Need Beverage Advice?

When I get a calls from entrepreneurs to discuss their new beverage ideas my first response is always “don’t do it”. Now that usually catches them by surprise because they haven’t yet told me anything about their product. The point I try to make is that it’s really hard to successfully launch a brand and virtually impossible to make money in the first 5 years. Frankly the easiest part is coming up with the idea. The most challenging part is commercialization. Sure, you can get someone to come up with a formula, slap a goofy name on it, design a slick looking package, and find a co-packer who will produce some finished product. OK, now you got a garage filled with a thousand cases. How are you going to get a store to agree to sell it, how are you going to deliver it to the store, and most importantly, how are you going to get a consumer to decide to pay real money for your product instead of one of the other hundred brands sitting on the shelf?

If you think I may be the guy to help guide you through the process of brand commercialization or portfolio optimization I have some bad news. I’ve pretty much opted out of doing traditional consulting. I just got tired of talking to people who said they needed help but actually felt they had all the answers and preferred to pitch me their great idea rather than listen to advice from a non-millennial. If you have an open mind and want to chat (for free) drop me a line at mikesoda@gmail.com and let’s schedule a time to talk. If we both think there’s an opportunity to work on a really cool idea, I’d be happy to start the meter running.