{"id":12924,"date":"2024-02-26T11:10:11","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T19:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?p=12924"},"modified":"2024-03-12T08:16:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T16:16:15","slug":"saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/","title":{"rendered":"Saying ‘No’ Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
What makes a brand story sexy? What gives the appearance of a healthy and strong business? What gives friends and family the impression that you are killing it? Distribution gains. Fast and furious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What causes you to lose sleep at night and wake up in cold sweats? Distribution gains. Fast and furious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let me be clear. Fast growth isn\u2019t the enemy. That\u2019s not what I\u2019m saying at all. Growth that is intentional and smart<\/em> is the name of the game. Know what you are getting into. Be intentional with your decisions. Run the numbers. With every<\/strong> opportunity, with every retailer. If the economics of the deal don\u2019t show a path to making money with the new distribution, then you are looking at a fast lane to defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Know when to say NO<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Knowing when to say no<\/strong> is a super power in CPG. This understanding is the key to the kingdom. It comes down to being Nice versus being Kind. Being nice to your brand\/business would be taking on all the new distribution and growing the brand as fast as possible. It\u2019s sexy at parties. It feels good for people to see your product in more places, but it is the fastest way to run out of money and be forced to close up shop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being kind to yourself and your business, on the other hand, is fully understanding the expenses associated with distribution gains. Factor in all of the costs. There is a cost to carry increased inventory, there is the cost of production, there are new customer acquisition costs, etc. If those haven\u2019t been factored in and aren\u2019t being considered, ask yourself, why would you say yes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saying no to a retailer that wants to bring in your brand doesn\u2019t have to be an actual<\/em> \u201cno.\u201d It very easily becomes a \u201cnot yet.\u201d Buyers and category managers will have respect for the intentionality behind this. They will respect the fact that you fundamentally understand your business in a way to know that the time isn\u2019t quite right\u2026yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are options to \u2018No\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are options. It doesn\u2019t even have to be \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d or \u201cnot yet.\u201d Open a dialogue with your category manager. You could propose limited distribution with the new retail partner. You could ask to take on 50 or 100 stores instead of 2,000. Whatever number of doors that you can sufficiently afford and support. <\/em>Then you can dive in deeply to really understand what it takes to be successful in those doors. It is a lot<\/strong> more expensive to be successful in 2,000 doors than in 50. Understand your customer and the retailer\u2019s shoppers and how your brand will fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, In no way am I suggesting that you should limit retailer outreach or connection. I offer to you that this may be one of the best levers to drive smart <\/strong>future business. But just know when and how you can be the most successful. Your business and future self will thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name of the game is Intentionality. <\/strong>Be educated about your business and your numbers. Be educated about the retailer you are talking to. If you don\u2019t know what their customer profile is, just ask. If you don\u2019t know their velocity thresholds, just ask. There are no silly questions. It is your job to know. If you don\u2019t understand, find someone who can teach you. Be a student. Then make educated, intentional decisions about the business. <\/em>Not the brand, but the business. No brand will survive if the business behind it isn\u2019t solid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have seen successes and I have seen failures in my time as a founder in this Industry. There are always going to be mistakes and missteps, but do your best to make sure they aren\u2019t the big ones. Learn the lessons the easy way. Learn from others\u2019 mistakes. Find Advisors that have been there and understand the landscape. Listen to them and make informed <\/em>decisions. It will save you some cash and plenty of gray hair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":12928,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2584],"tags":[37,28],"class_list":["post-12924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-best-practices","tag-cpg","tag-entrepreneurship"],"yoast_head":"\n
Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The RangeMe Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rangeme\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jenny Cawthon\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Range_Me\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Range_Me\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jenny Cawthon\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jenny Cawthon\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092\"},\"headline\":\"Saying ‘No’ Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":700,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\",\"keywords\":[\"cpg\",\"Entrepreneurship\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Business Best Practices\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/\",\"name\":\"Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092\"},\"description\":\"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\",\"width\":1800,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"The RangeMe Blog\",\"description\":\"The RangeMe blog. A blog for suppliers, retail buyers, and service providers to learn about CPG trends, retail best practices, and how to grow your business.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092\",\"name\":\"Jenny Cawthon\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jenny Cawthon\"},\"description\":\"Jenny Cawthon is a former Founder turned Strategic Advisor and Brand Coach for TIG Brands. She supports Founders from a Founder's perspective and leverages the power of community to change the landscape for emerging brands. Jenny is a Champion of Women and BIPOC and is passionate about elevating the underrepresented in CPG. In addition, she is the Founder of ARC Forum: A Community of Women supporting Women in CPG\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rangeme.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/jennycawthon\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog","description":"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog","og_description":"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/","og_site_name":"The RangeMe Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rangeme\/","article_published_time":"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1800,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jenny Cawthon","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Range_Me","twitter_site":"@Range_Me","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jenny Cawthon","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/"},"author":{"name":"Jenny Cawthon","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092"},"headline":"Saying ‘No’ Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand","datePublished":"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/"},"wordCount":700,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop","keywords":["cpg","Entrepreneurship"],"articleSection":["Business Best Practices"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/","name":"Saying 'No' Can Be Your Biggest Advantage as a CPG Brand - The RangeMe Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop","datePublished":"2024-02-26T19:10:11+00:00","dateModified":"2024-03-12T16:16:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092"},"description":"It\u2019s okay to turn down a deal if it\u2019s not right for your business. Growth that is intentional and smart is the name of the game.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/saying-no-can-be-your-biggest-advantage-as-a-cpg-brand\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/TIG-No-Blog-Post.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop","width":1800,"height":1200},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/","name":"The RangeMe Blog","description":"The RangeMe blog. A blog for suppliers, retail buyers, and service providers to learn about CPG trends, retail best practices, and how to grow your business.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b9191e208c80d217b5ea2184dfd6e092","name":"Jenny Cawthon","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3d7ad5f204403d5ff86bedd2465cd31b4e686a4aa187fb81091cfd2b3b6a2185?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jenny Cawthon"},"description":"Jenny Cawthon is a former Founder turned Strategic Advisor and Brand Coach for TIG Brands. She supports Founders from a Founder's perspective and leverages the power of community to change the landscape for emerging brands. Jenny is a Champion of Women and BIPOC and is passionate about elevating the underrepresented in CPG. In addition, she is the Founder of ARC Forum: A Community of Women supporting Women in CPG","url":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/author\/jennycawthon\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12924"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12954,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12924\/revisions\/12954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rangeme-blog-images.imgix.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/No-TIG.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n