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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!    

In business, we often feel that we might have to compromise on our values to see our brands grow. But on the Food Biz Wiz podcast, we want to highlight how you can still grow your brand AND center your values. That’s why in today’s Original Recipe episode, we are excitedly revisiting our episode with Ibraheem Basir, the CEO and founder of A Dozen Cousins. A Dozen Cousins produces delicious packaged beans, rices, and sauces inspired by Black and Latino recipes from throughout the Americas. Ibraheem shares how he continues to emphasize being a values-centered company AND growing A Dozen Cousins into a national, retail-first brand. Tune in to hear him and Alli discuss… Why retail was where he focused first, instead of D2C What values A Dozen Cousins stands for and how they weave them into their work Their process for hiring diverse, values-aligned team members and building team culture As Alli has mentioned, we want to connect further with you, our Food Biz Wiz listeners! We want to know: which piece of Ibraheem’s experience or wisdom inspired you the most for your brand? DM us on Instagram or on LinkedIn, which you can find linked in our full show notes. You’ll also find more information on Ibraheem, A Dozen Cousins, and all the resources mentioned linked there as well. This episode is sponsored by our mini Reorder Checklist! In line with growing your brand through multiple tactics, 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!  

We often get into this trap of thinking: we've put hours of work in, so the sales will automatically follow. Right? The truth is that it's not always a 1:1 relationship, especially in e-commerce. That's why we're thrilled to have Maureen Mwangi, the Founder of Startward Consulting, e-commerce expert and brand strategist behind many of America's most beloved brands, join us on the Food Biz Wiz Podcast today! In today's episode, she shares multiple ways that you can architect your SKUs, seasonality, and branding to increase sales, even when you think that you’ve hit a plateau. In this episode, you'll hear Alli and Maureen discuss... How having specific uses for each of your products benefits your brand The importance of using data to know your consumers How using data to inform your decisions makes your work more efficient What authentic branding can do to reach the right audiences You can find out more about Maureen, Startward Consulting, and their Sales Maximizer training in our full show notes here! There were so many gems in this episode so we want to hear from you: which will you incorporate first? Connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn (both in our full show notes) to share more with us! This episode is sponsored by our Retail Roadmap! We want to share Alli’s buyer expertise so that you know what it takes to get ON the retail shelf - be it a physical or digital shelf - AND have high sales once you're there. Find our free, nine-step guide to building a brand that flies off the shelf by clicking here so that you’re planning for each next step NOW!    

As we enter February and celebrate Black History Month with our Food Biz Wiz community, we are excited to revisit this episode with CPG industry veteran Sheryl O’Loughlin on how we can cultivate an inclusive CPG industry that supports Black futures and represents all of us! Sheryl is the co-founder of the JEDI (justice, equity, diversity and inclusion) Collaborative, the Women on Boards Project, former CEO of REBBL and Clif Bar and Company, and co-founder and former CEO Plum Organics.   In this episode, you’ll hear Sheryl and Alli discuss…   Why prioritizing just, equitable, and inclusive practices is critical to our industry  What brands might be able to expect in their journey to becoming a brand that supports anti-racism, equity, and inclusivity How Jedi Collaborative's work can support YOUR brand’s particular JEDI journey And why these journeys are STILL important for brands who have small teams!   This episode is packed with important insights and we’d love to hear your takeaways. Connect with us through our Instagram or LinkedIn, which are both linked in our full show notes here. You can also find all the links mentioned in the episode there, too!   This episode is sponsored by our Retail Ready® Masterclass! As we put the first month of 2024 behind us, we want to make sure that the rest of your Q1 is armed with actionable tips from Alli 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!    

We are back with our first “Is It Worth It, Charlie?” episode of 2024, with Karen Hetz. Karen is the Chief Happiness Officer of Kids’ Cake Boxes and she joins Charlie to discuss how she can decide what’s next for her business on the heels of her business’ third anniversary. Tune in to hear more about… What questions we can ask ourselves to orient how we move forward Why looking back at our original “why” can inform our future How we can rethink what it means to be successful in business and why pivoting and “failure” isn’t an inherently negative thing! We’d love to hear what resonated most with you from this episode, wizes! Connect with us via Instagram or LinkedIn at the links in our full show notes HERE. You can also check out more on Karen and Kids’ Cake Boxes. This episode is sponsored by our Retail Ready® Masterclass! If you listened into this episode and wanted to be part of a supportive CPG community AND have Charlie’s insights on your biz challenges, then Retail Ready® is the perfect place for you. Check out our Masterclass for our actionable tips to increase YOUR sales in Q1, plus hear more about joining us in Retail Ready®. Click here to sign up for a time to watch our Masterclass!  

Welcome to our first episode of season 20 of the Food Biz Wiz Podcast, wizes! As promised, we are kicking off this season with Sarah Davidson. Sarah is the Executive Vice President of ECRM, which connects producers with retail buyers through hybrid and in-person buyer meeting events. In her role at ECRM, Sarah has seen 1000s of buyer pitches. In this episode, you’ll hear… How ECRM connects the right buyers and the right suppliers through their events Common traits of the most successful buyer pitches and what NOT to do The importance of timing with resets and category reviews in mind As I mentioned in our episode, one of my 2024 goals is to feel more connected to our listeners. Please find the links to our Instagram and LinkedIn (as well as the Sarilla article mentioned, Sarah’s contact information, and our past episode) in our full show notes here! This episode is sponsored by our Retail Roadmap! Just as Alli and Sarah share their “insider” knowledge in this episode, receiving “insider” knowledge can make a world of difference for an emerging brand. We want to share Alli’s buyer expertise so that you know what it takes to get ON the retail shelf - be it a physical or digital shelf - AND have high sales once you're there! Find our free, nine-step guide to building a brand that flies off the shelf by clicking here so that you’re planning for each next step NOW!    

In this brief first Food Biz Wiz episode of 2024, I want to share the game-changing business belief that I tried on over the past 2 years. Honestly, this belief has surprised me! It contradicts some of my typical business guidance, but for good reason. Press play to hear this specific belief and… How trying on this belief can help get you closer to your vision A reminder of why you might have started your business in the first place And one more way that you can get closer to your business vision Wizes, I want to hear what YOUR response to this belief is. Be sure to DM me on Instagram or on LinkedIn and let me know. You can find both links in our full show notes here! If you listened in and heard me mention Wholesale Week, then you’re in the right place! From Monday, January 8th - Friday, January 12th - we're talking all about e-commerce, increasing wholesale accounts, perfecting your sales pitch, and connecting with wholesale Buyers in five days of mini-lessons that only take 10 minutes per day. We’ve designed these mini-lessons to get you going in the right direction. Plus, by participating daily, you’ll be entered to win amazing prizes, like a free 1:1 session with me and more! I'll send you all the details on the how, what, and when once you register and save your spot in Wholesale Week HERE.  

Joe Tarnowski, the VP of Content & Global Media at ECRM, joins me today on the Food Biz Wiz podcast to join forces in sharing our 2024 CPG predictions. ECRM works to connect suppliers and buyers in our industry and Joe brings 10+ years of CPG industry experience to inform his upcoming predictions. We can't wait to share more with you, so tune in to hear more about... The years-long trend that will continue into 2024 Challenges that suppliers will continue to face from a buyer perspective How brands will adapt into non-traditional channels that support their way of biz Increased consumer know-how & education in their product choices And room for indulgent brands that aren't health or wellness focused! Joe and I would LOVE to know which trends might have surprised you or which ones you wanted to hear. Come let us know by tagging us on social media or sending us a DM on IG or LinkedIn -- you’ll find our links and information in our full show notes, as usual! One more thing here…if you’ve been on the fence about joining Retail Ready®, our program for CPG brands who want to land on more shelves and increase their sales, then NOW is the time to join! Savvy brands have a solid pitch and sales plan READY come January…but we know that they also want time to take a break during the holidays without feeling the guilt. That’s why we’re giving brands who join before year end extended access through March 31st. Give yourself the gift of ease and confidence by joining Retail Ready® today!    

I've got to say, wizes: I'm a little bit nervous to share this episode. While we typically focus on directly CPG-related topics here on the Food Biz Wiz podcast, I'm going to talk about taking rest unapologetically in our business journey. Though you've likely heard me mention the importance of rest, I'm coming to you vulnerably as a reformed workaholic! You'll hear me discuss... My relationship to hustle culture and how it might relate to your work ethic as well How we can recognize our relationship to hustle culture and burnout so that we can stay rooted in our own business motivations Why we don’t have to see rest ONLY as a means to increased productivity And my 2024 challenge & your invitation to stay connected with it! Wizes, I’m SO thrilled to commit to this 2024 challenge. If you’re interested in following along in my Rest Report, then make sure to sign up at our site here. Be sure to also check out our full show notes here, where we’ll add more podcast episodes on the topic of rest and mental health. One more thing here…if you’ve been on the fence about joining Retail Ready®, our program for CPG brands who want to land on more shelves and increase their sales, then now is the time to join! We know savvy brands who join now want to have a solid pitching and selling plan in place come January…but they also want time to take a break during the holidays without feeling the guilt. That’s why we’re giving brands who join before year end extended access through March 31st. Give yourself the gift of a game plan for January, plus the ease of knowing you’ll have extra time in March to kick off your new year. Check out our full information here!  

In the CPG industry, we often feel the pressure to “grow, grow, grow” in order to reach success. We have to keep our foot on the gas in order to get to where we want to be, faster. Truthfully though…it’s usually not sustainable for our mental health or for building a business that works for us. That’s why Anjali Bhargava joins this week’s episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast. Anjali Bhargava is the founder and CEO of Anjali’s Cup, which makes ayurvedic-inspired drink mixes and spice blends. Anjali self-describes as “the tortoise” in her business and has much to share about growing the confidence to build a business that works for her. Listen in to hear more about… How she decided to pivot from her original product Why she embraces being “the tortoise” in her business What the benefits of growing slower have been, including being more adaptable, leaner, and tuned into her intuition And how returning to her values time and again kept her on track! Make sure that you check out our full show notes here to find Anjali’s Cup and connect with me on Instagram and LinkedIn! If you’ve been on the fence about joining Retail Ready®, our program for CPG brands who want to land on more shelves and increase their sales, then now is the time to join! We know savvy brands who join now want to have a solid pitching and selling plan in place come January…but they also want time to take a break during the holidays without feeling the guilt. That’s why we’re giving brands who join before year end extended access through March 31st. Give yourself the gift of a game plan for January, plus the ease of knowing you’ll have extra time in March to kick off your new year. Check out our full information here!  

As we approach the new year, goal-setting advice is par for the course. The thing is, everyone’s course might look different! That’s why in this brief episode, I encourage you to do things differently with your goals. You’ll hear me talk more about… The value of knowing YOUR “why” in setting your goals My controversial a-ha moment that I want all CPG founders to hear when goal setting And an invite to join us in our FREE Not Another Goal Workshop on December 5th to set our 2024 goals together! Interested in joining us to set 2024 goals together? Register for our FREE goal setting workshop, the Not Another Goal Workshop, on December 5th at 11am PST, at our link here! Be sure to check out our full show notes as well, where you can find where to connect with me on Instagram and LinkedIn, and you can ask me your questions on our workshop and on goal setting. We hope to see you at the workshop!    

We have a brief episode this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, but we still wanted to take a moment to connect with you, wizes! In this episode, you’ll hear… About resources to learn more about the history of Thanksgiving and Indigenous people in the United States and how you can learn about whose land you might live on An ask to share our podcast with YOUR food founder network so that we can reach more founders! PLUS an invitation to set 2024 intentions thoughtfully in our FREE online workshop on Tuesday, December 5th, titled “Not Another Goal Workshop.” We’ll share the WLF method for setting goals that actually stick! Be sure to check out our full show notes here so that you can connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn. You can also find out more about our Not Another Goal Workshop and register here! In the meantime, we hope you get a chance to share some delicious food and be in community with loved ones this week. See you next week, wizes!