Feeding your village takes a village.
For those times you don’t know what you don’t know.
I’m here to help you grow.
Dream it.
I know that running your own business is at times challenging and lonely. My goal is to help you get through the "What you don't know until you knows", whether it is one day at a time, or building a larger go-to-market strategy.
Therapy, The Grunt Work, and So Much More
I have worked with brands in every category and at almost every startup stage. How I can help guide you goes far beyond the services mentioned below. I am a sounding board when you need advice on how to communicate with your employees, vendors, cofounder, or even significant other. I am here to listen when things get hard and hold you accountable to goals and deadlines. I can tell you about which trade shows suck and those you may not have even known about. (I’m a killer booth designer too!). I will help you navigate the retail landscape and help guide your brand in finding its true voice to share with the world. Let’s talk about how I can make your life easier and bring everything you have poured your heart and soul into to more people.
How I Can Help.
Go To Market Strategy. ~
Are you wondering where to even begin? I can help you understand your category landscape, target market, and strategy to not just get on shelf, but to get off the shelf and into baskets.
Sales and Marketing Collateral Review.
Gaining the attention of retail buyers and customers will be one of the first steps to successfully get on shelf. I will help you grab their attention and give them everything they need to know on one page.
Sales and Investor Deck Review.
Telling your story is only part of the equation. Learn about how to most effectively get the buy in you need from buyers and investors who see hundreds if not thousands of decks each year.
Pricing and Distributor Relations.
Getting your pricing right from the beginning is key. Moving from a cottage operation to the big leagues adds in middle men that you may never have imagined. Let me be your guide to understanding COGS, GM, OI, EDLP, TPR, MCB, and how other silly acronyms can effect your bottom line.
Retailer Communication and Promotional Planning.
I will walk you through how to build relationships with your retailers, as it is not a one size fits all approach. Each retailer has a different approach to success, different demands, and a different customer base. We will strategize how to understand your category and promote most efficiently.
Scaling your business. ~
Knowing when to make moves and put capital into your business can be difficult. I have the resources and relationships to help find and connect you to the designers, copackers, brokers, packaging, lawyers, future employees, and more that will make your business succeed.
You Heard it Here.
Denise Woodard, Founder, Partake Foods
“Sarah has been an amazing resource for me and my company. She's made countless intros, thinks outside the box on potential profitable business opportunities, and is willing to roll up her sleeves and help wherever necessary. Because of all of her experience in early stage food and beverage, she understands every facet of the business - and also how the pieces are interrelated. She's a consummate professional, the sweetest soul, and the most honest (but gentle) critic.” -Denise Woodard, Founder, Partake Foods
"As entrepreneurs new to the food space, my Co-Founder and I were always on the search for a mentor. When we found Sarah, we realized that we had found that and more. She not only had a wealth of knowledge to share about F&B, but gave us concrete and actionable steps towards reaching our goals. At the time, we were making our first pitch to Whole Foods, and she guided us every step of the way - from crafting our pitch deck, to laying out a promotion strategy. We often said to ourselves, “we couldn’t have done this without Sarah,” and I’m sure we will continue to say so as we grow our business! We have wholeheartedly recommended her to every new entrepreneur we know in F&B." - Sonia Trehan, Founder, Jungli Foods
“Since the start of my business three years ago, when Sarah was VP of Sales at another CPG company, Sarah helped me navigate all the early pieces of getting my business off the ground and into distribution. Since then, her opinions and guidance in growing my business have continued to be crucial! I was a one-woman show for so long, but Sarah felt like the member of the team that I needed. From being a sounding board as I navigate difficult questions in my business like financing, sales strategy, and operations, to giving me support in filling out documents, Sarah has been an advisor to my business that has gone above and beyond.” -Sylvie Charles, Founder, Just Date Syrup
“Sarah has an incredible work ethic and comes to the job every day with passion, tenacity and a desire to win. She is able to wear multiple hats at the same time while working both in and on the business at the same time. It also helps that she is a super-connector and has a deep network of meaningful relationships within the CPG industry!” - Sara Brooks, Founder, Covet PR
"Successful food startups are born when a great idea is paired with deep industry insight, but entrepreneurs are often new to the business of food (I was). So if you're thinking about launching a food company, a knowledgable sounding board like Sarah is fundamental for perfecting your idea, planning your launch, and designing your growth roadmap -- it will save you time, missteps and money." -Carmel Hagen, Founder, Supernatural