Road 2 Retail

Episode # 100. On today's show we are joined by Scott Emerson - Founder of The Emerson Group: A Consumer Products Equity Organization. Scott and his team have paved the Road 2 Retail for many, many brands over the years. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Today we speak with Scott and get his views on topics such as: - His belief that with proper TLC, small brands can reach their true potential - The impact and growth the digital universe has had on CPG brands: 'digital enabled sales', marketing, launching of new products. A brand must understand this environment- Packaging is everything! - Why having the right sales representation is key: these pros know the path with each retailer- The keys to success! Simple to state- harder to practice. But well worth it if you can - The true story of a baseball ticket taker to becoming the founder of a massive brand Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 99. Today our guest is George Brown - Vice President of AcuPoll Precision Research. George takes us through the importance of concept testing, the research an emerging brand really should execute to build their business off of a firm base of understanding, and the research findings a retailer will find informative when considering taking your brand into distribution. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Among the topics covered with George today include: - The importance of a well-structured concept test that can help a brand understand which elements of their product offering are resonating with which specific consumer groups. Understanding purchase probability is vital! - The speed and cost or research has come way down over the years. A lot of learning is within your reach for fair prices.- "Is the question worth the cost of the answer?" A great way to frame your research needs!- An in-depth discussion around product benefits, how to determine (and validate) what your primary benefit is and then asking whether or not you can 'own' this benefit?- The research findings a brand should have in their sales deck when trying to introduce their brand to retailers. Prove you are different and will bring incremental business to the category. Retailers believe facts and numbers.- And finally- references to the old TV shows "Bewitched", "Taxi" and an illogical pledge of perpetual loyalty to the Cincinnati Bengals. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 98. Today we visit with Paul Vraciu - CEO of the hydration product, Salt Stick. Paul walks us through the history of Salt Stick- which started as a product for runners and bikers needing effective hydration before and during their activity and has now evolved via their innovative FastChews product. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Among the points we hit on today with Paul include: - The humble beginnings of the product being sold store to store to running and bike shops. Only way to get into these places is for the product to work and be preferred by customers.- The importance of your product packaging. It has to do a lot of heavy lifting and clearly communicate your product benefits and point of difference.- A discussion around the clinical study they executed to prove the efficacy of their FastChews product form. People believe their own experiences and facts!- The importance of the demographic/shopper match when taking a brand into brick & mortar retail.- The power of sampling.- The role their DTC website, Amazon and brick & mortar retail each play in building their business.- And lastly- hope for the Denver Broncos and their 2025 NFL draft choices. "In Sean Payton" Paul trusts! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 97. Today the Road 2 Retail team provides a recap of the 2025 NACDS Annual meeting which took place at The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL April 26-29. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Observations from the meeting include: - What is this meeting? Who attends? What do attendees hope to accomplish? - The consulting firm Kearney presented "Winning Amid Consumer Uncertainty". This work synched nicely with "The Tradeoff Consumer" work Big Chalk has done.- Retailer presentations from Wakefern, Walgreens, and Walmart. Interesting discussions of their key initiatives for the upcoming year.- The entire industry is waiting for M&A to pick up. Lots of pent-up interest for sure!- Lots of discussion around Retailer Media Networks: effectiveness, how to measure, and how to best utilize. Our friends at Incremental can help brands work through this complex matter.- Like all industry meetings and trade shows- you get out of it what you put into it. Strategic discussions started at NACDS Annual can bear fruit at the August NACDS TSE meeting when more of the retail buying teams are present. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com

Episode # 96. Our guest on today's show is Brooks Powell - the Founder & CEO of Cheers Health. A high energy discussion around the genesis of the Cheers brand and the unique way Brooks and his team drive growth. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. We cover many topics with Brooks in this episode- including references to "Bill Nye the Science Guy", competitive swimming, and Southwest Airlines Herb Kelleher. Other discussion points include: - A very interesting brand origin story that came out of a college assignment. - The importance of building the brand YOU want and hope others will like it too.- A chemistry lesson about how Cheers works in the human body and the story of getting the product approved in the US for sale.- With regard to marketing- don't move on to 'the next thing' until you have nailed 'the current thing'.- Why having a profitable DTC business was vital prior to the move into brick & mortar retail. - A billion impressions anyone? Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 95. On today's show we speak with Dan Frieber - the Founder & CEO of Tango Chile Sauce. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Dan shares the unique origin story of his brand- from his grandmother's recipe to its launch in local bodegas and street fares. Topics covered include: - In the spirit of true entrepreneurship- Dan discusses tuning out those that said he had no shot- he followed his instincts and looked for opportunities to get his brand into people's hands.- The importance of believing in yourself.- Hear about his big break at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn.- The importance of taking feedback and remaining curious- led to several packaging breakthroughs!- Don't assume all equipment purchases are out of reach! An induction sealer was a great investment!- Interestingly, Nancy Kalish of Rule Breaker Snacks led us to Dan & Tango Chile Sauce when she named it as a favorite brand!- Always great to have a Deadhead on the show! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 94. On today's show we spend time with Jason Paulus- the Founder & CEO of the emerging brand: Acid Rain Water. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Jason Paulus shares his backstory on how Acid Rain Water went from an idea to a product following Jason's mantra of 'get 1% better every day'. Topics touched on include: - What drove him to sell a vitamin infused brand of water in a can?- The B-12 in Acid Rain Water offers a hydration product that is part pure water with a trait of an energy drink- How he overcame the brand's first huge challenge of launching during a pandemic when cans were tough to source - The importance of testing, learning, tracking and course correcting with regard to your marketing spend in order to find where your target consumers can be found- Jason discusses how working with good people right from the start helps you find (and build a network of) other good people. There is no substitute!- 'Welcome to the Jungle' - you will have to listen to get his view on this one! Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 93. On today's show we are joined by Roberta Townes - Senior Category Merchant at GNC. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Roberta shares with us the role emerging brands play at GNC and what she looks for in these brands. Specific discussion points covered include: - What do you look for in an emerging brand? Spoiler alert: a great story, solid marketing, and the potential to add incremental performance to the category.- How to get a meeting with a buyer and what should be included in a presentation deck.- She discusses GNC's commitment to high quality products- all brands are vetted through their legal and science team members.- Roberta shares the variety of ways they launch products at GNC and how she helps brands navigate the onboarding process and her performance expectations.- A common theme across successful emerging brands is the presence of a solid and effective marketing plan put in place at the start (and ongoing) to drive demand. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.

Episode # 92. Today we speak with RJ Talyor - Founder of the unique, tech enabled email marketing firm: Backstroke. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. RJ Talyor speaks to us with specifics about how email marketing can help drive the business for emerging brands while at the same time being a very efficient use of marketing dollars. Today we cover topics including: - How Backstroke utilizes AI to customize messaging for their clients, so they speak to different consumer targets in their voice- Email marketing can effectively be utilized to drive both new sales conversions and as a very effective retention tool to keep your consumers inside your brand franchise- Backstroke's tech driven process delivers 31% more revenue than email campaigns cobbled together "the human only way"- Backstroke can design and target your email campaign to a specific geography and even target it to drive business at a specific retailer. Another account specific tactic to utilize- The Backstroke team's experience and their use of AI will free up your team to work on other business building initiatives versus building out email campaigns in house using old technology Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.www.Backstroke.com

Episode # 90. On today's show we speak with Dr. Alexandra Sowa. Author of the book The Ozempic Revolution and founder of the brand SoWell Health. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Dr. Alexandra Sowa shares her expertise on how GLP-1 drugs work, what your body needs while on these medications to address side effects, and how these needs led her to develop her brand of supplements: SoWell. Topics touched on include: - What led her to write her new book The Ozempic Revolution (available at local bookstores and Amazon)?- Many users of GLP-1's discontinue using the products within a year due to side effects- Dr. Sowa explains what the body needs to replenish while on a GLP-1 in order to keep the body properly nourished and to minimize side effects - The importance of being very discerning when partnering with a contract manufacturer- How she and her team are thinking about when to seek growth capital and what they will look for in an investor Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.The Ozempic Revolution