Seth Yakatan

Raising & Selling 📈 $1B+ Raised 💰 22 Companies Sold 🤝

Are you struggling to communicate your vision to the capital gatekeepers?

Are you exploring selling your business but don’t know anything about:
✘ Due diligence
✘ Term sheets
✘ Earnouts

Friend, you're lucky you found me...

I'm Seth Yakatan.

I have 30-odd years experience as a corporate finance professional.

My specialties are:
💰 Raising money
🤝 Selling companies

And I’m f**king good at it.

I’ve raised over $1B and sold 22 businesses.

My career has mostly been supporting small-cap and major corporations seeking capital to grow, or
to find strategic acquirers.

Most of these companies are in: 
— biotech
— cannabis
— pharmaceuticals
— DTC consumer goods

I’ve been on boards, taken companies public, gone up against multinational corporations, raised from VC and PE funds.

All of it. 
Many times over.
Whatever your problem is, I’ve seen it before.

But let me level with you:

What I REALLY love is helping people to get to the finish line.

Talking to entrepreneurs excites me.

But in my experience, entrepreneurs are mostly s**t at raising capital and selling companies.

** They just don’t understand investors **

And that’s where I come in.

Together, we workshop: 
✔ Your pitch
✔ Your deck
✔ Your strategy 

And help you raise the capital to GROW and SELL your business.

If you need this help—and almost every business does—send me a DM.

Like, now.

Don't lose another potential investor or acquirer with the wrong pitch.

Seth ✌️

Co-Founder

Merchant Bank / Advisory / Family Office

Give me $10 on Pump #6 and a case of THC Bevs!

WAIT WHAAAAAAT??

This is Circle K 2026 baby!


>> What’s Happening?

A Circle K franchisee in DFW started selling hemp-derived THC beverages.

This is the 1st major C-Store in Texas to stock THC drinks on shelf.

Lots of SKUs and get this…in-store tastings planned throughout 2026!


>> Why Does This Matter?

This ain’t a trial folks. This is mainstream retail entry.

Circle K is as mainstream as it gets. A roadstop brand with millions of daily customers.

Regulatory limbo? Who cares… make money when consumers buy drinks.


>> What I’m Watching

Can THC drinks outperform impulse staples like coffee and Red Bull?

How do Texas policymakers respond to non-dispensary THC sales?

Who’s next to join the party…Flying J??


The future of THC is in the cold box next to your protein shake.

No alternative text description for this image

Is this the FIRST MAJOR ON PREMISE shot fired for THC beverages??

WELCOME to the 2026 Stadium EXPERIENCE!

THC Drinks are coming soon to an ARENA NEAR YOU!


>> What’s Happening?

Chicago’s United Center just announced its serving hemp-derived THC drinks.

Concerts/Sporting events/Big shared moments.

In case you didn’t know, that’s alcohol’s home turf….

THC is showing up more and more, without asking ANYONE for permission.


>> Why Is This Important?

Booze vs. THC is not the point.

The point is THC is now competing for share of occasions.

Normalization comes from repetition in trusted environments.


>> What Am I Watching?

The first league, venue group, or national operator that treats THC beverages in the same way ?

Who puts up the first THC Beverage advert in a stadium? (Remember USC/ Cookies?)

What major sports/food/airport group jump in next ?


5 beers or 5 2MG THC Beverages??

Same night, VERY different morning

A long held belief just got UPENDED last week:

Vapes just eclipsed FLOWER in terms of sales in CA.

YUP. WILD.

So, ask YOURSELF why…


>> What Happened?

In CA, vape products overtook flower as the #1 seller in licensed dispensaries.

This is a HISTORIC first in the U.S. legal market.

In 2025, vapes pulled ahead, with higher monthly sales and widening share


>> Why Does This Matter?

Flower has been KING forever.

Economics, culture, product…it was Michael Jordan.

Now the consumer wallet has shifted its preferences.

And upended norms (hello Gen Z!)


>> What Am I Watching?

Is Gen Z the demand anchor we should be trying to reach?

Does margin in vapes continue if this trend sticks?

Does quality and testing MATTER, or is price #1?

How does this change the retail plan-o-gram??


Flower has to take off its crown, for now…

But let me be clear: I don’t think flower is losing its heritage or dominance, YET….

I do think that consumer choice and pricing show us how the market is shaping the future…

Little more love from the MJ BIZ scene...
Shout for Rectitude Partners LLC
and my man Nicholas Bowers

thanks to the squad at 

Fat Nugs Magazine
Puff Creative

for a great night....4 Grams...COMING!!!!!

Guess who just figured out how to crack the Show Me State:

My guys at Jeeter - a DreamFields Brand + Elevate.

Keep telling me cannabis is a commodity business….

Jeeter just walked into MO and reminded everyone what a REAL BRAND looks like.


>> What’s Happening?

Jeeter, the No. 1 pre-roll brand in the U.S., just launched in Missouri.

They hit the ground running with a smart partnership with my guys from Elevate (GREAT TEAM) and hit 70 %+ day-one coverage of doors

These guys are going to CRUSH.


>> Why Is This Important?

Brand dominance via culture, community and premium perception.

Missouri is a BEAST with 4-6 groups there KILLING IT and MAKING MONEY.

Jeeter + Elevate treated this one like a brand build, not just a SKU drop.


>> What I’m Watching

Does Jeeter’s lifestyle strategy expand average ticket or just front-load hype?

Can culture from places like California translate to Show-Me economics?

Does this push a pre-roll war in the Show Me State?


Missouri didn’t “get” Jeeter. Jeeter chose Missouri.

Pre-rolls are crowded. Brands aren’t.

Jeeter + Elevate = WINNING.

So did you REALLY think the ban was about hemp??

No no no.

It was about ALCOHOL.

And now the numbers are in:


>> Whats Happening?

Alcohol is done watching hemp from the sidelines.

In Q4 2025 a bunch of companies files highlight lobbying disclosures tied to intoxicating hemp:

Moët Hennessy
Bacardi
Diageo
Brown-Forman
The HEINEKEN Company
Sazerac Company

Hmm….read the tea leaves and follow the money.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Lobbying is balance-sheet-based muscle memory for alcohol.

They have been doing it since 1950 and they are GOOD at it.

Make no mistake, the alcohol industry is acknowledging something BIG:

THAT intoxicating hemp is already part of the adult-use landscape.


>> What I Am I Watching?

Which alcohol players move from lobbying to minority investments?

Or does alcohol flex harder to push hemp off the shelves?

Can cannabis incumbents realize they were out gunned (and outspent)?


Not sure how this plays out but I am going to crack 10mg bev and grab the popcorn!

The hemp ban is coming annnnnnnd it's going to be unenforceable. Full stop.

Everyone screaming "shutdown" is missing the point.

The math just does not math…

>> What's Happening?

Lawmakers have stuffed an effective intoxicating-hemp ban into federal language.

On paper, it tightens THC limits and nukes most hemp-derived products.

In reality, it hands enforcement to agencies that already can't enforce federal cannabis prohibition today.


>> Why Is This Important?

We already ran this experiment.

Cannabis has been federally illegal for decades and yet here we are with regulated markets in most states.

The federal government does not have the manpower, political appetite, or operational clarity to police every convenience store, DTC website, and warehouse in America.

A ban without enforceability isn't regulation ? Just funny…


>> What Am I Watching?

States quietly filling the vacuum with their own rules while Washington argues with itself.

Hemp operators adapting structures, formulations, and channels instead of disappearing.

Cannabis incumbents cheering a "win" that may actually strengthen the very gray market they hate.


You don't fix consumer demand with a memo and you can't kill markets with paperwork.

If lawmakers actually want control, safety, and tax revenue, there's only one answer:


Regulate it and LEGALIZE IT…


Don't pretend you banned it.


If this sounds familiar, it should. We've been here before….

Guess who’s messin’ with Texas?? Cann, that’s who.

Cann is fixin’ to dominate the Lone Star State.

Here’s what’s going down:


>> What’s Happening?

Cann secured Texas distribution with Spec’s.

Spec’s, for those that don’t know, is THE LARGEST beverage retailer in Texas.

Full SKU set in one of the biggest alc retail channels in the USA.


>> Why Is This Important?

This is not a test, a dispensary, one franchisee gone rogue, or a limited run.

THC drinks are moving via mainstream beverage infrastructure.

Spec’s has 200+ doors statewide.

Say what you want, I AM seeing a distribution shift...


>> What Am I Watching?

What other brands can howdy on down to distribution?

What other retailers jump on board now that we have Target, Circle K and Spec’s?

Is there movement on the regulatory side in Texas? (Remember a few months ago they tried to BAN HEMP??)


Want to make sure we give a big congrats to the Cann Team!

Jake B. and Nick Fasano 👏 👏

Feels like Danny Stepper and the LA Libations team left their fingerprints all over here, cause this ain’t my first rodeo…

Want to LEARN MORE? Get your spurs to The Beverage Forum April 2026.

Hang 10 and hit the dispo??

Adult use cannabis may be coming to the Aloha State…


>> What’s Happening?

Hawaii lawmakers filed legislation that would put rec cannabis to voters in November 2026.

If passed by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, Hawaii voters would be asked whether to amend the state constitution to legalize adult-use cannabis.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Ballot initiatives are cool but they are NOT a guarantee.

This was not brought forth by the electorate but by elected officials…

Not sure this get traction or mahalo…


>> What Am I Watching?

Do MSOs even bother modeling Hawaii as a near-term market?

Is capital ready to fund something in one of the worlds largest tourist economies?

Do voters notice they’re being asked to decide a policy?


Feel like another version of Pele’s curse.

Cannabis style…I will just grab a shaved ice.

Why can’t an MSO be successful in one of the BEST markets in the US?

Missouri is quietly becoming one of the most attractive cannabis markets in the country — WITHOUT the MSOs.

Go figure.


>> What’s Happening?

Curaleaf exited Missouri.

Not cut back. Not paused. EXITED.

And they are not alone. No major MSO has meaningful exposure to Missouri.

Yet MO is consistently ranking among the healthiest AU markets in the U.S…


>> Why Does This Matter?

Missouri breaks the MSO playbook.

Limited license structure, strong retail economics, rational competition.

Not race-to-the-bottom pricing.

This is the rare cannabis market where operators actually make money (REALLY).


>> What Am I Watching?

When do private equity and strategic buyers re-rate “boring” markets?

Does the next consolidation wave starts OUTSIDE the MSO universe?

Who comes out of this market as a winner?


Missouri didn’t fail the MSOs but the MSO model failed in Missouri.

Not every great market wants a national flag planted in it.

Sometimes the best markets are the ones Wall Street ignores.

Where do hemp beverages belong?

Well, what do we know:

1. They sure found a way to enter traditional distribution channels

2. Alcohol use is declining

3. Consumers are driving demand

With the hemp ban looming I'm not sure which way is UP.

So you tell me?

Thank you to my friend Peter Su, PBC-CP, CTP, CCBP, CRS, GRCP, GRCA, IDPP, CBE for having me on...

Why do you keep doing this LinkedIn thing ???

BECAUSE THE POWER OF PERSONAL BRANDING IS YOUR FUTURE.

Here's a case study:

Few years ago met Lisa Williams via LinkedIn.

She reached out.
We got to know each other
We have supported each others' collective journey.

Lisa Williams is: 
— A working mother
— An entrepreneur
— Who owns two businesses
— Keeps up with her content 
— And is a TOTAL badass!

About 2 years ago she purchased a product SHE believed in. 

Hello Again...Something to help female health, specifically menopause.

She started putting some videos on TikTok...

And guess what... last week SHE WENT VIRAL.

1,000,000 views
122,000 likes
5,000 comments
21,000 saves 
59,000 forwards

AND SO MANY SALES SHE COULD NOT KEEP UP.

NEVER QUIT. 
NEVER question if you should be posting.

And buy some Hello Again!

And check the video here: https://bit.ly/4qCX4sq

When you fail 3 times, why not try for a 4th??

That’s what PA is doing right now as the state makes its FOURTH attempt at a move to Adult Use.

Sure, why not??


>> What’s Happening?

My guy Shapiro gave his fourth budget address.

Increasing overall spending by 6% without broad-based tax hikes.

Oh and he put adult-use BACK on the table…AGAIN.


>> Why Does This Matter?

PA is surrounded by NJ/NY/MD/OH, all of which are pumping REC.

The budget conversation shows how much $ PA is leaving on the table staying medical.

How ELSE can you spend more and NOT tax the general public?


>> What Am I Watching?

This is now #4. Can it REALLY HAPPEN this time?

What will be the policy tradeoffs if this happens? Who loses?

Is THIS a state surrounded by AU finally admitting leakage is a tax policy?


Adult-use didn’t magically reappear…

It reappeared because PA needs the $$$.

Politics and budgets are not based on morality…

Bet your butt they are based on COLD HARD CASH.

And AU seems like a magical cash machine.

Everything's BIGGER in TEXAS? Well, Texas Original just bet the ranch.


>> What's Happening?

Texas Original just opened the largest medical cannabis facility in Texas.

They’re expanding cultivation and processing capacity to meet rising patient demand.

No change in law…no ballot initiative.

Just cash, concrete, steel, and CONFIDENCE.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Well son, you don't go build the largest facility inside one of the most restrictive medical programs in the country…

THIS is what early movers look like in medical states.

And might signal that regulators are comfortable enough to let serious operators scale.


>> What Am I Watching?

Does demand absorb this build?

Does the program allow for success?

Who’s the next operator is to break ground?


Texas ain't first.

It won't be loud.

But when it moves, it will move at TEXAS SCALE.


Cowboy UP y'all.

This will make some people uncomfortable.

Good. Read it anyway.


>> What's Happening?

A new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that legal marijuana access is associated with lower suicide rates among older adults.

Particularly once dispensaries actually open.

Not legalization on paper.

Real access. Real products. Real use.


>> Why is this Important?

Older adults deal with chronic pain, sleep issues, anxiety, isolation.

And guess what? They're also the group with the highest suicide risk.

When legal cannabis becomes available, suicide rates in this cohort go down.

Let's not pretend this is nothing while we happily prescribe opioids, SSRIs, and booze like Tic Tacs…


>> What Am I Watching?

How long policymakers keep saying cannabis has "no proven benefit" while data quietly stacks up.

Whether public-health conversations finally acknowledge harm reduction instead of moral panic.

Who actually cares about outcomes and who just cares about optics…


No one is saying cannabis is a cure.

But dismissing data because it challenges the norms is bad science and worse policy.

If legal access helps even a subset of people feel less pain, less despair, or a little more okay, maybe that's worth taking seriously.

Just a thought…

Montana, the Gold and Silver State, is going GREEN.

Montana’s cannabis market just put up a number…which I found very interesting.


>> What’s Happening?

AU retail in Montana threw up a record $327M in sales in 2025.

AU represents roughly 90 % of Montana purchases.

AND this growth came DESPITE falling retail prices per gram.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Pattern recognition: price compression + volume growth = real consumer demand.

Out of this, the state grabbed $60 million in tax revenue, underscoring how important this product can be.

Medical markets seems to vanish in the face of AU. Unclear how this moves in S3…


>> What Am I Watching?

Montana works because it’s not drowning in licenses or over-financialized.

Its relatively open licensing structure and modest population make it a unique case, but can it last?

It’s also a NO MSO Zone…proving that you don’t need MSOs for a sold adult-use market.

Low population, controlled rollout, limited speculation.


Markets like this don’t scale nationally, but they do expose what broke elsewhere.

Record sales are nice, but structural market health is the REAL story.

We’ll see what prevails here.

Best advice for a bad outcome: Let someone ELSE pick your dose.

Or worse still, let someone who knows NOTHING about dosing pick your dose…

Because that’s what’s going on


>> What’s Happening?

Food & Beverage put out an article on the “perfect dose” for HEMP Beverages.

At 2.5MG

2.5MG??

REALLLY???


>> Why Is This Important?

It reveals a gap between cannabis reality and every outside stakeholder.

2.5mg ain’t a “sweet spot”. It’s a training wheel AT BEST.

Alcohol didn’t scale on near-beer.

Cannabis won’t scale on microdoses dressed up as safety or wisdom.

Low-dose has a place. (THANK YOU Cann)

Calling it “THE PLACE” is telling me you don’t understand the market.


>> What Am I Watching?

How much mainstream “acceptance” does this get?

Is this the way Bev/Alc gets comfortable?? (You sure sell more cans at 2.5mg…)

How many consumers do not “feel” an effect at this level???


2.5mg is not the right dose.

If your entire thesis starts and ends there, you’re throwing darts blindfolded.

While congratulating yourself for hitting something, anything.

Think your business is HARD?

Try this:

1. Every state (and city) has a different set of rules

2. The Government taxes you at an exorbitant rate 

3.  Capital flow is weighted to larger and later-stage operators

4. There is very little capital to begin with...

Now tell me you product is not Federally legal...WELCOME TO C@NNABIS!!!!

Appreciate the love from Alex D. and the squad from The High Index for the spot!

Failing to raise capital in c@nnabis ?

Get yourself to where the decision makers gather in ONE ROOM
Hyped as always for another sesh with my folks from IgniteIt Cannabis
thats right...

I AM COMING DOWN THE PIKE...
February 10th, 2026
Westin Jersey City

I heard The Boss is playing a set....

Register HERE: https://bit.ly/49pHgUF

and use my CODE: SETH20

Patrick Lane Elliot Lane Javier Hasse

It’s NEVER a good idea to let government run a business.

Right??

Anoka, Minnesota is set to cut the ribbon on the Anoka Cannabis Company.

The first and ONLY city-managed dispensary in the U.S.

What could possibly go wrong??


>> What’s Happening?

A city running retail cannabis is like a turtle teaching people how to fly…

Bad idea for government to staff, regulate, and be accountable to voters.

This seems like a BIG departure from the usual “license it and pray” model.


>> Why Is This Important?

This city just decided licensing WASN’T enough.

Screw regulating private operators, Anoka wants to own the P&L too.

This is a fundamental shift for government FROM oversight TO asset control.


>> What Am I Watching?

How soon till every cash strapped municipality gets in the game?

Does this model work financially?

How does a city deal with illicit markets?

How long until they start growing weed and creating their own brand…??


Cannabis didn’t normalize…

It went on the city Balance Sheet.

Government is best which governs least, PERIOD.

Helping ambitious entrepreneurs scale their business using a proven, principles-centered framework 📈 Professor @ DU 📚 New Book (Now Available): "Ready, Set, SCALE! Scaling Your Business, Without Losing Your Soul" 📣

An entrepreneur who has preserved his soul while building, scaling and selling four companies, Stephen is wildly passionate about creating successful businesses and developing leaders to build extraordinary organizations.  A few high-level accomplishments: 

⭐️ 3x Inc. 500 Winner (three consecutive years, 2019,-20,-21)

⭐️ 3x Finalist, EY Entrepreneur of the Year 

⭐️ Inc. Best in Business award

⭐️ Best Boss in America (Top 10 Finalist)

Whether labeled as a serial entrepreneur, maverick CEO, or disruptive business leader, Stephen is an entrepreneur who leads from his heart and is wildly passionate about finding opportunities within problems, scaling companies to sell, while mentoring the next generation of leaders. 

Fresh out of college, Stephen started with EAS, where they grew to $220-million in sales and he set up distribution networks in 55 countries around the world. Next, he borrowed $50,000 from a friend of the family to start iSatori; where as the CEO, lead the Company public, through a merger with FitLife Brands (Stock Symbol "FTLF"), and exited in 2016. 

Over those years, Stephen has created, scaled and sold several dietary supplement brands, those greatest and most successful innovations being Voots, Energize, Living Orchards, BioGenetic Laboratories, and his crown jewell--BIO-GRO Bio-active Peptides--creating an entirely new product category. To date, these healthy product innovations have generated over $1-billion in retail sales. 

Stephen’s latest venture, QuickBox Fulfillment #onaMISSION (awarded Inc. 500, 2019-21), started with four incredibly talented partners, designed for e-commerce companies' order fulfillment, while fulfilling its mission to give people in their surrounding communities a "second chance" with a place to work. In 2019, Stephen and his co-founder group entered into a private equity transaction, and after 5.5 magical years as the CEO of QuickBox, he has transitioned into an active Board Member. 

At this stage in life, Stephen is focused on rejuvenating his self worth, and his family, giving back to the next generation as an adjunct professor at the Daniels School of Business at the University of Denver, and working with a select few business founders that want to benefit from his hard-earned wisdom, and who have the courage to implement it, so they can infinitely scale to breakthrough the $100-million mark.

Stephen Adele

Say what you will about celebrity endorsed/backed supplement brands, if you want a masterclass in scaling a flawless $100MM launch, look no further than


Danny Yeung  and @David Beckham at IM8 Health 

…. $100-million ARR in their first 11 months …  (yes, you read that right!)

Here's FOUR reasons why I'm fascinated, and convinced they just pulled off the most impressive launch in supplement industry HISTORY…

>> To the best of my knowledge, IM8 is the FASTEST growth to $100M ARR recorded in the supplement industry

11 months -> $108 million in annualized recurring revenue.

They didn't just beat other supplement brands this past year, they outpaced today's hottest tech startups.

That's not hype. That's execution, my friend.

>> AUTHENTIC partnership over celebrity endorsement

This was Beckham's FIRST time taking an ownership stake in a supplement company after turning down major corporationsfor years.

Why did he choose this one, other than a becoming a shareholder (4% of Prenetics Global Limited, NASDAQ: PRE) 

Because their premise was, in his words, "uncompromising science, quality, and taste."

He didn't just slap his name on it. he personally tested it for months, felt the difference, and went “all in” as a true co-founder.

>> SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILITY that's actually real

An 11-member Scientific Advisory Board from Mayo Clinic, NASA, Yale, Cedars-Sinai.

12-week clinical trial on 60 participants  (published in the National Library of Medicine)

They even sent their formulations to SPACE via SpaceX to study cellular aging effects.

>> DTC unit economics that make CFOs smile

* 80% of orders are subscriptions
* 60% gross margins
* 4.8x LTV/CAC ratio
* AOV jumped from $110 to $145 (after second product launch)

This isn't just growth… it's hockey stick growth.

What impresses me most is how they simplified fractured product categories.

IM8 have pulled off the “all-in-one” Holy Grail formula. 

Daily Ultimate Essentials replaces 16 different supplements with 92 ingredients in ONE scoop.

They're not selling supplements—they're selling freedom from supplement overwhelm.

The numbers speak for themselves: 

—11,800 reviews (4.8 stars)
—647k customers
—19M servings delivered 
—$9M monthly revenue (w/32% MoM growth) 
—Single-day revenue record: $400,000 

Founders, listen up: 
—Quality and speed aren't mutually exclusive 
—Authentic partnerships beat paid endorsements 
—Scientific credibility can be your competitive moat 
—DTC with strong unit economics scales faster than retail (Ya, I said it… scales faster than retail)

And as Danny Yeung and David Beckham at IM8 show, when you combine genuine 

+ product excellence 
+ scientific rigor 
+ authentic storytelling 
= unprecedented growth 🚀

The supplement industry has been plagued by celebrity cash-grabs for decades.

IM8 just showed everyone how it's ACTUALLY done.

Well done, Sir Beckham! 

——-

#startups #entrepreneurship #CPG #supplements #wellness #DTC #innovation #leadership

I only work with founders brave enough to implement what actually works | 4 companies built, scaled & sold, $1B+ CPG retail sales | New book "Ready, Set, SCALE!" available 📈 | Professor @DU

My neighbor stopped in front of our house. He was driving his daughter to school. Saw me walking the dog. Rolled down the window to say hi, and 


introduced me to his lovely daughter.

She excitedly asked what I do for work.

And I broke my own golden rule…

I started blabbering about all the things we do 

Manufacturing optimization.
Distribution partnerships.
Operational scaling. 
Sales strategy. 
 
He cut me off mid-sentence.

Turned to his daughter and said: 

"He goes into businesses, finds out what's wrong, and fixes it—making them better."

14 words. One sentence. 

She replied, "Oh cool. That sounds fun."

As he drove off, it hit me hard.

If you can't pitch your business in ONE SENTENCE—so clearly that a ten-year-old gets it—you're in trouble.

No deck. 
No paragraphs. 
No industry jargon.

Just answer: 

What does your business do?

Complexity isn't impressive. 

Clarity is.

…

What does your business do, in one sentence?

👇🏼 Drop your pitch below, and I’ll send you a copy of our best-selling book, Ready, Set, SCALE."



#CPG #Entrepreneurship #StartupPitch #leadership #readyforscailng #readySetSCALE

Your competitor just booked a flight to close the deal you’re still trying to perfect over email

I used to cringe watching my kids try to settle arguments over text.

Then I realized that I’m watching executives do the same thing in businesses every day.

Here’s what I know after 30 years in this beloved industry…

The deals that actually “move the needle” don’t happen on Zoom or in email.

Every transformational partnership I’ve closed—the celebrity athletes, the international distributors, the manufacturing relationships—happened face-to-face.

Usually over dinner and a glass of wine.

The story that proves it…

When we started iSatori, we were nobody (well kinda, my partner was but certainly not me). Just two guys with a compelling vision.

John Dykstra and Dr. John Zenk from HUMANETICS could’ve easily passed on us.

Instead, they took a meeting with us. We talked for hours.

They ended up granting us exclusive rights to 7-Keto—the patented weight-loss ingredient that launched Lean System 7 and gave us a three-year head start on the competition (just as ephedra was getting banned).

Later, we co-invested in clinical trials together. Built something real.

Twenty years later we’re still friends. 

That doesn’t happen through email threads.

Look, I get it. 

Flying across the country for a meeting is inconvenient. 
Time-consuming.
Expensive. 

But while you’re perfecting that email pitch, your competitor is already on the plane.

Don’t let convenience kill your most important connections.



#CPG #Entrepreneurship #leadership #Business #Relationships
#readyforscailng

“Best guest speaker across three graduate degrees.”


That’s what a University of Denver  (my alma mater) student wrote after I spoke to their class.

Not gonna lie… that hit different.

I wasn’t there to impress anyone. 

I showed up to talk about the gap between what business school teaches and what actually happens when you’re trying to scale a CPG brand with limited cash, demanding retailers, high employee turnover, and a co-packer who can’t keep up with demand.

The messy stuff. 
The real stuff.
The fun stuff.

Here’s what I walked away with… 

People don’t need more theory. 

They need pattern recognition from someone who’s been in the arena.

If you run a mastermind, teach a course, or lead a community that would benefit from unfiltered insights on scaling consumer brands—I’d love to contribute.

No pitch. Just the truth about what playbook works (and what destroys companies).

Let’s make it happen. 🚀 


[ By the way, thank you Michael Nalick , I so appreciate how much you pour into your students ]


#cpg #entrepreneur #leadership #practiceovertheory #readyforscaling

Happy Friday! Grab your coffee. And find 5 minutes…


Here are this week's GROWTH questions:

→ Who are you spending the most time with professionally? Are they pulling you forward or holding you in place?

→ What's one belief about your business that you need to challenge,or abandon entirely?

→ If you removed your biggest bottleneck TODAY, what would unlock tomorrow?

These aren't rhetorical.
They're diagnostic.

Your answers reveal where you're stuck. 
Where you're settling. 
Where you're about to break through.

The best leaders I know don't wait for annual reviews to assess their trajectory.

They do it weekly.

So do it.

Comment below or keep it private.

Either way… I implore you, DO THE WORK.

You owe it yourself. 

Here’s to your continued success…

—Stephen


#CPG
#Leadership
#Entrepreneurship

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Performance ScoreStephen Adele's LinkedIn Performance

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The Battle

Seth Yakatan

Stephen Adele

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Seth Yakatan's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreStephen Adele's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreSeth Yakatan's LinkedIn Performance