“WON’T IT JUST TAKE OFF?”
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
We did it the wrong way! We bought into too many popularly held misconceptions! It cost us plenty of time, money, and anxiety. We did not want to believe that we had to go out into the neighborhoods surrounding every store where we had our products for sale and...
A PART OF THE SOLUTION
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
Once again, the UN has released its climate report card and the grades are below passing. As a planet, we are not only failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but we are actually increasing them. Meanwhile, the weather news is starting to use terms like “historic”...
WHY HASN’T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE?
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
Ever had a great idea for a product? Wonder why nobody has thought of it yet? The products that compete with your idea seem like they are off the mark, mediocre, and missing something yours provides. In fact, you haven’t seen anything like your brainchild on the...
“YOU’RE RAISING YOUR PRICE!”
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
Customers see any reduction in price as PERMANENT! Watch out! Every CPG producer must occasionally show the end user-customer a price reduction on the shelf at the retail store. But in order to do that, the producer must somehow temporarily reduce their wholesale...
BUILDING OUT WITHOUT BLOWING OUT!
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
If your CPG (consumer packaged goods) business has made it past the startup phase, and you have finally built up enough customers that you can pay your bills, you may be considering expansion. This is ultimately a good way to protect yourself from one or two major...
IF YOU’RE NOT IN THEIR FACE, YOU’RE NOT IN THE PLACE!
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
Building a CPG retail product is a store-by-store process. All the advertising in the world will not help you if your branded product isn’t there! In fact, it’s a waste of money. You need to be known to the neighborhood and market area of the store in which you are...
ALL AHEAD SLOW!
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
There comes a time in the life of every CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) business when the founder, who has been making all the sales himself, finally asks the question, “Am I ready to hire a salesperson?” The answer is based on the answers to a series of other...
FULL CIRCLE?
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
For years, we’ve been saying that the reports of the death of bricks and mortar retail stores was greatly exaggerated. Amazon 4 Star Stores are adding more weight to that argument. What do Amazon Go, Whole Foods, and Amazon 4 Star Stores all have in common? They are...
CASTLING YOUR WAY INTO POSITION
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
Castling is a chess move where, under certain circumstances, you can change your king’s position and the position of your castle (or rook) at the same time. This is generally a defensive move, used to get you out of harm’s way, but it can also position you for an...
ON THE CORNER OF HOLLYWOOD AND BRAND
by Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey
For almost 7 years we’ve been writing on the Consumers Brand Builders site about what it takes to build a national brand that’s sold in stores. We cover everything we know and deliver lessons we have learned in down-to-earth, easy-to-understand terms. Our goal is to...