MTCO
Straight answers on the omni-channel journey for start-up consumer brands.
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
Many CPG start-up problems trace back to a few calls made without enough information, like a launch date set before supply could support it or a committed retailer relationship before you knew the cost.I've had to solve these problems, and I advise consumer founders and investors on how get the big operating decisions for their brands right the first time. Then the team runs with it and cuts once.
WAYS WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
I start with what the founder or investor needs most. Founders get a seasoned operator to lean on and investors get one for the brands they back. I advise two to three companies at a time, mostly through referrals.An hour when you need it: Bring the decision in front of you, for your brand or one you’ve backed. I’ll be a sounding board, share what’s worked before and tell you what I’d do.A seat at the table: An advisor who has been in the operating seat. We meet once a month. You send a short update a few days before, and I come in having read your numbers. Founders set this up directly, or investors set it up for a brand they’ve backed. If you have an advisory board, I can join.
ABOUT
I'm Brian. I spent 10 years at Harry's across R&D, go-to-market strategy and retail. I ran the Target and the Drug channels. Then I led Operations at Create Wellness as part of the executive team.My advice comes from problems I've actually had to solve at CPG start-ups, like:Launching new products with new partners on short, pre-committed timelines.Winning shelf space off-cycle from a national retailer by bringing our in-stock and on-time numbers to their supply chain team.Growing when a key supplier capped us and qualifying a high-quality second source partnership.Building a product quality system from the bottom up and implementing it across a supply chain.
WHERE I CAN HELP MOST
Roadmap Readiness: A new channel, a first national retailer, a big launch. I make sure your planning, inventory, quality, and product data hold up on the date you promised.Channel Strategy: Which channels to sell in, in what order, and what each one will really cost once freight, fees and retailer fines (chargebacks) hit.Org Building: What your operations team should look like at your size, who to hire next, how to hire them well, and making sure work doesn’t drop between teams.