Aidan Vaandering is the Co-Founder of Reserv Labs.

Reserv is the yerba mate based focus + productivity drink made for the modern consumer.

Takeaways

• Aidan's sales skills from Shopify and how they help as a founder.
• The branding and positioning of Reserv in a crowded market.
• Nuances with Red Bull, Monster and other energy products.
• Understanding customer rituals and where Reserv fits in.
• How new rituals can drive product adoption.
• Starting with DTC and how you can scale to $100M+ in revenue on DTC alone.
• Reserv's subscription model.
• Figuring out taste and ingredients for Reserv.
• "Scrappy Marketing".
• Vancouver's often-overlooked CPG scene, is full of numerous success stories.

Chapters

00:00 From Sales to Startup: A Founder's Journey

03:03 The Genesis of Reserv Labs

08:45 Branding and Positioning in a Crowded Market

11:48 Understanding Customer Interaction and Rituals

15:42 Direct-to-Consumer Strategy and Subscription Model

20:30 Ingredient Selection and Product Taste

30:35 Market Expansion and Customer Density

33:58 Marketing Strategies: The Scrappy Approach

39:55 Networking in Vancouver's CPG Scene

40:03 Personal and Professional Excitement Ahead

44:05 Balancing Life as an Entrepreneur

Keywords

entrepreneurship, branding, direct-to-consumer, product development, marketing strategies, customer interaction, subscription model, Vancouver CPG, sales experience, startup journey