Ben Acott

Before you launch a CPG brand with any sort of DTC strategy, make sure you do this… I promise it will take you 15 minutes or less. I see brands going straight into product development and selling without checking a crucial detail: Will the economics actually work if launched as a DTC brand? So many founders dive in because they’re excited about their product. But if they don’t understand the full payback period, they risk serious financial setbacks down the road. We created a simple 15-minute tool to help founders calculate if their DTC model is sustainable. Here’s why it’s worth it: - It considers real margins - It factors in customer acquisition costs - It gives you clarity before you commit Instead of risking time, money, and sanity, get a quick gut check. Spend those 15 minutes and see if your numbers add up. Starting strong is better than starting over. Download the free template below (link in the comments👇).

11

1 Comment

Remarkable story of building a billion dollar food brand. Started with just a few gluten-free tacos and Ziploc bags because she had Lupus. Turned out the market was huge. The team (family of 7) eventually took investment from private equity, but only after thorough vetting--the PE folks had to hang out with the family (including grandma) and workout with the team at the gym to ensure culture fit! --- When they walked into their local food cooperative a decade ago with a Ziploc bag of homemade tortillas, Veronica and Miguel Garza had no clue that they would one day have a billion-dollar business. At the time, they didn’t have a business of any kind. Veronica had just started making grain-free tortillas from her Texas kitchen, and her wildest dream was selling them at a farmers market. But after that fateful day, she founded a company with Miguel, her youngest brother. They called it Siete Foods—siete as in the seven members of the Garza family. In only 10 years, their products have gone from a single grocery store to just about every supermarket. These days, Siete’s collection of grain-free snacks includes tortillas, chips, taco shells, cookies, churro strips, beans, queso puffs, salsas and sauces. What started as a side hustle has become one of America’s most successful food startups. And it was just acquired by PepsiCo for $1.2 billion. Source: WSJ, link below.

3

3 Comments

Let’s play the blame game. Whenever an NBA team – or a company – fails to reach expectations, people are quick to point fingers. "The Atlanta Hawks didn’t make the Playoffs because of Trae Young," some say. "Company Y missed their earnings because the VP of DTC didn’t get enough unique visitors to the website," they say. Rarely, though, is the finger pointed at the right place. That’s because – and the example of Trae really had me thinking about this – when a company falls short, it’s almost always an institutional failure and not a single individual. What does that mean? Let’s keep using Company Y and that VP of DTC as our example. In a nutshell, the VP was in charge of DTC revenue and missed the projected number. Still, to drive that revenue the VP’s dependent on the product team producing and delivering the right product at the right time. That VP’s dependent on the marketing team cooking up the right assets, branding, and copy. That VP’s dependent on the C suite allocating the proper budget to drive the expected dollars. That VP’s depending on a lot of variables – and on the overall institution – that are out of their control. Likewise, Trae averaged 26 ppg, 10 apg, and made the NBA All-Star team this year. Yeah, he wasn’t perfect on defense and he turned the ball over a fair amount. Still, he’s dependent on institutional variables, too, such as the front office picking up the proper complimentary pieces before (and during) the season. He’s dependent on the ownership group hiring the right basketball, medical, nutrition, and training staff. And, he’s dependent on all of his teammates. With all of that in mind, no matter who is at the top of a company or team, it takes certain factors to be successful. You have to have clear goals and incentives need to be aligned. You have to have outstanding communication. You have to trust one another. You have to, lastly for now, respect one another. If one of those key elements is missing, leadership is going to be on the hook. Which is why we say: Heavy is the head, in this case Trae and our VP of DTC, that wears the crown. #leadership #business

42

2 Comments

Launching a CPG brand is hard, but you don’t have to do it alone. The Intro team has asked me to help them beta their new subscription feature, so I’m offering 5 exclusive 1:1 mentorship slots for founders looking to build, scale, and exit successfully. Though I’ve had three exits, I’ve also made every mistake, so you don’t have to. Here’s what we can cover together: ✔️ Creating a unique, standout brand. ✔️ Product development, manufacturing & packaging design. ✔️ Boring but important stuff like insurance. ✔️ Securing retail and distribution deals. ✔️ Brand promise and positioning. ✔️ Preparation for acquisition or exit. Also beta testing this along with fellow CPG Experts Tara Hannaford (Former VP at Casamigos, acquired for $1B), Ben Acott (Former CMO of Feastables), Mitchell Krupp (CPG Investor and Board Member at Liquid Death & Saint James Tea), Marty Bell (Founder of Vacation® & Poolsuite), and Ashvin Melwani (Founder of Obvi). Comment “interested” 👇 to secure your spot: intro.co/mattmatros 📸 me launching a CPG brand. And the Laker Girls.

54

43 Comments

Brick-and-mortar shakeups dominate retail news this week, with major closures and an exciting new opening. Here are the eCom and retail updates you NEED to know: 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 💰 🍆 Hello Cake, a sexual wellness brand, acquires Trigg Laboratories and raises $18M in Series B funding. 🛋️ Havenly, a leader in home decor, acquires modular furniture company Burrow. 🌵 MAGIC CACTUS, a hemp-infused drinks brand, raised $275K in a Seed funding. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 📈 🥗 Further Food is gaining momentum with its health-focused nutritional products. Their Fall Favorites Sale, engaging recipe content, and targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook are driving huge growth. 🧸 Warmies, with its microwavable, lavender-scented plush toys, is seeing explosive growth thanks to their Instagram strategy, featuring limited drops, giveaways, and community engagement. ⌚ Ultrahuman's health tracking gadgets are blowing up as they’re crushing it with influencer collabs on YouTube for reviews, a buzzing Reddit community, and producing engaging Instagram content. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 🛒 💊 Walgreens plans to close 1,200 underperforming stores over three years, aiming to improve cash flow and profitability. 👶 buybuy BABY, a retailer specializing in baby products, is closing all physical stores by year-end, shifting to a digital-first brand. 🏬 Digital-native perfume brand Commodity Fragrances opens its first retail store in New York's Soho. 𝗕𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 🔢 📱 Instagram wins again with 87% of teens saying they used IG at least once a month in a survey of 13.5K US teens. TikTok came second at 74% and Snap was a close third at 71%. 🧒 50% of kids aged 8-11 discover toys through friends and 24% via influencers. 🎃 41% of Americans are planning to start holiday shopping before Halloween, with 15% having already started in September or earlier. . . . That's all for now! Follow me for next Monday's newsletter. Sources in the comments 👇

19

5 Comments

This should be discussed out louder usually when you want to raise your team performance you obtain this strategy as a way to cover the team requirements in order to give them a clear and focused mind , thanks for sharing 🙏

1

What an invigorating weekend surrounded by incredible minds in the startup ecosystem! Made new friends, reconnected with old and had a blast 🚀✨ One of my absolute highlights? Meeting Tim Koogle – the OG CEO of Yahoo! Hearing about his journey and soaking in the advice was a game-changer. ✨ His secret sauce for success✨ 1️⃣ Hire the best – never settle. 2️⃣ Get crystal clear on what you want them to do. 3️⃣ Relentlessly push authority out to them – trust your team. 4️⃣ Stay close, but don’t get in their way. 5️⃣ Repeat – Empower them to do the same with their teams. Such simple yet powerful principles to scale effectively while staying focused on the bigger picture. Ready, determined, and energised to make global domination a reality for EatKinda! 💜🍦 Thank you Icehouse Ventures 🙏🏼 #startuplife #leadership #scalingup #entrepreneurship #FMCG

115

12 Comments

🚨 Rant incoming 🚨 Lately, I've been searching for Founder groups to join—specifically ones that could help guide us at Thigh Society as we scale thoughtfully. A recommendation for <𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥> popped up, which claims to focus on scaling 7-figure brands to 8 figures. (Though honestly, their $50M brand claims seem... aspirational at best.) While I do think their mentors have valuable expertise worth bookmarking, one glaring issue stood out: they're almost 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴. Two women in the whole bunch of 19? Really?! And it’s not just them. I stumbled upon another mentorship program , and, surprise, it’s another bro fest. They proudly tout their stats—160 seven-figure brands! 16 eight-figure brands!—but where are the women founders being spotlighted on their website? I had to scroll through a carousel of video testimonials to find just 2. It’s infuriating to see Ecommerce feel so much like a boys' club. Are we just invisible? Because I know we’re out here, building amazing brands. At Thigh Society, we’re proudly majority women, and I’ve seen firsthand what happens when women lead, test, innovate, and succeed. And before anyone comes at me—this is NOT about hating on men; it’s about demanding equity and representation in spaces that 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 include all of us. So here’s my question for all of you: ✨ Where are the mentorship programs and networks that support 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 going from 7 to 8 to 9 figures? ✨ Who are the experts out there elevating women-led brands? ✨ What communities are you part of that celebrate diverse leadership? Maybe I need to start my own program. 😤 How's that for entrepreneurial spirit?!

52

74 Comments

Today is a great day for the future of digital marketing in the world, as Ibotta, Inc. founded by Bryan Leach raised $577 million in IPO. Every founder has some inspirations. David Vélez had Capital One as one of his inspirations for Nubank. Being a much more mature market for entrepreneurship and innovation, the US has several benchmarks for Brazilian startups. As someone encounters a problem worth solving in our country, it is natural and wise to think someone else might be actively tackling the same problem elsewhere, as the timing of our market is different. Ibotta, Inc.'s IPO represents a bright moment for everyone who believes and foresees that first-party data players are the next generation of digital marketing, consumer insights and loyalty. By the end of 2024, Google is shutting down third-party cookies on Google Chrome to adapt its policies to GDPR. Chrome has 75% of market share and this completely changes the dynamics of the market. Brands have no option: in order to create better audiences for their marketing campaigns, they must partner with players which can access behavioral data in different ways. I have been lucky enough to have had some 1:1 lunches with David Vélez in the early days of Nubank and I never forget some of his words: "when it comes to disruption opportunities, if you ever find a market that could not have access to data at scale because simply there was no technology to make it happen, by the time the technology is ready, you have your window of opportunity". In other words, he was explaining to me the concept of "why now" for a startup thesis. In Brazil, there are QR codes on purchase receipts that made the tech side of our thesis possible, allowing us to extract the data. The cookieless era is the cultural shift in the market we needed in order for brands to push the demand for a product like ours forward. Well done, Ibotta, Inc.! Your resilience and journey inspires us all. Let's get back to work. Link to the news: https://lnkd.in/dnfaMR9b #startups #digitalmarketing #ipo #exits

34

7 Comments

🚨 HOT TAKE: consumer brands should skip every round between Angel and Growth Equity (~$20M+ checks) (Ideally) Brands should start with less than $1M, either founder-funded or a small angel round. The next round should be a growth equity round when the brand breaks the $15M-$20M run rate mark. Remember that VC money is rocket fuel, so you need the rocket first. It's in the brand's best interest to remain small-ish while looking for PMF. Faking growth with VC money is easy but leads to catastrophe. Another consideration is that the size of exits in consumer goods is usually under $1B, and the vast majority are very well under that, so the founders shouldn't dilute themselves that much, especially before they cross the $20M because by then it's highly likely they'll need cash to scale. So, if you have a co-founder and raise 3 rounds, each will end up with about 25% equity. And don't get me started with liquidation preferences on those rounds. Those could leave the founders with $0 after years of work. Also, remember that product iteration on atoms takes much longer than with bits. And lastly, creating a solid brand takes years, no matter how good your product is.

31

4 Comments

What does the future of this industry look like? Where are customers going? Early stage venture requires a crystal ball. What we know is happening does help to understand where we are going, but there are many story lines to breakdown and analyze more holistically. Reducing alcohol Reducing dairy Reducing meat Gluten free Grain free Hyper clean No/Low sugar Seed Oil Heavy Metals Gut Health In a world moving this quickly, it’s critical to anticipate where customers will be 3-5 years from now. Thematically customers are moving towards personal health and sustainability, but are they willing to pay the premium for truly better options? Will there be a backlash against the “free from” wave? Lots to consider here. What’s the next big thing? What are you pushing all the chips on the table for? Adam Spriggs Will Ahearn Emily M. Max Kabat Lindsay Robb

54

38 Comments

Excited to announce our partnership with Kyle and Evan via our investment in Two Boxes 📦📦 - a company focused on streamlining returns processing for 3PLs and self-fulfilling brands. I believe they are currently one of the most dynamic start-ups in the reverse logistics sector globally. 🌎 The importance of properly managing free returns deeply impacts ecommerce brands - especially given that online merchants currently face average return rates of 20% to 30%. Two Boxes' workflow software and hardware solution streamlines the returns process for 3PLs and brands, turning costs into potential profits. 💰 By providing deep and actionable data on returns, Two Boxes helps merchants identify fraud, improve sustainability, and reduce inventory costs. As Two Boxes becomes the returns processing hub for 3PLs and brands, our team at Assembly Ventures is excited about their potential to deliver tremendous value today while expanding into other areas like recommerce and outsourced returns services. Excited to move the world with our new friends at Peterson Ventures, Vinyl Capital , Range Ventures, and Matchstick Ventures as Two Boxes executes on their mission to make returns an asset instead of a liability. #twoboxes #assemblyventures #movetowin #movetheworld #petersonventures #siliconvalley #detroit #berlin #beyond

48

2 Comments

At this week's Fancy Food Show, I had the chance to sneak away from the booth and spend an hour with Alison Cayne for her amazing In The Sauce podcast and it was my favorite hour of the week ☺️ There were laughs, there were tears (!) as we talked all things Lentiful and what it takes to launch a CPG brand today. It was a pretty lively conversation that covered lots of ground, including: - Tips for finding your first copacker - How not to lose your shirt spending $250k+ on Facebook ads - The surprising moment I realized we had a very different consumer base than I first imagined - The reasons behind launching into Whole Foods AND Walmart this summer and why I think we'll succeed in both! - Taking performance enhancing drugs to win pitch slam competitions - Bootstrapping tactics and the best $9 I spend each month - Why I think low sodium is the next big megatrend and why the natural food industry is sleeping on it - Why now is the best time to launch a food business (hint: because of generous people like Ali) - And so much more... Hope this helps some fellow early stage entrepreneurs out there!

90

7 Comments

It’s one thing to go to events in DTC and e-comm, it’s another to fully take advantage of them. Here are my two main takeaways from the conversations I had at Shoptalk in Vegas: 1) Meeting/chatting in person is key to deepening relationships. I had the opportunity to meet customers, partners, and even Prive team members for the first time in person while at the event. Chatting in person helped us bond and understand each other better, which holds a lot of value. It was also cool to see that even in a very competitive market, people are still genuinely kind and friendly. It might seem from the outside that competitors should dislike each other, but I saw first-hand at ShopTalk that we’re all in this together and can still be kind to one another in the process. 2. Strong partnerships are something more brands are looking for. When talking with brand founders, the one big thing a lot of them mentioned was the desire for a strong partnership with every company they work with. Many people shared that they were left unsupported with tools/tech after buying them — this underscored the value of our approach at Prive. We prioritize a partnership mentality, offering whatever help our customers need post-onboarding. For a lot of brands and industry leaders, the emphasis is on the quality of partnership, not just the product features. Overall, ShopTalk was a blast and it was great getting to chat with every single one of you. If you were there — do you feel a similar way?

19

Next week, I'm speaking with iqram (Co-founder of Venmo, Jelly), and Bailey (Co-founder, CEO of Cal.com, Inc.) about the founder's journey, company-building, and resilience. These guys are extraordinary. Venmo is now used by 70+ million users, and Bailey was the youngest CEO to ever raise a Series A round at 18 ($32M raised in total). 👉 What questions do you have for them? (Comment below) Lumos House is at FULL capacity, but if you'd like to see the recording, comment "RECORD" below.

64

9 Comments

Not just another startup 'plugging' Gen-AI into beauty. Cosmecode is building something others will want to plug into. In a world where many companies are rushing to plug the latest Gen-AI into every industry, we often get asked if we’re just another beauty startup using generative AI to enhance recommendations. But Cosmecode is different. We’re not taking a generic AI model and trying to make it fit the beauty industry. Instead, we’re building our own specialized AI : one designed from the ground up to recognize colors with unmatched precision and inclusivity. This isn’t about layering generic tech onto beauty; it’s about creating a foundation that’s tailored for it. Our technology isn’t just “smart.” It’s built for beauty, for inclusivity, and for accuracy. And it’s not something that any off-the-shelf Gen-AI can replicate. In fact, as we continue to refine our technology, it’s becoming something other companies will want to plug into—not the other way around. This is the future we’re building at Cosmecode: a world where technology serves the needs of every individual with personalized, accurate, and inclusive recommendations that go beyond what current models can achieve. Curious to learn how we’re redefining beauty tech from the ground up? Let’s connect. #genAI #AI #cosmetics #diversity L'Oréal LVMH The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Groupe Clarins Shiseido Veronique Drecq Gael BOUTRY Mélissa Duhalde Celine Chamla Sarah Hifdi Paul Parikh Huda Beauty 👩🏻‍💼 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝑎𝑚 𝐼? 𝐼’𝑚 𝑆𝑎𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑀𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑘𝑖, 𝑃ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑚𝐷, 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑑𝑒. 𝑀𝑦 𝑗𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎-𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦. 💡 𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ.

41

8 Comments

✨ Spotlight: Kulfi Lip Stain & UGC Strategy ✨ At Fancy Salt, we created a UGC-style video featuring Kulfi bold and vibrant lip stain—crafted specifically to showcase the product in an authentic, engaging way. Here’s how we structured the video: ✔ Hook: We began with a relatable struggle—finding a long-lasting lip product. This instantly connects with the audience, drawing them in. ✔ Authentic Application: Our creator applied the lip stain in real time, showcasing how easy it is to use. The raw, unfiltered application gives potential customers a genuine look at the product’s performance. ✔ Solution: By the end of the video, it was clear the lip stain lasts all day and does it all—no constant touch-ups needed. It’s perfect for those looking for bold, all-day color without the need for touch-ups. This video is designed to fit seamlessly across multiple channels—whether on the brand’s TikTok's feed, or as part of a paid campaign. Today, brands are becoming influencers themselves & at Fancy Salt, we ensure that all content stays true to the brand’s tone and voice, while following best practices for what works in today’s UGC space. It’s a balance of authenticity and strategy that resonates & most importantly builds community. I’d love to help you create powerful, on-brand videos that connect and convert. Reach out to me at [email protected]. #UGC #ContentStrategy #DTCBeauty #Kulfi #FancySalt #TikTokMarketing #BeautyMarketing Kulfi TikTok Shop #marketing #innovation #brandmarketing

14

The Silicon Valley convening of Culture Shift Labs was nothing short of electrifying. I’m incredibly honored to have joined entrepreneurs from across the globe, all sharing the groundbreaking innovations they’re driving. There are some rooms you can work your entire life to enter—I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to share our bullish perspective on wild-capture fisheries, genuine product innovation, and the role of technology, modernized supply chains, and an upskilled workforce in shaping a more responsible U.S. economy for seafood. My first startup experience was in the Valley, and it shaped me in ways I’m still processing. I was wide-eyed, inspired by visits to our offices from 20/20, Colin Powell, and John Doerr. It was the first time I worked in NASA’s labs, the first time I worked on beta projects that landed with major customers like Google, and the first time I pulled an all-nighter (since college, anyway) for a presentation on my research. The buzz of a dedicated cadre of visionary, entrepreneurial changemakers in tech felt palpable—proof that we could indeed shape the world’s trajectory. Yet, alongside the innovation, I personally witnessed the deeply entrenched issues in the Valley. As a young Black female engineer—the only person like me on campus and the only Black technical person, period—I consistently encountered and was disheartened by the stark realities of underrepresentation in an environment that was not eager to grapple with, much less resolve, the corrosive issues of sexism and racism. Ellen Pao vs. Kleiner Perkins was fresh on everyone’s mind, but it wasn’t nearly enough to shift the male-dominated, ego-driven culture that led to notorious failures like Solyndra and the mistreatment of Black workers in Tesla’s facilities. The lack of checks and balances in the unstructured world I was living in accelerated innovation but undermined social progress—and my life’s objectives—all at the same time. There is a significant loss of potential energy that can’t be properly converted from world-class talent to durable outcomes in environments like these. These experiences helped me cut my teeth and prepared me to continue fighting on a new battlefield: equal access to capital for high-performing ventures led by underrepresented founders, something Pescavore is equally fighting for. This is why the work that Andrea Hoffman, Terell S. and their team are doing is so urgent. They’re helping to build a community and a high-performing culture that champions diversity, fosters progress, and reinforces recognition for those who don’t fit the typical pattern, ensuring that merit and innovation come from all corners of society. I left the summit deeply inspired by the path ahead and hopeful for continued strides toward equity. #representation #equity #culture #inclusion #tech #foodtech #seafood #emergingbrand #innovation #foodinnovation #blackfounder #founder #siliconvalley #sustainableseafood

42

One interesting thing about creator-led businesses, is whether they can be packaged and sold. Without the primary influencer promoting the products, does the business hold up? If Mr. Beast sold feastables and stopped plugging it, will it still sell on its own? If Prime drink stopped being pushed by Logan Paul, does it still do $1B in revenue? Creators should focus on building businesses that are sustainable even when they do walk away. ~~~ ✍️ Grow fast, join my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ex88GKnQ ♻️ Reshare if these are helpful.

2