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 confidenc ..read more

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 ..read more

In this week's episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, I'm answering the fourth quarter questions from YOU that have come up in our DMs over the past weeks. This episode hits multiple topics in one! You'll hear my rapid-fire, short and sweet answers to these questions: Should you give your retail buyers a gift? If so, what? What margins are buyers looking for during the holidays? Should I be giving buyers a minimum advertised (MAP) or maximum advertised price? And what can I do to plan for Q1 success in 2024? Tune into this brief episode to hear all my thoughts on these! Make sure to check out ..read more

One of the most common questions we hear emerging brands ask is: how many SKUs should I launch into stores with? And for good reason. Determining the number of SKUs that you'll sell into retail depends on many factors AND it impacts many other aspects of your business. That's why in this week's "Is It Worth It, Charlie?" episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, Charlie and Kim Meyer (the CEO & Chief Kimbar Maker at Real Food For The Journey, LLC) team up to discuss the number of SKUs that she will launch. In this episode, you will hear more on... How to think through best and worst case scena ..read more

Instagram stories receive over 400 million views per day. Over a third of those views are for business accounts. As you double down on connecting with your audience during Q4 and beyond, does your brand have a strategy for creating engaging and effective Instagram stories? In this episode, we're revisiting a past episode to ensure that you have a do-able system in place for making story content. You'll hear more about... Alli's 3 simple steps for creating engaging Instagram stories What goal format you can use to keep your stories clear and focused And how this process can ultimately save you ..read more

Now that we're IN Q4, time is ticking. Are you thinking about pitching your product before the year ends? If so, I want you to listen into this episode FIRST. I'll share more about what you need to know about pitching before the year ends, including... Whether you should pitch your product in Q4 at all What points your pitch needs if you are pitching your product in Q4 What you can do instead of pitching if your product isn't a Q4 fit And strategies that you can use to entice retail buyers in this season! Alright wizes, once you've listened in, I want to know where you're struggling. Send me ..read more

There's so much buzz around the 4th season and what it means for the retail and CPG world. How do we separate fact from fiction, when it comes to buyers in the 4th quarter? In this episode, I'm re-capping what you need to know about pitching in Q4 so that you make the most of your limited time. In this episode, you'll hear.. A month-to-month breakdown of what Q4 looks like for busy buyers How a potential staffing pinch will affect the grocery landscape Why it's "all bets off" for buyer communications after November And what you can do to hit the ground running in early 2024! Wizes, let us kn ..read more

I WISH that Faire existed back when I was a buyer. If you're not familiar with Faire, Faire is an online B2B marketplace allowing independent retailers to find and to connect with brands like YOURS. In today's episode, Colin Ainsworth and Andy Bluestein from the Faire team join the podcast to share… How Faire works, both from a brand and retailer perspective Ways that brands can optimize their profiles for retailer discovery The perks that retailers and brands receive for using Faire And mistakes to avoid as a new or existing brand on the platform Wizes, I want to know if you'll be updating ..read more

Q4 is nearly upon us. Before your holiday D2C sales start ramping up, there's one, one hour task that can increase your holiday sales: implementing an abandoned cart automation. Even if you already have an abandoned cart automation set up, this episode will confirm best practices for you. This episode will share... Reasons why your consumers might abandon a cart Resources to help determine where consumers are leaving in YOUR checkout process The step-by-step procedure for establishing an efficient abandoned cart email sequence, spread over five days WHAT each email should say And Alli's #1 ti ..read more

A successful wholesale pitch depends on multiple factors. But one thing is certain: without these 5 P's, you are all the less likely to nail your pitch. In this episode, I share these 5 key topics that you need to have prepared for buyers.   In this episode, you will be able to... Recognize the 5 P's in a successful wholesale pitch: product, placement, pricing, promotion, and purchasing Understand the nuances of each "P" & how you can BE prepared for pitching Know where you might have holes in your pitch And have next steps for what to do if you don't have these 5 P's nailed down ..read more