#168 - CPG Founder Life - What to Expect: Paul Voge
The Startup CPG Podcast
Startup CPG
4.9 • 642 Ratings
🗓️ 5 November 2024
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, Daniel Scharff sits down with Paul Voge, Co-Founder and CEO at Aura Bora, a craft sparkling water company that has experienced remarkable growth from just 2 stores in 2019 to an impressive 10,000 stores in 2024. Paul shares his entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the challenges and realities of running a consumer packaged goods (CPG) startup in a fiercely competitive beverage industry.
They explore the intricacies of distribution, retailer relationships, and the high stakes of navigating a market dominated by giants like Coca-Cola. Paul opens up about the operational hurdles of maintaining supply chains, forecasting demand, and the significant demands of fundraising, all while managing the emotional toll of entrepreneurship.
They emphasize the importance of resilience, setting realistic expectations, and finding fulfillment in the entrepreneurial journey, despite the sacrifices and stresses involved. Paul offers valuable insights on maintaining a healthy mindset and the continuous learning required to build a sustainable business.
Tune in to gain practical advice and inspiration for aspiring founders navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship.
Listen in as they share about:
- Profitability and Challenges of the Beverage Industry
- Differences Between Big Brands and Small Startups
- Acquisition Pathway
- Distributor and Retailer Relationships
- Consumer Competition
- Entrepreneurial Mindset
- Excitement vs. Stress in Growing a Business
- Challenges in Operations and Logistics
- Constant Learning and Adapting
- Balancing Personal and Business Life
- Corporate Careers vs. Entrepreneurship
- Setting Goals and Expectations
Episode Links:
Website: https://aurabora.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvoge/
Don't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.
Show Links:
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- Episode music by Super Fantastics
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | All right, people, I'm about to tell you about an e-com subscriptions contest with a massive prize. |
| 0:07.8 | Did you know for e-com brands that offer subscriptions, a single subscriber is worth three times as much as a regular customer? |
| 0:14.8 | You can ask around, it's true. |
| 0:16.5 | And that's why Recharge, the number one subscription platform is celebrating subscriptions |
| 0:21.2 | with the Tomorrow Brand Challenge. |
| 0:25.3 | If you enter this contest from January to June 2025, your brand running a top-notch subscription |
| 0:31.4 | program that attracts and retains lots of new subscribers could win you the biggest prize |
| 0:36.1 | in e-commerce history. |
| 0:37.9 | It's $100,000 in cash, $50,000 in funding for a splashy marketing campaign, a team |
| 0:45.1 | retreat of your choice, and even a couple tickets to see a big race out in Monza, Italy. |
| 0:51.3 | That's a lot of stuff. |
| 0:52.7 | And you know what? |
| 0:53.5 | Even if you don't win the prize, |
| 0:55.3 | you're still going to come out of this with a bunch of new subscribers and a stronger brand, |
| 0:58.6 | so you can't lose here. All you have to do is head to Tomorrow Brand. That's T-M-R-W-Brand. |
| 1:07.9 | Dot get recharge.com |
| 1:11.0 | to check out the terms and conditions |
| 1:12.8 | and sign up by December 31st, |
| 1:15.3 | 2024. |
| 1:16.5 | I don't know why any subscription brand |
| 1:18.1 | would sit this one out. |
| 1:19.0 | Good luck. |
... |
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