Build your brand with clarity
Before You Spend Real Money
Bring a food or beverage brand to market the right way — before you burn cash learning lessons the hard way.
a Decision framework for early-stage CPG founders
Building Your Brand is a 4-module, operator-led online course that pressure-tests your product, positioning, funding plan, retail strategy, and unit economics.
Built by a 30+ Year CPG Operator.
No Hype.
No Shortcuts.
Most CPG founders don’t fail from lack of effort.
They fail from spending too soon — without clarity.
You may have a promising product.
But retail feels opaque. Expensive. Risky.
Blogs and social feeds offer advice without accountability.
Networking creates noise, not direction.
And every decision — packaging, pricing, promotions, brokers, inventory —
seems to require real money before you know if the plan even works.
That uncertainty creates hesitation.
Or worse: confident mistakes.
This course gives you answers — not motivation.
You won’t leave with ideas.
You’ll leave with decisions.
You’ll be able to:
- Know if your product should launch — and under what conditions
- Understand how retailers actually evaluate brands
- Validate pricing, margins, and unit economics
- Build a retail plan grounded in reality, not hope
- Make go / no-go decisions with confidence before capital is at risk
What You’ll Walk Away With
- A pressure-tested product and brand definition.
- Documented assumptions and decision checkpoints.
- Clarity on cash-flow drivers, funding timing, and capital trade-offs.
- A grounded framework for evaluating retail readiness and strategy.
- A validated unit economics model.
- Completed worksheets and tools.
- A clear next-step roadmap.
Every step forces clarity early – when mistakes are cheapest.
An operator-led pressure-testing framework
This course mirrors how seasoned CPG teams evaluate brands before scaling – adapted for founders working with limited time and capital.
Define what you’re building — and whether it holds up.
In this section, you’ll:
Clarify the real consumer problem your product solves
Pressure-test your concept against category and competitive reality
Identify assumptions that need to be true for the brand to work
You’ll work through:
Product definition and positioning exercises
Consumer and competitive pressure-tests
A structured go / no-go checkpoint
Clarity you gain:
You know whether your product story works outside your own head.
Understand what the business will demand financially.
In this section, you’ll:
Map the true costs of getting to shelf (beyond manufacturing)
Understand where early brands underestimate cash needs
Identify financial pressure points before they become emergencies
You’ll work through:
Startup and launch cost mapping
Cash flow timing scenarios
A funding reality checklist
Clarity you gain:
You know what must be funded — and whether you’re prepared to support it.
Plan for how retail actually works — not how it’s talked about.
In this section, you’ll:
Learn how different retail channels operate
Understand what buyers evaluate (and what they don’t)
Determine which retail partners make sense first
You’ll work through:
Channel selection frameworks
Retail readiness checklists
Launch sequencing exercises
Clarity you gain:
You stop guessing how retail works and start planning accordingly.
Confirm whether growth helps or hurts the business.
In this section, you’ll:
Work from shelf price back to margin and profitability
Understand how velocity, trade spend, and costs interact
Identify where economics break down as you scale
You’ll work through:
Pricing and margin models
Unit economics validation exercises
A scale readiness checkpoint
Clarity you gain:
You know whether growth strengthens the business — or exposes it.
(Each module builds decision discipline – not theory)
Built by an operator — not an influencer
This course is grounded in decades of real-world experience working with major consumer brands and early-stage founders alike.
Paul’s 30+ year CPG career includes Hormel, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Smucker’s, and That’s How We Roll, where he drove 300% growth before its $259MM acquisition.
The goal isn’t inspiration.
It’s helping you make smart decisions before money is at risk.
Early Enrollment Includes the Full Bundle
Enrollment for Building Your Brand includes a limited time bundle designed to support founders before major retail and spending decisions are locked in.
The full bundle includes:
Building Your Brand (4-module course) — $449 value
The 2026 Consumer Reality Check report — $299 value
Retail Readiness Audit — $499 value
30-minute post-training decision review — $350 value
Total value: $1,597
Enrollment: $449
This is for you If: This is not for you if:
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You’re building or preparing to launch a food or bev brand
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You want retail clarity before spending heavily
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You value straight answers over encouragement
You’re ready to pressure-test your assumptions
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You want shortcuts or hype
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You’re looking for viral marketing tactics
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You’re not ready to question your own assumptions
If You’re Serious About Building a Retail-Ready Brand
If you’re serious about building a retail-ready brand — and avoiding expensive mistakes — this course was built for that exact stage.
Enrollment now open.
Single Module Purchase
Buy modules as you go-
Single module purchase (select from Modules 1-4)
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Upgrade credit if you move to the full course (*$16.75 per module purchased)
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Self paced, on demand
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Lifetime access
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Full video lessons for that module
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All worksheets specific to that module
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Clear action steps tied to that topic
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Membership to the Come Sell Online Community
Full Course Access
Modules 1-4-
All 4 modules
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Self paced, on-demand
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Lifetime access
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Full video lessons for all modules
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All worksheets for all modules
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Clear action steps for all modules
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Membership to the Come Sell Community pages
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30 minute review session with Paul