I build brands that redefine how we experience food.

As Founder & CEO of Three Mills Bakery, I’ve spent over a decade turning a small Canberra bakery into one of Australia’s most respected challenger food brands known for its world-class sourdough, pastries, and bake-at-home range that’s changing how people eat at home.

After nearly two decades in the food business, my obsession is with what happens behind the scenes: the systems, supply chains, and storytelling that separate lasting food brands from the ones that fade. I believe the future of food will be built by founders who master all three: craft, tech, and culture.

Through Fix Before You Scale (my weekly newsletter), I share what I’ve learned with operators trying to grow without losing their soul. 

And through upcoming ventures, I’m building an ecosystem designed to back the next generation of challenger food brands.

My mission is simple:

To help ambitious founders build better food businesses. Ones that nourish people, reward craft, and respect the planet.

As for LinkedIn, I share the behind-the-scenes journey along the way. 

Thanks for reading.

Jarrod Deaton

Yesterday I got asked how we grew to 130 people. Here's the quick answer: 
 
The food industry is known for being challenging to find people. 
 
The good ones rarely stay in the industry long enough to coach the next generation. 
 
We knew we had our work cut out for us if we were going to attract all the talent and keep growing. 
 
So we built a magnet. 
 
A business that attracted people to it instead of always chasing. 
 
It all starts with a big problem. 
 
In our case, no one wanted to service our area with good bread and pastries. Certainly not in the wholesale space. 
 
So we focused on: 
 
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧 
 
Something world class that people couldn't help but talk about and share with others. 
 
When you nail it, it becomes your best marketing weapon for finding clients and employees to join the cause. 
 
 
𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 
 
Wrap a good product nicely and it's like giving it a superpower. 
 
I'm not just talking physically wrap them. 
 
I'm saying: 
 
- How you make people feel 
- Your online customer experience 
- The time you take to solve problems 
- Your outreach strategies to gain clients 
 
Everything customers see, smell, touch, taste and hear needs to represent you. 
 
And when it does, people you never thought would join you come knocking. 
 
Next is... 
 
𝗖𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 
 
Everyone goes on about it in the corporate world. 
 
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀. 
 
You can have all the ping pong tables and perks imaginable but still have crappy culture. 
 
So find interesting problems to solve, start working on them, and talk to other people about it. 
 
The right people hear about it and come and find you to help. 
 
--- 
 
Obviously there's more to it than that. 
 
But it's about building a business that attracts people so you're not always chasing. 
 
Make your brand, products and culture magnetic.

undefined undefined

Curious Founders NL

I share stories and tips from growing my business to 140 people in an email every Sunday.

You might like to join 1677 other business owners already reading it.

Here's where to find it:

www.jarroddeaton.com.au

three-mills-bakery

Founder & CEO, Three Mills Bakery | Building the next generation of food brands through craft, tech & culture | Writer of Fix Before You Scale

I baked these in my home oven on the weekend. 

They're a new version of our bake-at-home croissants.

Stored frozen. 

Ready to bake in one hour instead of doing them overnight.

You just gently egg-wash the top. 

And bake for 15 minutes. 

Pretty spectacular results in the home oven.

My house smelled so damn good.

I used to be afraid of sucking at things. 
 
Always practicing in private before revealing a skillset in public. 

But the problem is, when you keep it a secret, you miss out on rich feedback that can help you level up faster. 

Most people genuinely want to help you succeed.
 
The key is to switch to a student mindset, and not an expert.

Being prepared to suck at something first and make tiny rapid improvements using loads of feedback. 

That type of vulnerability has helped me so much in my career. 

Not to mention the accountability it's added to my life as an entrepreneur.

Apart from the occasional idiot who laughs at you from behind the screen, it's been all upside.

I'd encourage you to put yourself out there, openly try new things and be prepared to ask for help along the way.

No alternative text description for this image

This is the reason I exercise as much as I can. 

The more I work out, the more of these I can eat!

It's that simple.

Here's how growth can make a business better:

For years I watched other food businesses grow and sacrifice quality to achieve scale. 

Not wanting to fall into the same trap we started asking how growth could make us better.
 
- Better product 
- Better team culture 
- Better customer experience 
 
Instead of the alternative where all joy is lost and money is the only objective.
 
I've always felt that there's an opportunity to do the opposite. 
 
It's more of a feeling of responsibility. 
 
The bigger you grow, the more resources you have to do good with. 
 
Things like: 
 
- attracting better talent 
- hearing more customer feedback 
- utilising access to excellent equipment 
 
And that last one -optimising industrial equipment has changed the game for us. 

When you select the right piece, it not only makes the product better and increases efficiency, it removes unnecessary load on the team's body.

It's especially important in an industry like ours where you're lifting 25kg bags of flour and dough all day. 
 
This is our Rheon stress-free divider from Japan. 
 
It helps us cut precise dough weights without lifting the 20kg tubs or over-handling the dough. 
 
It means less load on the team and less impact on the dough which drives up our quality. 

Indirectly, a piece of equipment like this then improves culture by making the day better. 

And a better culture attracts better people. 
 
You start to realise that focusing on quality and team culture as you scale a business is always the best route. 

What are your thoughts?

I spent years behind the coffee machine. 
 
I miss the action and daily connections. 
 
These days I'm in the office for hours. 
 
-Meeting 
-Planning 
-Deciding 
-Documenting 
 
Sometimes I think it's such a shift away from the idea of building a hospitality business. 
 
But it's about empowering, training and trusting others to do it in your absence. 
 
It's also something I've seen other food entrepreneurs struggle with. 
 
"Getting off the tools" so to speak. 
 
Office work and corporate life are something we're all probably trying to avoid by staying in this world in the first place! 
 
Thought work 
People work 
Strategy 
Culture 
 
Are often things that are put on the 'To-Do' list as you prioritise opening the store and serving customers. 
 
But there's a responsibility for owners to change their role as the company grows. 
 
Even though it'd be great to get back on the machine and pump out some coffees, I know it'd take my focus away from other important things that need doing. 
 
Things the rest of the team are expecting will get done at a high level so they can do their best work.

We had a fierce competitor land on our doorstep a few years back who threatened to gobble up a huge part of our business.

They were:

- Bigger
- Well funded
- Aggressive on sales
- Undercutting us on price

They were relentless.

Our strategy?

𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

So here's what we did:

- Increased consistency
- Extended our contact hours
- Rapidly fixed problems for clients
- Treated people like our best mates and bent over backwards to help them.

The result?

We only lost 3 clients over 12 months.

And two of them came back within the first 30 days due to crappy service.

We used it again this year to grow instead of retaining clients and it worked just as well.

There's literally no downside to over-servicing your clients by building a culture around long-term customer delight.

If your company is struggling to retain clients or hasn't seen enough growth over the past 2 years, I'd love to understand more.

Drop me a DM sometime.

Maybe I can help.

My company didn’t fail. But it almost did.

Three Mills scaled faster than we were ready for.

Culture frayed. 
Margins eroded.
Ops got complex.

And the story that once inspired our team stopped working as well.

I could’ve raised more capital or blamed the market (or covid again)...

Instead, the team dug in. 

Together we:

→ Rebuilt our margins
→ Fixed the financial foundations
→ Reconnected our team to the mission
→ Rewrote the future story from the inside out

And after 2 decades in business, learning how to fix instead of just grow has been one of the biggest learning experiences of my life. 

Easily the most valuable thing I've ever done.

If you've followed my content before, you'll know that I keep things practical.

But recently, I made the decision to start sharing more about fixing. Not building. 

It's less sexy, but way more valuable. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

And as always, if you want to go deep on this topic, you can jump on my weekly newsletter. 

(link in the comment section)

Let’s get to work!

After recruiting over 1000 people, here's one insight that's transformed how we hire going forward:

When we started, we would recruit for tasks. Jobs that needed to be done. 

This sounds obvious, but the result is everyone reported to a handful of highly organised leaders. 

They were expected to think strategically, align teams, and ensure that everyone was working on the right thing at the right standard. 

It can get overwhelming for those people to wear so many different hats and lead big teams.

Instead, we flipped our approach. 

We stopped recruiting for frontline roles and started recruiting leaders.

We gave them the freedom to select their own team and align on what needed to be done.

At that point, everything clicked up a gear. 

- We started to distribute the leadership responsibility. 

- Our best people got to focus on their core strength instead of being spread thin

- And we noticed that those new A players started to recruit other A players. 

I can't say if we should have done this earlier or not. We often didn't have the cash for high-level roles back then. 

But I do know that we'll always be looking to recruit the team leader first from here on. 

What are your thoughts on recruiting key roles first or later?

If your margin is thin, your standards are about to get thin too.

When there's no cash left over, you have no choice but to make tough calls that crush your standards. 

No cash for training, repairing, recruiting, marketing. being generous. 

It's a crappy game from there. 

The fix is simple, 

Increase your margin

Often you've just got to start the journey before setting a goal. 
 
Here's what I mean: 
 
This afternoon I missed the gym because I was held back at work. 
 
Instead, I decided to walk up a gnarly part of a nearby hill I'm used to running around. 
 
Halfway up I noticed that the sun would be setting any minute and thought it's be cool to see it from the top. 
 
So I pushed hard and caught it just before it dipped over the horizon. 
 
(freaken beautiful) 
 
But my point is, I didn't set out to catch the sunset. 
 
The goal became clearer after I started. 
 
In the beginning, I just started walking. 
 
And this same thing applies to nearly any goal worth pursuing. 
 
1. Start moving in the general direction 
2. Goals and milestones become clearer. 
3. Lock in on a goal 
4. Adjust your direction, movements and speed to get there. 
 
Get after it!

“We’re scaling” is often code for we haven’t fixed the business model. 

In a world where revenue gets more attention than profit, most entrepreneurs are still chasing the applause (revenue) instead of the proof (profit). 

Unless that was just me up until a few years ago...?

Growth doesn’t fix margins. It hides them until it kills you.

(hindsight's a wonderful thing)

Most founders only tell the story after they’ve won.

I’d rather share mine before the ending gets too shiny.

We were losing $40K cash a week and I thought selling more would fix it.

It didn’t.

If you’re in the messy middle, this one’s for you.

Swipe through these lessons would’ve saved me years.

ieK89pvfI

Most founders try to be better.

Faster. Cheaper. Louder.

That’s a race to nowhere.

The best brands don’t compete. They create. 

They name the problem. They try to own the language.

If your customers can swap you for a similar option, you’re not building a brand. You’re building a commodity with a logo.

This is a reminder (to self) to stop competing and start creating new categories with less competition. 

Love to know if this resonates?!

When I started my bakery, I was done being a “small business.”

I wanted to build something bigger. 

Something that could thrive without me doing it all.

But somewhere between 30 and 40 employees, I hit a wall.

I was still solving every problem.

Still the one everyone came to.

What changed everything wasn’t working harder... it was finding the right person to take the reins operationally and empowering them to lead.

If you’ve been stuck in the grind, wondering how to scale without burning out, this one’s for you.

Swipe through to see how one hire changed everything.

One hire multiplied our growth overnight

Busy doesn’t mean effective.

Stacked calendars look productive, but they’re a dreadful way to operate.

Lunch gets skipped. The gym gets pushed.

And the worst part? There’s no time left to think.

Thinking isn’t a perk. It’s the job.

If this sounds familiar, read the carousel.

Carving out time to think. Here's what happens.

Here's how our team changed as we grew: 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 (𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗨𝗽): 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 
 
Everyone is doing anything and everything to growth the business, handle challenges and find a way to deliver on the work. 
 
It's important that the people on the team can jump into any role. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗼: 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 
 
You need an extra layer of management so you start to pull in a few more high level team members to share the load and gain greater leverage. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 
 
At this point hyper specific people become very important for doing the work that needs to be done. 
 
You shift from generalists to a team of specialists. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 
 
You begin to invest in other people who can unlock growth. 
 
Up to this point there's only room for one or two people looking externally and everyone else is looking internally at things to be done. 
 
Intrapreneurs are like entrepreneurs who want to find new things that can help the business grow, diversify, vertically integrate and create new opportunities. 
 
𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲: 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 
 
I'm not there yet so I'll keep you posted... 
 
--- 
 
Each one has been linked to the team size and the revenue. 
 
It's different for each business and how it's structured but based on a few conversations with other entrepreneurs, every business seems to go through these phases in some form.

You know those big faceless companies that grow nicely but sacrifice product quality and culture along the way? 

I'm trying to avoid that as I grow.
 
Instead, we're growing something that unlocks greater potential for good and impacts the world positively. 
 
(permission to kick me in the shin if I get off track) 
 
I love the idea that a business can get better with age. 
 
You move from the selfish days of bootstrapping and pure survival, to a place where you can flourish and contribute to leaving this world better than we found it. 
 
I believe businesses can be a platform to do so much good. 
 
Not only for the people who engage with it, but the communities around it, and the people who contribute to it. I doubt it's easy to manage or maintain at scale but I'm all in.
 
And there are some key reasons why I like trying: 
 
𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 - Many hands make light work. 
 
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 - Solve something bigger than our own. 
 
𝗢𝘄𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 - Nudging the world in the right direction means having a bigger reach. 
 
There's plenty more. 
 
But for many business owners, growth scares the pants off them. 
 
It means: 
 
- More people to deal with 
- Greater complexity 
- Bigger problems 
- More risk 
 
And I get it...But for me, just the reward of flexibility and freedom that comes with having more people to help carry the load is enough of a reason to grow a little. 
 
Whatever your business goals are, my hope is that by sharing some insights with you along the way we can grow together and learn from each other. 
 
If you're reading this, I appreciate you. 
 
Thanks for being here. 
 
--- 
 
Drop me a comment if you're heading in the same direction and building something bigger.

We spend so much of our time at work trying to get on the same page as each other. 

Meetings, slack, email, presentations, offsites, briefings all geared towards making sure a few people understand what good looks like, align on how to get there, and deciding what happens when you don't. 

When you think about it, that's pretty silly.

No action required here. Just an observation that we're pretty inefficient communicators. 

Makes sense why a company vision needs to be so clear and so messaging simple. 

If you do that, everyone gets on with it sooner. 

Thoughts?

Not many people share the tough times in business... It's always the postcard moments and winning photos.

I completely understand what drives it. 

All the normal mindsets are at play:

- No one wants to back a losing horse.
- It's not good for business.
- Weakness is a flaw.

Not to mention the whole 'fake it 'til you make it' approach that most entrepreneurs subscribe to in the early days.

(That included me)

But fast-forward two decades and I've always learned more during the rough patches that the good bits.

The hardest moments in business taught me more about myself, my business and the people around me. 

And you don't just magically learn things without going through the crappy bits, yet the business world still doesn't value talking about them openly.

When I shared our bumpy journey in front of a few hundred distillers, brewer and bakers at a recent event, a remarkable thing happened. 

It opened the door for so many amazing conversations and new connections. By opening up, others did too. 

Since the event, I've received loads of emails and DMs from really incredible people. 

Easily one of the best things I've ever done. 

But, you don't need to speak in front of hundreds of people to make the same thing happen.

You can start small, group coffee meets with other business people. A nice dinner with a dozen like-minded folks in industry. It's always worht it.

Business can be a lonely game. But that's also a choice.

Eric Martindale

Founder, Elite Commerce Group | E-Com & Retail Media | Amazon, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Instacart | E-Com Futurist | USMC Combat Vet

Leading Brands into the Future of Commerce.  Our team of developers, digital marketers, and e-commerce veterans; are experienced on a wide range of digital platforms, including both e-commerce marketplaces and retail media platforms.  

We pride ourselves in developing "best fit" solutions to meet each Brand where they are.  No two omnichannel strategies are alike.  We come to each Brand uniquely, rather than trying to squeeze a Brand into our template.

Founder, CEO

We are the most aggressive, growth-oriented E-Commerce Management Agency in the game.  

From End-to-End Management, to Strategic Growth, to Digital Advertising or Product Development - We leverage a blend of deep experience with proprietary technology to change the game for our Brand Partners.

We’re back baby. 

We’re so back.


Your LinkedIn pizza creator.  

Your dough maker, crust baker.

Your 6 out of 10, kinda recommend. 

Your…


Ok, I’m done.  

You really did NOT deserve that.


But back by popular demand…

I worked up this chorizo and queso fresco.

Always on a King Arthur Baking Company keto crust.  

Extra always on mine. 


My top 3 so far:  Chorizo, ribeye, seafood.  

(Chicken Caesar is definitely a runner-up.)


What should I make next time?

I will pretend to entertain all answers. ✔️



#pizza
#pizzasundays
#ecommerce

Eric M.

Scaling Brands in E-Com & Retail Media - Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, TikTok, Whole Foods, Criteo | Banned from Chuck E. Cheese | USMC Combat Vet | Founder Elite Commerce Group

Do you have any idea what this is?  


This is your Super Bowl spread.  

It’s your March Madness party tray.  

It’s the talk of the party at your next event.


Meet Bolani, a traditional Afghan filled flatbread.

It was founded by Afghan-American Nazie Sadiq. 

Now Nazie’s sons are scaling Bolani across America.   

Truly one of the only Nationally distributed Afghan brands.  


If you want to impress the family or guests…

You will not top Bolani.  


Pictured:

👉 Pumpkin, Spinach, and Potato leek Flatbreads. 

👉 Garlic Mint, Cilantro Pesto, and Sweet Jalapeño Sauces.


What an unbelievable experience!


———

You can pick these up in Sprouts, Whole Foods, Safeway, and other stores around the country.  

(I have no formal affiliation with this brand, but I do think Billal is a salt-of-the-Earth human being.)



#Foodie #Ecommerce #CPG

I’m in way too deep.


I don’t care what’s in or out.

Snack boards will always have a place in this house.

The flavor and texture combo’s are ENDLESS.  


Very special nod to Nature's Wild Berry.  

If you haven’t had this experience, put your phone down.  

No, wait.  Pick your phone back up.  

You’re gonna need it to order. ✔️


This little miracle berry is intense.  

It turns sour to sweet and bitter to smooth.

I’m not talking about a subtle experience here.

It’s the focal point of your next snack board.
 

I originally saw this on Shark Tank.

I’ve mixed it up with Hank Watt a bit and finally pulled the trigger.  



What’s cooking at your place this Saturday night?


#cpg #foodie #ecommerce

There is no such thing as perfection.  

But that won’t stop me from trying. 


This one was slow cooked in foil with a high heat seer.

Served on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes.


Hands down, the best one yet.  

———

Shout out to Stryker Farm for humanely raised quality meat.


Shout out to Schmidt Bros. Cutlery.

There is nothing like a good set of knives. 

If you cook, you know. 



#steak #amazon #retailmedia #ecommerce

Today marks Day 6 of Hope’s second chance at life.  


I’ve never had more DM’s and requests for updates. 

Our LinkedIn fam turned out to be a bunch of softies. 💙

So for all of you who have asked for updates…


Quick TL/DR if you missed the post:  

This dog was abandoned back in Sept.

Ashley and I spent the past 4 months trying to trap her.   


Unfortunately, she was crafty.  

She dodged every trap, always making off with the bait. 

But last Sunday, we knew the weather was too much.

We had 12” of snow, and a forecast of -8° that night.

So I set out to track her in the fresh snow.  


When I found her, she was lying at the foot of a tree.

I almost missed her; she had become buried in snow.

For the first time, she let me approach her.

She didn’t move, because she was done.

She had let her bowels go, her face covered in ice.

It was clear she had laid down to die.


Ashley and I cleaned her up and realized she was just a puppy.  

A very young life that came to an early end.  

Saved AFTER all hope was gone. 


Today Hope is happy, warm, fed, and loved. 

From the last day of her life, to the start of a new one.

Unfortunately, not every pet, or human, gets this ending.


Nonetheless, this story will always be surreal to me.

There’s a part I didn’t mention last week.  

I actually knelt down in the snow and prayed at a point.

I don’t even know why.  I’m not usually that soft,  

Little did I know, Ashley did the same inside the house.


So did God save this dog?  I don’t know.  

He doesn’t save every dog, or even every human.  

I have no reason to believe a dog would ever even pray for help.  


Here’s what I do know.  

I have been beyond all hope. 

I have been in situations where it seemed hopeless.  

And yet here I am.   


I choose to see Hope (the dog) as a metaphor.  

There are people right now that are beyond all hope.  

There are people feeling as though it’s all over.  


So for those that need it, have Hope.  

For those that don’t, be the Hope someone needs.  




Who do you know that needs some hope, right now? 

I know I have some work to do.


#Hope #Pray

I may not understand women.

Kids are an endless puzzle.  

Business is a labrynth.  


But I have the kids’ pizza locked down TIGHT. 

Multiple little aliens.  One pizza.  

No problem.   


#FractionalPizza


So what’s on the menu at your house tonight?



#pizza #pizzasundays #ecommerce

The Amazon Fresh closing will usher in a revolution.   

Get ready for Amazon 2.0.  


Amazon retail is a saga of repeated failures, right? 

Amazon Books
Amazon 4-Star
Amazon Pop-Up (mall kiosks)
Amazon Style (apparel stores)
Amazon Go (convenience stores)
Amazon Go Grocery
Amazon Fresh (physical grocery stores)
Amazon Salon (UK)


But Amazon did nearly $700B last year.  

These 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 are like flipping you $100 for your kickstarter.  


That said, the future belongs to delivery.  

We won’t wait 2 days when we can have it in 2 hours.


Think I’m wrong?  

Walmart and Amazon agree with me. 


Amazon knows e-grocery is exploding.

Amazon also knows Walmart owns 30% of it.  


𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲.

1.  Walmart can reach 90% of US shoppers in 2hrs. 

2.  Walmart owns the mass-market (Oreo and Pepsi).

3.  Walmart has the real estate to serve BFY.

4.  Whole Foods can’t currently serve the mass market. 

5.  Amazon never achieved real grocery brand awareness.  


Amazon is not well positioned for mass grocery.

Amazon is not well positioned for e-grocery. 

At least not yet.


𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗶𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘆.

1.	Consolidate grocery under Whole Foods brand. 
- Amazon Fresh and Go get converted over.

2.	Expand Whole Foods footprint by 100+. 

3.	Plant Whole Foods Daily Shop where Walmart can’t go.
-  Convenience formats in cities, hospitals. 

4.	Convert many Whole Foods to micro FC’s.
- Some new formats have more FC than retail space. 

5.	Whole Foods powers Amazon’s Same-Day Grocery. 
- Amazon will offer this to 2,300 cities in 2026.
- Amazon plans expansion to 5,000 cities by 2028.

6.  Test a mass-adjacent physical format.
- Chicago location expected 2027. 
- I believe it competes more with Sam’s than Walmart.



A wise person spends one hour planning good habits. 

And two hours cutting out bad habits.  


Amazon has always been quick to “Test and Learn”.  

Don’t be so quick to look at Amazon fresh as a failure.

Never, ever bet against Amazon.


How about you?

Do you think Whole Foods could ever serve the mass market?

Who thinks Bezos is still running Amazon?

———
P.S.   We manage Whole Foods Ads for quite a few brands.  

Is now the time to double down on Whole Foods.

P.S.S.  I believe most brands need 2 common strategies: Amazon and Walmart.  

#wholefoods #amazon #amazonagency #retailmedia #cpg

Walmart just fired everyone.  

Here’s what it says about your future.  


Ok, not everyone.

But there was a huge leadership shakeup. 

Doug McMillon, the most important CEO since Sam Walton, is out.


Consider…

Doug McMillon is out as Walmart Global CEO.

John Furner is in.  


John Furner is out as Walmart US CEO.

David Guggina is in.  


BONUS:  Walmart established NEW Global Role.

Seth Dallaire in as Chief Growth Officer. 


What does all of this say about the future?

Let’s take a look at their backgrounds:

- Furner oversaw Walmart’s “digitization” (e-com, BOPIS, etc.)

- Guggina was most recently Chief of E-Com.

- Dallaire once led Walmart Connect and Walmart Data.  


It’s what Walmart just made strategic:

Walmart is focusing on:

-Marketplace
-Retail Media
-Delivery
-Data


The shelf is now 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 of the screen.

Sometimes that screen will be in your home.

Sometimes that screen will be in the store.

Walmart is rebuilding around that screen.


👇

“How much do I focus on ecom if 80% of sales are in-store?”

We are entering an age where it is all e-com.

The whole store is going digital.

Walmart understands this.

Heck, they’re driving it.


If you want control…

It comes through a screen more every day.


———

Congratulations to Doug McMillon for a game well played.  

What a legend.

This ain’t daddy‘s Walmart anymore. 



#cpg #walmart #ecommerce #retailmedia

Super Bowl Sunday Practice. 👇

𝗞𝗲𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀. ✔️


The star of this show was Seed Ranch Flavor Co. 


K, I’ve been holding a bottle of Just Wingin’ it for the right time. 

Super Bowl wings?  It’s time.

This was the practice one.


Now know we’re low carb around here, sooo…

Low Carb Boneless Wings it is. 🤌

(Conventional instructions at the end.)
 

𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦
	•	Boneless chicken thighs
	•	Yo Mama’s Italian Dressing
	•	Almond flour
	•	Onion powder
	•	Garlic powder
	•	Salt
	•	Black pepper
	•	Baking soda
	•	Seed Ranch Just Winging It sauce
	•	Butter


𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗗

1.	Marinate boneless thighs in Yo Mama's Foods ® Italian dressing.

2.	Breading:  almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, baking soda.

3.	Remove chicken from marinade and roll thoroughly in breading mixture.

4.	Place breaded chicken on baking sheet.
	
5.	Bake at 400 until cooked through and crisp on the outside.

6.	Melt butter and mix with Seed Ranch Just Wingin It sauce.

7.	Toss baked wings in sauce mixture until coated.

8.  Devour.



If you prefer traditional, sub almond for wheat flour and deep fry in peanut oil at 325°.

Either way, Seed Ranch is THE gourmet hot sauce option. 


Sooo…

What’s on your Super Bowl menu? 




#SuperBowl #Amazon #Ecommerce #RetailMedia #AmazinAgency


Another work of art David Delcourt 🤌

TikTok is out.  

Substack is in.  


Ok.  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.  

TikTok isn’t exactly out, out.  

But growth rate has slowed.


If you know me, I’m a man of frontiers.  

I want high growth, low competition.  

I want the value trade.  The cheat code.


We may have a new frontier here.  

Substack is popping. 


Why?  

There’s so much NOISE on social.  

“AI Slop” + Hyper-curation = 🥱


Users find Substack to be “human”. 

Check out Substack’s growth (paid subscriptions): 

2023: 2,000,000
2024: 3,000,000–4,000,000
2025: 5,000,000

Growth
• 2023→2024: 50–100%
• 2024→2025: 25–67%


Look, TikTok isn’t going anywhere.

But for business, it isn’t the secret it used to be.

Substack may be a new frontier. 


What are you guys think?

Does this platform have legs?


#ecommerce #amazon #amazonagency #retailmedia

I spent exactly 0 hours on TikTok so you don’t have to.


Ok. So, I’m not a TikTok kind of guy.

I mean, I love you guys, but not that much. ✔️


I do think it’s important to stay on top of trends.

But there’s a right way in the wrong way to do that.

Do:  Trend jack and ride popularity when possible.

Don’t:  Reorganize your business around them.


Here are the Top 10 TikTok trends this year.

(According to several articles by Menu Tiger.) 

𝟭. 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘅 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘀
Overnight Weetabix dipped in dark chocolate, eaten like cereal.

𝟮. 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗵
Deli meats, cheese, and veg chopped together and stuffed into bread.

𝟯. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘀
Strawberries mixed with melted chocolate for a dessert cup.

𝟰. 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗵𝘂𝗹𝘂 (𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗸𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀)
Fruit coated in hard sugar syrup for a glossy crackle.

𝟱. 𝗣𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁
Pizza ingredients folded into a tortilla and toasted like a pocket.

𝟲. 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗣𝗶𝘇𝘇𝗮 𝗪𝗿𝗮𝗽
Folded tortilla with quadrant toppings toasted into a pocket.

𝟳. 𝗗𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗲 𝟮.𝟬
Whipped coffee revived with flavored syrups and matcha.

𝟴. 𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘅
Classic TikTok pasta updated with new cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes.

𝟵. 𝗔𝗶𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘁𝘀
Biscuit dough air-fried and rolled in sugar.

𝟭𝟬. 𝗖𝘂𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗱
Smashed or sliced cucumbers dressed with sesame, soy, and aromatics.


Sounds like a lot of people trying to gain weight to me.

BUT…. 

There are probably some opportunities.


For instance…

You can put up a LinkedIn post and get attention for your brand.  ✔️



So would you do air fryer doughnuts? 

You can reset afterward with a three-day Sardine fast.  


———

#cpg #ecommerce #TrashDiet

https://lnkd.in/e83ZjYQC

“Everyone has a [strategic long-range business] plan until they get punched in the mouth.” - Tyson


Is it Q4 yet?



#fakequotes
#ecommerce

Sam's is quietly out-strategizing Costco.

Can Sam's beat Costco in the 10-year game?  


Costco is certainly much bigger than Sam's.

But Sam's is planting some powerful seeds.


Tech, delivery, and International growth.  

Costco is going to have it's work cut out for it.


Watch here, or YouTube link in the comments.  


So who is your of choice; Costco, Sam’s, or BJ’s?

What’s your favorite Club buy?

-----
Club sales can be the onramp to your eventual exit.  

DM me to see how we can support rotations or core items.  
#club #retail #amazon #ecommerce #retailmedia

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