Every small brand has the vision: seeing your product on Whole Foods shelves like Liquid Death, becoming a Target favorite like Milk Bar, or having your own stores like Kendra Scott. But then? Reality hits.

You’ve been grinding—calling, dropping off samples—and just can’t figure out how other brands make it look oh-so-easy.

The Reality of Retail

The truth is, getting into retail is no small feat. There’s:

• The retail lingo to master

• Fierce competition

• Time and effort to break through

• Fees, hidden costs, and dreaded free fills

Retail can feel like a nightmare that tests your limits. But brands that succeed? They’ve figured out how to navigate these challenges and stay on shelves.

So, how do you get there?

Here’s your path to success, broken into 5 steps: Educate, Product, Proof, Persist, and Prosper. Miss any of these, and you’ll quickly realize it. Let’s get into it →

Step 1: Educate Yourself on Retail

Retail is a powerful channel, but it’s one you need to understand before you can successfully navigate it. Throwing money at brokers or sales reps won’t work if you don’t know the landscape.

Like all pieces of starting a business, retail is a sales channel you need to learn yourself before you can offboard it.

You need to know the game, the key players, and how to chart your path to success. Without this foundation, you’re walking in blind.

Start here:

• Define your "why." What drives you to build this business and enter retail? That motivation will push you through tough days.

• Get involved in the industry conversations. Startup CPG is a great place to just listen. I have my own community, The Retail Lab, where you can ask questions and get answers from retail experts and brands going to retail. Check out resources and webinars from Naturally Network and the Specialty Food Association.

You may have skipped this step if…

• You’re paying for a broker…but seeing little to no results.

• You can’t find the margin to support onboarding a distributor.

• You find yourself needing help at every. single. step. of going to retail.

Step 2: A Winning Product Strategy

There’s no use getting on a shelf if you can’t sell off it. 

So once you understand The Retail Landscape, you need to ensure you have the positioning, packaging, and pricing to attract trial and the product that demands re-purchase.

In other words? You need to get people to pick you off shelf, love their experience, tell all their friends, then come back and buy again.

Here’s how to nail it:

• Sample your product and gather feedback. Test everything—packaging, pricing, and product experience.

• Try tools like ProductPinion or affordable sampling programs, like our product sampling program at Product & Prosper—specifically built for small brands to reach powerful industry vets.

Signs you’ve skipped this step:

• You’re getting bad reviews online.

• Repurchase rates are low.

• Your velocity on-shelf is lower than anticipated.

• You’re discounting heavily to drive velocity.

Step 3: Proof of Demand

Now you’ve got a great product—how do you convince buyers it’s worth the investment? Just like investors, buyers need to believe in your brand’s potential.

They want to know:

• Do I trust this brand?

• Is the product good?

• Can they deliver consistently?

• Will it sell?

Namely, what buyers are looking for are the three things I like to call The Retail Resume™:

1. Credibility

2. Capability

3. Cash Flow & Cash Potential

You need to demonstrate your Retail Resume™ through every touchpoint, from your website to your pitch deck.

How to build trust:

• Audit all buyer-facing materials (your website, sales materials, socials…even your email signature). Are they speaking directly to the questions buyers ask?

Red flags you skipped this step:

• Buyers are ghosting you.

• You send samples but never hear back.

• You’re seeing slow DTC traction.

• You’ve hired a broker and have no traction with retailers.

Step 4: Persist at Selling

Now we’re onto the fun part: selling.

There are only two ways to grow sales in any channel: consistency or payment. You either put in the work, or you pay someone to do it for you.

How to persist:

• If DTC sales are slow, focus on building a base of cash flow before diving into retail.

• Choose the right entry point for retail—whether that’s independents, chain stores, or online wholesale. Your decision depends on your credibility, capability, and cash flow.

You may have skipped this step if…

• You’re frustrated by the lack of retail sales.

• Your broker isn’t landing accounts.

• You’re scrambling to hit sales targets.

Step 5: The Plan to Prosper

The work doesn’t stop once you’re on shelf. Now that you’re in retail, the challenges become maintenance, merchandising, and marketing. 

Prospering is about setting a plan and executing on it so you continue to get on more shelves (strategically) while also maintaining the shelves you’re on and selling through. 

The way to prosper? Treat your retail accounts like you would a new best friend. Be kind, hype them up, treat them with respect, invite them to things, make them feel special.

Here’s how to thrive:

• Create a wholesale management plan. Decide how you’ll maintain and grow relationships with buyers.

• Develop a marketing plan that includes retail promotions, demos, and in-store support.

• Regularly visit stores or hire a merchandising team to ensure your product is well-placed and supported.

You may have skipped this step if…

• Your sales velocity is lower than expected.

• You’re confused about next steps after landing accounts.

• You can’t keep retail accounts beyond a year.

• Your reorder rate from retail accounts is low.

Educate, Product, Proof, Persist, Prosper

These are the five steps to getting on shelf and staying there. This is how we make your retail dream a reality—where your product is thriving on shelves, cash is flowing, and you’re not just surviving but prospering.

Will you put the pieces in place to get there?