There are 3 problem areas every consumer product startup encounters. But there are ways to overcome them if you think ahead and build those solutions into your growth strategy. Problem #1: Product-Market Fit This is the most classic problem every startup encounters. Does your product and it's benefits or outcomes it provides, fit with the [...]
Everyone wants to sell to Whole Foods Market. At least in my world of consumer products, most companies I come across who sell food and are not selling to Whole Foods Market, want to. I admit that Whole Foods Market has a great reputation and associating with them as vendors can elevate their brand to [...]
This is a question I received and here is my answer. In terms of retail legal requirements, here's what comes to mind: Do you need to or should you file any relevant trademark/wordmark/copyright filings with USPTO to protect your works? Check with an attorney about this. Retailer's won't care, but should you be trying to [...]
This is a question I received and here is my answer. I would think about differentiating your core product/service offering from everyone else. Don't be like everyone else. Identify who your customer is (or who you want your customer to be) and figure out what their needs/desires are and create your product offering to meet [...]
Successfully marketing and selling a product is the goal. but you need to make sure you think through and plan for resource security - a reliable supply of your product's raw materials in order to be successful. Not being able to meet demand because of supply chain issues is just as bad as not having [...]
This is a Quora question I was asked about setting up a relationship between a CPG manufacturer and distributor. My answer is below. I know and work in food, so I can only respond from that context. Does the distributor serve the market you want to directly target? Obvious question but needs to be asked. [...]
When I look at CPG opportunities, my goal is to know the following: 1. Is this product/idea differentiated in the marketplace and how easy is it for the competition to copy/replicate that differentiation? 2. Does the team know what they are doing to grow the opportunity? 3. What's the plan to get the opportunity to [...]
This is a question from a business acquaintance: I've been approached by a network and their TV show about featuring our line in a commercial as part of an episode. The rub is that they want a $50k "scheduling fee" from us in order to do the segment. This would be a big bet for [...]
No one can help having a certain set of emotions for their business. It's not just an income, but often a significant source of enjoyment. Many businesses are an extension of the founders, owners and employees passions and interests and personal identity. Over time, our experiences with the business and the relationships we develop create [...]
I wrote a post on this topic and want to add a few additional thoughts. I am working with three different businesses who are seeing great growth opportunities. Two have recently been approached by investors, even though neither is raising money at this time. All three have too many opportunities coming at them and are [...]
