# #117 Rebranding, Fundraising, and the Success Behind Launching Myles Comfort Foods at Target with Myles Powell

- Show: [The Startup CPG Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast)
- Published: 2023-12-05
- Length: 38m
- Episode: 1
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2023-12-05-117-rebranding-fundraising-and-the-success-behind-launching-myles-comfort-foods
- Listen: https://share.transistor.fm/s/bf9e8865

## Summary

Myles Powell, founder of Myles Comfort Foods, explains how he bootstrapped the brand before securing a $1.5 million seed round and executing a critical rebrand from '8 Myles' to 'Myles Comfort Foods' to support aggressive retail growth. He details an unconventional entry into Target by manually stocking shelves for six weeks to generate sales data, which led to a formal business award and national distribution. Powell also discusses leveraging NIQ’s Byzzer for category insights, navigating the complexities of the frozen food category, and his fundraising journey involving angels and micro-VCs to support expansion into food service.

## Outline

1. Introduction: Myles Powell and Myles Comfort Foods
2. Origin Story: From Civil Engineering to Food Entrepreneurship
3. The Rebrand: Transitioning from 8 Myles to Myles Comfort Foods
4. Unconventional Target Entry: Manual Stocking and Sales Data
5. Retail Strategy: Buyer Relationships and Consumer Data
6. Using NIQ Byzzer for Category Insights and Competitor Analysis
7. The Frozen Food Category: Pros, Cons, and Merchandising Challenges
8. Fundraising Journey: Bootstrapping, Crowdfunding, and Seed Round
9. Fundraising Lessons: Cap Tables, Convertible Notes, and Dilution
10. Expanding into Food Service and Product Innovation
11. Founder Wellbeing: Managing Stress and Protecting Mental Space
12. DC CPG Community and Future Growth Plans

## Topics

- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Myles Comfort Foods (company)
- 8 Myles (company)
- Target (company)
- Giant (company)
- Sprouts (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Thrive Market (company)
- Fresh Market (company)
- Mazanadas (company)
- Friendly Bread (company)
- Ooze and Oz (company)
- Ben's Chili Bowl (company)
- Founding Farmers (company)
- NIQ (company)
- Byzzer (product)
- RangeMe (product)
- Cin7 (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Happy Family Organics: Shazi Visram (2020)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-07-04-happy-family-organics-shazi-visram-2020) (How I Built This)
- [nutpods: Madeline Haydon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-05-13-nutpods-madeline-haydon) (How I Built This)
- [Live From The HIBT Summit: Stacy Madison of Stacy's Pita Chips](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-03-12-live-from-the-hibt-summit-stacy-madison-of-stacys-pita-chips) (How I Built This)
- [Simple Mills: Katlin Smith](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-02-15-simple-mills-katlin-smith) (How I Built This)
- [Advice Line with Jeni Britton of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2025-03-27-advice-line-with-jeni-britton-of-jenis-splendid-ice-creams) (How I Built This)

## Citing this page

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