Road 2 Retail

In today's episode, we speak with Afif Ghannoum- CEO of BIOHM Health.  BIOHM Health is a firm helping consumers support their overall wellness by helping to optimize their gut health.  Afif shares with us his insights into building a science based brand, the importance of differentiation, some tips on being well organized before attempting to raise money, and some watch outs when you con...

In today's episode our guest is Krista Anderson-  the founder and CEO of Esstar.  Esstar focuses on helping consumers find brands that promote a healthy eating lifestyle.  Krista currently lives in, and works from, the South of France.   Krista has a tremendous business origin story as a stage 4 cancer survivor; she shares with us some great insight into her entrepreneuria...

Episode # 10:  On today's Road 2 Retail podcast we speak with Minor Hinson.  Minor is the Chief Investment Officer for Bourne Partners Strategic Capital.  Minor provides an overview of what investors look for when considering an investment in small, emerging brand as well as what kind of information should be included in a pitch deck and finally- what makes a good match between an i...

On today’s podcast we interview Dawn Kelley, the CEO of Barney Butter- the great tasting almond products brand. In this episode, Dawn shares great advice for small and emerging brands on the lessons she has learned on her journey to building the Barney Butter brand into one of the leading positions in the almond butter category. Dawn shares key moves her brand has made, what she would do different...

In today's episode (Episode 8) of The Road 2 Retail we discuss the importance of having a Go-to-Market strategy for your brand. This document becomes your GPS to building and growing your brand at retail. We discuss the specific components of the Go-to-Market strategy including, the optimal class of trade to approach first, the specific retailer within the class of trade to focus your efforts, pri...

On today’s Road 2 Retail podcast we interview Chris Hunter, the co-founder and CEO of the Koia brand. In this episode, Chris shares great advice to small and emerging brands on the lessons he has learned on his journey in developing the Koia brand. Chris shares his view on how to know you are ready for retail, mistakes to avoid, and how best to raise investment funds. You don’t want to miss this g...

In this week's Road 2 Retail podcast episode, Bruce Montgomery offers his views and commentary on the recently completed NACDS Annual conference which was held in Florida April 23-26.  This is a key event for manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers in the health and wellness space.  It is great to see key industry meetings coming back to in person attendance.

In today's episode, we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Jamie Grace, a long time former Walmart buyer across multiple categories. In this episode, Jamie shares great advice for small and emerging brands: What is the mental checklist a brand should think through before going to retail in general and Walmart specifically? What does a brand have to get right before approaching a retailer and what...

In today’s episode, we are going to discuss how to prepare for a retailer meeting.  You have worked hard to secure this key meeting for your brand, now we are going to share with you how to make sure your presentation works virtually (Zoom) or in person. We will share with you how to prepare an agenda, make sure your meeting runs smoothly, and how to be clear what you want out of your meeting...

Once you have narrowed down the ideal retailer to approach in an attempt to expand your business, how do you get a meeting with that buyer?  Relationships matter!  Do you have a key contact that can recommend you and your brand to the retailer?  Is your product truly unique and different?  Retailers want to grow their sales- not just divide the same pie into more pieces.  ...

What do you need to consider before you attempt to approach a retailer seeking distribution for your small/emerging/challenger brand?  Can you produce with consistency at scale?  How confident are you in your manufacturing partner?  Is your supply chain stress tested?  Do you have a 'go to market strategy' developed?  Do you understand the criteria for success the retailer...

The Road 2 Retail has been developed to help emerging and challenger brands best determine when and how to go about securing distribution in food, drug, mass, club and dollar brick and mortar classes of trade. Our insight is based upon years of experience, interviews with buyers at a dozen large retailers, and ongoing discussions with manufacturers and suppliers that support brands. After years of...