This post provides high level descriptions of company vision, mission (values), culture, goals and strategy and how they are related and different from each other. Vision Your vision is the picture that you see of your business at some point in the future. It is what your creation looks like in the future. Three years, [...]
A brand is the sum of all facets, features and characteristics of a company, both good and bad, which are a result of the company's interactions with suppliers, manufacturers, service providers, distributors, resellers, employees, customers, the general public, owners/investors – basically, every stakeholder to the company. Brand development and management can get complex and consume [...]
Costco is considered a higher-end club retailer and vendors in the natural/organic/LOHAS category can sell to Costco. Small CPG vendors that do not have national advertising or a substantial brand name behind their product may still have the opportunity to get their product in Costco. That can happen through the Special Events program, also called the [...]
I met with a small CPG food start-up recently and the discussion focused on the company's growth strategy. Only 6 months old, the start-up is generating online sales and is looking to retail distribution, which is the primary reason why I was there. It is entering a crowded and competitive CPG category for its product [...]
I work predominantly with small consumer companies, especially startups and a commonality I see among them is that their COGS is really high, and how COGS impacts a CPG company selling to retail is significant. COGS includes raw materials, manufacturing, assembly and freight. This "Landed Cost" is the total cost of making the product [...]
When you meet the founder of a start-up and the enthusiasm for their business just rolls off of them in waves, you can't help but to feel some level of excitement with them, even if this business is not in a category or segment that you have an interest. This start-up makes custom downhill and [...]
This post presents a small established CPG food brand that I recently worked on. What follows are some general facts about the company, its current state and my recommendations. Background Company This company is a family run operation started by the current owners and is more than 10 years old. Product Innovation The company has [...]
I watched 25 CPG startups present at the Pitch Slam event put on by Naturally Boulder, a networking group for the organic/natural/sustainable segment. Pitch Slam - what a great name - started at 2:30 and ended at 5:00, followed by the dinner event that included pitches by the finalists and selection of the winner. Overall, [...]
I read an article from Inc Magazine with a case study on a small CPG chocolate food company. The article described how the founders had received a sizeable order that could provide significant PR value to their company, but they were not certain they could fulfill the order in time. The case study offered three recommendations from experts. [...]
This post presents a small CPG food startup-up brand that I recently met. What follows are the facts I know about the company, its current state and my recommendations. Company This company is 6 months old with four founders who serve as the sole employees. They work for other companies and are growing this opportunity [...]
