David Taylor

An incredible deep dive from Nathan M. into the cultural and structural issues that are plaguing Boeing and how they got to where they are today. This article should be turned into a business school case study it's that good. And many of these issues aren't unique to Boeing. The focus on financial engineering over actual engineering is an issue at play in many scaled aerospace and defense companies. A definite must-read! https://lnkd.in/gkdpF2tM

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Great points !! The dynamics of selling a SaaS business, especially to Private Equity (PE), can be complex and emotionally challenging. When considering this path, founders need to evaluate their role, ownership, and influence in the company post-sale. Here’s my take: 1️⃣ If you’re the **majority holder** and believe in the business’s future, continue as CEO to maintain influence and control over the direction. Retain enough "skin in the game" to drive results and keep a hand on the wheel. 2️⃣ If you’re a **minority holder**, with a new PE-appointed CEO, it may be wiser to take a substantial payout and invest in a new venture. In this situation, you often lose decision-making power, risking becoming a spectator in a company you helped build. 🔑 **What’s crucial?** If you still have meaningful equity, you should have a say in the direction. When you’re not in the driver’s seat, it’s often better to start fresh, investing your energy and passion into something new where you’re not just "cheering from the sidelines." Selling is a monumental decision; make sure it aligns with your values and vision for your future. #SaaSFounders #ExitStrategy #PrivateEquity #BusinessOwnership #EntrepreneurJourney #Leadership

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Is acquiring your co-packer a good idea? You may have seen beverage brand CELSIUS Holdings, Inc. do just that. There's certainly a good case to be made for controlling your product, how its made and new ideas while capturing as much of the margin as possible. The trade off is operating a facility efficiently is a whole new skill and may not be an expertise you have especially being a smaller operation. So, the structure and management incentives need to be there to operate the facility. The other big question is money, and if spending it on manufacturing is a good idea versus the tradeoff of focusing on growing the brand. It's also ideal that you can fill the facility with your own product relatively quickly, given the seller is going to make you pay for all the volume running through the plant today even if not yours. The key question comes down to your product and strategy with the ultimate goal of deciding - what's going to make this the best business? If your product is fairly commoditized and it's all about the brand, there's a good case to be made to just focus on being good at the brand part and there should be many co-packers you can work with to keep costs low and preserve capital. On the other hand, if you have something very unique and it puts the co-packer in control and your business at risk, it might be a good long term move to own your production. #CoPacking #CPG #PrivateLabel #foodmanufacturing https://lnkd.in/gwSVGN6A

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Congrats John Mackey, Whole Foods Market, CoFounder on your book The Whole Story! John was CEO for 44 years. Glad we got to reminisce about our interview some time ago (link https://bit.ly/2XuqON6), and talk about my upcoming book, The CodeBreaker Mindset. In our interview, John said: most people do the wrong thing in crisis. We look for safety; contract and go back to some familiar psychological state where we felt safe; we regress. Crisis is the greatest opportunity for growth if you don’t look for safety. Open your heart wider. The Universe is challenging you to be more than you were; answer the call! ✨ #ceo #leadership #consumer #retail #food #grocery #amazon #technology #entrepreneur #venturecapital #privateequity #investment #founders #startups #organic #money #business #grateful #codebreakermindset #media #podcast

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Check out this article on Food Cycle Science (a Power Sustainable Lios portfolio company) featuring CEO Bradley Crepeau! We’re very proud of the work Brad and his team are doing to combat #FoodWaste.

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Actress Eva Longoria has joined Siete Family Foods in an equity deal with the goal of building a billion-dollar brand Siete Foods was founded in 2014 and quickly became popular for its vegan, grain-free Mexican-American snacks. Since its launch, Siete has raised more than $90 million in funding. Now Actress Eva Longoria is also part of the brand. Longoria is best known for her work as an actress, but she's no stranger to the food world. She co-founded the tequila brand Casa Del Sol and the cookware brand Risa. Now she is adding Siete Foods to her portfolio. "I'm a long-standing fan of Siete's products, but more importantly, I feel deeply aligned with their mission," Longoria said. "As a fellow Texan who is dedicated to elevating Latinos in business, I'm very excited to partner with Siete and contribute to their next chapter." Siete Foods expects to hit $500 million in annual sales in 2024 and sells its products at 37,000 stores, including Target, Walmart, and more. With this partnership, the goal is to double that revenue to a billion dollars per year, Longoria said. This partnership makes a lot of sense for a few reasons: 1) Longoria had been an ‘organic’ customer of Siete Foods, long before they began to explore a collaboration. It enables her to speak authentically to her +10M followers about the brand. 2) Longoria founded a foundation in 2012 to help Latinas build better futures for themselves through education and entrepreneurship. Siete Foods could function as a flywheel for all the other Latino-owned businesses in her portfolio. 3) (Might be obvious) Longoria is a Latina and has a dedicated following of other Latinos. Clear celebrity-product-market fit if you ask me. 

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Read our latest article on Creating an Ownership Culture. This piece dives into how fostering a sense of ownership among employees can lead to remarkable outcomes for both the team and the organization. Here at KKR we are committed to providing ownership to all employees in all new controlled deals, building on recent successes of our Broad-Based Ownership Program. Whether you're a leader seeking to enhance your company's culture or an employee interested in the dynamics of workplace engagement, this article offers valuable perspectives. 👉 Read article here: https://lnkd.in/ejVc2ffd You can download the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ee_vT2rs #Leadership #BusinessCulture #EmployeeEngagement #KKR

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I have to wonder if the CDN government would ever look out for customers in this way. The rewards programs of the four largest US air carriers are being probed by the US government as it seeks to understand how consumers “are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees and reduced competition and choice.” The probe would be the first extensive government look at the programs that have expanded to produce billions of dollars for airlines annually—in some cases adding more revenue than flight operations. Federal regulators could demand changes that might disrupt these profit centers for both carriers and credit-card issuers, and remove a travel option highly valued by consumers.

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Why Food and Beverage Brands Should Rethink Going Retail for Their Go-to-Market Strategy When I consult with food brands, they typically gravitate towards one of two strategies: 1. Betting everything on retail and building relationships with distribution partners to get their products into stores, restaurants, and hotels. 2. Focusing solely on a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) model, selling exclusively through their own online shops. The Problem with These Approaches Upon arriving in Dubai, I immersed myself in the local market. Attending the Free From Food & Health Ingredients event and the Future Food Forum, I saw patterns similar to those I’d observed in Germany, where I started working with food brands. Many brands struggle to boost sales through retail or online campaigns. Their marketing directors often rely on intuition rather than data, with limited options beyond branding campaigns or new product launches to drive sales. Interviews with food startup founders in the UAE painted a similar picture. Startups that went retail-first and invested heavily in branding often failed to generate enough volume to maintain shelf space. Additionally, they burned substantial cash on ineffective social media campaigns, faced high costs from retail "partners," and suffered from thin margins due to excessive discounts demanded by retailers. A Deeper Look at the Problem There’s no simple, three-step plan to catapult your brand into millions of hands. If you’re looking for a quick fix, GenZ advertising agencies might promise that with trendy TikTok tricks, but you’ll likely end up burning through your budget without long-term results. The Solution: Relevant, Data-Driven Advertising To succeed, brands need to balance driving sales with purposely building product and brand awareness. This requires running relevant advertising campaigns that address your target audience’s pains, gains, wants, and needs. Meticulously crafted copy that resonates emotionally with your audience is essential. Without this foundational work, no go-to-market strategy, whether retail or online, will succeed. Key Takeaways for Food and Beverage Brands: 🏬 Avoid Over-Reliance on Retail: Diversify your strategy to avoid the pitfalls of depending solely on retail partnerships. 🧠 Data-Driven Decisions: Rely on data rather than gut feelings to guide your marketing strategies. 🎯 Targeted Advertising: Develop campaigns that resonate deeply with your audience's needs and desires. 🧩 Validation and Message-Testing: Validate your offer and the demand for your product before jumping head-first into retail ⚖️ Balanced Approach: Combine sales efforts with brand-building to create a sustainable market presence. By focusing on these areas, food and beverage brands can avoid common pitfalls and create a robust strategy that drives both sales and brand awareness. #FoodAndBeverage #MarketingStrategy #Retail #DirectToConsumer #FoodBrands

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I am looking for a CRO with roots in the hardware space, but specific to Agriculture/farming, EV's etc. The Chief Revenue Officer is responsible for leading every team that interacts with customers and ensuring that the team is working together as a unified experience to maximize effectiveness, impact, and of course, revenue. Based in Bay Area with travel (open to hybrid) You will analyze market trends, develop competitive strategies, and collaborate across the business to optimize every phase of a customer’s life. You’ll know you’ve nailed it when they have hit their revenue goals, and you have a deep understanding of the levers you can pull to affect growth. Who are you? A seasoned operator who can command a vast and diverse addressable market and execute a clear strategy. Specifically, you are: ● a go-to-market veteran, equally comfortable speaking the language of marketing, sales, and customer success. ●    see the entirety of a customer's journey and will build an optimal experience that maximizes revenue. ●    are eager to dive into the weeds to diagnose go-to-market challenges ●    understand the nuances of enterprise and channel/dealer sales and can execute a strategy to manage both. ●    are comfortable with the ambiguity and constant change of a high-growth company. ●    can develop and manage clear metrics and comfortable diving into the data to diagnose a go-to-market challenge or coach a frontline manager. ●    are a bridge-builder, able to work cross-functionally with your fellow executives to craft the best outcomes for our customers and our company. What you’ll do: ●      Drive Revenue Growth ●      Market Expansion ●     Ensure Tactical and Operational Excellence ●      Sales Team Leadership ●      Customer Satisfaction ●      Data-Driven Decision Making You need: ●    An extensive background as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) or senior go-to-market executive in technology or transformative hardware sectors, known for achieving significant revenue growth. ●    Proven ability to develop and execute successful revenue growth strategies encompassing sales, marketing, and customer success initiatives. ●    Exceptional leadership and management capabilities, with a track record of building and guiding high-performing organizations. Principals only.

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Last week, I attended Houlihan Lokey's 2024 Global Consumer, Food & Retail Conference in New York. Here are some key takeaways that stood out to me. Continued Tailwinds in the Pet Industry: 🔹 Pet Owner Sentiment: With 92-96% of pet owners viewing their pets as family, there's increasing demand for *functional* treats, supplements, and innovative food formats like freeze-dried pet food, the fastest-growing segment within freeze-dry products. 🔹 Category Consolidation: Single-product and single-capability companies are merging into larger pet platforms, opening up M&A opportunities and filling portfolio gaps. 🔹 Expansion into the Cat Category: Dog-first companies are expanding into the cat category, where purchases are stickier (e.g., cat litter) due to the selective nature of pet cats. Rise of Preventative Wellness: 🔹 Increased Gym Visits: The rise in gym memberships and equipment utilization is driving up replacement rates. 🔹 Female Athlete Surge: The increase in female athletes is influencing market trends. 🔹 Customer Service and Amenities: High-quality customer service and amenities (e.g., towel service, childcare) are essential for retaining gym memberships. Personalized customer interactions enhance member loyalty. 🔹 Men’s Health Awareness: Growing focus on men’s health, addressing the issue of men suffering in silence. 🔹 HSA/FSA Approvals: The IRS and health insurance companies are increasingly approving preventative wellness expenses like gym memberships and fitness programs for HSA/FSA reimbursement. Franchising and Multi-Unit Asset Resilience: 🔹 Growth Despite High Interest Rates: Franchising and multi-unit assets in health and wellness for both humans and pets are rising despite the high interest rate environment. 🔹 Tech-Driven Analyses: Investing in advanced tech stacks enhances customer service and expands topline and margins through data-driven approaches. 🔹 Recurring Revenue Focus: Emphasis on creating sticky, recurring revenue streams through memberships, fostering habitual use, and offering services that are typically inconvenient or time-consuming to switch. I'm looking forward to seeing how these trends evolve in 2024! #PetIndustry #PreventativeWellness #Franchising #HealthAndWellness #TechInnovation #BusinessGrowth #Investing

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I was introduced to the Ag Playbook in February 2024 when I hosted a conversation with Paimun (PJ) Amini at the ReACH Innovation Summit. Just over 6 months later, I commend PJ, Senior Director of Venture Investments at Leaps by Bayer, for his great leadership in bringing together AgTech thought leaders to publish the first edition of the Ag Playbook, which provides a comprehensive guide for startups, investors, and industry players to navigate the complexities of product development, commercialization and go-to-market strategy in the agriculture sector. Developing and bringing new agricultural innovations to market is difficult, so it is hoped that this Ag Playbook, by delivering a standardized nomenclature and framework, will enable more streamlined planning and communication amongst the creators of the next generation of agricultural innovations. I am impressed with how much valuable content was created in such a short amount of time by a distinguished group who contributed their time and expertise in developing and reviewing the content. Having witnessed the creation of the Orange Button initiative, a federally funded project aimed at taking the difficulty and high costs out of solar project data management, during my time working the in renewable energy sector, I quickly realized the value of working to standardize information to overcome challenges for AgTech companies and offered to support PJ’s work. The Playbook’s first chapter covers time, cost, and milestones involved in the development of Crop Protection Small Molecule products, which are critical for the control of agricultural pests and diseases around the world. More chapters are expected to be developed, focused on Animal AgTech and Digital AgTech. With the financing market likely to remain challenging well into 2025, it is more important than ever to provide start-up companies with the tools to increase the likelihood that their new innovations to make it onto the farm. As the AgTech sector continues to evolve, hopefully, this Ag Playbook will help unlock the potential of new technologies to address global food complexities and support AgTech companies in achieving success. Adrian Percy Aimee Hood Dana Lucas Dan Seyer Derek Norman Devika Balachandran Eric Park Fabian Gosselin P. Gregory Hartmann Jacqueline Heard John Dombrosky Kerstin Ilg Ling Li Mark S. Brooks Mark Wood Michael Crawford Neal Gutterson Rachel Resek Ronald Meeusen Sara Olson, PhD Sommers Kline Thomas LAURENT EcoTech Capital Cy Obert #agtech #agriculture #cropprotection #innovation #sustainability #sustainableag #technology #farm https://lnkd.in/gz7XxWeB

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Want to help me think about how to solve this business problem? The lab grown meat industry is a tough one... This Tech Crunch article has good background but in a nutshell here's the situation: 1) Lab grown meat serves a need. Better for the environment, animal welfare, feeding a growing population, it could even be healthier. 2) The industry needs needs lots of R&D. Billions in VC money has helped jumpstart the industry, but capital has largely dried up. 3) Cost of lab grown meat is still more expensive than animal raised. The traditional meat industry is fighting it, while Florida has an outright ban. Meanwhile, the viable players in the industry need to figure out how to scale up production if they ever want to make money. So, what would you do to advance the lab grown meat industry? If you're in the industry today, how do you win? - You could give up, but that's no fun. - Find a customer base willing to somehow fund the development of a company. - Raise more VC money, but isn't that hard given the results to date and everyone would rather invest in software or AI, right? - Somehow combine and merge a bunch of the competitors who have traction - Come up with some way to get the big meat conglomerates involved? What ideas do you have? #vegan #altmeat https://lnkd.in/ggkHEVM2

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We are coming at this from the wrong direction. People forget that it took 25 years of clinical research to establish a causal link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer. There are many reasons for this but it's essentially trying to study and understand a complex system with broad individual diversity. While a causal link between ultra-processed food and obesity (or other health and disease factors) has yet to be established, the better way to go is to disallow UPFs until they are PROVEN safe. Other countries take a precautionary principle approach where the burden shouldn't be on definitely proving harm before products are removed from the market. The burden should be placed on the companies that are profiting from the sale of these products (which by the way are designed for shelf life, ingredient cost reduction, efficiency and other factors that have nothing to do with human health) instead of waiting for profound harm to be inflicted on our population and even then fighting tooth and nail to prevent change.

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Boards of Directors – How Relevant To The Business Is The Board? In 2014, activist investor Starboard Value successfully replaced all 12 directors on the board of Darden Restaurants. The following shows the Darden incumbent board at the time of Starboard's proxy fight, Starboard’s value creation plan initiatives, the Starboard director nominees and the before and after performance (revenue, EBITDA, EBITDA margin and stock price). Note especially the direct relevance of each Starboard nominee to the industry or some aspect of the value creation plan. How often do you see this level of relevance on public company boards?

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Ready to play big? Unlock the billionaire playbook: Start with an Aged Shelf Corporation and master the art of influence WITHOUT ownership. 🏦✨ If you want to learn more. Click here to sign up for my next free webinar ⬇️

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October 07 2024 – 5 Notable Articles To Read Article: PepsiCo to buy tortilla chip maker Siete Family Foods Foods for $1.2B Takeaway: Similar to many other food companies, Pepsi has been working to diversify its portfolio by adding healthier options in recent years, often through acquisitions. Recent additions to its lineup include Bare Snacks, Health Warrior Superfoods, and PopCorners. Source: CNBC Link: https://lnkd.in/dWdcVunP Article: KKR Is Said to Weigh Takeover Bid for Chip Gear Maker ASMPT Ltd Takeaway: ASMPT has previously drawn takeover interest from both investment firms and industry players in Asia. Recently, a U.S. alternative asset manager has made a non-binding, preliminary proposal to take the Hong Kong-listed company private. Source: Bloomberg Link: https://lnkd.in/dbVRZXMd Article: Commercial Retail REIT FrontView REIT Raises $251M in IPO Takeaway: FrontView, headquartered in Dallas, specializes in outparcels—properties located directly on high-traffic roads, offering high visibility to consumers. As of June 30, the REIT's portfolio consists of 278 properties, encompassing approximately 2.1 million rentable square feet. These properties are spread across 31 U.S. states, with the highest concentrations in Illinois (28 properties) and Texas (22 properties), according to its filing. Source: Bloomberg News Link: https://lnkd.in/dyXGQBy5 Article: Toyota Motor Corporation pours another $500M into electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation Takeaway: Toyota's total investment in Joby now stands at $894M, including a $394M capital injection made in 2020. The funds will be used to assist Joby in completing the extensive Type 2 certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration and to support the commercial production of its electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Source: TechCrunch Link: https://lnkd.in/dWbYP_hH Article: Microsoft to Invest $4.8B on AI, Cloud Infrastructure in Italy Takeaway: This investment, Microsoft's largest in the country to date, reflects a broader trend of tech giants expanding their infrastructure and services to gain a competitive edge in the AI race. The rapid advancements in AI have triggered a surge in spending from companies aiming to strengthen their offerings and meet the growing demand for more powerful data centers and cloud services. Source: The Wall Street Journal Link: https://lnkd.in/dw2dzGdZ #news #business #research #ai

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Congrats on the $30M Series B team! At Unshackled Ventures, we back immigrant founders who don’t just see the future—they grow it. 🌱. Today, we are thrilled to celebrate Plantible’s Series B—a milestone that represents a leap forward for our national advantage in food security and sustainability. This team continues to remind me of the bold thinking captured when we first met then 6 years ago. Innovation doesn’t come from incremental progress; it comes from pushing boundaries, questioning norms, and embracing audacity. Entirely rethinking how we feed the world, great advancements start with a refusal to accept “that’s just the way things are.” Plantible’s founders, Tony Martens Fekini Maurits van de Ven embody this mindset. Immigrants themselves, they’ve tackled one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: how to sustainably nourish billions without compromising our planet and bank accounts. They’ve turned an overlooked aquatic plant into the most functional, scalable plant-based protein source. In doing so, they’re not just creating better food—they’re building resilience into our global food systems. This isn’t just about food tech. It’s about solving hard problems with first-principles thinking, a global perspective, and relentless execution. It’s about showing what’s possible when founders are empowered to lead and build for the long term. Plantible is a perfect example of why we believe in immigrant founders as a critical force for American innovation. Tony and Maurits, congratulations on this well-earned Series B. The journey is just beginning, and we’re proud to support you every step of the way. Excited to continue the partnership and see where you grow next. #NationalAdvantage #ImmigrantFounders #FoodTech #Sustainability #PlantibleFoods

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Recently, I joined Daniel Scharff on the Startup CPG Podcast to break down these core financial pillars to help founders build a resilient and scalable brand. Here’s a quick rundown: 1. Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) → Understand the full cost to develop, produce and receive each product (it’s way more than materials.) 2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) → You need to use your CAC as your constant in the spend equation. 3. Cash Flow → Scaling without a handle on cash flow is a recipe for disaster. Too fast of growth can kill a company as quickly as too slow of growth. 4. Margins → Razor-thin margins (stand alone or via discounting) means playing on hard mode. 5. Retention Rate → Repeat customers are the foundation of long-term success in e-commerce. I break down each one in more detail on the podcast. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eJzypw6x

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