338. We Finally Got the Stores. Now How Do We Make Them Work? With Julia Klein, LiveMore Superfoods

338. Getting into retail is a big win. But for many founders, that is where a different set of problems begins. In this episode of Bulletproof Your CPG Brand, Dan Lohman sits down with Julia from Livemore Superfoods to talk about what happens after the retailer says yes. Julia shares how Livemore grew, what they learned the hard way about retail expansion, and why being in more stores does not automatically mean the business is stronger. One of the most valuable lessons from this conversation is simple: The goal is not just getting into stores. The goal is making those stores actually work. Dan and Julia discuss: • why getting distribution and building productive distribution are not the same thing • how spreading a brand across too many retailers, regions, or channels can weaken support • why concentrated effort helps build awareness and velocity • how customer learning can lead to better product decisions • why founders need to think beyond the yes If your brand is already in retail but the results are not where you want them to be, this conversation will help you think differently about what happens next. This weeks free guide: https://retailsolved.com/guide33 Get the show notes and free guide: https://retailsolved.com/session338 Chapters 00:00 We Got the Stores. Now How Do We Make Them Work? 00:51 Meet Julia and the Story Behind Livemore 03:43 Building Livemore Around Better Nutrition 05:21 Why Livemore Chose Retail First 09:59 From Smoothies to a Bigger Retail Opportunity 13:02 Choosing the Right Retailers, Regions and Shoppers 16:28 The Retail Growth Lessons Livemore Learned the Hard Way 19:23 Why Founders Need to Say No to More Retail Opportunities 20:43 The Retailer Said Yes. Now What? 22:07 How to Make Existing Retail Distribution Work 26:04 Turn Your Customer List Into a Retail Growth Asset 28:02 How Shopper Insight Can Make You More Valuable to Retailers 31:39 Scaling Livemore After the Nutrisco Acquisition 34:14 How Acquired Brands Protect Their Authenticity 37:20 Retail, DTC and Building a Stronger Growth Engine 41:43 Turn Customers Into Co-Creators and Brand Advocates 43:41 Why Trust and Authenticity Become Your AI Moat 45:04 Right Accounts. Right Products. Strategic Growth. 47:50 Find the Leak. Then Build the Muscle Behind It.