116 | Everyone Agrees Bottom-Up, Few Execute It: Eric Franco on Why Funding Pressure Makes You Skip What You Know Works

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com 

Eric Franco, a former SABMiller colleague, recently Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Brewdog USA and entrepreneur who started as a bar owner, joins for a discussion validating core bottom-up principles through battlefield experience.

Working long days running his own bar before selling for global brands, the conversation confirms what becomes clear through market observation: everyone agrees on bottom-up methodology in theory, but execution fails when immediate gratification culture, social media distortion, and funding pressure collide with foundational discipline.

The discussion explores patterns visible across markets: brands hiring VPs before mastering founder-led selling, Target distribution forcing unsustainable multi-state expansion, and burning retail relationships in concentrated markets.

Eric's owner-operator perspective adds depth to the systematic approach to channel selection, geographic expansion, and the three-year foundation period required before authentic scaling becomes possible. ​

Timestamps

• 00:00 Introduction and Catching Up
• 01:11 Defining 'Bottom Up' in Brand Building
• 04:36 Challenges in Brand Growth and Market Expectations
• 09:41 The Importance of Local Market Mastery
• 15:16 Balancing Big Opportunities with Realistic Growth
• 32:02 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com