Brett Schulman, CAVA co-founder and CEO, joins Guy on the Advice Line to help early-stage founders facing growth challenges. Topics include imposter syndrome in entrepreneurship, expanding sales channels for allergy accessories, and considering outside investment for a coffee roastery. Listen for practical advice and insights on scaling businesses.
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Quick takeaways
Imposter syndrome can arise when a product gains popularity, necessitating self-confidence and belief in success.
Strategic hiring and channel prioritization are crucial for sustainable growth and overcoming scaling hurdles.
Balancing revenue channels and seeking specialized insights are key to making strategic expansion decisions for nationwide presence.
Deep dives
Rootless Coffee Company's Unique Approach to Craft Coffee
Rootless Coffee Company based in Flint, Michigan, bridges the gap for consumers seeking high-quality coffee through eye-catching packaging designed by comic book artists. Partnering with grocery stores, coffee shops, and e-commerce, the brand has seen significant growth. With a focus on wholesale's profitability and plans for cafes nationwide, strategic hiring and channel prioritization have been essential.
Scaling Challenges and Prioritization Insights from Cava
Cava's CEO shares lessons on scaling challenges and prioritization. Emphasizing the importance of hiring the right people in the right roles and focusing on fewer things done better, Cava navigated complexities during expansion, making strategic decisions to drive growth. Prioritization and bringing in capabilities required at each growth stage were key to overcoming hurdles.
Strategic Expansion and Funding Decisions for Rootless Coffee
Sean Murray's Rootless Coffee Company tackles strategic expansion and funding decisions. With a vision of widespread coffee shop presence, balancing e-commerce, wholesale, and cafe growth becomes essential. Leveraging fractional CFOs or consultants for strategic guidance and operational efficiency can pave the way for sustainable scaling.
Strategies for Growth and Investment Choices for Rootless Coffee
Rootless Coffee's growth trajectory and investment choices align with its desire for nationwide cafe presence. Balancing revenue channels like e-commerce, wholesale, and retail, Sean seeks to enhance profitability while focusing on expansion. Considering experienced consultants or advisors for specialized insights can aid in strategic decision-making.
Lessons from Cava's Expansion Strategies
Reflecting on Cava's expansion journey, considerations of channel prioritization, hiring key capabilities, and staying nimble are highlighted. Sean's journey with Rootless Coffee parallels Cava's experiences, emphasizing the importance of strategic alignment, scalable growth plans, and leveraging specialized expertise for sustained expansion.
CAVA co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders experiencing growing pains as they scale their companies.
Today we meet Devin, who’s navigating imposter syndrome as his spiked root beer gets picked up by stores across Texas. Then Sophia, a Los Angeles mom exploring new sales channels for the accessories she designed to support children’s allergy needs. And Sean, who’s weighing whether outside investment is the best way to grow his Michigan-based coffee roastery into a national brand.
If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.
And be sure to listen to CAVA’s founding story as told by Brett and his co-founder Ted Xenohristos on the show in 2023.
This episode was produced by Carla Esteves with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was James Willetts.