A Word to Founders: "Just For Now" Is Never The Answer
Michael Maher Michael Maher

A Word to Founders: "Just For Now" Is Never The Answer

A common theme among food & beverage entrepreneurs, as well as in almost any industry, is settling on the "Just For Now" branding that gets you by until you make more money. Do you start going to the gym once you lose 10lbs? No! You get your ass in there and start doing the work and the results come later. The other problem with this way of thinking is it gets you "Just For Now" results, i.e. don't expect your brand to be successful if you aren't willing to invest the time and money into it that is necessary. Ainsley Moir, the Founder of Healthy Food & Beverage Group, joins us to share her extensive knowledge of creating successful CPG food & beverage brands and why the struggle to fight off shiny object syndrome and play #thelongergame with your brand is real.

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Entrepreneurial Adversity and the Never-Ending Quest for Meaning
Amazon, Retail, Ecommerce Michael Maher Amazon, Retail, Ecommerce Michael Maher

Entrepreneurial Adversity and the Never-Ending Quest for Meaning

While the title of this episode is a tad dramatic, the conversation does go pretty deep. Elizabeth Presher, the Owner of Hite Digital Dayton, is an experienced Entrepreneur helping other business owners grow their presence online. She has an advantage here because she knows the pressure that those business owners face. She is one, after all. The lessons she has learned, along with our host Michael, show you how steep the learning curve is when you get into business. Retail, and how consumers shop, is constantly evolving so staying ahead of the curve is important. Want to know more lessons from being an Entrepreneur? Have a listen.

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Consumer Inertia, Basic Needs, Brand Loyalty, & Toilet Paper
Consumers, Brand, Retail Michael Maher Consumers, Brand, Retail Michael Maher

Consumer Inertia, Basic Needs, Brand Loyalty, & Toilet Paper

Variables are the theme that run throughout the conversation with Veena Giridhar, the CEO of salesBeat, an AI-driven platform that helps brands generate better efficiency with their inventory. When a customer gets "cheesed off," as Veena diplomatically puts it, how does that affect the consumer journey? The factors that alter that journey are numerous but let's simplify this; the consumer may not be back to that store, hurting your chance at buidling brand equity with them. The journey is now even more complicated with the mixture of in store and online purchasing. Let's get into it.

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Nostalgia Sells, Innovation Sustains
Brand, Amazon, Ecommerce Michael Maher Brand, Amazon, Ecommerce Michael Maher

Nostalgia Sells, Innovation Sustains

As we dig back into the ever-evolving world of retail in the Season 2 opener of The Longer Game, we're talking with Carter Jensen, the Sr. Manager of Global Commerce at GMI, aka General Mills, about how they're taking brands we all grew up with and loved into the future with us. How we engage with these brands has to change because, well, how we engage with each other is different. Listen in to find out what Carter eats for lunch these days and what's going on in CPG in 2022.

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