Startup Confidential

Send us Fan Mail This national health emergency has thrown most 2020 plans into the trash. As everyone revises their moves, it's important to understand the lessons for near-term business decisions and the lessons for the long-term. If you want to dig in more, I have a free webinar about the surge in CPG caused by social distancing orders. It may be helpful to you and your team. https://bit.l...

Send us Fan Mail Look at my glorious brand! Save it for the bedroom, please. In CPG, you are scaling a product line. It may have a name. It may have a look. But let's not confuse how important branding is in the ramp up of a strong business. It is VERY easy to overthink these elements and agencies will charge to the maximum extent of founder ego if you let them. Time to get real. So, you must...

Send us Fan Mail Most CPG founders are NOT from the industry they operate in. Many are younger folks. If either is true, professionalizing yourself is a critical practice. If you're young AND new to CPG, your burden is the highest...but you can do this. You have to take it very seriously. Professionalization is not about being polite. It's about something more difficult. Listen in to my...

Send us Fan Mail Back to my series on founder archetypes. This time, I riff on the problems faced by serial entrepreneurs in CPG and how their biggest strength poses a risk you will never encounter. Tune in to hear why MOST serial entrepreneurs in CPG do not succeed more than once.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedb...

Send us Fan Mail 1/3 of my new book - Ramping Your Brand - focuses on superb product design that will command a premium. I can't tell you how many folks hit a wall at $5M or $10M largely because their 'thing' was surfing trial by mostly disappointed, underwhelmed consumers.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please sen...

Send us Fan Mail It's critical to understand what kind of communications talent can most help an early stage premium brand. And it is not the typical agency employee or veteran...not at all. I explain why in this episode. 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 The majority of CPG founders exhibit this archetypal orientation. They got into this because they're innovators. They're category geeks. Some, even snobs. But the real weakness these folks have to accept and address somehow is that they are NOT business people at heart. And yet it is the professional businessperson (and his/her team) who scales innovations. Not product-o...

Send us Fan Mail Founders are not snowflakes after all. They tend to come in a finite array of archetypes. In this series, I begin by discussing the Finance Founder. His/Her orientation to money and ROI over-determines every decision they make. For good and for bad. If you recognize yourself in this episode, I hope it helps trigger some self-awareness and growth. You need it. :)  Your Host: Dr. Ja...

Send us Fan Mail This is a professional practice of large companies that badly needs adoption among early stage brands. Poor, inconsistent, or absent, communication about the goals of communications work is a consistent reason why marketing fails and then gets cut prematurely. Don't make this mistake. Smart founders know enough to write a good brief, because it's an analytical exercise,...

Send us Fan Mail Strategic planning is what I do. I live it and breathe it. Most founders don't enjoy it. And this podcast starts off by explaining why this is. Yet, the folks who ride the Ramp to glory almost all engaged in disciplined planning. Not rigid. Just smart.  Startups are nimble and with this comes the risk of chasing your tail, spinning your wheels or, even more dangerous, over-re...

Send us Fan Mail A dramatic reading from the Introduction to Ramping Your Brand: How to Ride the Killer Curve of CPG Growth. This excerpt gives you a passionate, audio introduction to the book's key metaphor: the Skate Ramp of exponential growth. Sign up for advanced publication notification and special deals here: www.rampingyourbrand.com Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth...

Send us Fan Mail Fast-growing brands almost always need seed capital...This month I share my tips on how to think about this process. Hint: if you weren’t born into the 1%, you will have to work ten times as hard to get your checks...but it’s possible...it’s actually commonplace. Good luck out there. Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com...

Send us Fan Mail Your package is the #1 communications tool you have that reaches ALL consumers without a marketing budget. You must eventually get it right, before you hit the gas. But who do you hire? It's an ocean of design folks out there with superb graphic design skills. But do they really know CPG? FDA regulation? Take a listen as I give my blistering critique of the con men and, more...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Ted and I explore specific brand examples of great storytelling that drives word of mouth for CPG brands. We begin with Lay's and move on from there. And I say the word "onanism" and test your knowledge of the English language! Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on...

Send us Fan Mail Building Awareness out of store is critical to velocity growth at existing stores. Yet, most founders do not have the cash to pay for awareness building. Word-of-mouth, though, still ranks as the number 1 causal driver of awareness for new brands. Why not learn how to nurture it and steer it? Ted Wright, of the agency Fizz, joins me for a two-part interview on WOMM, why you should...

Send us Fan Mail A rare interview with a founder willing to discuss their early mistakes and what they learned from them. This kind of conversation is way too rare in the business media, usually reserved for those who scaled and have the comfort of emotional distance.  Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on this or...

Send us Fan Mail Food and beverage startups are particularly exhausting to operate. This is my colorful, passionate case for starting off with a co-founder and building a team as early as possible.  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.com Your Host: Dr. Jam...

Send us Fan Mail Understand when and how premium CPG startups should use trade shows. 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.com Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com Please send feedback on this or...

Send us Fan Mail The original episode points to the statistical bloodbath every CPG founder has to get through: the journey past $500,000 in trailing, annual sales. This is where most undercapitalized founders get tested. 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...