Meet Your All·in·One Creator Store (Stan)https://join.stan.store/the505podcastUnlock your first product and start getting paid as a creator (FREE download)https://the505podcast.courses/paidofferplaybookWhat's up Rock Nation! Today we're joined by Greg La Vecchia, co-founder of Bloom, the bootstrapped creator brand that scaled to $180M before taking on their first strategic partnership and is now moving over 170 million cans of energy drink with distribution in 70,000 doors nationwide. In this episode, we break down how Bloom went from a niche greens powder brand to a nine-figure CPG powerhouse, the marketing psychology behind selling out products and using "restocked" as your most powerful word, why product will always beat branding, how they used Amazon dominance as a launchpad into major retail, and what it really takes to compete with the monsters of the beverage world.Check out Greg here:https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@GregLaVecchia⁩  https://www.instagram.com/greglavslife/Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:01:08 - Bloom's Origin Story00:01:56 - Bootstrapping to $180M and the NutriBullet Partnership00:02:23 - Keurig Dr Pepper Deal and 70,000 Doors00:03:09 - Performance Marketing vs. Brand Building00:03:39 - Growing Mari's Personal Brand Through Meta Ads00:04:16 - Booty Bands, Pre-Workout, and How Bloom Was Born00:04:52 - Why You Need to Launch to a Hyper Specific Niche00:05:39 - Scared Money Doesn't Make Money00:06:57 - The Meme Page Strategy That Unlocked Everything00:08:05 - Finding Customers When They're Not Looking for You00:08:39 - How the Influencer Marketing Playbook Changed00:10:02 - Building the Largest In-House Influencer Network00:11:20 - Stan Store00:12:27 - Scaling TikTok and the Creator Brand Stigma00:13:47 - Using Amazon and Target as Validity Markers00:14:26 - How They Redirected Their Entire Community to Amazon00:15:41 - Becoming the #1 Health Product on Amazon00:16:12 - Competing against Amazon supplements00:22:16 - The Flavor Formulation Process00:23:08 - Getting Better Terms From Manufacturers00:24:10 - Why Small Goals Take the Same Effort as Massive Ones00:25:31 - Thinking Month to Month and Staying Nimble00:26:52 - Hiring Mistakes and Copying the Wrong Org Chart00:28:23 - Why Hiring From Red Bull and Monster Backfired00:29:30 - How Many People Are at Bloom00:30:09 - The Business Mishap That Led to the NutriBullet Partnership00:30:47 - The McLaren Moment That Changed Everything00:31:47 - Why VCs Wouldn't Touch an Energy Drink Company00:32:42 - Meeting Dos Cunningham and Selling 30% of the Business00:34:07 - Why High Barrier Categories Are Actually Easier00:34:46 - Getting Frustrated With the Nutrition Space00:35:26 - How Much Capital You Need to Launch a Beverage Brand00:36:14 - How Each Bloom Business Funded the Next00:37:45 - The $1.3M Black Friday and Selling Out Overnight00:41:05 - "Restocked" Is the Most Powerful Word in Marketing00:42:15 - Greg's Relationship With Money00:44:21 - How Becoming a Father Changed the Way He Operates00:45:06 - Delayed Gratification 00:47:09 - Longevity Mindset and Protecting Yourself00:48:45 - ADHD as a Superpower00:49:03 - Brutal Mistakes Brands Make Going Into Energy00:51:41 - Organic Marketing and Founder Content00:53:22 - Building the Right Team for Social00:55:18 - Why Greg Waited to Build His Personal Brand00:57:00 - The Valley of Despair in Building a Business00:59:06 - Getting Your Testosterone Checked01:03:46 - Selling Candy in School01:05:26 - What Greg Has Learned From Billionaires01:06:55 - Greg's Superpower: Consistency and Routine01:08:27 - Designing Your Life Around Your ADHD01:10:46 - Why Greg Doesn't Touch Spreadsheets01:14:36 - Using Data vs. Gut Feeling for Product Decisions01:15:54 - Why Greg Hates Being the First Mover01:17:42 - What Bloom Learned From Being in Target and Walmart01:19:34 - Getting Robbed by the Cartel01:22:34 - What a Full Bloom Marketing Campaign Looks Like Today01:23:42 - Staggering Your Launch Moments01:31:15 - The After PartyIf you liked this episode please send it to a friend and take a screenshot for your story! And as always, we'd love to hear from you guys on what you'd like to hear us talk about or potential guests we should have on. DM US ON IG: (Our DM's are always open!) Bfiggy: https://www.instagram.com/bfiggy/ Kostas: https://www.instagram.com/kostasg95/