249. The Trade Spend Traps: The Biggest Mistakes Brands Make After Getting Into Retail

You made it onto the shelf. Great. But now the real spending begins.Trade spend is one of the biggest drivers of success in retail — and one of the fastest ways for emerging brands to lose money, stall velocity, or get discontinued. In this deep-dive conversation, I and Yuval Selik unpack the most common and most expensive trade spend mistakes founders make, and how to avoid them.We cover:Why most founders underestimate the true cost of staying on the shelfThe promo structures that quietly destroy marginHow to avoid “set it and forget it” promotions that never performWhat deductions actually mean — and how to stop paying for things you don’t oweHow to know when a promotion is working vs. when you’re just lighting money on fireThe cashflow impact that no one warns new brands aboutIf you’re selling in retail — or about to — Yuval will help you build a smarter, more profitable trade spend system from day one.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Ian Timmons and Billy Knox, founders of Beefy, and one of my favorite new snacks—featured in our Winter Foodbevy Insider Box.We talk about:what went wrong (and right) in early R&Dthe complexity of manufacturing and scaling a brand-new product formatthe GTM strategy that got Beefy their early tractionwhere they’re headed next as they expand beyond DTCStartup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

In this episode, I share how one “small” packaging change can snowball into a six-figure problem—and how to stop that from happening to your brand. I sit down with Maureen Dollard, founder of Complete Acuity, to break down where CPG founders go wrong: missing pieces in the scope, forgetting secondary packaging, and leaving regulatory to the last minute. If you’re planning a refresh or new launch in 2026, this is your cheat sheet to avoiding costly delays, write-offs, and do-overs.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

In this episode, I sit down with Joon co-founders Cody Allen and Alexandre Bennet to talk about how they turned a 300-year-old family pistachio recipe into one of my favorite new snack brands. We dig into how they chose pistachios, grew into 1,000+ doors in just months, and built a brand that stands out in a crowded snack aisle. If you’re a founder who loves a good origin story and wants the playbook for smart, fast growth, you’ll want to hit play on this one.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Most founders design packaging based on gut feeling — not data. But what if you could know, before launch, exactly how consumers will respond?In this episode, I chat with Michael Keplinger, Managing Partner at SmashBrand, about how to bring the consumer voice into every stage of brand-building. We dive into the psychology behind the 3–13 second decision window, how packaging roles differ between e-commerce and retail, and how to create a testing roadmap that fits a startup budget.Michael shares how data-driven testing can help founders not only improve packaging performance but also win over retail buyers with proof that their product converts.If you’re building or rebranding a CPG product, this episode will help you make smarter decisions, reduce risk, and create packaging that sells itself.Learn more about SmashBrand.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

Getting a meeting with a retail buyer is tough — but winning that meeting is even tougher. In this episode, I talk with Tia Ellis, Founder and CEO of Wildflower Insight, about how to pitch your product to retailers the right way.Tia shares her Golden Retail Rule, breaks down the 3 types of pitches every founder should master, and reveals how to understand buyer psychology so you can connect, persuade, and close that coveted purchase order — all without relying on a broker.💡 Want an intro to Tia or to collaborate on future episodes? Reach out at [email protected] to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

What does success really mean to you? For many founders, that answer gets buried under industry pressures, investor expectations, and comparisons to competitors. In this episode, I sit down with Howie Sher of JPG Resources to discuss how he helps founders uncover their own definition of success—and build their businesses accordingly.We’ll talk about why defining success in personal terms is essential, how to avoid chasing metrics that don’t matter to you, and practical advice for aligning your business goals with the life you want to live. Whether you’re just starting out or deep into scaling, Howie’s perspective offers both wisdom and clarity.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

When I ran my own CPG brand, supply chain headaches nearly broke me — late POs, cash crunches, and endless supplier follow-ups. In this episode, I sit down with Helen Murphy, Founder and CEO of Opply, who’s building an operating system for small and mid-sized CPG brands to simplify sourcing, forecasting, and funding.Helen shares how her background in consumer goods and tech inspired her to solve the pain points we’ve all felt — from ingredient sourcing to retail readiness — and how Opply helps founders unlock better pricing, smoother operations, and extended payment terms.If you’ve ever felt stuck managing ops instead of scaling your business, this episode is for you.👉 Want to unlock 60–90 day payment terms with your current suppliers? Email us at [email protected] for an introduction to Opply.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

I sat down with Brad Ebenhoeh of Belay (formerly Accountfully) to unpack how CPG founders can actually make money during Black Friday and Q4 instead of burning it on discounts and excess inventory.In this episode, we talk about:Knowing your true landed costs and margins by channelForecasting demand without tying up too much cash in inventoryNegotiating supplier terms and securing credit before you need itDeciding if Q4 is really your season—or if you should shift focus to Q1Brad brings years of experience supporting CPG brands through the most stressful (and most profitable) time of the year.👉 Want a direct introduction to Brad and the Belay Accounting team? Email us and we’ll connect you at [email protected] to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

I sat down with Garrett Otondo, Director of Strategic Operations at Little Spoon, to explore how their team scaled from DTC to retail while shipping 30,000+ fresh meals each week.We cover:Cold chain packaging + logisticsData-driven demand planning to reduce wasteHow Owlery streamlined freight and retail launch👉 Need help managing freight? Owlery is one of our partners and they’re offering CPG founders a 60-day free trial with a dedicated success manager to help you get set up and streamline shipments. If you’re sending freight every week, this is a powerful way to cut costs and ensure deliveries arrive on time.💬 Want an introduction to Owlery? Just email us at [email protected] we’ll connect you directly.Startup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.