◆ Follow-up game plan — for Mark
Biggest leverage: She's a genuine fit who said "no for now" on timing and capital, not on value — and the door is explicitly open for a later cohort. So the whole posture here is: stay in her corner, be useful with no strings, and make Cohort 2 the obvious next step. A low-pressure, generous follow-up now is worth more than any re-pitch.
Opportunities to open:
- Fundraising is her real blocker: profitable and growing fast ($300k → $3.5M, into all US Target, Costco/Walmart coming), but US investors keep asking for more data — classic chicken-and-egg. Your CPG investor network and Ground Force lens are exactly what she needs. A single warm intro now builds enormous goodwill.
- She's transitioning out of "founder does everything" and wants a framework that translates to action (she's been burned by two mis-hires and generic coaching). Offer one concrete, tactical resource — that's what she said she's missing.
Watch-outs:
- Do not re-pitch the cohort hard — she'll feel it and it'll cost you the relationship. Position the next cohort as the natural fit once her raise closes.
- Her co-founder still needs to align; any future conversation should include both of them.
The ask: One genuinely helpful intro or resource against the fundraise, plus a soft "let's revisit for the next cohort once the round's in motion." Keep her warm, not sold.
Benny: Where They Are
- Launched \~3 years ago, primarily in Canada, now distributed nationwide
- Major inflection: launched in all Target stores (US) in November
- Just wrapped fiscal year 3 at $3.5M, up from $300K the prior year
- Profitable, but sees that as a signal to invest more aggressively in awareness
- Only raised \~$250K to date (small advisor checks, including Smart Sweets founder)
- Upcoming: Costco and Walmart launches later this year
- Fundraising challenge: US investors keep asking for more data; classic chicken-and-egg
- Great fit overall, little early stage
What Julie Needs
- Strategic vision: clarity on where the business is going at $10M, $20M+
- Transitioning out of “founder does everything” mode into a scalable team structure
- Pulling the slingshot back, re-evaluating everything before the next growth phase
- Needs to fundraise soon or risks losing the momentum window
Cohort Overview and Next Steps
- 12-week “Backable CEO” cohort, launching early August (possibly August 4th)
- Small group (\~10 brands), weekly sessions: one concept, one tool, one action
- Direct access to Mark: monthly 1:1s minimum, plus async via WhatsApp
- AI-powered tools and operating dashboards, kept after the program
- 100% money-back guarantee if no measurable ROI
- Pricing: $12K for both Julie and her co-founder (buy one seat, get one free for founding cohort; normally $18K for two)
- Julie seemed genuinely interested; co-founder still needs to align
- Cohort not close to full, no immediate pressure
Next Steps
- Send Julie a recap email with cohort details (Joshua)
Include a summary she can share with her co-founder; aim for later today or tomorrow.
- Set up a follow-up call with Julie and her co-founder (Joshua)
Or connect them directly with Mark so they can get a feel for working with him together.
Where they feel stuck
Transitioning from founder-does-everything mode to building and trusting a team that can scale Benny past $10M, while simultaneously navigating a fundraise for the first time.
What they've tried
We brought on two hire's who ultimately weren't the right fit, which set us back rather than moving us forward. We've also worked with a leadership coach and consumed a lot of content through podcasts and books, but haven't found the framework that actually translates to action for where Benny is right now.
What would be different in 90 days
I'd have a clear, actionable framework for how to lead Benny through this next phase of growth, not just a vision of where we're going but a real understanding of how to get there. We have really strong traction built entirely on founder grit and vision, and I know that's what got us here. But I also know that to compound that success and get to where we're capable of going, things need to change. I'd feel confident in my role as a CEO, not just a founder, and know exactly what levers to pull. Right now we can see what's working but never have the resources to consistently pull those levers, and fundraising has been harder and slower than we anticipated. In 90 days I'd want to have unlocked that, whether through closing the round, finding the right partners, or building a path that lets us stop waiting for capital to move.
Anything else
Great to see you at Expo West! :)
How they heard about it
Mark's email list