The Online Community for Food and Beverage Startups

   Founders Circle Beta Launch   

Hey , 

Happy Monday! I hope you're kickstarting it with a fun beverage like the Joy Milk Tea I've been drinking lately.I'm really excited this week to dive into our State of the CPG Industry Annual Survey data. Over 130 companies participated so far and I can't wait to see the results (I'm kinda a data nerd 🤓). The full report is only being released to participating brands and Premium Foodbevy Members, so be sure to fill it out TODAY so you can get the insights to grow your business.Here's a little preview:📈 87.2% of surveyed customers saw an increase in revenue from 2022 compared to 2021! That means that the fast majority of our surveyed companies are still growing, although I'm sure not as fast as you want to be -- 🤔 tell me about it, that's the perpetual founder problem.

Also, I had SO much fun at our first Foodbevy Founders Circle session last week. Let me tell you that we had such great conversations, it was great to bring founders together to help each other out. If you haven't already, sign up for our waitlist.

  💸 Want to raise VC money to grow your startup in 2023? Here’s how:

✅ Have a personal relationship with investors who are flush with cash.✅ Be an amazing salesperson that can create FOMO and close deals.✅ Build an amazing business that investors would be fools not to invest in.Most founders don’t have 1, some are 2.In my opinion, the 3rd option is the most powerful.I just read an article about Karen Danudjaja and how she raised $2.5 million CAD for Blume .How did she do it?🚀 In addition to being a great founder and having an awesome brand, she built an incredible business that grew from $300k in sales to $7.5 million in 2 Years.So what’s my takeaway?VCs and Angels are investing in business first, brand second.

WEEKLY UPDATES

   KEEP YOUR DTC RUNNING   

This one is for the DTC-heavy brands. Our new partner Trackstar monitors your entire e-commerce stack for hard-to-catch problems. Increase your profitability and sleep better at night, guaranteed. Check them out to see how you can save on leaky costs.Request an introduction

   FINANCING STRATEGY       REVIEW FOR       FOODBEVY COMMUNITY    

Financing for 2023 is one of the biggest challenges for CPG brands according to early data from our State of the CPG Industry Survey. That's why I partnered with Keith Kohler to help every founder in our Foodbevy community create a 2-3 year financing strategy including debt, equity, and alternative investments. I went through this with Keith myself and it was so helpful.It's not just a general overview or sales call either, you'll actually walk away with a specific plan for your business. Keith is offering this session at no cost. If you'd like to go even deeper after the call, Keith can actually help you secure debt financing as well. REQUEST AN INTRODUCTION TO KEITH

   REMASTER YOUR DIGITAL       MARKETING STRATEGY   

Are you still struggling with your digital marketing strategy for 2023? It feels like we're all reeling in the aftermath of the iOS changes and there's no clear way forward. If you need help, talk with Andy. He's a master of Google Ads, Data Tracking and Analytics, and digital marketing strategies.Book a free call with Andy with PPC Pitbulls to get:

• Clarity on how you can use paid ads and email marketing to build more authentic customer relationships and sales online

• Actionable insights and strategies that you can apply to your digital marketing TODAY

• Your one best next step to help you achieve your unique goals ecommerce goals

   CFO SUPPORT       FOR EMERGING BRANDS  

Looking to get a hold of your finances but can't afford a CFO?myPocketCFO is building a digital CFO for emerging CPG brands. Alice built the service to support accounting, analytics, reports, forecasts, integrated financing, and capital options.Trusted by:- B.T.R Bar- Nemi- Twrl M!lk Tea- KindrootTry out their financial services for just $99 for 3 months (a Foodbevy Special), then just $199/month after. Click here for an introduction.

STARTUP TO SCALE PODCAST

85. 10 Lessons Learned from Running and Exiting a CPG Business

You don’t know what you don’t know. Starting a business is filled with unknown problems, and it sometimes feels like you’re stumbling through mistake after mistake. But it doesn’t have to feel that way.

Join me as I talk with Bill Skeens, founder of Prairie City Bakery, which successfully sold after 25 years. Bill has been through it all, and joins me to discuss the top 10 lessons he learned from his experience running a CPG business.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

DISCOUNTS

Stripe is now providing $70,000 in fee-free processing for new and EXISTING customers. Save over $2000

NielsenIQ Byzzer platform provides data for emerging CPG brands. You can access 3 free reports using this link.

Mindful Goods is an awesome Amazon expert that can quickly get you started or optimize your pages for strong ROI. Get 10% of their services  use code FOODBEVY.

Maverick allows you to create individually personalized videos (with a customer's name) welcoming them to your community.