The Startup CPG Podcast · 15 Nov 2021 · 44m · Episode 6
Annalea Krebs, founder and CEO of Social Nature, explains how her company helps CPG brands drive offline sales through digital sampling and product discovery. She details the evolution of her business from local green directories to a platform with nearly 1 million users, focusing on the 'Online-to-Offline' (O2O) marketing cycle. Krebs outlines specific strategies for targeting consumers, gathering pre- and post-trial insights, and leveraging community referrals to build brand advocacy.
companies scaling up
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Lucian Chapar and Stephen Oz of Opulo discuss strategies for maintaining and growing sales for their Lumen pick-and-place machine. They emphasize the importance of identifying customer demographics, using organic social media like YouTube over paid ads, and leveraging analytics to track conversion sources. The hosts also cover the role of professional web design, trade shows, and nurturing existing customers through spotlights and email newsletters.
Emily Weiss, founder of Glossier, explains how she leveraged her blog Into the Gloss to build a $400 million beauty brand by listening directly to her community. She details the challenges of raising seed funding from a single female investor, Kristen Green, and the process of finding a specialized chemist to develop products bottoms-up. Weiss discusses Glossier's direct-to-consumer strategy, which prioritizes digital connection and community over traditional retail distribution, and her vision for building a digital platform that replicates the social experience of their physical stores.
Guy Raz is joined by Seventh Generation co-founder Jeffrey Hollender to advise three early-stage founders: Christina Molinaro of 25 and Pine, who builds convertible toddler/adult furniture; Phil Holstead of Red Truck Orchards, who produces farm-made cherry vinegar; and Caroline Buck of Petaluma, who sells plant-based dog food. Hollender discusses the concept of 'greenhushing' in social business, the importance of building a financial case for purpose-driven work, and warns against the stress of hyper-growth. The founders receive specific advice on marketing strategies, including influencer seeding, sampling, and messaging to overcome consumer skepticism.
Bombas co-founder Randy Goldberg joins Guy Raz to advise three early-stage founders: Rivki of Impact Fashion, who struggles to expand her modest, plus-size clothing brand beyond her insular Orthodox Jewish community; Shyam of Play Carum, a rocket engineer trying to popularize the South Asian tabletop game Carom in the US; and Änna Benchevanga of Urbana Boutique, who is trying to translate her successful brick-and-mortar curation into a digital direct-to-consumer channel. Goldberg emphasizes that for all three, success lies in authentic storytelling, community borrowing rather than buying, and clearly defining their unique point of view before spending on marketing.
Ben Goodwin, co-founder of the prebiotic soda brand Olipop, joins Guy Raz to answer calls from early-stage founders. Goodwin advises Darren Alpert of Gheelish on how to market ghee-based snacks by prioritizing taste over ingredient education, and helps Sarah Godfrey of Sarah's Gluten Free Goods navigate the scaling challenges of fresh, allergen-safe baked goods. He also counsels John Groner of the Bexley Natural Foods co-op on revitalizing sales through community engagement and curation rather than e-commerce.
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