The PricePlow Podcast

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/dan-fabricant-npa-2023-washington-dc For Episode 100 of the PricePlow Podcast, Ben and Mike flew to Washington D.C. for the Natural Products Association’s annual DC Fly-In Day on June 7, 2023. Fly-in days, also known as “lobby days”, bring individuals together to advocate with legislators and other officials on behalf of their shared interests. So this was the day where members of the NPA could meet with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill to discuss matters of importance in terms of public policy geared towards the dietary supplement industry. Episode 100: Dan Fabricant of the NPA in Washington, DC It was only fitting, then, to schedule Episode 100 with Dan Fabricant, CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA). This is the country’s largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the natural products industry — it was founded in 1936 and has over 700 members. In this podcast, we discuss why we should be involved in politics when it has become so off-putting the past decade or so, discuss what the FDA and industry both need to be doing better, and dig into this year’s hot topics, which includes the battle against the FDA for NMN. The trip was spectacular — we’ll include some videos at the bottom of this article. We were able to meet with congressmen and senators from New Jersey (Ben’s district) and Oklahoma (Mike’s home). Have a say — or someone else will do so for you The most major point to get across is this: If you’re not talking to your legislators, then someone else is. There’s only so much oxygen in DC, and every industry needs to fight for theirs. Now let’s get into it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVhtNGUqfKI As a reminder, Dan was previously on the PricePlow Podcast in Episode #067, describing how the NPA fought Dick Durbin’s 2022 Mandatory Product Listing Bill (described as “MPL” below). Ben had also joined in the fight in Trenton, NJ to prevent them from forcing stores to sell supplements from behind-the-counter (see coverage here and here on Instagram). These are both referenced below: Detailed Show Notes with Dan Fabricant of NPA (0:00) – Hot Start: We need to support our tribe (1:30) – Introduction and the Disenfranchisement with Politics (3:15) – We have to show up (4:30) – What is the NPA? (7:30) – Non-Profit 101 – How is NPA Run? (9:15) – Not Just Federal: Challenges in States (10:10) – Will uninformed legislators ever understand creatine?! (12:30) – Performance Supplements Lead the Way in this Industry (14:00) – Should the dietary supplement community discuss supplements for children (16:00) – The four pillars of the dietary supplement industry’s regulatory framework (23:00) – Dan’s Background at the FDA (24:00) – Dan vs. USPLabs (28:45) – What can be a dietary supplement? (32:30) – Botanicals and Constituents of Botanicals (35:15) – Foods and supplements cannot intoxicate (38:00) – New Dietary Ingredient Notifications (NDIN) (39:30) – Congress… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/ryan-deluca-bodybuilding-black-box-vr-099 On Memorial Day of 2023, we had a fantastic podcast with Ryan DeLuca, the original founder and 17-year CEO of Bodybuilding.com… and current founder and CEO of Black Box VR, a virtual reality physical fitness company that’s bringing an immersive, gamified workout experience to franchise gym locations. Ryan DeLuca: Tech and fitness industry pioneer Ryan is someone who’s constantly been ahead of the curve — for example, he pioneered running a “dotcom” early (when others claimed the Internet was a fad), foresaw the rise of dietary supplements, quickly realized the importance of quality content, and built an online community before social media was a thing. So when Ryan sees a big shift, we take note, and you should too. In this conversation, we talk about the genesis of Bodybuilding.com, which was really a technology company just as much as a fitness and content platform. We get into his core mission, its consistent decade-plus upward trajectory, challenges through growth, and Ryan’s selling of the site in 2015. What to do after Bodybuilding.com? Meet Black Box VR But what next? At the end of his tenure at Bodybuilding.com, Ryan started playing with virtual reality, and became very interested in the space. He lasted six months into “retirement”, then founded Black Box VR, built to revolutionize the way people work out. Through gamification, Black Box VR can give you the best 30 minute workout you’ll ever have. Ryan explains the technology, their franchise business model, and how he sees the future of this space. He makes for an impressive argument for his business and the technology at large, and it’s an incredible episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCMA8qUGTFg Detailed Show Notes with Ryan DeLuca (0:00) – Introductions, Filmed on Memorial Day 2023 (1:00) – The Beginnings of Bodybuilding.com (4:00) – Building a mission-based company (6:00) – Ryan DeLuca: Visionary and Pioneer (9:00) – Using tools to achieve the mission (11:30) – Content is King (14:30) – DeLuca is a Tech Founder – How to Prioritize (16:30) – Running a tech company in the fitness world (20:00) – The stigma of bodybuilding (22:00) – Core values of Bodybuilding.com (24:00) – The trajectory of Bodybuilding.com’s Growth (26:45) – Transitioning out of Bodybuilding.com (29:15) – Were there alternatives to selling? (30:30) – You sold a business. What next? (32:30) – Tuesday’s here. What do you do on Tuesday? (35:30) – The genesis of Black Box VR (39:00) – How does Black Box VR technology work? (42:45) – How will the Black Box VR business expand? (43:30) – Getting gamified into harder workouts (45:30) – How much exercise choice does the player get? (47:45) – Business models: Franchise vs. Working with Other Hardware (49:30) – More workout questions (51:30) – Black Box VR’s Target Demographics (53:30) – Other aspects of training (55:00) – Motivating users and competing with the couch (57:00) – Cooperative workouts in the future? (58:00) – Franchise model questio… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/nate-frazier-ken-huntly-gnc-2023-098 At the 2023 GNC Franchise Convention, Team PricePlow was a guest of Kaged’s, and Ben had a quick moment to talk with Nate Frazier (Chief Operating Officer) and Ken Huntly (VP of Sports Nutrition) to talk about GNC’s partnerships and strategies in 2023 and beyond. This is a continuation of Episode #097 with Kaged’s Aaron Heidebreicht, where the men explore why a premium brand like Kaged needs to partner with GNC. In this episode, Nate explains GNC’s emergence from the murky time period of 2020 through 2022, which faced challenge after challenge. They discuss the retailer’s focus on education, and how they’ve improved their sales culture to ensure quality customer experiences. Ken then discusses what he’s looking for in new sports nutrition brands, and why Kaged checks every box, which paves the way for Kaged’s late summer 2023 launch of 27 new SKUs into GNC. The focus then shifts to Beyond Raw, the highly-innovative brand owned and run by GNC that ensures quality, standout ingredients inside. Finally, GNC is approaching its 90th birthday, and is planning to be here another 90 years, so their strategy has to maintain a long-term outlook. This includes some expansion into product categories like longevity, and not just sports and diet that the retailer is so well-known for. Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcast app or watch below on YouTube – we have much more incredible content coming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyGuERKaOrQ This is Part 2 of 2 episodes at the 2023 GNC Franchise Convention, where Team PricePlow attended as a guest of Kaged. Part 1 can be found in Episode #097, but is not required to understand this episode. (0:00) – Introductions (0:30) – Why GNC? (2:10) – GNC emerges from the chaos of 2020/2021 (5:10) – Live Well (5:45) – GNC’s Selling Culture (9:20) – Education in the Supplement Industry (12:00) – Partnerships: What does GNC look for in a partner? (13:15) – Innovation (16:15) – What does GNC want the industry to see? (18:45) – Safety in Dietary Supplements (21:15) – GNC’s importance in the industry Thanks to Kaged and GNC for having Team PricePlow at the 2023 Franchise Convention! This was part 2 of 2 – if you haven’t done so already, head back to Episode #097 with Aaron Heidebreicht and Darin Decker of Kaged. Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/kaged-gnc-aaron-heidebreicht-darin-decker-097 In May of 2023, Kaged brought Team PricePlow to GNC’s annual Franchise Convention in Las Vegas, NV. This is a closed show (as in not consumer facing) that provides an incredible opportunity for brands to showcase their latest product offerings and sales to GNC Franchisees. At the show, Kaged — a brand with little official presence at GNC — made a massive splash, showcasing 27 new SKUs that are coming to the retailer. They teased new functional food products and an Elite product line with upgraded ingredients just for GNC. Kaged is coming to GNC… with 27 new SKUs In part 1 of a 2-part series, Ben sat down with Kaged’s Chief Commercial Officer Aaron Heidebreicht and VP of Sales Darin Decker to discuss this massive launch, tease some new products, and to explain many of the recent shifts at Kaged — and their plan moving forward. In part 2, which will be posted in Episode #098, Ben and Aaron later sat down with GNC’s Nate Frazier (Chief Operating Officer) and Ken Huntly (VP of Sports Nutrition) to explore the retailer’s role in these operations and where they are going this decade, especially with respect to their sales strategies. Both of these episodes are must-listens for anyone interested in the business of the dietary supplement industry. Kaged provides the groundwork for how a premium brand can do things the right way, and a lot of it comes down to the right partnerships. To listen, find the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite podcast app (some links are below) or watch the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUee8G_6T_Y This is Part 1 of 2 episodes at the 2023 GNC Franchise Convention: (0:00) – Introductions – at the 2023 GNC Franchise Convention (1:40) – How did Kaged get here at GNC? (4:00) – The importance of education (8:00) – 27 New SKUs coming to GNC (11:30) – Kaged Functional Foods – Protein Bar and Crumb Cakes (18:45) – Kaged’s Partnerships: The adults in the room (23:30) – The Kaged Rebrand and New Female Customers (24:50) – Kris Gethin out: Changes in Identity and Direction (32:00) – Kaged Expansion: New Hires and Strategy (38:00) – Closing Down, Aaron knows everyone Thanks to Kaged for bringing Team PricePlow to the 2023 Franchise Convention! This was part 1 of 2 – if you haven’t done so already, head over to Episode #098 with Nate Frazier and Ken Huntly of GNC. Finally, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice – we have more heavy-hitting episodes coming.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/konlan-paul-landon-suggs-inspired-nutraceuticals-096 Konlan James Paul of V1 Nutra and Landon Suggs of V1 Nutra) and Landon Suggs (Inspired Nutraceuticals join the PricePlow Podcast to talk about KJ Paul’s new role at Inspired! Listen below, watch it on YouTube, or find the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxpOWURZXSg Show Notes with Konlan Paul and Landon Suggs: Talking Inspired Nutraceuticals and V1 Nutra (0:00) – Introductions (1:40) – Collaboration in the Industry (2:40) – Konlan and Landon Meeting Up (4:30) – Content Creators and Giving Back to Brands (7:07) – Ben Reflects On Content Creation In The Past (11:08) – UGC Low Budget Content and Tik Tok (13:15) – How KJ Got Started (16:45) – Working at a Contract Manufacturing Facility (17:55) – Konlan Leaving NutraCap Labs (21:40) – Functional Foods (25:25) – The Philosophy Behind Inspired (27:40) – Why We’re Here (35:35) – What is Konlan’s Role? (38:42) – Wholesale for V1? (40:00) – What Kind of Content Will We See with Konlan for Inspired? (46:00) – Inspired Nutra is Special (48:25) – What’s Happening for Inspired Going Forward? (51:55) – Budget Pre-Workouts (54:40) – DTC to Brick and Mortar (1:00:40) – “Dress For The Job You Want” (1:03:40) – Do What It Takes to Produce Good Content (1:06:40) – Plan For Inspired (1:19:12) – Pre and Pump Combo (1:22:00) – Supplement Awards (1:25:15) – V1 New Branding (1:27:50) – Up Big DTC Lately (1:33:10) – KJ on DTC and Retail (1:34:00) – Brands and What Goes Wrong (1:38:53) – V1 Drops and Future Useful Links Inspired Nutraceuticals on PricePlow V1 Nutra on PricePlow @InspiredNutra on Instagram @V1Nutra on Instagram @Ph4d3 (Landon) on Instagram @Konlan.James on Instagram @JKPerformanceNutrition on TikTok Thanks for joining – subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/brian-tweer-brady-adamson-astroflav-095 In late May of 2023, we were thrilled to have Brian Tweer and Brady Adamson of AstroFlav on the PricePlow Podcast. Brian founded AstroFlav in 2019 after several years of running Jersey Shore Supplements, a local retail business that he founded. He eventually brought Brady on to AstroFlav, and things have been lights-out ever since, backed by their sleek new branding. In this episode, we talk about the founding of Jersey Shore Supplements and AstroFlav – a company originally targeting “Out of this world flavor” – and how AstroFlav is using their own retail experience to support other small brick-and-mortar retailers that carry their supplements. We of course get into formulas – talking pre- and intra-workout, but also diving into the new AstroFlav Magnesium product. Brian has been on a phenomenal personal development kick, and shares his routine and recommended books with us. Finally, a couple of upcoming products are teased throughout the episode. Excellent listen from an excellent team! Listen below, watch it on YouTube, or find the PricePlow Podcast on the podcast app of your choice below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfcnpNj85Ak Show Notes with Brian Tweer and Brady Adamson of AstroFlav (0:00) – Introductions (5:15) – People had to come through the store (8:30) – Why did you decide to start your own brand? (13:30) – The importance of being confident about your brand. (17:15) – The pros and cons of having a professional countertop. (20:00) – What has driven the main rebrand and reformulation? (23:45) – Health biohacking and development. (31:25) – How to add value to the product? (35:45) – Magnesium and the brain (39:30) – Some AstroFlav Favorites (39:30) – Brian’s personal life and work life. (48:15) – How they treat the wholesale side of things. (52:45) – Selling to GNC and the importance of having integrity in business. (57:40) – How important is it to know who is behind a brand? (1:03:45) – The importance of helping people get better (1:07:45) – The importance of building a community of people. (1:11:15) – Personal development books and resources. (1:18:15) – How do you cut out the TV? (1:24:45) – Brian’s morning routine. (1:27:15) – Feeling is the Secret (1:34:00) – Reflections on the industry Useful Links AstroFlav on PricePlow @AstroFlav on Instagram @BrianTweer on Instagram Brady Adamson on LinkedIn Thanks for joining us gentlemen, PricePlow Nation will be following your products closely as always!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/ryan-bucki-fitbutters-094 Ryan Bucki, founder of Fit Butters and Fitness Informant, jumps on PricePlow to talk Fit Butters explosive growth, and what will happen to FI next. Many of our followers are also longtime followers of Ryan’s, who, as a performing wrestler, serves as an incredible “Hype Man” in the sports nutrition industry. With his popular one-sip flavor reviews and long-running podcast, Ryan keeps the energy fun and high in the active nutrition and bodybuilding corners of the industry. But in 2020, things began to change for Ryan, and he and his wife looked for alternate income sources. This is when they launched Fit Butters, a nut butter company that includes delicious protein powders to provide special flavoring to the butters, while adding inclusions to the top that the user can mix in. It all leads to an incredible nut butter experience, and their success has taken the company to new heights, with Ryan getting into some major grocery chains. Ryan tells us about this success — and what the major time commitments mean for the future of Fitness Informant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m_qHbO7ozM Show Notes with Ryan Bucki: Fit Butters Crushes All Nut Butters, But What of Fitness Informant? (0:00) – Kick off and Introductions (3:30) – “Competitors” and different podcast platforms (7:00) – Friendly disagreements. (11:45) – 2020’s impact on FI and the genesis of Fit Butters (15:30) – Starting a Nut Butter business. (26:00) – Retail marketing for FitButters. (31:15) – Limited edition product launches. (33:45) – Working flavoring with Simpson Labs (37:15) – Quality assurance in supplements. (41:45) – Finding good employees (1:03:15) – The importance of good hires (1:07:45) – Technology and consumer needs (1:16:45) – Authentic feedback for brands (1:22:15) – The responsibility of influencers (1:25:15) – Compliance (1:29:30) – Fit Butters on the west coast? (1:37:45) – Value of ingredients (1:46:15) – What happened to creatine in Pre-Workouts? (1:48:45) – Brands working together Previous Episodes with Ryan’s Podcast FI Episode 13: Mike and Shane (Stack3d) join Ryan FI Episode 82: Ben joins Ryan Useful Links Fit Butters on PricePlow Ryan Bucki on LinkedIn @FitButters on Instagram @FitnessInformant on Instagram Thanks for joining us Ryan, and good luck to you in your endeavors!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/shawn-baier-hmb-093 We’ve lately seen a lot of buzz about β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate, otherwise known as HMB. After diving deep into the ingredient — which has been with us since the 1980s but wasn’t fully understood or marketed correctly in those early decades — we’re glad to see it making a comeback with supplement formulators who are using it correctly. In fact, we recently published our ultimate guide to HMB titled “HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate): Performance-Driven Muscle Supplement“, explaining when and how the leucine metabolite is used best. In the above article, we review the history of HMB and go over some of the methodological flaws that led to inconsistent results in HMB studies — including one “HMB study” that didn’t even contain any HMB at all! As you’ll see in today’s podcast, this ingredient has been through quite a saga – which is why we’re very excited about our PricePlow podcast guest today! To give us the real story, we had Shawn Baier, a sports nutrition scientist and former competitive powerlifter who’s been working with HMB since the very beginning of its rise in the late 80s and early 90s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_INxdWytv5A Detailed Show Notes with Shawn Baier: The Resurgence of HMB (0:00) – Why Are We Talking About HMB? (0:50) – Shawn Baier Introduction (3:10) – Trends In the Supplement Industry (3:30) – History of HMB (4:45) – History of Powerlifting (8:15) – Some PricePlow History (8:45) – Introduction to HMB (10:00) – Synchronicity in Research (10:45) – BCAA Metabolites Research in the 1980s (12:00) – How HMB Became A Human Supplement (15:45) – HMB In Context (16:00) – Dual Effect of HMB (17:15) – Partnership With TSI Group, Ltd. (17:45) – The Medical Importance of Muscle Health (18:05) – The Inevitability of Muscle Loss (18:45) – The Importance of Prevention (19:15) – Economies of Scale in HMB for Agriculture (20:45) – Why Arginine and Glutamine in early HMB research? (22:30) – Why Is Lysine Important? (27:18) – Why Muscle Growth Signaling Molecules Like HMB Matter (31:15) – HMB’s Role In Tissue Remodeling (33:00) – Protein Quality (34:45) – Eat Quality Food! (36:00) – The Problem With Some HMB Studies (38:00) – Great research bringing other great ingredients (40:30) – Does HMB Matter, Practically Speaking? (42:31) – More Methodological Problems With HMB Studies (46:00) – Specific Examples of HMB-Beneficial Settings (49:25) – There Has To Be A Stressor! (53:00) – The Negative HMB Study… That Used an Adulterated Supplement WITH NO HMB! (57:00) – Funding Studies and Efficacy Testing (1:00:00) – Getting More Specific (1:05:00) – Vitamin D Levels, Another Confounding Variable (1:13:00) – Diet and HMB (1:17:30) – Muscle Damage, Not Just For Athletes! (1:18:45) – Does HMB Help A Good Diet? (1:23:30) – Sales Pitch? No – The Science Speaks For Itself (1:26:30) &… Read more on the PricePlow Blog

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/spencer-lynn-092 In mid-April of 2023, we hosted Spencer Lynn, the northeast regional manager at KOS, a popular supplement company in the natural foods community. In this episode, we discuss: Spencer’s transition from the military to working in the dietary supplement industry The state of nutrition in MREs given to the military when deployed Selling KOS supplements into retail stores Using LinkedIn as a networking tool The recent 100 mile ultra-marathon Spencer completed! Video: Spencer Lynn Goes Hard in the Paint https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIaQZUGLGu0 Show Notes: Spencer Lynn on Diet in the Military, KOS Supplements and Ultra-Marathons Detailed Show Notes coming soon! Follow Spencer and KOS Spencer Lynn on Instagram: @slynn46 Spencer Lynn on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/spencerlynn46/ KOS on Instagram: @KOS You can also sign up for PricePlow’s KOS news to get notified when any new KOS product updates hit the market!

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/chris-waldrum-nutrex-research-091 A lot has changed since we last talked to Chris Waldrum, who graced us with his presence in the legendary Episode #69 on the PricePlow Podcast. This time around, he’s recently begun managing the new direction of the brand at Nutrex Research (named the “Nutrex Rebirth“), so we brought him on to talk about the transition from his sale of Inspired Nutraceuticals and on to Nutrex’s rebrand coming this year. We’ve long had a great relationship with Nutrex, spanning back to a trip we took in 2018 where we met the leadership team. Five years later, we’re still big fans of products like the Gummy Bear flavor of Outlift, still a house favorite flavor, and IsoFit is one of the most incredible isolates on the market – and more people need to know about it. That is Chris’ job – to retell the Nutrex story to the next generation of athletes, and remind them how a major brand with serious international power can still throw its weight around in America. The first product to rebrand is Outlift Amped, so that’s what you can look forward to first. You can watch on YouTube below or listen on any number of podcast apps: Video: Chris Waldrum Heads up the 2023 Nutrex Research Rebrand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOTV7-ZozhU Show Notes: Chris Waldrum Leads the Nutrex Research 2023 Rebrand (0:00) – Re-Introductions (1:20) – The Beginning of Inspired Nutraceuticals (5:00) – DVST8 and the Takeover (7:50) – How did moving away from Inspired transpire? (11:20) – What’s next for Chris? (14:10) – Nutrex going forward… (16:45) – Chris and his design/consultancy work (21:52) – Who is Nutrex Research? (31:22) – What are the plans for formulas changing or will they stay the same? (36:01) – Compliance when working for a big company who distributes globally (43:25) – What is the plan for lower-income international markets? (51:04) – Formulating products with synergism (55:31) – Will we see transparency in terms of manufacturing? (1:00:01) – How important is transparency in building a brand? (1:08:09) – What is going to happen with Lipo-6? (1:16:34) – How does your mindshift change from being at a smaller brand like Inspired to a huge brand like Nutrex? (1:19:20) – What do you think the hardest part of working at a big brand will be? (1:21:03) – What type of athletes are Nutrex looking to bring on? (1:29:03) – Changing the thought process of the human race (1:36:03) – Issues within the industry (1:44:01) – Are you using AI for anything business wise currently? As always, an incredible time with Chris! Follow Chris and Nutrex Research Chris Waldrum on Instagram: @ChrisWaldrum Nutrex Research on Instagram:… Read more on the PricePlow Blog