75: Growing An 8-Figure Brain Food Brand w/ Will Nitze

Growing a food brand is no walk in the park, let alone growing one to $25m in sales. But that’s exactly what Will Nitze - this week’s podcast guest - has done with food brand IQBAR in just 5 short years. In this insightful episode, we talked through the entire journey, including: How he came up with the idea How he funded its growth through crowdfunding and rounds of investment What the research, development, and testing processes looked like How Amazon compares to other channels like DTC And so much more! Will is a savvy operator and this is an episode not to be missed! Episode Links Grab an IQBAR or ten Connect with Will on LinkedIn Additional Resources Get our weekly Brand Builder Newsletter Talking Points 00:00 - Introduction to Guest: Will Nitze 01:21 - Will's Entrepreneurial Journey and the Story Behind IQ Bar 07:42 - Exploring Brain Food: What It Is and Its Benefits 10:15 - Avoiding Hard Claims for Supplement Brands 12:36 - Creating IQ Bar's Unique Recipes 14:45 - Journey with Manufacturers 16:20 - Starting Number of Units: Initial Production Considerations 17:33 - Launching with Kickstarter: Funding the Business 20:05 - Revenue Targets and Channels 22:24 - Dealing with Copycat Players: Navigating Competition 26:30 - Omnichannel Business Model 30:23 - Cash Flow Challenges: Scaling Up and Managing Finances 33:10 - Financing Routes: Options for Funding Growth 34:27 - Beyond Cash Flow: Addressing Other Scaling Challenges 37:10 - Managing Shareholder Pressure 38:20 - Will's Workweek Insights 39:43 - What's Next for IQ Bar? Future Plans and Innovations 42:39 - Discover More about Will: Where to Find Additional Information