238. Part II: Kai's Transparent Take on Building Your Biz Conscientiously

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode! The opportunity to sell our products in a franchise seems like a no-brainer. Right? Well, there is usually more to consider: distribution, our production capacity, and more! That’s why we’re so excited to share this “Is It Worth It, Charlie?” episode where Charlie and Natalia, the founder and owner of Curious Cat Bakery, discuss just this. As Natalia thinks through whether she should start selling her frozen vegan croissants to a local franchise, you’ll hear more about…   The main questions she wants to answer before saying yes  How she can ease into an agreement that will allow more organic growth And what her next steps after the conversation are!   We know plenty of you have likely wondered this same question, so we can't wait to hear which part of this episode you needed to hear most. Let us know by sending us a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn. Find our links and more about Natalia and Curious Cat Bakery at our full show notes here!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   We know. When someone tells you what not to do, it’s easy to tune them out. Maybe they aren’t in your position or they don’t have experience with your challenges. But it’s quite the opposite in today’s episode. Charlie Berkinshaw, the founder and CEO of Element Shrub and our VP of Student Success here at Retail Ready®, joins Alli to discuss the top 3 mistakes he sees food founders make. Charlie has been running Element Shrub for over 9 years as a solopreneur, which means that he knows firsthand the challenges of this industry. You’ll hear…   How running a business based on what other folks are doing can be costly What you can do to avoid running into unexpected costs when you don’t account for your labor And why you need to be eyes wide open on what a distributor might cost   Charlie’s sharing all this and more so that you can save yourself time and effort. If you’d like to learn more about Element Shrub and Charlie’s work here at Food Biz Wiz, then check out our full show notes here!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   Online, on TV, and from your next door neighbor, you’ll hear tons of financial advice for your business. “Avoid debt at all costs.” “You need to spend money to make money.” “Advisors from Fortune 500 companies will always know better than you.” It can be confusing to say the least! In this episode, Sarah Delevan, the Founder & CEO of Sarah Delevan Consulting & The Good Food CFO, joins us to shed light on some of the most common financial challenges food businesses face, debunk some misconceptions, AND share how brands can navigate those challenges. In this episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, you’ll hear more about….   Why higher sales don’t automatically solve a cash flow problem How critical it is to know all of your product margins What you can do to take a holistic approach to your cash flow and margin Reframing how we see debt and why it’s not inherently bad to have debt   Wizes, we can’t wait for you to listen to this conversation! If you want to check out all the useful episodes mentioned, as well as more about Sarah, check out our full show notes here. You’ll also find our Instagram and LinkedIn links there as well!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode! 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!

Psst, before we tell you about the episode: Food Biz Wiz is hosting Wholesale Week from Monday, June 3rd - Friday, June 7th! Wholesale Week is our 5-day FREE online workshop for food, bev, and taxable grocery brands that want a solid starting point for a smart retail strategy. With 10 minute, bite-sized lessons, it’s easy to participate. Register at the link here! Now, back to this episode!   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 in the show notes here!