Hardware Podcasts

#172 - Ops Talk: 5 Things Brands Get Wrong

The Startup CPG Podcast · 3 Dec 2024 · 34m · Episode 99

What this episode covers

Jamie Valenti-Jordan, CEO of Catapult Commercialization Services, outlines five critical operational mistakes CPG brands make, emphasizing that co-manufacturers are business partners rather than vending machines. He advises brands to build contingency time into scaling timelines to handle inevitable delays and to plan for production ramp-up curves, as new equipment rarely runs at 100% efficiency immediately. Valenti-Jordan also stresses the importance of maintaining quality control post-launch through robust root cause analysis and using consultants strategically to identify risks before they become costly problems.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Catapult Commercialization Services, Food Finance Institute, Whole Foods, Campbell's, Startup CPG

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Product Startup · 17m

    155: Identifying a Sourcing Partner for Overseas Manufacturing

    Forde Aley, Co-Founder of Shining Way Sourcing, explains how startups can identify and work with overseas manufacturing partners, emphasizing the importance of factory management, quality control, and retail-ready scalability. He details the necessity of verifying factory operations through physical visits and reviewing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) rather than relying on online brochures. Aley also highlights the logistical complexities of retail distribution, including packaging, UPCs, and palletization, and advises maintaining backup factories to mitigate supply chain risks during rapid scaling.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringQuality & yield
    10 chapters

  • Product Startup · 26m

    064: Preparing and Executing Your Product's First Production Run

    Mike Morton, who ran Dell's business desktops design division and previously operated a design firm in Hong Kong, explains how startups can successfully execute their first overseas manufacturing run. He emphasizes the necessity of integrating manufacturing considerations early in the design phase to avoid costly errors and the critical importance of having 'boots on the ground' representatives in China to manage factory relationships and quality control. Morton advises founders to treat the first production run as an investment in brand reputation rather than a profit center, urging them to double their budgets and secure high-caliber experts to mitigate the risk of catastrophic failure.

    Design for manufacturing & NPIManufacturing partners & offshoring
    8 chapters

  • People of Packaging · 1h 09m

    360 - Beyond the Die Line - The pitch was awful. They liked the bar! Tom Seymour and Ree Dolnick

    Ree Dolnick, founder of JECA Energy Bars, explains how she transitioned from cancer research to building a self-manufacturing CPG brand after co-packers rejected her clean-label recipe and demanded unfeasible run sizes. She details the company's pivot to in-house production developed with RIT engineers, which allowed JECA to control quality and offer short turns that retailers like Whole Foods and Wegmans prefer. Dolnick also discusses the iterative packaging journey, moving from plain film to digital printing and finally to ePac pouches, while emphasizing the importance of customer discovery at UB Cultivator to identify the true buyer profile.

    Scaling productionPackaging design
    8 chapters

  • Thoroughly Considered · 49m

    11: The Time In-Between

    Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt of Studio Neat discuss the psychological and logistical challenges of the 'time in-between'—the period after product decisions are made but before launch. They share specific pain points from past launches like the Cosmonaut and Neat Ice Kit, highlighting the frustration of long manufacturing lead times, ocean freight delays, and the anxiety of competitors beating them to market. Mike Curley contrasts this with his podcasting business, discussing pre-announcements, sponsorship cycles, and the difficulty of refining audio quality under pressure.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringCrowdfunding & preorders
    9 chapters

  • Making It · 56m

    Episode 065: A mallard is a tool you use when you do chisel work

    Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss the realities of making physical products, from prototyping failures to manufacturing delays. Jimmy details the year-long journey of producing his custom action figure with Carlos from Toy Backer and the sculpting work by the 4 Horsemen, while also explaining his decision to keep manufacturing his ice picks in-house due to quality control issues with overseas factories. Bob shares his experience with a failed dog ramp project and the technical challenges of welding equipment grounding out, while David discusses the difficulties of estimating materials and managing multiple concurrent projects.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringScaling production
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Startup CPG Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.