Road 2 Retail: Recent Episodes
Tracey Priest & Bruce Montgomery
The Road 2 Retail has been developed to help emerging and challenger brands best determine when and how to go about securing distribution in food, drug, mass, club and dollar brick and mortar classes of trade. Our insight is based upon years of experience, interviews with buyers at a dozen large retailers, and ongoing discussions with manufacturers and suppliers that support brands. After years of leading and managing these business building initiatives for companies we worked for directly, we now help emerging brands navigate this important, yet complex, process.
On today’s show we speak with Buck Robinson- the President of Media Manager Marketplace. Buck and his experienced team have a long history of helping non big budget brands test and learn their way into the world of offline media (TV, print, radio, etc). You don't need a seven figure budget to make a positive impact on your business with offline media. Right up front, Buck discusses how offline media is not a substitute for digital and social- but simply another piece of a comprehensive marketing/media plan to drive demand for your brand. At times, brands are happy being on a retailer's shelf; retailer's like brands moving off their shelves. Discussion points include:- Truly understanding who your customer is and not who you wish they were- His firm's commitment to candid discussions with prospective and ongoing clients about objectives and what it will take to execute a plan- The importance of truly understanding what you are getting for your investment versus only worrying about what you are spending- How they can help brands drive business in specific markets and even with specific retailers- Using a data backed growth story to source, or remove uncertainty from, prospective investors Enjoy the show! Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Spotify, iTunes and on LinkedIn. Please leave us a review and share this episode with those who may find the content useful.
On today’s episode, we speak with Marc Perez - President of The Menper Group. Marc leads a family owned business intensely focused on delivering health and wellness products to the US Hispanic consumer. Marc discusses how they think about expanding their business, the way they have structured their sales organization, and how they vet suppliers. In addition, Marc reflects on his time as a private equity investor and offers his insights regarding what he looked for in brands and founders before committing capital. We hope you enjoy today's show and will follow the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, or Spotify. You can also find Road2Retail on LinkedIn and YouTube. Please leave us a review and consider sharing the podcast with colleagues who may find the content interesting as they look to drive their business.
On today’s episode we discuss the important actions small, emerging and challenger brands need to make when preparing to raise money with Genevieve Gilbreath - Co-Founder of Springdale Ventures. Given her experience, Genevieve discusses the keys to successfully raising money and the importance of having a good "match" with an investor. Among the topics discussed are: - What should a brand look for in an investor?- What investors look for in a brand? - What materials and information will a brand need to provide?- What mistakes brands make when seeking an investor? Enjoy the show! Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on Spotify, iTunes and on LinkedIn. Please share the episode with those who may find the content useful.
Road 2 Retail: Episode 47. Today we speak with the Founder & CEO of Backstroke - RJ Talyor. RJ is a multi exit entrepreneur in the technology space. His latest venture is helping brands and companies utilize email marketing and AI to grow their businesses. RJ discusses how their service works, how to manage budgets and discusses their methodology to ensure nothing offensive gets generated and distributed by their service. Email marketing can deliver a high ROI and budgets of all sizes can be deployed effectively. Finally, RJ shares his thoughts on raising money, what he looks for in his investors and, interestingly, what he wants investors to know about him. We hope you enjoy today's show and will follow us at The Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube. The link to follow the show on Spotify is right here: Episode Linkshttps://open.spotify.com/show/5MmvhUkvFsukmbl1RDzNAJwww.backstoke.com
On today’s episode, we speak with Andrew Weiss- the founder and CEO of the Partnered CEO. Andrew has been a part of the teams driving sales of several CPG brands. His biggest achievement is building the largest plant-based protein brand: Vega. Andrew shares his experiences building brands both his successes and the things he'd like to do over. We also discuss the importance of generating consumer demand and building a winning sales team. Hint: don't cut corners with your sales organization!We hope you enjoy today's show and will follow the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, or Spotify. You can also find Road2Retail on LinkedIn and YouTube. Please leave us a review and consider sharing the podcast with colleagues who may find the content interesting as they look to drive their business. The link to follow the show on Spotify is right here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5MmvhUk...Show Linkshttps://www.thetop100magazine.com/and...
Road 2 Retail: Episode 45. On today's show we speak with the founder of 3 Roads Brewing, Chris Sadler. Chris shares his reasons for starting 3 Roads Brewing and the journey he and his team have been on ever since. Chris discusses the complexity of the multi tier alcohol distribution system, the importance of building the brand out from (and winning) in your home market, the vital role a high quality product plays, and how to begin the journey to retail while competing with the industry giants. We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube.
Episode# 44- Expo West 2024 RecapOn today’s episode we share with our audience what Tracey Priest saw andexperienced at this year's Expo West show in Anaheim. We cover the currenttrends at this year’s show- including his take on what were the hot categories?Tracey also shares his insights and recommendations for brands who first wantto walk the show as attendees and for those brands who are attending asexhibitors. Expo West is a significant investment for a small and emergingbrand so you want to maximize your investment and build a detailed plan foryour time to ensure you have a successful show. Please follow theRoad 2 Retail podcast on Spotify or iTunes. You can also follow us onLinkedIn or on our YouTube channel.
Road 2 Retail: Episode #43. On today's show we speak with David Spratte - Co-Founder of Carpe. Carpe is a leading brand in the antiperspirant category. In today's show, David shares the genesis of the brand idea, how they developed the products and he shares a very interesting approach to inbound calls from consumers. David also shares learnings around driving awareness and demand for the brand as well as his perspective on raising money to drive growth. We hope you enjoy today's show and will follow the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube. Please share the episode with those that may find the subject interesting.
On today's show we speak with Susan Levy - Founder of SBL Consulting. Susan and her firm do a lot of work in the consumer healthcare space. She shares with us her views on how small and emerging healthcare brands need to think about coming to market, what trends she is seeing in the consumer healthcare space and she discusses a particular area of expertise of her firm: helping companies navigate the process of bringing a prescription drug over the counter. We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube.
Executing smart, cost effective market research can help you better understand your brand, your consumer, your communications, and why people are buying your product. This work can be done quickly and cost effectively. Today we speak with George Brown, VP of Client Development at AcuPoll. George takes us through examples of how research can help small brands understand their consumer, generate the information a retailer will want to know regarding why people will buy, and make a brand's sales and marketing dollars work harder.We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube
Road 2 Retail: Episode 38. Part II of an interview with Jason Omenn, VP of eCommerce at Market Performance Group (MPG). Many small, emerging or challenger brands feel that the road to success goes through Amazon and building a business on their platform. In the first part of our discussion with Jason, he highlighted the benefits and watch outs with regard to doing business with Amazon. Here in part two of our discussion, Jason covers the specifics around protecting your brand on Amazon, the best Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) to use, the importance of your content, how to maximize the impact of your brand page, optimizing search on Amazon and the power of positive reviews. We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn.
Episode #37. Part I of an interview with Jason Omenn, VP of eCommerce at Market Performance Group (MPG). Many small, emerging or challenger brands feel that the road to success goes through Amazon and building a business on their platform. This still may be true, but much has changed over the years. In today's discussion, Jason highlights the benefits and watch outs with regard to doing business with Amazon. Specifically, what traits should a product have in order to stand the best chance of being successful on Amazon, how much will it cost to do business with Amazon, and covers some of the changes Amazon is making to their processes that could impact your brand. We will have a second interview with Jason to discuss the specifics of getting set up and selling on Amazon. We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn.
Road 2 Retail: Episode #.40 On today's show we speak with the leadership team at Yard Rink. Yard Rink is a leader in the backyard hockey business. Brian Packard (CEO & Co-founder) and Dan Touhey (Head of Business Development) share their stories of how they saw a market for a simple, high quality backyard hockey rink that would be simple for consumers to set up and maintain. They share their learnings around market research to test and refine their product idea and communications, how they are thinking about expanding the business, and challenges of running a highly seasonal business. Dan also talks about the licensing agreement they have secured with the NHL.We hope you enjoy today's show and will subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or YouTube.
With 2023 in the books, today we take a look at a short checklist of key issues to be on top of as 2024 kicks off and you look to grow your small, emerging or challenger brand at retail. Being organized, doing what you say you are going to do (on time and accurately), following up, understanding the exp[ectations of your retail partner, and making sure your marketing plan is ready to activate are among the topics covered today. The 2024 competition has already started! Make sure you are prepared. We hope you enjoy today's show and please subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify or follow us on LinkedIn or our YouTube channel.
Today we speak with Doug Hall, Founder of the Eureka! Ranch and Co-Founder of Brain Brew Distillery. Doug and the Eureka! Ranch are one of the preeminent new products and innovation firms in the country. He has helped companies such as Nike, Diageo, Disney and Bank of America accelerate their innovation processes and drive growth. Brain Brew Distillery is his latest venture offering custom whiskey to consumers and also making gold medal winning bourbons in global competitions.Doug talks about the critical nature of differentiation in any new product coming to market AND how to prove this- to yourself, inside your company, and most importantly- to the consumer. Through his years of creating new products, he goes into great detail on the importance of the clarity of your brand communication. An inventor and entrepreneur at heart- Doug's passion for innovation is undeniable.Please subscribe to the Road2Retail podcast on iTunes or Spotify and follow us on LinkedIn.
As we continue our Founders Series we interview Matt Matros, a founder with two 8-figure exits. In this episode Matt shares with us his learnings from being a CPG entrepreneur: his successes, mistakes, what he has learned about raising funds and the real struggles of being an entrepreneur.
On today's show we speak with Garrett Gingerich, the Chief Marketing Officer of TayCo Brace. Garrett takes us on a journey through his career, transitioning from marketing agency executive to crossing the chasm and stepping into the client-side to facilitate brand and company growth. TayCo Brace is a young company on the incline of their growth curve as they bring true innovation to bracing and support for ankle and hindfoot injuries. Whether you are an NFL player, an injured weekend warrior, someone with chronic ankle instability, or simply a person looking for a better solution to injury recovery - TayCo Brace has a story to tell. Garrett shares with us the decisions his company is working through right now as they determine the best path forward to grow their business and the important decisions in front of them as they consider beginning to sell through national retailers. TayCo Brace is truly on the Road 2 Retail right now!
Please enjoy today's show. Subscribe to Road2Retail on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube or follow us on LinkedIn.
On today's show we speak with Jason Reiser, the President of Market Performance Group (MPG). Jason has served in roles of increasing responsibility in merchandising at several of the country's largest retailers: Sam's Club, Walmart, Family Dollar, Vitamin Shoppe, and Dollar General. Jason talks about what makes small, emerging brands successful, what they must get right when dealing with a national retailer, and provides specifics around what a buyer watches with regard to brand performance. In his current role at MPG, Jason provides insights with regard to how a firm like his can help small brands and suppliers win at retail via their expertise in sales management, solutions, and retail & brand strategy.
Please enjoy today's show. Subscribe to Road2Retail on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube or follow us on LinkedIn.
oad 2 Retail: Episode31. On today's show we speak with Vicky Holland. Vicky is the past President and current Chief Growth Officer of Pathfinders Advertising. Over the course of Vicky's career, she and her agency have helped brands of all sizes and categories shape their marketing communication and branding. Vicky offers insights and examples of what small, emerging brands need to get right and the importance of focus and clarity in a brand's messaging. We hope you enjoy today's discussion. Please subscribe to Road 2 Retail on iTunes or Spotify and follow us on LinkedIn.
In today’s episode of Road 2 Retail Founders Series, we interviewed Beryl Stafford, the founder, and President of Bobo’s oat bars. From creating Bobo’s in her kitchen to a very successful brand Beryl shares with our audience her entrepreneurial journey. Berry bootstrapped the Bobo’s brand for 12 years before taking on additional personnel and funding. This is a must listen for any small and emerging brand. Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
On this episode of our Founders Series, we interview Laura Meemken, the CEO of All Clean Food. Laura shares with our audience her journey of starting the All Clean Food brand from her own kitchen because her kids had food allergies. She wanted o to provide tasty, kid-friendly meals that would be available at retail to help other families that wanted quick, quality meals. Laura also adds insights into the importance of starting small, packaging and the value of “Sell through (Velocity) vs. Sell in (Distribution) Please subscribe to our podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or the Road 2 Retail YouTube channel.
On today's podcast, the Road 2 Retail team speaks with Mike Wilkins about how a small, emerging, challenger brand needs to think and act with regard to working with a national retailer. Throughout the course of Mike's career he has served as a Buyer and a Head Buyer at several large, national retailers across multiple classes of trade. Mike shares his experience and advice on actions what small, emerging, challenger brands should take to ensure success while also highlighting areas where a brand can get in trouble. We hope you enjoy today's show. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on iTunes or Spotify, Follow us on LinkedIn
On this episode of our Founders Series, we interview Nigel Smith, the founder and CEO of the Zurena brand of cocktail mixers. Small emerging brands will not want to miss this episode. Nigel is authentic and real about his entrepreneurial journey of creating a brand. Nigel shares so many great quotes and insights such as, “a start up is like a marriage” and “celebrate the wins along the way.”Please follow Road 2 Retail on LinkedIn, iTunes and Spotify
On this Road to Retail podcast, we interviewed Maria Uspenski, CEO of The Tea Spot brand. Maria has been at the helm of The Tea Spot for 19 years and has much wisdom to share with our small and emerging brands’ audience. Maria highlights the importance of authenticity, passion and the story behind a brand. She also emphasizes the importance of packaging. Please follow the Road 2 Retail podcast on LinkedIn, Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
On today’s episode we discuss a hot topic in the CPG industry:Deductions. Road 2 Retail interviews Greg Esslinger and Tanay Kothari from Floret.These two guys are experts when it comes to deductions. They share with ouraudience the best practices when it comes to deductions and what small and emergingbrands can do to mitigate deductions from retailers and distributors. TheFloret team also share the top types of deductions to beware of. Please follow Road 2 Retail on theseplatforms: LinkedIn page, Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
In this episode of Road 2 Retail we celebrate International Women’s month by interviewing Maya French, co-founder of the beverage brand Koia, with our guest host Krista Anderson, founder of ESSTAR. On this episode Maya shares with our audience the lessons she learned while launching Koia and other brands in the small and emerging brand arena. Maya also shares what small and emerging brands should consider before launching into retail and some mistakes to avoid as well as her insights into fund raising.Please subscribe to our podcast on Spotify, iTunes, or the Road 2 Retail YouTube channel.
As your brand begins to gain traction, one way to accelerate the growth is to attend a trade show. But where do you start? There are so many and the cost (financial and time) is not cheap. On today's show we discuss how to select a show, the best way to attend, what to bring, how to prepare, and how to follow up on your leads. A couple of keys: know what you want to accomplish going in and work the show hard from open to close each day! We hope you enjoy today's discussion. Please subscribe to us at Road 2 Retail on iTunes and Spotify
In todays' episode we speak with Rebecca Styn- the Founder of Blind Tiger Spirit Free Cocktails. She shares her story about how her brand came to be out of necessity due to Covid. Rebecca also shares an interesting perspective on the value of mentors, building and a network, and offers some unique ideas on fundraising she pursued to help get her brand off the ground. We hope you enjoy, and learn something, from today's show. Please subscribe to our podcast at our Road 2 Retail page on LinkedIn, YouTube, Spotify or iTunes
Episode 21: A Discussion with Ryan Springer- Founding Partner at the Investment firm Midnight Venture Partners In today's Road 2 Retail episode, we speak with Ryan Springer- one of the founding partners at Midnight Venture Partners. Ryan shares his insights on what a small, emerging or challenger brand should consider as a checklist before approaching a potential investor. In his role as an investor, Ryan shares what he looks for in a brand (and its founder!) before making a financial commitment. Ryan also offers solid recommendations on what a brand owner should look for in an investor partner. And finally, Ryan delivers some great ideas on how to best approach a potential investor. We hope you enjoy this discussion with Ryan Springer. Please subscribe to our podcast on Spotify or iTunes, and follow us on our Road 2 Retail YouTube channel or LinkedIn.
On today’s episode of Road 2 Retail, we interview Joe Tarnowski the VP of Thought Leadership and Global Media for RangeMe. On this episode Joe details exactly what the RangeMe product is and shares best practices for brands on how to utilize the RangeMe platform to showcase their brands and reach buyers from all types of retailers. Joe goes into detail explaining RangeMe Premium and RangeMe Sourcing programs. This episode is great for those small and emerging brands that are not yet using RangeMe to reach buyers or submit for category reviews with major retailers. This episode will also be insightful for those brands using RangeMe but wanting to optimize their reach.
On today’s Road 2 Retail episode we speak with John Pinto, the founder of the BoomBoom brand of all-natural nasal inhalers. John shares with us how the brand started, the opportunity he saw in the market as well as the successes and challenges he has faced while building his brand. John shares his experiences on the following topics: • How to know you are ready for retail • The challenges of working with a retailer • When to raise money and what to look for in an investor • What he would do differently if granted a 'do over' Please subscribe to our podcast on Spotify, iTunes or the Road 2 Retail YouTube channel
Taking a price increase on your brand In today’s episode, we are discussing all of the important aspects of taking a price increase on your brand. We cover the impact of taking a price increase on the end consumer as well as the steps in the process of executing a price increase. Taking a price increase in today's environment can have potentially positive and negative impacts on your brand as it pertains to the consumer and the retailer. Other discussion points in the episode include: When to take a price increase? How will a price increase affect your price at the retail shelf? How to communicate a price increase to a retailer and distributor? What push back from retailers should you expect? And other watch outs on the details of ensuring the increase is executed in an organized manner. We hope you enjoy today’s episode. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel, or find us on Spotify and iTunes under Road 2 Retail.
In today's episode we talk about the many important issues to consider and decisions that need to be made when considering initial brick & mortar retail distribution as well as expanding from your initial distribution. We discuss classes of trade, demographic match between your brand and the retailer's shoppers, understanding the costs of securing distribution, performance expectations, and how many skus should you launch with. We also touch on the need to be able to fulfill orders and the cash it will take to produce, ship and market this first order into your retailer. Lastly, where you go first matters! Play to your geographic strength if you have one- and expand from there. We hope you enjoy today's episode. Please follow us on our YouTube channel, Spotify, and iTunes.
Today we speak with Wayne Bennett, SVP of Retail for ECRM and RangeMe. Wayne shares with us examples of winning actions taken by small, emerging, and challenger brands over the course of his career that helped build their business. Wayne also shares some insights into exactly how ECM and RangeMe can help small/emerging brands connect with retailers. ECRM and RangeMe are the industry leaders in the product discovery, sourcing, and purchasing experience between top retailers and brands from around the world. They facilitate the buying and selling process by providing both face to face and virtual connections between retailers and brands. Please enjoy today's discussion with Wayne and we hope you take away some ideas for driving your business. Please follow us at on our LinkedIn page, Spotify, and iTunes.
Today on the Road 2 Retail we speak with Richard Palmer- Executive Director of Little Big Brands. LBB is a fantastic branding and design firm that has a long history of doing excellent work for their clients and helping them grow their business. Today Richard discusses the importance of truly understanding your consumer, how to create a brand personality and voice, and the dangers of cutting corners by not doing research. Richard also covers some of the key points to consider with regard to a brand's physical packaging structures and how this can become a key competitive advantage for your brand. We hope you enjoy, and learn something, from today's episode. Please follow Road 2 Retail on our LinkedIn page, Apple iTunes or Spotify
In today’s episode of Road 2 Retail, the discussion centers around how to handle getting "The Call”. The call in question is when your buyer calls you and tells you things are not going well, your brand is not meeting expectations, and action needs to be taken. We discuss the importance of not going into a panic and how to think through and frame your response to the buyer's call or email. If you understood and captured the buyer's expectations (including what success looked like) at the time of acceptance- you should not be surprised if you are tracking the data. We will offer you a checklist to consider before engaging with your buyer. Other points covered include: • What questions to ask when you do speak with the buyer • Being proactive vs. reactive • Don’t take the call or email personally • What to include in your plan of action • The importance of follow up Please follow Road 2 Retail on our LinkedIn page, YouTube, or Spotify.
Road 2 Retail- Episode # 13: Hiring a Broker to Assist with Sales On today's Road 2 Retail podcast we interview Rob Maxwell- Senior Vice President of Dirty Hands Growth Services. In this episode, we begin the discussion with Rob by asking how to know when a small/emerging brand is ready to hire a broker to assist with the Sales effort. Other topics covered include: - Pros and cons of hiring a regional versus a national broker - How is a broker compensated for their efforts? - How does a broker differ from a distributor? Rob shares his experiences of both successes and mistakes he has seen over his career of working with a broker to assist with the sales function. Please follow us on our Road 2 Retail LinkedIn page, our YouTube channel, or on Spotify.
In today's episode, we speak with Afif Ghannoum- CEO of BIOHM Health. BIOHM Health is a firm helping consumers support their overall wellness by helping to optimize their gut health. Afif shares with us his insights into building a science based brand, the importance of differentiation, some tips on being well organized before attempting to raise money, and some watch outs when you consider whether or not the time is right to go to traditional retail. Afif also offers his viewpoints on getting started as a DTC business. We hope you enjoy this episode and pick up a few ideas to help you with your business building journey.
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In today's episode our guest is Krista Anderson- the founder and CEO of Esstar. Esstar focuses on helping consumers find brands that promote a healthy eating lifestyle. Krista currently lives in, and works from, the South of France. Krista has a tremendous business origin story as a stage 4 cancer survivor; she shares with us some great insight into her entrepreneurial journey. Topics covered include: How can an entrepreneur prepare for the cost failure? How does a small company redirect their efforts when confronted with a challenge? How can a company succeed without outside investment? We hope you will enjoy hearing Krista's story. Please follow us on our LinkedIn page, our YouTube channel, and we can now be found on Spotify.
Episode # 10:
On today's Road 2 Retail podcast we speak with Minor Hinson. Minor is the Chief Investment Officer for Bourne Partners Strategic Capital. Minor provides an overview of what investors look for when considering an investment in small, emerging brand as well as what kind of information should be included in a pitch deck and finally- what makes a good match between an investor and an emerging brand/entrepreneur. We hope you find today's show informative. Please follow us at Road 2 Retail on YouTube or share via our LinkedIn page.
On today’s podcast we interview Dawn Kelley, the CEO of Barney Butter- the great tasting almond products brand. In this episode, Dawn shares great advice for small and emerging brands on the lessons she has learned on her journey to building the Barney Butter brand into one of the leading positions in the almond butter category. Dawn shares key moves her brand has made, what she would do differently if she could, and explains why sell through for a brand is more important than sell in. She also discusses her approach to retailer expansion and what she would be looking for in an investor if Barney Butter were to raise growth capital. We hope you enjoy (and share!) this great episode.
In today's episode (Episode 8) of The Road 2 Retail we discuss the importance of having a Go-to-Market strategy for your brand. This document becomes your GPS to building and growing your brand at retail. We discuss the specific components of the Go-to-Market strategy including, the optimal class of trade to approach first, the specific retailer within the class of trade to focus your efforts, pricing, and most importantly- the cost of failure. Please follow us on our Road 2 Retail LinkedIn page or our YouTube channel for our past and future episodes.
On today’s Road 2 Retail podcast we interview Chris Hunter, the co-founder and CEO of the Koia brand. In this episode, Chris shares great advice to small and emerging brands on the lessons he has learned on his journey in developing the Koia brand. Chris shares his view on how to know you are ready for retail, mistakes to avoid, and how best to raise investment funds. You don’t want to miss this great episode. Follow us on our YouTube channel at Road 2 Retail.
In this week's Road 2 Retail podcast episode, Bruce Montgomery offers his views and commentary on the recently completed NACDS Annual conference which was held in Florida April 23-26. This is a key event for manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers in the health and wellness space. It is great to see key industry meetings coming back to in person attendance.
In today's episode, we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Jamie Grace, a long time former Walmart buyer across multiple categories. In this episode, Jamie shares great advice for small and emerging brands: What is the mental checklist a brand should think through before going to retail in general and Walmart specifically? What does a brand have to get right before approaching a retailer and what mistakes have you repeatedly seen made by small/emerging brands? What is the best way to secure a meeting at Walmart? What moves have you seen small brands make that have done things right?
In today’s episode, we are going to discuss how to prepare for a retailer meeting. You have worked hard to secure this key meeting for your brand, now we are going to share with you how to make sure your presentation works virtually (Zoom) or in person. We will share with you how to prepare an agenda, make sure your meeting runs smoothly, and how to be clear what you want out of your meeting? Brevity, clarity, and concise communication to a retailer buyer is key: How is your brand different? How will you help drive their category performance?
Once you have narrowed down the ideal retailer to approach in an attempt to expand your business, how do you get a meeting with that buyer? Relationships matter! Do you have a key contact that can recommend you and your brand to the retailer? Is your product truly unique and different? Retailers want to grow their sales- not just divide the same pie into more pieces. Is your team credible- meaning do you know your category and have you worked with this retailer before? And lastly, can you fund your brand at a competitive level?
What do you need to consider before you attempt to approach a retailer seeking distribution for your small/emerging/challenger brand? Can you produce with consistency at scale? How confident are you in your manufacturing partner? Is your supply chain stress tested? Do you have a 'go to market strategy' developed? Do you understand the criteria for success the retailer will place on your brand? Do you understand the cost of failure?
The Road 2 Retail has been developed to help emerging and challenger brands best determine when and how to go about securing distribution in food, drug, mass, club and dollar brick and mortar classes of trade. Our insight is based upon years of experience, interviews with buyers at a dozen large retailers, and ongoing discussions with manufacturers and suppliers that support brands. After years of leading and managing these business building initiatives for companies we worked for directly, we now help emerging brands navigate this important, yet complex, process.