CPG Guidance for Real-World Founders
Build, test, launch, and grow your product brand with fewer headaches, mistakes, and waste.
No Risk. Join free for 30 days and experience it for yourself.
Coaching built for how consumer brands actually grow.
The Founders Round CPG Track is a structured working room for CPG founders. Led by experienced operators, you'll learn what matters, where to focus, and how to avoid the costly traps and mistakes that keep so many great ideas from ever becoming successful products.
Sequence the Right Way
Test and prove your distribution channels the right way.
Protect Your Margin
Understand your true costs, even the hidden ones.
Win the Buyer Meeting
Master your story and your numbers to build the perfect pitch.
Lead Like an Executive
Make the calls you can't undo next to someone who already has.
You can get on the shelf and still go out of business.
The further your brand gets, the more specific your problems become, and the fewer people around you have solved them for a physical product. Which channel do you build first? How do I find the right vendors and production partners? Is this deal with a retailer a good one? These are expensive calls, and most founders make them alone.
The stakes are high. Launch in the wrong channel and you lose a year. Sign a co-packer with a minimum you can't move and the cash is gone. Grow too fast and the receivables sink you before the reorders land.
You need someone in the room who has already made the big decision you're weighing.
What we'll cover
Stop spinning your wheels and second guessing every decision. Start seeing real momentum.
Channel sequencing and launch planning. Which channel first, what you prove in each, and when to go wider instead of deeper.
Retail readiness. What a buyer needs before a category review: case specs, UPCs, EDI, insurance, and certifications.
Buyer strategy. Category review timing, the pitch, slotting fees, and how to read a "maybe."
Distributor strategy. The real cost of each route to shelf, from UNFI and KeHE to DSD to direct.
Managing brokers and agencies. When to hire, how to structure the deal, what to demand in reporting, and how to exit clean.
Amazon from zero. Listings, PPC, FBA math, and how to keep Amazon from undercutting your retail accounts.
Most startup coaching wasn't built for what you're doing.
Building a physical product is its own game with different gatekeepers, different economics, and a set of decisions that generic founder advice never has to address. This room is built around those decisions, with people who've made them.
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How it works
Stop spinning your wheels and second guessing every decision. Start seeing real momentum.
Sign up and connect with your guides and fellow founders in our exclusive Slack channel.
Your first Rounds pin down where your brand stands and the key things that matter most right now.
Join weekly live calls with experienced mentors who'll help you troubleshoot, make decisions, and stay on track.
Connect 1-on-1 via dedicated mentor office hours to unpack deeper needs and get un-stuck.
Dan Stephenson
Three-time founder and finance-driven CPG operator. Dan has put consumer products on the shelves of 18 of the top 30 US grocers. As co-founder and COO of Daily Crunch Snacks, he scaled the brand from concept to 7k doors and raised more than $6M, while making the Inc. 5000 twice (#13 in Food and Beverage). Founders come to him for the part of the job that decides whether a brand survives.
Clay Banks
Clay Banks has over 23 years of experience in starting, scaling, and leading innovative hardware and software companies. An 8-time startup founder, he's raised over $5M in capital, holds 3 patents, appeared on Shark Tank, and managed a $2M+ omni-channel brand. Clays expertise spans organizational design, e-commerce growth, and full-scale manufacturing.
Sarah Deane Hale
Sarah's career spans multiple industries – social justice, music, and corporate consulting. Still, the thread that ties it all together is her ability to see the big picture, identify key targets, and deliver a cohesive strategy. She brings her robust expertise to Luum's clients every day.
Jordan Short
Jordan is a visionary creative director, seasoned commercial artist, and empowering coach on a mission to unleash creativity. With over 15 years of experience, he crafts brand stories that truly connect. Jordan’s all about big-picture thinking, attention to detail, and making design magic happen.
Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson is a brand strategist and business coach with 15 years of experience in product design, innovation, and strategy. Leveraging a background in industrial design and human-centered design thinking, Carl specializes in helping visionary leaders break from the status quo and build innovative brands people love.
Refine, build, and grow with purpose.
Get everything you need to clarify your vision and scale your way.
Startups aren't simple.
Our pricing is.
One simple, monthly price that doesn't break the bank.
Plus, a 30-day money-back guarantee.
$249/mo
FAQs
The Founders Round is for startup founders and entrepreneurs who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of their next steps. Whether you’re just getting started, refining your product, going to market, or trying to gain traction, we help you move forward with confidence knowing you don't have to do it alone.
No! The Founders Round Track is built for consumer-product founders broadly. Our coaches have experience with a wide variety of product brands from food and beverage to home security, electronics, health/wellness, beauty, and more.
Not at all. You've still got a world of decisons ahead of you, and the stakes are only getting higher. If you've got a product and you want to better understand your business, make smarter calls, and grow your brand, you're in the right place.
It's possible, but let's have a conversation to find out. Early on its own isn't a disqualifier. We're committed to earnestly providing the most helpful guidance for your unique situation. Book a free call with one of our coaches to talk through the progress you've made so far and where you're getting stuck. If we think you'll benefit from The Founders Round, we'll tell you. If not, we'll tell you that too, and recommend next steps to jump-start your progress.
Unlike accelerators, we’re not time-limited, competitive, or application-based. We don’t take equity or promise funding. Instead, you get ongoing coaching, expert insights, and a collaborative community to help you navigate your unique startup challenges without disrupting your day-to-day operations.
Yes. We've designed The Founders Round to work for real people living real lives. They're no less committed, but they can't drop everything, drain their retirement accounts, or move across the country to make their dream a reality. The Founders Round helps you focus your energy, show up consistently, and make progress alongside your other commitments—not instead of them.
Of course! Up to two additional partners or co-founders may join you on a team plan for one flat monthly fee.
We know every dollar counts when you're starting a company—especially one in the CPG space. We're here to help you avoid the costly mistakes (like bad deal terms, launching in the wrong channel, outsized marketing tactics, etc) ethat can set you back years or tank your company completely. Founders Round members get judgment on the calls that are expensive to get wrong, from someone who has made them.
If you're unsure whether this is the right fit, book a free 20-minute Q&A call with our team to get all your questions answered and help decide if our community is right for you. We also offer a 30 day money-back guarantee if we end up not being the best fit.