Food Biz Wiz Allison Ball

 

Welcome to the 250th episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, wizes! We are thrilled to have published 250 episodes of valuable, hard-to-access information from the packaged food and beverage industry.

 

As it’s our last episode, this episode is a bit different. It’s a short welcome episode for those just discovering the Food Biz Wiz Podcast Library for the first time. You’ll hear me share more about...

 


How you can navigate our hundreds of podcast episodes with our BRAND NEW listener guide
Ways to make the best use out of our content
And how you can help us celebrate this milestone: leaving ratings and sharing our social media posts!

 

Did you miss our announcement on why we made this decision? Check out episode 249 just below this one. Click here to grab our listener guide so that you can access the most useful episodes NOW and find our full show notes here!

Download the Food Biz Wiz Listener Guide and make the most out of our 250 episode library! Get our curated playlists of top episodes on sales pitches, wholesale buyers, founder mindset, marketing, and more. Fast track your learning by downloading our free Listener Guide HERE.

Wizes, we have some BIG news that we’ve been sitting on: episode 250 will be the last new episode of the Food Biz Wiz Podcast.

We were a little bit nervous about how you would receive this news, but we want to tell you the 3 reasons why we’re stopping here, AND how our decision-making process can help you with your next big business decision. So here’s what we’ll cover in today’s episode:


Why and how we’re celebrating this HUGE milestone of 250 episodes of the Food Biz Wiz Podcast (and how you can join us!)
The 3 reasons why we’re not publishing new podcast episodes after next week, despite the huge successes of the podcast
What this big change means for you as our listeners, and how we can continue growing together!

We appreciate your listenership deeply and hope that you’ll join us as we explain the process behind why we’re taking this next step. You can find our full show notes at this link!

Download the Food Biz Wiz Listener Guide and make the most out of our 250 episode library! Get our curated playlists of top episodes on sales pitches, wholesale buyers, founder mindset, marketing, and more. Fast track your learning by downloading our free Listener Guide HERE.

Retail Ready is OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT! 

Wizes – yes, we’re talking to you! – if you listen to this podcast and it’s exactly the information you need…then imagine what it’d be like to get expert CPG biz advice, tailored to YOUR situation, directly from me, Charlie, and our team inside of Retail Ready. Imagine what it’s like to be in a supportive community of other founders – and not alone – when a biz challenge or question comes up.

Today’s episode is for those of you who have been on the fence about Retail Ready®. In this episode, we welcome 10 women who are past and current Retail Ready® students, to hear how their business has grown since joining our program. Then, I walk you through the behind-the-scenes of Retail Ready®, telling you ALLLL about what you get when you join our program. We don’t want you to miss out, so JOIN US TODAY here!

Download the Food Biz Wiz Listener Guide and make the most out of our 250 episode library! Get our curated playlists of top episodes on sales pitches, wholesale buyers, founder mindset, marketing, and more. Fast track your learning by downloading our free Listener Guide HERE.

Even though Alli hosts guests on the Food Biz Wiz podcast frequently, she is rarely the one being interviewed. This episode, we turn the tables on Alli and ask her to share the story behind how she got her buyer perspective. You’ll hear about…


The challenges Alli navigated going from a consumer to a buyer in the thick of retail
What the difference is between markup and margin and how easy they are to mix up!
And why you need to save some bandwidth for after you get on the shelf!

As always, we want to connect further with you: which tidbit from this episode impacted you the most? Let us know via our Instagram or LinkedIn DMs, which are both linked in our full show notes here!

This episode is sponsored by our mini Reorder Checklist! This checklist can help you be more likely to sell off those shelves and receive reorders. You can find our simplified version at the link here OR, if you’re a Retail Ready® student, you can find the longform version and training directly within our course platform!

Download the Food Biz Wiz Listener Guide and make the most out of our 250 episode library! Get our curated playlists of top episodes on sales pitches, wholesale buyers, founder mindset, marketing, and more. Fast track your learning by downloading our free Listener Guide HERE.

We have recently shared some of the mistakes that we see founders make in retail…now what about good starting points? In this episode of the Food Biz Wiz podcast, Alli focuses on THREE of her most important retail rules. These rules are applicable for all brands, but especially ones who are self-funded and building a brand that works for them! You’ll hear…



How you can ensure that you’re getting into the right channels for success
Why not to rely on that paid list of buyer contacts
And what role brokers and distributors can truly play in your business

As usual, we want to know WHICH rule resonates most? DM us on Instagram or LinkedIn to let us know. Find the links to our Instagram and LinkedIn as well as all the valuable resources mentioned in our full show notes here!


This episode is sponsored by our Retail Roadmap! Receiving “insider” knowledge can make a world of difference for an emerging brand. We want to share Alli’s buyer expertise so that you know what it takes to get ON the retail shelf - be it a physical or digital shelf - AND have high sales once you're there! Find our free, nine-step guide to building a brand that flies off the shelf by clicking here so that you’re planning for each next step NOW!

Download the Food Biz Wiz Listener Guide and make the most out of our 250 episode library! Get our curated playlists of top episodes on sales pitches, wholesale buyers, founder mindset, marketing, and more. Fast track your learning by downloading our free Listener Guide HERE.

The opportunity to sell our products in a franchise seems like a no-brainer. Right? Well, there is usually more to consider: distribution, our production capacity, and more! That’s why we’re so excited to share this “Is It Worth It, Charlie?” episode where Charlie and Natalia, the founder and owner of Curious Cat Bakery, discuss just this.

As Natalia thinks through whether she should start selling her frozen vegan croissants to a local franchise, you’ll hear more about…


The main questions she wants to answer before saying yes 
How she can ease into an agreement that will allow more organic growth
And what her next steps after the conversation are!

We know plenty of you have likely wondered this same question, so we can't wait to hear which part of this episode you needed to hear most. Let us know by sending us a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn. Find our links and more about Natalia and Curious Cat Bakery at our full show notes here!

This episode is sponsored by our Secret Sauce Quiz! Do you want to know what’s working in YOUR biz? Then make sure to take our Secret Sauce Quiz! You’ll answer 10 quick questions on yourself and your biz, and then you’ll learn your brand's current strength & how you can leverage that this year. You’ll receive a curated list of free resources for your exact stage of business so that you can do MORE of what’s working. Click here to take the quiz and receive your results and resources today!