The Good Food CFO podcast

When you are running your own business, it's never a question of if burnout will come, but when. Every founder has been there, and there are some telltale signs you might be going through it right now.   But what if you could slow down, take a pause, and reflect on what is really important to you, in business, and in life? That’s what our guests, Elizabeth and Maggie, want to help you accomplish w...

A million dollar deal can be a game changer for most small businesses, but it could also be a financial burden, and not a benefit at all if the product pricing and the deal aren't structured correctly.    In this episode, Sarah is sharing the role she played in the negotiations between her client and a distributor that could result in $1 Million in the first year alone! She walks us through everyt...

Are you getting ready to launch a new business? Or maybe you're preparing to launch a new product, or considering launching into a new sales channel? You don’t want to miss this episode!    Jason McAlpin is the Founder and CEO of daio – a better sparkling water that combines incredible flavor with functional ingredients. The brand is set to launch in 2024. As a former college basketball player for...

We’re back with another selection for The Good Food CFO Book Club!    The Great Game of Business written by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham, is a documentation and story telling of how SRC Holdings Corporation was approaching business differently.   SRC wasn’t run in the traditional top-down way most other companies are. They practiced what Jack calls “Open Book Management” and found success playing...

In this episode we are celebrating the life of a hugely influential member of the food industry, Bryce Fluellen. Sarah had the honor of sitting down with Bryce at the end of 2023. Unfortunately, the world lost Bryce in early 2024. We hope that this interview tells his story and preserves his legacy as a Servant leader for so many in this industry, as he fought for food justice and social equity in...

Scaling promises to bring not just more revenue, but more profit, more cash flow, and a sense of ease in doing business. And it seems every business owner is eager to get there.   In this season opener, we are answering the #1 question we get asked inside The Good Food CFO Community - “How do I scale my business?”   You’ll hear Sarah breakdown: The difference between growth and scale If it’s even...

Profitability is the goal of every business. But at times it can feel like you are doing everything right, everything traditional business media says that you should be, and yet your business is still running out of cash.   In this episode, Sarah breaks down a different way of thinking about your finances and improving your cash flow and profitability. She takes us step by step through the same pr...

Nikki McNeil is a Co-Founder at Vividly, a trade spend management software which aims to deliver clear value through efficiencies when analyzing trade spend dollars.   Whether you’re a founder managing trade spend for one partner or hundreds, having the right system in place can ensure you stay on budget and receive proper payment from all of your distributors and retailers.    In this episode, Sa...

Sourcing the best ingredients for your good food product has many implications for your business. Eran Mizrahi co-founded Ingredient Brothers to support founders in this process.   Eran grew up watching his father grow a successful import business that was built on integrity and customer service. A South African transplant, Eran started his career at Deloitte, giving him a strong background in fin...

Traditional business media celebrates big revenue, new accounts, and most of all growth and scale. Cutting revenue in the short term, letting go of accounts and scaling back are the exact opposite of that. So of course right-sizing your business can make you feel bad, and like you’re moving in the wrong direction.    We need to look at the benefits of doing things differently, the benefits of doin...

In 2022, Francesca Pittaluga launched Ciao Pappy, drawing from her 14-year career in luxury fashion. Her inspiration came from a passion for high-quality food, a love for the California and Italian coastal lifestyles, and a dedication to her Italian father's culinary traditions.   In this episode, Francesca joins Sarah to talk about her transition to the Food Industry and the lessons she’s learned...

Retail is a complex and, at times, difficult sales channel to navigate for Good Food Founders.   In this episode, Sarah and Chelsea discuss two articles that put the Brand/Retail relationship at the forefront.   First, in the news segment, Sarah shares a Civil Eats article that highlights why mid-size farms and brands are disappearing from retail shelves. Then in the main episode, Sarah and Chelse...

Emily Dyer-Schiefer traded her chef's knife for a business blueprint, and she hasn't looked back since. Tired of the conflicting advice and clichés saturating the food business landscape, Emily founded two platforms designed to streamline success. Whether through bite-sized lessons at Food Biz School or a dive into strategy at The Kitchen Think, she's committed to helping foodpreneurs build stron...

Sarah Delevan is an avid reader, committed to reading at least one book a month. Those around her know when the current read is a good one, because she won’t stop talking about it! This inspired us to create The Good Food CFO Book Club.   In this episode, Sarah and Chelsea share all the details on the Book Club, and announce the very first book, Stolen Focus by Johann Hari.    You’ll hear: How the...

When it comes to building a business, it can be tempting to skip to the tactical work that feels like action, but we really need to make sure we get a few foundational pieces of strategy in place first to get all those tactical decisions optimized and working together as part of an integrated plan so have the ability to be proactive and cohesive vs feeling like things are disjointed.   In this epi...

We are kicking off Season 8 of the podcast with a run down of the changes that are happening this season. You’ll meet our show producer, Chelsea Stier, as she and Sarah share all that we have in store for you.   Then, you’ll hear the conversation that has been on Sarah’s mind since August. It all started on a birthday road trip, while overhearing many frank conversations about money. Sarah asks th...

As a Food Founder, knowing your costs is the first and most important step you can take toward profitability. Having a tool that helps guide that work will make your life easier, and give you the confidence that you are on the right track.   In this episode, Sarah talks with Percy Swint, founder and designer of Prophit App. Percy has worked for some of the biggest tech companies including Quicken...

Q4 and the Holiday season bring with them HUGE opportunities for sales and top line revenue. But without the proper planning, sales don’t always translate to profits. Q4 planning includes having a strategy for not only your sales, but also production, labor and shipping!    In this episode, Sarah is taking the stress out of creating your Q4 plan! And she’s offering up all the free and low cost res...

In this Building a Business on Your Own Terms episode, Sarah is joined by Bree & Michaela Fuller. Bree and Michaela are Seattle natives who have been paving their career paths with a mission to lead a purpose-driven and passion-filled life. The sisters currently own three businesses: Fuller Nutri-Fuel, a Seattle-based meal prep company; Table & Tines, a full-service catering company; and they co-h...

When you are ready to grow your food business beyond your backyard, you may seek the support of a broker. And how you build that relationship can make or break your business.   In this episode, Sarah is joined by Paul Christian. Paul is an industry veteran with over thirty years of experience working with powerhouse companies like Hormel, Coca-Cola, Unilever Ice Cream, and Smuckers. When Paul real...

The conversation about the true cost of food is one of layers, complexity, and nuance.   As good food founders, and those in the industry who support and work daily to create a food system that is based on fair wages for all members of the supply chain, consider their impact on the environment, center transparency, and deliver real, good food. We know that it only works – that good food business c...

In this Building a Business on Your Own Terms episode, Sarah is joined by Chauniqua Major, affectionately known as Major. Major is a dynamic creative based in Orlando, Florida. Her unwavering commitment to doing good work powers her to achieve remarkable feats in her community. She is the founder of Whatever’s Good, a PR and marketing shop, and the Chief Snack Officer of Major's Project Pop, an aw...

In this episode, Sarah is joined by Cat Turner, Founder of CZero. Cat is an entrepreneur, software engineer, and scientist who is passionate about using technology to empower people and solve hard problems. CZero is a company that’s providing a solution for CPG brands to distribute their products without the need to have warehouses or transportation facilities. And with their platform, brands can...

Whether your business already has a team of employees, or you are getting ready to hire and expand, clarity in your organization matters!    In this episode, Sarah is sharing how role clarity affects every aspect of your business and day to day activities. You have a unique vision and goals, and creating clear accountability for your team enables them to support your vision to the fullest. She is...

B2B E-Commerce sites can be a great channel to expand your business beyond your backyard. And a platform like Mable can serve as a bridge to growing into national distribution on your own terms.   In this episode, Sarah is joined by Arik Keller, Founder and CEO of Mable, the B2B wholesale platform designed to make it easy for grocery & convenience stores to easily discover and buy emerging, local...