Welcome to day 10: Episode 282 — How To Create a Thriving Engaged Community Today
Day 10 of 30 Days to Prosperity

If you want your brand to grow predictably, profitably, and sustainably, you need more than a great product on a retail shelf. You need a community—a living ecosystem of people who know you, trust you, love you, and advocate for you.

Because here’s the truth:
The brands that win in the future are the brands that own the relationship with their customer today.

Welcoming shoppers into your community, embracing them, making them feel seen, heard, and valued—that’s how you convert casual interest into deep loyalty. And loyalty is the engine behind every thriving natural brand.
Let’s dig deeper.

Why Putting Your Product on a Store Shelf Isn’t Enough
In the previous episodes, I made one critical point:
If I buy your product in a store, you still know nothing about me.
You don’t know why I bought it
You don’t know how I use it
You don’t know what problem it solves for me
You don’t know when I buy it or who I share it with

That means you can’t market to me effectively.
You can’t nurture me.
You can’t retain me.
You can’t turn me into an evangelist.

This is one of the biggest reasons promotional spending is so ineffective. You’re essentially shouting into the void hoping your message reaches someone at the right time.

Future-proofing your brand requires a different approach.

The Better You Know Your Customer, the Easier It Is to Grow
When you build a relationship with your customer outside of retail—through email, community spaces, memberships, texts, events, and groups—you unlock insights that most brands never gain access to.

You begin to understand:
What they buy
Why they buy
When they buy
How they use your product
Which other products they pair with yours
What pain points they haven’t articulated yet
What they wish existed in the category

This is where true innovation comes from.
This is where profitable marketing comes from.
This is how similar shoppers find you organically.
And this is a far more cost-effective and accurate strategy than relying on traditional marketing or consumer research.

A Real Example: How Customer Insight Transformed a Brand
On one podcast episode, I shared the story of a struggling oatmeal brand. They marketed their product as a traditional hot cereal. But when they finally surveyed their customers, they discovered that most of them were using it as baby food.

Once they knew this, everything changed:
Their messaging shifted
Their packaging evolved
Their content changed
Their marketing aligned with actual usage
Sales exploded

This is why knowing your customer on an intimate level will change your entire business.

When you understand your customer, your selling story becomes clear, your innovation becomes sharper, and your retail strategy becomes more effective.

Speak Their Language—Even If They Haven’t Found the Words Yet

Let’s imagine a future customer.
They’re struggling with bloating, low energy, achy joints. They’re frustrated. They’ve tried everything. They can’t articulate the problem.
But you can.
In your messaging, you say:
“Feeling achy, tired, or bloated? You might be overlooking a hidden sensitivity—one that thousands of people struggle with but rarely identify.”

Now they’re curious.
Now they feel seen.
Now you’ve spoken directly to their unspoken pain.

You didn’t come in saying, “We’re gluten-free! Buy our stuff!”
You started where they are—confused, frustrated, searching.
This builds trust.
This builds connection.
This builds loyalty.
You’ve solved a problem they didn’t know how to name.
That’s how brands win hearts, not just carts.

This is the exact information retailers need and can’t get from anyone else.
Leveraging the Power of Your Unique Shopper, is how you can go into every retailer meeting with insights no competitor can offer.
Make sure you’re subscribed.
Share this episode with a founder looking for more loyal customers
And download today’s guide
Your tribe is waiting.
Let’s start inviting them in.

For additional inspiration listen to the following podcast episodes:
Episode 210 Fixing Our Broken Food System By Embracing Nature, Chloe Sorvino with Forbes
Explore fixing our broken food system with a focus on natural and local solutions for a sustainable future. Chloe, a Forbes writer, discusses her journey into food and agriculture journalism, highlighting her passion for food and gardening. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the complexities of the food supply chain, from farm to table. Chloe also touches on the inequities of the broken food system and the need for greater awareness about the true cost of our food.

Episode 205 The Impact of Regenerative Organic on Brand Sales Growth, Matthew Caspersz with Cha’s Organics
Cha’s Organics is a regenerative organic brand. This is a great episode because Matthew talks a lot about how he leverages a lot of the strategies that we're talking about here.

In this episode, Matthew talks about how he's developed a relationship with his customers and how he nurtures them and keeps them coming back again and again and again. His customers are extremely loyal to their brand. And more importantly, his brand has a connection to the community where the products are made, Sri Lanka.

His customers understand and love the impact that they're making on organic farmers. Matthew shares his story about how his brand is making an impact, a lasting impact, on helping farmers around the world. About how his products resonate with customers and how he's using that story and how it resonates with customers to drive sales for his brand.

Episode 75 Disruptive Start-Up Revived A Dying Category Strategy, Joel Clark with Kodiak Cakes
Discover how a disruptive start-up revived a dying category through innovation and understanding customer needs. Kodiak Cakes, a whole grain pancake mix brand, experienced significant growth after introducing a protein-infused mix in 2014. The brand’s success highlights the potential for innovation in stagnant categories and the value consumers place on healthier, higher-quality products.

Episode223 How To Boost Shopper Engagement And Explode Sales Effectively, Oli Bridge with bonjoro
Explore effective strategies to boost shopper engagement and explode sales without relying on expensive promotions. Bonjoro, a tool for personalized video communication, helps businesses connect with customers, increase engagement, and drive sales. It integrates with CRM systems and triggers videos based on customer actions, fostering loyalty and providing valuable insights.

Tip of the day: Welcome shoppers into your community. Embrace them. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Invite them to co-create new products and become a part of your brand

Thank you for listening. This episode has an accompanying video with illustrations and additional information I can’t share on an audio podcast. You can watch it at retailsolved.com/30daychallenge.

You can get the show notes for this episode by going to RetailSolved.com/Session282. Tomorrows episode is How To Become A Great Story Teller – Connect with Customers.

This episode will build on today’s conversation. Thank you for listening. I look forward to seeing you in the next episode.