The Good Food CFO podcast

Getting clear on where you are, so that you can decide where you are going   Like many founders, you may be asking yourself, “how can I make my business financially sustainable?”. Maybe you have big ideas for how to move your business forward, but lack the confidence to bring those ideas to life. This episode is for you.   Today, Sarah is sharing her process for getting clear on the current state...

Networking is so important for personal and professional success, but you told us that it can feel scary, uncomfortable, too salesy, and aimless.    In our first ever live recording of The Good Food CFO Podcast, Sarah is joined by Felice Thorpe, and our Good Food CFO+ community members, to break down all the hang ups we have around networking, and how with a little preparation and clear intentions...

What started as a way to sell some extra pumpkins out of a garage, Vincent Finazzo has turned Riverwards Produce Market into a community staple that is creating a better experience for his shoppers, his team, and the food industry at large.   A Goldman Sachs 10K Scholar, Vincent earned Best of Philly honors from Philadelphia Magazine in 2022, while also being named a Local Hero by Edible Philly in...

Tyler Dawley is a guy who has lived in one spot his entire life. That spot is Big Bluff Ranch, the family ranch.   Since he was a kid, driving the ranch truck looking through (not over) the steering wheel, he has found purpose and passion working with the land and animals. Starting in 2000, he has been driving innovations on the ranch. Trying everything from farmer's markets to grass-fed beef to p...

Saying "no" to opportunities for growth can be a difficult thing to do.     Saying "yes" to the wrong customers can cost you your business.   In this episode, Sarah welcomes Gwen Richardson to the podcast. Gwen is the Sales Director at Repurpose, a leading retail brand of sustainable disposable tableware, garbage bags and soft paper for the home. She cut her teeth in CPG with almost 10 years in th...

Are you ready to expand your production, but are unsure where to begin?  Maybe you’re just starting to produce your product, and want to put the right systems in place now to ensure efficiency when you are ready to move into a commercial kitchen or partner with a co-packer?   In this episode, Sarah is joined by Charlotte Walter, Chocolatier and Founder of Charlotte Truffles, a chocolate shop celeb...

Martha Bourlakas launched Storied Goods, a celebration business that creates infused Sugar Cubes for cocktails, coffee, and tea, in 2018. However, Martha considers 2022 the true start of her business. 2022 was the year Martha focused on foundational internal goals like identifying and onboarding a co-packer, transitioning accounting software and bookkeeping firms, setting up invoicing and sales sy...

Jenni Trilik and Marcus Contaldo, Founders of Modest Coffee shared their costly experience with a national distributor on their blog that caught the eye of the good food industry, its supporters, and many more.  In response to their story, more than 4,000 individuals answered the call to purchase and/or donate a case of coffee to keep the business alive.     In this episode, Jenni and Marcus join...

Have you been looking for a way to access funding for your business that doesn’t include giving up your equity, doesn’t involve traditional bank loans, and doesn’t come with huge interest rates?    In this episode, Sarah is joined by Jackie Chan, COO and Co-Founder of SMBX - the Small Business Bond™ marketplace that connects qualified U.S. small and medium businesses with people in their communiti...

Have you been considering opening a B2B E-Commerce channel in your Food Business? Have you already joined a platform like Faire or Mable, and are still trying to figure it out?   In this episode, Sarah welcomes Brady DeLong back to the podcast. Brady is an 8-year Sales and Operations veteran of the CPG industry, spending the first chapter on the Food & Bev side, he’s now working in the Health, Bea...

When faced with the decision of how to grow your business, it can be hard to believe in YOUR unique vision and dream for your business if everyone around you and every success story you hear is all the same.    It’s time to disrupt Food Business media, and change the success stories being told, because the truth is, what we're hearing, reading and being taught doesn't represent the stories of the...

Where do we go from here? That was the question Sarah found herself asking back in September as she was calling for change in the food industry.  As we prepare to take a big step forward in The Good Food Revolution, we want to take you back to where it all started, so we are going to rewind through what we consider essential listening for this movement. We ended Season 4 of the Podcast calling for...

As we prepare to take a big step forward in The Good Food Revolution, we want to take you back to where it all started, so we are going to rewind through what we consider essential listening for this movement. The Food Industry is broken. Good Food Founders have the power to change that. Today on the Podcast Sarah speaks straight from the heart; discussing the truth about the current state of the...

Earlier this year as The Good Food Revolution began to take shape, Sarah shared her thoughts around how to build momentum in this movement. One of the most important steps was keeping the conversation alive. That led to the creation of JoinTheConvo@TheGoodFoodCFO.com , a place for you to send questions and comments about specific episodes, and even to share what topics you would like to hear in fu...

Having a Financial Forecast is like having a road map for your business. The more robust that forecast is, the more confident you can be that you are headed in the right direction. But many Food Founders don’t complete the process due the uncertainty around sales projections and promotional planning.  In this episode, Sarah welcomes back Felice Thorpe as they discuss forecasting, and introduce the...

Influencer marketing can change the trajectory of your business overnight. It can also lead nowhere, leaving you wondering why you invested any time, effort or money in the first place. In this episode, Sarah is joined by TikTok influencer Becca Murray and Piquant Marketing Agency Founder, Lindsay O’Donnell for a round table on all things Influencer Marketing.  Every angle is covered in this conve...

The Good Food CFO is evolving. In this special bonus episode Sarah is sharing what is next for The Good Food CFO, and how we can take this movement to the next level.  Sarah is sharing: The Good Food CFO’s new mission statement, and the why behind it Our new website and social media handles How you can take action and join this movement   Episode Links: Website: TheGoodFoodCFO.com Newsletter: Sign...

Are you struggling to understand your cash flow? Have you ever thought “How can I scale my production without taking on more debt?”  In this episode, Sarah is answering that question and rethinking how we talk about, and understand cash flow in food businesses. She will break down everything you need to know in order to grow your business sustainably, while still working toward your goal of profit...

There has been a lot of talk recently about the ”need” to implement accrual accounting instead of cash accounting if you are, or plan to be, seeking investment for your Good Food Business.      In this episode, Sarah is joined by Danielle Hayden, Founder and CEO of Kickstart Accounting - an accounting firm designed to help female entrepreneurs understand their financials in order to grow their bus...

As a native to New Jersey, Emily Winston always looked forward to the days when her father would bring home H&H bagels after a long day of business in New York. After moving to the west coast and learning that H&H went out of business in 2011, Emily was devastated and became determined to recreate the bagel that she remembered cherishing as a kid. After 5 years of trial and error, Boichik Bagels w...

If you have been following along with The Good Food Revolution, you know that I recently asked this community of Good Food Founders where they feel knowledgeable and confident in building a business on their own terms, and what they want to learn more about. There was a resounding response that you want to know more about alternative and unconventional sales channels. You want to know what’s beyon...

If building a business on your own terms includes selling your products via your brand’s own website, and you want to drive traffic to your site, this is the episode for you!  Today, Sarah is joined by Andy Janaitis, the founder and chief strategist of PPC Pitbulls, to discuss the digital marketing space, and how to determine if Google Ads is the right fit for your business. Andy has over 10 years...

Today on the podcast, Sarah is joined by Brady DeLong.  He is an 8-year veteran of the Natural CPG space, building Hen of the Woods as their COO and National Sales Director. Brady is sharing some key lessons he and his team have learned over the last 8 years.  His story includes:  The company’s early growth strategy, and how it evolved  How they recovered from inequitable deals  What they learned...

Where do we go from here? We ended Season 4 of the Podcast calling for change in the Food Industry, and you answered that call. From posting on social media, flooding our inbox, and even joining our first ever Good Food CFO Fireside Chat; you let your voice be heard. The Good Food Revolution has arrived. As we begin a new season, the biggest questions are: What now? How do we continue to disrupt?...

The Food Industry is broken. Good Food Founders have the power to change that. Today on the Podcast Sarah speaks straight from the heart; discussing the truth about the current state of the Food Industry, and how it is rigged against small, mission driven food businesses. But she doesn’t stop there; she provides insight into how to create meaningful and equitable systemic change. This is the Good...