Love this! As a first time founder with a year old wellness brand, I can relate especially to the looking for validation aspect. My new mindset is to break rules and go against the herd in many ways. So much so that I’m in the process of building my own mini mfg facility to own the entire mfg process and bring down costs radically. Seems crazy and wildly risky, but so does working with middlemen who care zero percent about my brand and continue to let me down while raising prices. Thanks for your post!
Jon, that move isn't crazy. It is the most logical way to stay independent. Relying on middlemen who don't care about your brand is the fastest way to lose your margins and your peace of mind. By building your own facility, you are trading 'looking fancy' for actual control - which is exactly what today's consumers want.
Real validation comes from securing sales. As founders without a massive influencer budget, we have to become that proof ourselves early on. I love the mindset. If you are able to build it, do it and make sure to document everything. Become the blueprint for others.
Thank you for your kind and supportive reply, Naima! I’m doing it. I plan to be up and running by early summer. I do plan to document it all, and I think my customer base will appreciate the story which is another positive aspect of this new found journey of mine. Wishing you the best!
That’s incredible, Jon. Early summer will be here before you know it!
Do you have a landing page or a newsletter where we can follow the build-out? I’d love to stay posted. And if you ever want to jam on the GTM strategy or logistics of scaling that facility once it’s live, don't hesitate to reach out. We founders have to keep each other sharp.
If I were in your shoes, I’d think about leaning into traditional marketing with a modern twist. For example: sending "handwritten" direct mail to your top 100 potential partners, but including a QR code that leads to a time-lapse of the facility being built. It proves the "System" and the quality in a way a static photo never could.
One more thought: Depending on where you’re based, find the hyper-local community newsletters (like Coolstuff.nyc or local BIDs) and start getting your story out there months before the launch. Building that local "Pulse" early ensures your audience knows exactly which stores to keep an eye out for when your products hit the shelves.
Love seeing visions come to life. Rooting for you! :)
You hit the nail on the head. It is so easy to get seduced by the branding side of things because it feels like progress. Looking back, I realized that the early days of Instagram actually pushed me toward that trap. I thought I needed to have it all together and focused on the aesthetic, but that was really when I started to lose touch with my roots. The ledger doesn't care about a color palette if the landed costs are killing the business. That invisible tax in markets like Lomé was one of my steepest learning curves. I appreciate you stopping by to share that perspective.
Love this! As a first time founder with a year old wellness brand, I can relate especially to the looking for validation aspect. My new mindset is to break rules and go against the herd in many ways. So much so that I’m in the process of building my own mini mfg facility to own the entire mfg process and bring down costs radically. Seems crazy and wildly risky, but so does working with middlemen who care zero percent about my brand and continue to let me down while raising prices. Thanks for your post!
Jon, that move isn't crazy. It is the most logical way to stay independent. Relying on middlemen who don't care about your brand is the fastest way to lose your margins and your peace of mind. By building your own facility, you are trading 'looking fancy' for actual control - which is exactly what today's consumers want.
Real validation comes from securing sales. As founders without a massive influencer budget, we have to become that proof ourselves early on. I love the mindset. If you are able to build it, do it and make sure to document everything. Become the blueprint for others.
Thank you for your kind and supportive reply, Naima! I’m doing it. I plan to be up and running by early summer. I do plan to document it all, and I think my customer base will appreciate the story which is another positive aspect of this new found journey of mine. Wishing you the best!
That’s incredible, Jon. Early summer will be here before you know it!
Do you have a landing page or a newsletter where we can follow the build-out? I’d love to stay posted. And if you ever want to jam on the GTM strategy or logistics of scaling that facility once it’s live, don't hesitate to reach out. We founders have to keep each other sharp.
If I were in your shoes, I’d think about leaning into traditional marketing with a modern twist. For example: sending "handwritten" direct mail to your top 100 potential partners, but including a QR code that leads to a time-lapse of the facility being built. It proves the "System" and the quality in a way a static photo never could.
One more thought: Depending on where you’re based, find the hyper-local community newsletters (like Coolstuff.nyc or local BIDs) and start getting your story out there months before the launch. Building that local "Pulse" early ensures your audience knows exactly which stores to keep an eye out for when your products hit the shelves.
Love seeing visions come to life. Rooting for you! :)
You hit the nail on the head. It is so easy to get seduced by the branding side of things because it feels like progress. Looking back, I realized that the early days of Instagram actually pushed me toward that trap. I thought I needed to have it all together and focused on the aesthetic, but that was really when I started to lose touch with my roots. The ledger doesn't care about a color palette if the landed costs are killing the business. That invisible tax in markets like Lomé was one of my steepest learning curves. I appreciate you stopping by to share that perspective.