Episodes
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It’s that time of year, folks. Preparing for 2025! The most underthought aspect of early-stage business plans is the strategic plan. It’s the front half of your business plan focused on growth. And all too often, it resembles an investor pitch. In this episode, I narrate material from my Blog for a broader audience so that you can focus on a measurable plan for growth based on reality.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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You may be an amateur with an idea. A great idea. And you may be smart, organized and well-funded. But you still should have at least one other person on your team with 10 years plus functional experience in the early stage world. Most likely, this should be an ops person. This is the skill most founders simply do not have. And it often shows.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Let’s get real on seed financing. Judging by the sheer volume of founders complaining about all the hidden costs in third-party distributed retail, it’s clear to me that way too many middle-class people tried to jump on the bandwagon designed from top to bottom for the rich. Poor financial planning remains the number one reason that consumer startups die fast.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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During this funding lull, we should all step back and absorb the key mistakes that so many amateur founders made in the 2010s and the pandemic. In this episode, I start with the big one: You started looking way too late. Want the rest. Then, listen in!
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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The most important thing founders can learn from private equity investors is quant-curiosity. It comes in at least two forms. The first is deep curiosity around the financial inner workings of your business. The second? Have a listen to find out…
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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With two dueling regenerative ag certifications in motion, I feel like it's 1999 all over again. You know, the time when "organic" had multiple certifications and not much clarity for consumers - until the USDA launched a regulated symbol in 2002. In this episode, I explore the long-term potential for regenerative agriculture to essentially become the next "organic" to replace it over time. Hope you enjoy!
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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LinkedIn has accelerated the distribution of unsolicited and solicited advice on anything. For founders of consumer brands, though, knowing how to seek out and filter advice is critical, especially quasi-advice attached to sloppy critique of your business. In this episode, I teach founders the three basic filtering rules they need to absorb well-intentioned, thoughtful critique and advice (free or paid). I also explain why good, free advice is incredibly rare. Have a listen!
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Disclaimer: I am an advisor to Once Upon a Farm, which produces smoothies for tiny kids but do not hold equity in the company
The battle for the freshly blended home smoothie is on. You would think this is something for bagged produce, but it's the latest packaged food competition. Daily Harvest appeared online in 2015 to challenge Dole fruit’s near monopoly on frozen smoothie kits and fruit for the home blender. Where is all this going? And what can we learn from this new category?
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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As wealth has concentrated in the 1%, there is a lot more private money looking for ways to diversify and generate income. Not in savings accounts or CDs. In your startup. Angel and family office money is more plentiful than ever, but institutional venture capital (backed by Wall Street) has basically pulled up and out of food and other highly unprofitable sectors of consumer packaged goods. Private Equity is largely backing Phase 4 brands far from the launch gates. Why is this? And what does it mean for founders today growing companies? I'll dive into all of it.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Part Two of my conversation with Samyr Lainé, an expert in the intersection of A-list celebrities and CPG startups and how to make this work for everyone. He is especially keen on A-list celebrity founder-operators and equity-for-endorsement deals.
In this episode, Samyr and I talk about 1) the different ways that celebrities get involved and the pros and cons of each, 2) the increasing business savvy of celebrity founders, and 3) the difference between celebrity founders and celebrity CEOs...
Samyr Lainé is an investor, Olympian, brand builder and operator with a background in sports & entertainment. He is currently Managing Partner and GP of Freedom Trail Capital, former SVP of Operations & Strategy at Westbrook, and former Senior Director of Operations at Roc Nation. Prior to working on celebrity ventures for Will & Jada Pinkett Smith (at Westbrook) and JAY-Z (at Roc Nation), Samyr worked in the sports industry at Major League Soccer and Monumental Sports & Entertainment. He also finished 10th at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in the triple jump representing Haiti after getting degrees from Georgetown Law, The University of Texas & Harvard University.Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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I rarely have investors on the show, but Samyr is doing things differently. He is an expert in the intersection of A-list celebrities and CPG startups and how to make this work for everyone. He is especially keen on A-list celebrity founder-operators and equity-for-endorsement deals. In this episode, learn about Samyr's background, his fund's thesis, approach to brand evaluation, and experiences with handling deals for Will Smith and Jay-Z.
Samyr Lainé is an investor, Olympian, brand builder and operator with a background in sports & entertainment. He is currently Managing Partner and GP of Freedom Trail Capital, former SVP of Operations & Strategy at Westbrook, and former Senior Director of Operations at Roc Nation. Prior to working on celebrity ventures for Will & Jada Pinkett Smith (at Westbrook) and JAY-Z (at Roc Nation), Samyr worked in the sports industry at Major League Soccer and Monumental Sports & Entertainment. He also finished 10th at the London 2012 Summer Olympics in the triple jump representing Haiti after getting degrees from Georgetown Law, The University of Texas & Harvard University.Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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The majority of CPG founders exhibit this archetypal orientation. They got into this because they're innovators. They're category geeks. Some, even snobs. But the real weakness these folks have to accept and address somehow is that they are NOT business people at heart. And yet it is the professional businessperson (and his/her team) who scales innovations. Not product-obsessed amateurs.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Founders are not snowflakes after all. They tend to come in a finite array of archetypes. In this series, I begin by discussing the Finance Founder. His/Her orientation to money and ROI over-determines every decision they make. For good and for bad. If you recognize yourself in this episode, I hope it helps trigger some self-awareness and growth. You need it. :)
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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It can be very tempting to look at your balance sheet or cash flow and then pick only tactics you can afford based on your present snapshot. The problem with this is not your financial responsibility. The problem is that you can’t compete effectively and grow rapidly until you prioritize competitive strategy first and then determine the relevant playbook you can afford. I promise you that you won’t end up with the same playbook, even if it costs the same. Have a listen and see what you think.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Scaling a consumer-packaged goods brand via the DTC channel is more or less dead to all but the super-wealthy founder. It's important to note that the much larger, adjacent online grocery space is also declining. I explain why the dream is over for scaling into the eight figures online in CPG. And how you should think about both 3P online and the DTC channels moving forward. You don't want to miss this episode.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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The perils of the first $500,000 in recurring sales are many. Most are related to cash flow and getting paid by distributors or retailers. Without the proper seed monies, many companies evaporate despite the power of their innovation. In this episode, I'm updating the episode that launched this tough love podcast. There is less space on shelves than ever before, slotting fees have risen, and competition for access is worse than ever. Learn how to get through it and thrive.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Non-alcoholic beer has been on a tear since 2017. That's when Heineken and an unknown brand, Athletic Brewing, appeared on shelves to shake things up. The latest Skate Ramp brand has crossed $100M rapidly, but will it journey at high speed toward $1B and truly impact the beer industry? I share an excerpt of my thoughts recently written in detail for The Food Institute.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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The final wave of failing Covid-19 brands is the eight-figure businesses that used initial raises to make it through Covid supply hell and COGS inflation but are still unprofitable and unable to raise further rounds. As these brands fail, a shelf grab is underway. Let me explain.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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A common battle occurs between finance and strategy, especially if your finance person is NOT a founder. It’s the idea that we should keep and protect all revenue sources, because the company is not making money. In reality, strategic focus is what you need, not proliferation of UPCs.
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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Committing to a plan is hard enough for many founders. But, if you don’t do an annual diagnosis well, you will lose much of the plan’s benefit. The point of planning and diagnosing is to understand WHY you did or did not hit your revenue target (or other topline goals). This requires systematic disbelief in topline success. I call it pressure-testing, so you can ensure your ‘growth’ is not masking other problems (including misbehavior by your sales team). (Replay of popular 2022 podcast)
Your Host: Dr. James F. Richardson of Premium Growth Solutions, LLC www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com
Please send feedback on this or other episodes to: [email protected]
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