30 Days To Prosperity

Episode 272 — How To Profitably Scale a Food Business Successfully

If you’re an emerging CPG founder, you’re probably feeling it right now—the rising cost of doing business, the pressure to scale faster than your infrastructure is ready for, and the nagging fear that one wrong move could shorten your runway. Most of the advice you’ve heard—“just raise more money,” “spend to grow,” “play the promo game”—isn’t only outdated, it’s dangerous in this economy.

Here’s the part no one says out loud: the path most founders are following is built on assumptions that were never designed for small, mission-driven brands. And when the rules don’t serve you, you need a better rulebook.

That’s why this series exists.

Because profitable scaling is not about outspending the competition. It’s about out-strategizing them. And you can do that—today—with the resources you already have.

Let me take you behind the curtain for a moment.

Before I went dormant a few years ago, I launched the original 30 Days to Prosperity Challenge as a way to give founders the foundational skills that big brands pay a lot of money to train into their teams. That series became the seed of something much bigger: a masterclass to help you extend your runway, strengthen your retail partnerships, and convert occasional shoppers into loyal evangelists. That work helped hundreds of brands—but the landscape has changed, and you deserve an updated roadmap built for today’s challenges and opportunities.

So today, we’re relaunching a completely revitalized 30-day experience—updated, expanded, and grounded in the realities brands face right now.

And we’re starting with the core question every founder asks sooner or later:

“How do I scale profitably without losing control?”

Let me explain.

Scaling isn’t just about adding distribution. It’s about building the systems, discipline, messaging, and retail execution that allow growth to stick. Otherwise, every new door becomes a liability instead of an asset. You’ve felt that tension—when adding accounts doesn’t translate to cashflow, or when you’re spending more to support velocity than you’re earning back.

I’ve sat in that seat as a founder, as a CEO, and as the person accountable for P&L performance at national scale. I’ve also sat across the table from the retailer—the buyer who needs your brand to deliver category growth, not just take up space on the shelf. That dual perspective is why this masterclass exists and why today’s episode is foundational.

A Founder Story: What I Learned the Hard Way

Years ago, when I cofounded a brand, I believed scaling was simply about getting more retailers to say “yes.” We were mission-driven, disciplined, and we had product-market fit. But what we didn’t have was the systems to support sustained growth.

We chased distribution before we had clarity on our pricing architecture, our retail execution discipline, or our data story. And here’s what happened: every time we added a new account, the margins tightened. Every promotion required more capital than we expected. Forecasting became guesswork. And suddenly scaling felt like running on ice—lots of movement, not much traction.

That painful lesson shaped everything I teach today.

It’s the same insight I covered in Episode 270 when I talked about operational discipline as the hidden engine behind scale—and in Episode 271 when I walked through the fundamentals of trade marketing - your growth engine. Profitability depends on the decisions you make long before the product hits the shelf.

And retailers feel it too.

Which brings us to the first lesson of this new series.

Lesson 1: Scaling Successfully Requires a New Lens on Growth

Consider this:
If distribution alone created profitable scale, every brand with national placement would be thriving. But that’s not what we see in the data. Bigger brands grow because they have a clear roadmap—systems, strategies, and well-trained teams. You deserve access to the same advantages.

Here’s why that matters.

When you understand how a retailer measures success, how category roles shape decisions, and how your brand contributes to their overall market basket, you take the guesswork out of growth. Suddenly you’re not just pitching products—you’re delivering value in the language retailers use to manage the category.

This is the opportunity.

And it’s the heart of 30 Days to Prosperity.

Every lesson in this series is designed to give you one quick win—one foundational capability you can implement immediately. Stack those capabilities for 30 days, and you’ll have a fully functional roadmap for profitable, sustainable scale.

Lesson 2: You Need a Better Strategy Than “Do More”

Most founders think they need more:
- more money
- more promotions
- more brokers
- more distribution
But “more” can actually shrink your runway.

Let me explain.

The biggest brands don’t win because they’re everywhere—they win because they know exactly what levers to pull and when. They manage their trade spend with precision. They understand velocity drivers. They know how to partner with retailers instead of react to them.
And here’s the secret:
Big brands don’t execute as well as you think. Their Achilles heel is poor retail implementation and bloated systems that prevent them from being nimble. That means your real competitive advantage is not size—it’s agility. It’s your ability to execute with excellence. It’s your ability to build deeper relationships with your core shoppers and with your retail partners.
This series exists to help you turn that advantage into momentum.

Lesson 3: Your Brand Needs a Yearly Checkup—Starting Today

Think of this masterclass as your annual brand physical.

We’re going to evaluate:
- Your pricing architecture
- Your trade spend discipline
- Your retail execution strategy
- Your data story
- Your velocity drivers
- Your distribution readiness
- And how all of those pieces work together
Because scaling a food business profitably isn’t about any single tactic—it’s about alignment. You need every part of your business rowing in the same direction.

Now back to the retailer’s perspective.

A retailer is betting on you. They expect you to drive category growth, simplify their business, and bring loyal shoppers through their doors. Most brands unknowingly create friction instead of value. Throughout this series, you’ll learn how to remove that friction and become the brand retailers love to support.

What You’ll Get Over the Next 30 Days

Over the next 30 episodes, you’ll get:
- One quick-win strategy per day
- A deeper understanding of how scaling actually works
- Clarification around the myths that drain your cashflow
- Retail-ready insights you can apply immediately
- Tools to stretch your resources and extend your runway
- A roadmap for converting occasional shoppers into evangelists

This is not surface-level advice.

This is the same advanced strategy training big brands invest heavily in—translated and adapted into a system that serves emerging brands without compromising your mission, values, or authenticity.
Think of this podcast as your natural products accelerator. And it’s free.

Closing: Your First Step Toward Profitable Scale Starts Today

Here’s what I want you to remember from today’s episode:
- Scaling without strategy shortens your runway.
- Profitable scale requires clarity, discipline, and a category growth mindset.
- You deserve the same strategic advantages big brands pay for—this series gives you that edge.
- Every quick win builds the foundation for the next.

You can do this. You now have a roadmap, a guide, and a system that has helped brands from pre-revenue to multi-billion in sales. The industry needs your innovation, your voice, and your mission-driven leadership—and you deserve an equal seat at the table.

Tomorrow, we’ll dive into the first pillar of profitable scale: understanding what retailers really want and how to align your brand strategy with their goals. This one shift will change everything.

Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. Share this masterclass with any founder who needs a competitive edge. And don’t forget to download the free guide that accompanies this episode—it’s full of examples, checklists, and tools that will accelerate your progress.

We rise by helping each other. And together, we’re going to build brands that last.

For additional inspiration listen to the following podcast episodes:

Episode 87 Build Your Brand With These Sturdy Foundation Essentials, Peter Burns with ONE Brands, Justins, and Hain Celestial
Learn how to build your brand with a sturdy foundation through discipline and commitment to excellence for lasting success. Peter discuss the importance of old-school strategies for brand growth, emphasizing the significance of distribution, shelf management, planograms, pricing, and promotion. He highlights the value of in-store customer engagement, building strong relationships with retailers, and focusing on core products for brand success.

Episode 100 Sage Brand Building Advice from Industry Leaders, Gary Hirshberg, Seth Goldman, Miyoko Schinner, Kyle Garner, Sheryl O’Loughlin & Chuck Muth
Gain motivation and focus with Sage Brand Building Advice. The Podcast celebrates its 100th episode with industry thought leaders sharing advice for their younger selves. Get a masterclass on how to avoid the common pains of growing a brand and learn how to become an iconic industry leading brand today. Learn what experts would tell their younger selves about building their brand.

Episode 32 The Supermarket Guru Insights for Retailers with Phil Lempert
Discover how The Supermarket Guru helps brands understand market changes and trends to get their products on store shelves. Small, natural brands can succeed in mainstream retailers by building a consumer following and showcasing success through social media and direct-to-consumer sales. Brands should focus on driving traffic, understanding consumer demographics, and communicating their value to retailers.

Tip of the day: Commit to continually learning and growing. Don’t allow life’s distractions to derail you or keep you from achieving your goals - your purpose!

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/session272. Tomorrows episode is How To Launch & Scale A Profitable Food Business Step-by-Step

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