236. From Hustle Mode to Healthy Growth: Pivoting, Using Your Strengths, and Saying No

We can all agree: it’s TOO easy to dust off a box of Girl Scout cookies. So when Girl Scout cookie season rolls around, I try to avoid buying their cookies at all costs. But this season, as a savvy young Girl Scout in my neighborhood used her bag of sales tricks on me, it got me thinking about what sales tactics work and don’t work in the CPG world.   In this brief episode, you’lll hear… The 3 easy sales tactics that you can borrow from this young seller for YOUR CPG sales One of the missed opportunities for increased sales that you can capture Plus more about my freebie to use with these tactics!   We want to see you share this episode with your fellow food founders. Make sure to tag us on Instagram and LinkedIn, which you can find in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by our freebie workbook outlining 100 Buyer No’s. This workbook will walk you through prepping for any possible wholesale buyer objection and guide you in crafting a response that lets buyers know you are READY to get ON and sell OFF their shelf. It’s the perfect tool to have as you prepare for all your pitches. Find the free download here!

Hearing "your SKU is underperforming" from a retailer can easily put brands into a panic. It's natural. We don't want to be on the chopping block when category reviews come around.   That's why we're thrilled to share this "Is It Worth It, Charlie?" episode. In it, Mary Bentdahl, the Co-Founder, CMO, and Director of Sales for ShroomEats, joins Charlie to discuss how she was able to react and to adjust when she heard from a retailer that one of their SKUs was underperforming. You'll hear their conversation on...   The importance of keeping cool when you learn of a SKU's underperformance How staying proactive in your retailer communication can support your SKU success What harnessing consumer feedback can do for course correcting sales   We're thrilled for you to listen into this episode and want to know which piece of Mary's experience resonated most with you. DM us on Instagram or LinkedIn, which are linked in our full show notes here. You can also find more about Mary and ShroomEats at our full show notes!   This episode is sponsored by our mini Reorder Checklist! As Mary mentioned, it’s valuable to have a list of go-to actions for selling off the shelf. This checklist can help you be more likely to sell off those shelves and receive reorders. You can find our simplified version at the link here OR, if you’re a Retail Ready® student, you can find the longform version and training directly within our course platform!

The Portland Good Food Mercantile is coming up soon and we know that tons of tasty food brands will be attending. As you prepare for this trade show and other trade shows, you might wonder…what do I really need to BE prepared for these shows?   That’s why we’re revisiting this episode with Joyce Attar. Joyce is the Director of Operations and member of the family that owns and operates Barbur World Foods, World Foods, and Ya Hala in Portland, Oregon. She’s also a member of the Good Food Merchant Alliance! She joins Alli to discuss…   Where you can find a list of retailers that are values-aligned What BUYERS do to prepare for trade shows Why knowing your end customer and store audience is critical What piece of information not to miss in your buyer followup email   We can’t wait to hear which piece of Joyce’s advice that you’ll implement first in your next trade show. DM us on Instagram or LinkedIn to let us know, and check out our full show notes here to find more information on The Good Food Foundation and their work, as well as more on Joyce!   This episode is sponsored by Retail Ready®. Another quarter is beginning…do YOU have a strategy for starting and maintaining growth in your biz? If not, sign up for a time to watch our Masterclass! As we begin Q2, we want to make sure that you have an actionable retail strategy for how to increase YOUR sales. Check out our Masterclass for these tips, plus hear more about joining us in Retail Ready®. Click here to sign up for a time to watch our Masterclass!

Have you heard these myths about creating memorable brand names? Myth 1: All the good names are taken. Myth 2: It's too late to change your name. Myth 3: A name isn't that important. Well in this week's Food Biz Wiz episode, Alexandra Watkins, the Chief Executive Boss Lady of Eat My Words and a leading & outspoken authority on brand names, joins us to debunk these myths! In this episode, you'll hear all about...   What Alexandra's “SMILE & SCRATCH Test” is for creating names Why it's not too late to re-brand and re-name your biz! How you can even use this process for product or line names And how you can enter the giveaway to win Alexandra's book, Hello, My Name is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick   Wizes, we are thrilled to share Alexandra’s actionable advice with you! Listen in and check out our full show notes here for all the details on Alexandra and how to enter our giveaway, plus how to receive a discount on Alexandra’s course! This episode is sponsored by our Secret Sauce Quiz! Do you want to know what’s working in YOUR biz? Then make sure to take our Secret Sauce Quiz! You’ll answer 10 quick questions on yourself and your biz, and you’ll learn your brand's current strength & how you can leverage that this year. (We promise that it’ll take less than 2 minutes!) You’ll receive a curated list of free resources for your exact stage of business and your business superpower - so that you can do MORE of what’s working. Click here to take the quiz and receive your results and resources

We are back this week with part II of last week’s episode 237 with Kai Nortey! In this episode 238 of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, you’ll continue to hear Kai and Alli discuss more about Kai’s transparent, no sugarcoat experiences as a CPG founder.   If you missed part I in last week’s episode, we recommend that you check out that episode first! Kai Nortey is the CEO & Co-Founder of kubé, PBC (Public Benefit Corporation). Kubé is a Black woman-owned artisanal, premium, and luxurious full-fat coconut ice cream womanfacturer and social enterprise, based in Oakland, California. They make their own clean, full-fat coconut cream from mature coconuts, then blend it with organic plant-based food ingredients.    Specifically, you’ll hear more about… How Kai has arrived at her non-negotiables in their business What the costs of taking VC from investors who aren’t aligned could be Why it’s worth exploring all your options and pivoting when necessary And what you can do to empower yourself before investment conversations!   Wizes, you can find all the resources mentioned in this episode, plus more about Kai and kubé in our full show notes here! As always, we want to hear: what perspective or wisdom did you need to hear most from Kai today? DM us via LinkedIn or Instagram and let us know! Didn’t have a chance to join my LIVE Wholesale Success System training this week on Tuesday or Thursday? Then come sign up for a time to watch my Masterclass! As we put Q1 behind us, we want to make sure that YOUR Q2 is armed with actionable strategy on how to increase YOUR sales. Check out our Masterclass for these tips, plus hear more about joining us in Retail Ready®. Click here to sign up for a time to watch our Masterclass!

The CPG industry remains OPAQUE in many ways. It can feel hard to enter it prepared. That's why we're thrilled to have Kai Nortey, the CEO & Co-Founder of kubé, PBC (Public Benefit Corporation) join us to bring a transparent look at how she has built her business to work for her. kubé is a Black woman-owned artisanal, premium, and luxurious full-fat coconut ice cream womanfacturer and social enterprise, based in Oakland, California. They make their own clean, full-fat coconut cream from mature coconuts, then blend it with organic plant-based food ingredients. You'll hear all about: The lessons that Kai learned directly from founders in the ice cream category What building the biz their way has meant for them and their community Some of the challenges of taking VC when you are a values and mission-forward brand And how important it is to find truly values-aligned partners to support your brand and its mission Wizes, part II of this episode will be in episode 238 next week. Before then, we want to hear from you in our Instagram or LinkedIn DMs: was there something in this episode that surprised you or that you needed to hear? Find Kai's & kubé's information, as well as our social links, in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by my LIVE Wholesale Success System training on March 26th and 28th! Do you often feel like you’re constantly winging your sales strategy? Like you never actually know if you’re saying the right things in a pitch or if you’re on the right track? If you answered yes to any of these, then come learn my Wholesale Success System. I'm teaching this system on Tuesday, March 26th and again on Thursday, March 28th. Pick the date that works for you, and register for free here!

We are thrilled to continue celebrating female founders' businesses and their CPG wisdom during this Women’s History Month. In this week’s episode of the Food Biz Wiz Podcast, we’re sharing our conversation with Tonia Farman, CEO and Co-Founder of Queen of Hearts, which makes the world’s first sustainable salad dressing, made with hemp seeds. Tonia’s business is rooted in creating a positive impact for our food system. She has navigated multiple challenges and wins in her biz, so you’ll hear about… Actually leveraging YOUR strengths and how to find them Knowing what the signs of burnout from hustle culture are and when you should pause Using your data to guide what to focus on next and what to cut out And saying no as a means of guiding your growth thoughtfully and strategically Wizes, we’d LOVE to hear what takeaways you needed to hear from Tonia in this episode or what you’re going to implement next. DM us or tag us over on Instagram or LinkedIn and be sure to check out Tonia’s podcast. Find all those links, plus the resources that Tonia mentioned, in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by our mini Reorder Checklist! In line with finding the right tactics that work for YOUR business, this checklist is a list of ways to onboard a new retailer so that you’re more likely to sell off those shelves and receive reorders. You can find our simplified version at the link here OR, if you’re a Retail Ready® student, you can find the longform version and training directly within our course platform!  

Busy caregivers, busy founders, busy people have at least ONE thing in common. They all deserve healthy AND delicious snacks to fuel them! This is part of what propels B.T.R. NATION. In this episode of the Food Biz Wiz Podcast, I’m sitting down with Ashley Nickelsen, the Founder, CEO, and Chief Snack Officer of B.T.R. NATION. They are on a mission to help fix our broken food system one snack at a time! I am thrilled for Ashley to share her story and how she has built B.T.R NATION (plus recently tripled their doors in the span of 2 months!). You’ll hear more about… Why determining your non-negotiables NOW can help support your strategy How staying rooted in your original “why” supports your authenticity The importance of finding the right partners at the right time And what a more genuine approach to working with influencers looks like Wizes, as we mentioned in the episode, we want to hear what YOUR non-negotiables are after listening to this episode. Come DM us or tag us in your stories over on Instagram and on LinkedIn, which are both linked in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by our Secret Sauce Quiz! Do you want to know what’s working in YOUR biz? Then make sure to take our Secret Sauce Quiz! You’ll answer 10 quick questions on yourself and your biz, and you’ll learn your brand's current strength & how you can leverage that this year. (We promise that it’ll take less than 2 minutes!) You’ll receive a curated list of free resources for your exact stage of business and your business superpower - so that you can do MORE of what’s working. Click here to take the quiz and receive your results and resources today!    

Today's guest on the Food Biz Wiz podcast is Skyler Mapes, the Cofounder and CEO of EXAU, a high-quality Italian olive oil brand. Skyler has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 and has grown EXAU by 6x over the past 6 years. Still, Skyler says "no" to constant growth and expansion. In this episode, we are thrilled to share our conversation on her journey to this point and the lessons that she has learned, including... Why the "slowness" of the food industry is relative and how you can use it to encourage thoughtful decision making Three words you need to hear to grow YOUR comfort zone The importance of doing self-healing work to root into your values more clearly And how their passion for olive oil helped land them a book deal! Wizes, as Skyler and I mentioned in this episode, we'd LOVE it if you scroll wayyyy back in our social media profiles and tag us on our early content! You'll see that being a brand online is a constant work in progress and see Skyler's three key words in action. Find both the Food Biz Wiz and EXAU social media links in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by our freebie workbook outlining 100 Buyer No’s. This workbook will walk you through prepping for any possible wholesale buyer objection and guide you in crafting a response that lets buyers know you are READY to get ON and sell OFF their shelf. It’s the perfect tool to have as you prepare for all your pitches. Find the free download here!

Most people don't believe me when I say this, but here’s a secret of mine: I am actually an introvert. I often dread the small talk of industry events and how draining these events can sometimes feel. But over years of attending industry events, I've come up with a game plan that has made attending events both more fun AND more valuable. In this episode, I'll share my tried and true game plan with you, including... The THREE steps that I take to ensure a more mindful and impactful time at events How knowing and sharing your goals with others helps your brand And why you need to build in time to rest after events! As I mentioned in the episode, I want to know what YOUR goal for your next event is, so feel free to tag us in your stories OR DM us on Instagram or LinkedIn so that we can cheer you on! Find our Instagram and LinkedIn via our full show notes here! Have you been considering Retail Ready®? We never put Retail Ready® on sale but are offering a HUGE deal for Leap Day! The first 29 people who join Retail Ready® on Thursday, February 29th will receive two never-seen-before deals: a $250 cash rebate for you to invest back in your own business AND our Leap Day Bonus Bundle, worth over $1700 of pre and post trade show cheat sheets, our Food Biz Wiz Money Maker list, which has our favorite pitch slams, accelerators, grants, and money making opportunities for the year ahead, and a whole lot more! This promotion is available ONLY on Thursday, February 29th - and is open to the first 29 brands who join us that day - or until 11:59 PM, PST - whichever comes first. Click through to the full show notes for details and to get a “save the date” directly on your calendar!