Just a Few of the Brands and Companies I Have Worked With...
I Love Working With Natural CPG Brands...
I am passionate about the industry in which I have spent 45 years, and hope to spend many more.
Pioneering excellence
I started my journey in the Natural Foods Channel in 1978, working in retail health food stores and food co-ops, then in distribution, brokerage, sales management, brand development, channel management, brand strategy and eventually brand founding. Along the way I have touched dozens of brands and worked with just as many founders and management teams, all aligned with the common purpose of transforming our food systems to produce better outcomes in nutrition, sustainability, and food equity.
My guiding principles for client work
- Efficient Use of Resources
Sometimes a Full-Time Employee is just not what a growing company needs, and a fractional hire makes more sense for sales, brand management, channel strategy etc. I've been a fractional resouce since 1986 in the industry and I know how to stretch my client's budgets to get the most value.
- Coaching the Value of 'No' in a world that wants 'Yes'
In four decades of consulting, I've seen many unforced errors in go-to-market plans, including not knowing when to 'keep the powder dry'. Use my insights and mentoring to build a profitable growth plan to scale in the channels at the right pace to build a sustainable brand and business.
- Ethical Representation to All Stakeholders
Every player in the value chain relies on honest, ethical and transparent communication. I uphold the highest standards in all my communications to and from clients in the marketplace.
Ensuring success with my experience
My commitment is to provide strategic, innovative, and results-driven solutions tailored to your brand's unique challenges.
Strategic Brand Positioning
Understanding where your brand fits in the retail shelf category, foodservice menu placement, consumer use occasions and other intersections is key to developing the right go-to-market strategy, and I can lead and coordinate those initiatives with an unbiased eye to help craft a 360 degree strategic plan.
Solving the Distribution Puzzle
Where, how and when your brands and products arrive to the 'last mile' destination and how much that actually costs can look like an unsolveable conunundrum. I enjoy finding solutions that are robust, profitable and sustainable for clients.
Realistic Velocity Forecasting
Forecasting sales velocity for growing brands is tricky at best. While larger brands have many years of sales history upon which to base forecasting, newer brands are forced to make a SWAG until good data is available. That's an art, and one that years of experience has taught me.
Crafting a Healthy Bottom Line
There are always unforeseen costs when brands go to market in the channels. Having seen many emerging brands fail to plan for these costs has given me unique insights into how to plan pricing, promotion, and pace distribution development to avoid unplanned margin degradation.
I will introduce you to key services and benefits and understand your current needs.