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In this episode, IQBAR founder Will Nitze shares his journey from burnout in the corporate world to launching a bar brand rooted in cognitive nutrition. He walks through the steps that took IQBAR from kitchen counter tests to Amazon bestseller and retail mainstay.
What you’ll hear is less about hacks and more about the fundamentals: why starting online mattered, how feedback drove product-market fit, and what it really takes to scale profitably in CPG today.
Key topics include:
- Launching DTC to validate demand and iterate fast
- Why clean label and plant protein were non-negotiables
- Packaging shifts driven by real-world feedback
- Scaling into retail once logistics and cost structures were optimized
- Viewing DTC as one piece of an omnichannel puzzle
- It’s a grounded roadmap from someone who’s done the work—no shortcuts, just thoughtful strategy.
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Timestamps:
00:00 – How IQBAR started from a personal health journey
02:55 – From kitchen experiments to product-market fit
07:10 – Why the brain-focused bar category was a white space
12:10 – DTC vs Amazon vs retail: channel strategy evolution
17:45 – Profitability, scaling, and efficient COGS in CPG
22:50 – Brand evolution: packaging, messaging, and keto pivot
27:10 – Retail shelf strategy and planogram insight
31:25 – Podcast and display ads as top-of-funnel growth levers
34:45 – DTC Twitter, omnichannel mindset, and business realism
37:55 – Exit strategy, Mars dreams, and post-exit vision
41:00 – Tariffs, supply chain chaos, and CPG realities
Hashtags:
#IQBAR
#dtcpodcast
#consumerpackagedgoods
#ecommercegrowth
#omnichannelstrategy
#dtcbrand
#scalingcpg
#founderjourney
#brandbuilding
#podcastmarketing
#supplychainchallenges
#cleanlabelproducts
#retailstrategy
#amazonads
#shopifysuccess
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