Stay ConnectedBrand Builder brings you the people, stories, and lessons learned from the most innovative brands in the world. Presented by SnackNation. Hosted by Sean Kelly, Jordan Cohen, and Jeff Murphy.
Similar to How I Built This, The Dave Ramsey Show, and Seeking Wisdom by Drift.
You've heard the adage, "If you talk the talk, you'd better walk the walk."
This week, we're joined by Michele Liddle, founder of The Perfect Granola and a shining example of what it means to 'walk the walk' and build a truly cause-based brand.
If you're an emerging brand, you know that marketing can be a Pandora's Box that leads to more questions than answers:
Which marketing strategies will give me the most bang for my buck?
How can I create buzz for my brand, while doing everything else on my to-do list?
How do I connect with influencers and customers in an authentic way?
As the founder of marketing communications agency SchroderHaus, Elexis Schroder has helped build powerhouse brands like Lily's, Good Karma, and C2O Coconut Water by honing in their marketing strategies across PR, digital media, brand positioning and more.
In this episode, Elexis bottles up her 15 years of experience to offer the ultimate crash course on brand marketing. From PR and media training, to influencers and branding on a budget, you'll discover the secrets to creating a laser-focused marketing strategy where small steps make a massive impact.
What does it take to solve one of the nation's most complex and pressing issues? For Cole Riley, he believes it takes a fresh entrepreneurial perspective and a new way of doing things.
This week on Brand Builder, we're joined by Cole Riley, the founder of Wellfare. Not to be confused with government support, Wellfare is a nonprofit subscription box that's making better-for-you foods more accessible to those navigating food insecurity.
With over 50 million people in the US lacking reliable access to healthy, nourishing food, Cole is on a mission to break down the barriers of food insecurity including accessibility, awareness, and affordability by bringing healthier options straight to people's doorsteps.
Sometimes your greatest idea hits you at the most unexpected time. For Velobar founder Brant Reiter, it was during a leisurely bike ride in 2015 when he realized the world was missing a cannabis-infused protein bar.
From that moment until now, Brant has navigated a Wild West-style cannabis industry, creating and recreating an award-winning, high-protein CBD snack that can now be found in grocery stores, coffee shops, and gyms across the country.
In this episode, Brant demystifies the world of cannabis and takes us on the journey of Velobar, from breaking through red tape to finding a niche customer base with fans nationwide. Plus, we announce the arrival of Brand Builder's new co-host!
Links:
Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!
What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!
Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod
Brand Builder is produced by Caroo.
"Climate change and sustainability can feel like such huge problems that you struggle to even know the first step you can take. So I thought, why don't I start with something small?"
Where some see an overwhelming problem, Julia Collins sees a wondrous opportunity.
As founder and CEO of Planet FWD, Julia Collins is on a mission to tackle climate change using the magic of food, starting with the world's first climate-friendly snack brand Moonshot Snacks.
Not only does Moonshot Snacks make ridiculously delicious crackers, but every step of their creation is dedicated to reducing emissions in the food system, improving soil health and optimizing human health.
In this episode, Julia shares how her and her team are using technology to discover scalable solutions to the food system's biggest problems, and getting customers excited about making conscious choices that reflect the world they want to live in.
Links:
@moonshotsnacks on Instagram
@moonshotsnacks on Facebook
Connect with Julia on LinkedIn
Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com.
Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.
Pass the Honey Founder Douglas Raggio will be the first to admit that Pass the Honey is, in fact, a front.
Behind the scenes, Pass the Honey is working to restore legitimacy in the honey space, an industry that's the third most fraudulent in the world. They're on a mission to promote pollinator health, fight for land conservation and support habitat creation while creating 100% pure snacking honeycomb.
There's no doubt that Douglas is a founder on a mission to good, but he's not afraid to admit his journey to Pass the Honey has been coupled with dark times, hard truths, and wrongs he's working to make right. In fact, our interview went to some deeply personal and unexpected places that you've got to hear for yourself.
In this episode, Douglas also highlights what he believes to be short-sighted venture capital and private equity investments in the food and beverage space, and how he's tackling them head-on through his Bias and Blindspots Consulting Agency.
This week on Brand Builder we've got Ryan Hansen, the President and Founder of FireCreek Snacks, joined by Dustin Riechmann, FireCreek's Chief Marketing Officer.
FireCreek's origin story isn't just a wholesome tale, it's the inspiration behind their wildly successful beef and pork snack sticks and their path for the future.
As a self-proclaimed 3rd generation meat man, Founder Ryan has been around the jerky industry for a lifetime...and that's not hyperbole. After following in the footsteps of his grandfather's meat company, he partnered up with Dustin to introduce a new and delicious jerky stick to an already competitive category.
Four years later, FireCreek's success has only grown as they've proven to be masters of alternative retail channels, trade shows, and data-driven branding.
In this episode, Ryan and Dustin reveal the family values that drive their products' success, and how their niche retailing strategy has set them up for FireCreek's next big move.
Links:
@firecreeksnacks on Instagram
@firecreeksnacks on Twitter
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
Connect with Dustin on LinkedIn
Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com.
Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.
Whether you're ready or not, the ball is always snapped. It's how you react that matters.
Business is full of sports metaphors… and some are definitely better than others. But this one carries a little extra weight because it comes from someone who played one of the toughest positions in football at the highest levels - including the NFL.
That man is Jeff Byers, a pro-athlete turned entrepreneur who is currently building the next great human performance platform. The platform is called Amp Human, and their mission is to help athletes at all levels achieve their limitless potential. He also happens to be our guest on this episode of Brand Builder.
To achieve this audacious goal, Amp Human has adopted a strategy to "win at the top." This means validating the product with elite athletes, pro-sports teams, and institutions like the military.
In this episode we talk to Jeff about the the serious science behind their flagship PR lotion and new Vitamin D lotion, why competing everyday is the key to entrepreneurial success, and why comparisons to aspirational brands like Nike and Gatorade really aren't too far off.
This interview got us all sorts of FIRED UP… and we think it will have the same effect on you.
Links
Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!
What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!
Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod
Brand Builder is produced by Caroo.
Beverage has been described as a "brand forward" category.
This is especially true in the premium beverage space. Consumers align themselves with particular beverage brands to make a statement about who they are. A drink in hand becomes like a fashion accessory - an expression of values and identity - and it's not uncommon for premium beverage companies to think of themselves more like lifestyle brands than CPGs.
But sometimes the brand - or the can - hides a lackluster product.
Fortunately, that's never going to be the case for Cloud Water.
Cloud Water is an all-natural sparkling beverage made with premium botanicals. Their two principle product lines are their original hemp-infused CBD sparkling waters and their new Immunity line, designed to boost your body's ability to fight infection.
Cloud Water is a functional product that supports physical and mental wellness. But the real star of the show are their totally unique flavor profiles, like blood orange & coconut or Aztec chocolate and strawberry.
Now that's not to say that Cloud Water doesn't focus on its brand aesthetic - quite the opposite. The real genius of Cloud Water is that instead of thinking about brand and product separately, they focus on creating a holistic premium experience, marrying taste, function, and aesthetic.
We spoke to Cloud Water Brands co-founder and CEO Marc Siden about what it takes to create a holistic experience like this and the many ways this approach has paid dividends.
Marc also opens up about his entrepreneurial journey, his leadership style, and how the constraints of the pandemic inspired their latest innovations.
Links
Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!
What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!
Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod
Brand Builder is produced by Caroo.
Food is a ticking time bomb.
CPG entrepreneurs often learn this the hard way. The minute your product comes off the line, you have 90 days to get it to a distributor. If not, you're looking at progressive discounts every month after that.
The reason? Most distributors insist on a 75% shelf life. If you can't guarantee that timing at the outset, you're taking on way too much risk. If you're not careful, you can whittle away your margin completely.
That's what makes demand planning and forecasting - the topic of this episode - so important. If you can nail the when, where, how often, and how much of your product, you're well on your way to CPG success.
To help us understand all this we're joined by CPG veteran and master-forecaster Alex Duong.
Today Alex is the CEO and founder of Ancient Provisions, a wholesome and delicious cheese-flavored cracker. Alex has seen CPG from just about every side of the business. And with previous experience onboarding emerging brands at Whole Foods and Procurement at Thrive Market, he's honed some serious forecasting chops.
Alex also has a history of being ahead of trends, and he isn't afraid to pivot when faced with new information. This is a big reason why Ancient Provisions is thriving, despite launching in one of the most challenging environments imaginable.
Alex shares how to nail your 2021 forecast, the single most common planning mistake he sees companies make, and why every entrepreneur should ask themselves: are they a Russell Westbrook, a Lebron James, or a Kawhi Leonard?
Links
Join our Exclusive Facebook Group!
What's your biggest takeaway from the episode? Join our invite-only, private Facebook group just for Brand Builder Community members, where you can connect with fellow entrepreneurs and founders, crowdsource ideas, share best practices (or lessons learned), and get your most important questions answered. Join now!
Facebook.com/groups/brandbuilderpod
Brand Builder is produced by Caroo.
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