Founder Playbook
Most CPG advice is written as though the founder has a team. Early on you do not — you are the salesperson, the ops manager, the analyst, and the person answering customer email, and the binding constraint is not strategy but where your hours go. The highest-leverage decisions at this stage are usually about what to stop doing, what to systematize, and what to hire for first.
The sequencing matters more than the org chart. Hiring a salesperson before you have a repeatable pitch produces an expensive person with nothing to sell. Building infrastructure before you have demand produces overhead. But waiting too long on either means the founder becomes the bottleneck exactly when the brand starts to work, which is the most expensive time to be one.
These posts cover the operating decisions rather than the product ones: what to build a team around and in what order, which tools genuinely earn their cost at small scale, how to use AI to cover work you cannot yet hire for, and how to think about the tradeoffs that do not have clean answers.
All 18 articles
Why Claude Fable 5 Is a Game Changer for Wholesale Brands
Claude Fable 5 is built for long-running, autonomous work. Here is how that capability could change retailer research, buyer outreach, and wholesale growth for CPG brands.
How CPG Brands Can Use Claude CoWork for Wholesale Growth
How food and beverage brands use Claude CoWork to manage wholesale operations, from cleaning distributor data to automating retailer outreach prep.
How CPG Brands Are Using AI to Accelerate Wholesale Growth
Learn how CPG brands use AI tools like OpenClaw and purpose-built platforms to automate wholesale outreach, retail buyer targeting, and supply chain ops.
Yelp Verification Troubleshooting for CPG Founders
Stuck on Yelp verification? This step-by-step guide walks CPG founders through every common issue, from phone verification failures to duplicate listings.
How to Find the Best CPG Growth Gurus and Advisors
How to find experienced CPG scaling advisors, fractional CMOs, and growth experts. Books, communities, and hiring tactics for emerging food and beverage brands.
CPG Compensation Benchmarks for Key Roles in 2025
Salary benchmarks for CPG roles including lifecycle managers, sales reps, and ops leads. Learn how location, experience, and benefits affect compensation packages.
What Founders Need to Know About CPG Layoffs and Restructuring
CPG layoffs are reshaping who owns your accounts. Here's how to track team changes, find replacement contacts, and protect your retail relationships.
CPG Exit Strategy for Selling Your Brand, Recipes, and IP
How CPG founders sell recipes, license IP, find partnership buyers, and navigate wind-downs. Real options, real tradeoffs, no sugarcoating.
The CPG Legal Contracts Checklist Before You Scale
Before scaling your CPG brand, get these legal contracts in place: NDAs, manufacturing, distribution, contractor, and website agreements explained.
How to Get Your CPG Product Into Target Stores
A practical guide to getting your CPG product into Target: the vendor portal, buyer expectations, packaging standards, and how to pitch and onboard successfully.
5 Biggest Mistakes CPG Founders Make Hiring Sales Reps
Avoid the most common CPG hiring mistakes: unclear roles, wrong comp structures, poor vetting, no onboarding, and the 1099 vs W2 trap.
DIY Trademark Search vs Hiring a Lawyer for CPG Brands
Can you do your own trademark search? Yes. Should you? It depends. Here's the cost breakdown and when to hire a trademark attorney for your CPG brand.
Whole Foods Vendor Requirements and How to Get Shelf Space
A practical guide to Whole Foods Market vendor requirements, the application process, certifications, pitch tactics, and what it takes to stay on the shelf.
Finding a Trusted Legal Partner for Your CPG Brand
How to find legal partners for CPG brands, including trademark attorneys, food lawyers, and startup-friendly firms that understand the industry.
CPG Legal Agreements Every Founder Needs to Get Right
NDAs, private label contracts, supplier agreements, and 1099 sales rep templates: what CPG founders actually need to know before signing anything.
How to Build a Core CPG Team From Entry Level to Executive
A practical guide to building a CPG team. Covers entry-level hiring, executive roles, freelancers, geographic coverage expectations, and where to post jobs.
Hiring Your First CPG Sales Team the Right Way
Learn where to find CPG sales reps beyond LinkedIn, what to pay them, and whether to hire W2 employees or 1099 contractors for your first sales team.
How CPG Founders Should Handle Trademark Registration
Learn trademark search costs, USPTO application steps, Office Action responses, and how to find a startup-friendly attorney. A practical guide for CPG founders.