cash flow and getting paid by distributors or retailers. Without the proper seed monies, many companies evaporate despite the power of their innovation. In this episode, I’m updating the episode that launched this tough love podcast. There is less space on shelves than ever before, slotting fees have...

Send us Fan Mail It’s that time of year, folks. Preparing for 2025! The most underthought aspect of early-stage business plans is the strategic plan. It’s the front half of your business plan focused on growth. And all too often, it resembles an investor pitch. In this episode, I narrate material from my Blog for a broader audience so that you can focus on a measurable plan for growth based on rea...

Send us Fan Mail You may be an amateur with an idea. A great idea. And you may be smart, organized and well-funded. But you still should have at least one other person on your team with 10 years plus functional experience in the early stage world. Most likely, this should be an ops person. This is the skill most founders simply do not have. And it often shows. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of...