Bulletproof Your CPG Brand

118. Are you competing on price and velocity while retailers care about something else entirely? If you're not leveraging market basket strategy, you're leaving growth—and influence—on the table. In this episode, I break down why your brand's true value isn't just your sales ranking—it's the total dollars your shopper spends across the store. Retailers sell real estate. They reward brands that gro...

117. If your broker isn't delivering results, your sales strategy is leaking revenue — and it's costing you shelf space. Most CPG brands hand over the keys and hope for miracles. That's not a strategy — it's a risk. In this episode, I break down how to maximize broker effectiveness, align your entire sales team with a unified selling story, and create clear KPIs that drive distribution, merchandis...

116. Your "recyclable" packaging may still end up in a landfill—and that disconnect could undermine your brand mission and retailer credibility. If you're building a natural CPG brand, clean ingredients aren't enough. Retailers and consumers are demanding sustainable packaging solutions that actually work. In this episode, I sit down with Kelly Williams of Futamura to unpack the shocking truth abo...

115. If you don't own your execution at retail, you're gambling with your brand's survival—and most CPG brands lose that bet. In this episode, we unpack the fundamentals that determine whether your brand lasts a week, a year, or a decade. Too many founders chase distribution, price promotions, or investors—while ignoring the blocking and tackling that actually drives sustainable sales. You'll lear...

114. If you're trying to compete with billion-dollar CPG brands using canned reports and generic sales decks, you're already losing. And the cost is shelf space, wasted trade spend, and missed growth. In this episode, I break down why traditional category management isn't enough—and how True Category Management levels the playing field for emerging brands. Retailers don't want more noise. They wan...

113. If your brand isn't scaling at retail, your foundation is broken — and retailers can see it before you do. In this episode, I sit down with Tim Forrest to unpack the Nine Pillars every CPG brand must master to earn shelf space and keep it. We break down why most founders lose retailer meetings before they even begin — not because of taste, not because of price — but because they fail to bring...

112. If your product gets discontinued or misplaced at retail, you may not survive the reset. Most brands rely on canned topline reports and velocity rankings, but those reports don't tell you what's really driving sustainable sales. And when you leave assortment decisions in the retailer's hands, you leave your future in your competitor's hands. In this episode, I break down how to go beyond the...

111. Discover how the future of healthy food is shaping our industry and promoting better nutrition for everyone. Big Green aims to change how people think about food, starting with children. Through their Learning Garden program, they build outdoor gardens in underserved urban schools, fostering community engagement and teaching students about healthy eating and sustainable food practices. Today'...

110. You're walking into retail meetings with canned reports… and wondering why nothing changes. That mistake is costing you shelf space, credibility, and runway. Most brands rely on top-line syndicated reports that retailers have already seen—and already dismissed. Velocity rankings alone won't differentiate you. Retailers want actionable insights that help them grow category sales, increase shop...

109. Big CPG brands dominate with budgets and data—but they're slow, rigid, and disconnected. If you're a small natural brand trying to win shelf space, you don't need billions… you need leverage. In this episode, I sit down with leaders from Red's All Natural to unpack what mainstream CPG gets right—and where small brands have the unfair advantage. We break down fact-based selling, speed to innov...

108. Most CPG trade promotions fail—and they're quietly draining your runway. If you're discounting without driving sustainable base sales, you're rewarding existing shoppers instead of acquiring new ones. That's how brands go broke. In this episode, I break down how to measure promotional effectiveness the right way so you can stop acting like an ATM for retailers and start becoming a strategic c...

107. If you're chasing rankings, promotions, and slotting fees—but still struggling to grow—your brand health may be the real problem. And that matters because retailers don't reward volume… they reward profitable category growth. In this episode, I unpack what brand health actually means in CPG and why ACV (All-Commodity Volume), contribution, and distribution matter more than vanity metrics. You...

106. Your product isn't selling because shoppers can't find it—and that's killing your growth. If you don't control where and how your brand is merchandised, someone else will… and it may be your competitor. In this episode, I break down how to land shelf space and win at retail using strategic category management, schematic recommendations, and fact-based insights. You'll learn why generic planog...

105. Are you tired of paying slotting fees, deep discounts, and endless trade spend just to stay on shelf? That push strategy is draining your runway—and it's not sustainable. If you want predictable retail growth, you need to shift from paying for placement to earning it. In this episode, I break down the difference between push vs. pull strategy selling in CPG and why your real asset isn't your...

104. Your product launched… and shoppers can't find it. That mistake can cost you distribution, velocity, and your runway. In this episode, I break down The Essential New Item Checklist—the critical steps most brands overlook when launching into retail. I share a real-world story of a brand that secured distribution, only to watch sales collapse because the item was merchandised in the wrong depar...

103. If shoppers can't find you online, you lose the sale—even if you're on the shelf. And if your story doesn't connect, your product collects dust. That's costing you velocity, margin, and growth. In this episode, I sit down with Jeff Cohen of Seller Labs to break down how to build a unified selling strategy that drives sales both online and in traditional retail. We unpack why "just listing on...

102. If your brand sounds like everyone else, you're being ignored—and that's costing you sales. Most CPG brands focus on price, promotions, and velocity. But shoppers don't buy products—they buy stories. In this episode, I sit down with Beau Haralson of Human Design to unpack why emotional storytelling—not discounts—is what drives sustainable growth in natural and emerging brands. We discuss why...

101. If you don't truly understand your core consumer, you're leaving retail growth on the shelf. Most brands think they know who buys their product—but they're wrong. And that mistake costs you distribution, velocity, and trust. In this episode, I sit down with Ted Ning to unpack the LOHAS consumer—Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability—and why this psychographic drives sustainable growth across...

100. You're building your brand alone—and the pressure is heavier than you admit. What if CPG's most iconic founders told you exactly how to win? In this milestone episode, I bring together Seth Goldman (Honest Tea, Beyond Meat), Gary Hirshberg (Stonyfield), Miyoko Schinner (Miyoko's), Kyle Garner (Organic India), Chuck Muth (Beyond Meat), and Sheryl O'Loughlin (Clif, Luna, REBBL) to answer the qu...

99. Struggling to get real traction at retail—even after you land distribution? That's because shelf space is earned through relationships, not just sell sheets. In this episode, I sit down with Bob Burke of Natural Products Consulting to unpack what actually drives sustainable CPG growth. We go deep on broker management, retail collaboration, direct-to-store lessons from Stonyfield Farm, and why...

98. Struggling to compete against billion-dollar CPG giants? If you think you need a bigger budget to win shelf space, you're playing the wrong game. In this episode, I sit down with Jeffrey Hollender, founder of Seventh Generation and Sustain Natural, to unpack how mission-driven brands can outperform larger competitors by aligning values, shopper insight, and fact-based selling. We explore how a...

97. You're competing against billion-dollar brands—and wondering how you can possibly win. Here's why small, mission-driven CPG brands have the advantage. In this episode, I sit down with Greg from Califia Farms to unpack how disruptive brands level the playing field in crowded categories. We dive into plant-based innovation, brand storytelling, premium positioning, and why loyal consumers are mor...

96. You're pouring money into promotions—but your sales aren't growing. That's a trade marketing problem, and it's costing you runway. In this episode, I sit down with Charles from LesserEvil to unpack one of the biggest hidden drains on emerging CPG brands: ineffective trade spend. If you're relying on deep discounts, ads with no accountability, or promotions that don't convert into sustainable b...

95. Struggling to win shelf space in a crowded category like salty snacks? If you don't bring innovation and a compelling selling story to retail, you'll get buried by the big brands. In this episode, we unpack how The Good Crisp Company disrupted the canister chip category by removing the "nasties," leveraging gluten-free positioning, and building a retail strategy that drives incremental growth—...

94. If your brand is stuck in the "alternative" set, you're leaving sales—and influence—on the table. Retailers still silo plant-based brands away from the core category, limiting visibility, velocity, and growth. That positioning mistake costs you traffic, basket size, and long-term authority at shelf. In this episode, I sit down with Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko's Kitchen to unpack how disruptive b...