# Ep. 11: Sculpting Your Business with Operations Mastery with John Schiaroli, President and Founder of Armatura Company

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2020-11-21
- Length: 40m
- Episode: 11
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/dd9e7d85

## Summary

John Schiaroli, President and Founder of Armatura Company, explains how his firm provides outsourced operational frameworks for young CPG brands, drawing on his experience at Coke, Pepsi, RUNA, WTRMLN WTR, and Milk Bar. He emphasizes that operations encompass more than manufacturing, including strategic sourcing, inventory control, and financial visibility into gross margins and cost of goods. Schiaroli advises founders to admit what they don't know, surround themselves with advisors, and focus on unit economics before scaling, warning against the 'shiny object' trap of premature geographic expansion.

## Chapters

- [0:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=4) Introduction: John Schiaroli and Armatura Company
- [1:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=107) Armatura's Role and the Meaning of the Name
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=400) Defining Operations: Beyond Just Manufacturing
- [11:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=663) The Importance of Advisors and Knowing Your Numbers
- [15:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=959) The Shiny Object Trap and Geographic Strategy
- [22:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=1333) Inventory Control, Purchasing, and Tech Tools
- [29:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=1768) Plant-Based Manufacturing and Product Innovation
- [35:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid#t=2133) Choosing Clients and Fundraising Realities

## Topics

- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Armatura Company (company)
- Coke (company)
- Pepsi (company)
- RUNA (company)
- WTRMLN WTR (company)
- Milk Bar (company)
- Beyond Meat (company)
- Oatly (company)
- QuickBooks (tool)
- Fish Bowl (tool)
- Google Suite (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Advice Line with Mark Ramadan of Sir Kensington's](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-06-27-advice-line-with-mark-ramadan-of-sir-kensingtons) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line: Scaling Strategies](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-05-22-advice-line-scaling-strategies) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Serial Entrepreneur Marc Lore](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-26-advice-line-with-serial-entrepreneur-marc-lore) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Katlin Smith of Simple Mills](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-01-23-advice-line-with-katlin-smith-of-simple-mills) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Jeff Raider of Harry's](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-08-01-advice-line-with-jeff-raider-of-harrys) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2020-11-21-ep-11-sculpting-your-business-with-operations-mastery-with-john-schiaroli-presid. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Startup CPG Podcast.