This episode presents a seven-step roadmap for executive teams to implement a customer-first strategy successfully. 

The core message emphasises clear communication of the new vision, leading by example, aligning company processes, embedding customer feedback into decision-making, providing employee training and resources, rewarding customer-centric behaviour, and continuously monitoring and improving the strategy's effectiveness. 

Denyse shares examples of a customer-first approach to effectively illustrate how to guide an organisation through significant strategic changes. 

In conclusion, she suggests that CPG executives cultivate a company culture prioritising customer satisfaction.

Igniting Customer - First Culture: A 7 - Step Roadmap for CPG

This episode offers seven leadership principles drawn from Denyse's experiences, including continuous learning, seeking help, practising diligently, thorough preparation, embracing mistakes, honesty, and considering diverse customer groups. 

To illustrate these points, Denyse shares personal anecdotes, such as recording an audiobook. 

A bonus eighth principle, preparing for unforeseen challenges, is also suggested during the discussion. 

In conclusion Denyse emphasizes the importance of continuous self-improvement and to use a holistic approach to be a more effective leader.

Seven Leadership Lessons For Quantum Growth

The discussion this week argues that deep customer insights, meaningful innovation, and inclusive leadership are crucial for business success in 2025.  
It supports this claim with data from McKinsey, PwC, BCG, and Deloitte, showcasing how companies effectively integrating these three elements significantly outperform their competitors.  
The discussion provides examples of successful companies like Spotify, Nike, Unilever, and Microsoft, illustrating how these principles are applied in practice.  
Finally, it offers a framework for implementing these principles and suggests methods for measuring progress.


Insight, Innovation and Inclusive Leadership- The New Business Success Formula

How does one ride the skate ramp in CPG? Dr. James Richardson, author of Ramping Your Brand and owner of Premium Growth Solutions, shares some of the pitfalls many early-stage CPG brands make, and highlights some of the pathways to success. 

More About Dr. James Richardson: 
Dr. Richardson is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions, a strategic planning consultancy for emerging consumer packaged goods brands. As a professionally trained cultural anthropologist turned business strategist, he has helped over 150 CPG brands with their strategic planning, including: Dude Wipes, Once Upon a Farm, Dr. Squatch Soap, Trü Frü, Earth Breeze, Dr. Bronner’s, Happy Egg, Made Good and many others.   

James also hosts his own business podcast —Startup Confidential —on YouTube, Apple, Spotify and most major podcast platforms. And he writes a Substack publication on contemporary social issues — Homo Imaginari — every week. He lives in sunny Tucson, AZ with his family and dogs.   

His thoughts have appeared in Inc Magazine, Business Insider, Food Business News, and numerous business podcasts.  

Premium Growth Solutions Website: https://www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com/  

Services: https://www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com/services/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/premiumgrowthsolutions/#  

Riding the Ramp The Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ramping-Your-Brand-Killer-Growth-ebook/dp/B0DT2M873N  

Ramping Your Brand

From optimizing fleet management to dramatically reducing customer inquiry response time, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) promises to offer key benefits to the transportation industry. In our latest episode of That Makes Cents, we dive into the impact GenAI is having on the industry. Are companies making significant progress in AI adoption? Listen today.

Is GenAI the future of transportation efficiency?

From the vault: In a pre-pandemic time capsule from August 2019, the Ricks marvel over a freaky new Amazon Prime show called “The Boys,” an R-rated horror movie featuring “The Banana Splits,” the origin story of McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, and enormous Luck Charms marshmallows coming to a s’more near you. 

Brought to you by Taskin, the first name in ultra-stylish, premium-quality travel gear for 🛩-setters everywhere. 👐🏻Shop now and save 30% with promo code R&RTAKE30 at TaskinSF.com: ow.ly/Vh6M30r9EpF👐🏻

IN THIS EPISODE
👨‍🏫 The Ricks talk Back to School and pre-Internet gaming in the good old days  
🗓 The Ricks have a big milestone coming up  
🧜‍♀️ It's summertime, so of course Pumpkin Spice Lattes are already back  
🥤 Remembering McDonald's Shamrock Shakes of yesteryear  
🍌 The Banana Splits are back, in an very violent, R-rated horror flick  
📺 Why you need to drop everything & watch "The Boys" on Amazon Prime  
🥛 Did somebody say McWTF? McFizz is an unintentional eye-opener  
😸 "Friends": Old TV comes with perks—LEGO's Central Perk Playset  
🥣 Lucky Charms Jet-Puffed Marshmallows: Magically Delicious?  
🚀 "Star Wars Barbie" rocks the geek look—for an out-of-this-world price  
📸 Instagram and WhatsApp get new names  
📱 Verizon sells Tumbler to Automattic … for how little?  
🦸🏻‍♂️ Look who's coming to CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths"  

Approx. 17:33. Review privacy and cookie policies for SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify and all other streaming services. Some audio and visual elements created using generative AI-based tools.

☘️ Lucky Charms Go Big, The Banana Splits Go Bad, ‘The Boys’ Go Bonkers & More

Director of Economics at The Budget Lab of Yale Law School answers the question, "With all the economic factors at play, what are pet food businesses supposed to be focusing on?"

Pet food economics with Ernie Tedeschi of Yale Law School

From self-driving cars to smart mirrors , our team explored the trends and technologies shaping the future of the consumer industry at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and NRF's Big Show. Tune in to learn more about how these trends will likely impact businesses in the consumer industry.

What’s next for the consumer industry: CES and NRF trends

This podcast discussion argues that mid-sized companies can achieve remarkable success by strategically outmaneuvering industry giants, despite having fewer resources. It substantiates this claim by presenting compelling case studies from both the technology and consumer packaged goods sectors, such as Stripe, Zoom, Chobani, and Kind Snacks. The analysis of these examples reveals key winning strategies centered on focusing on specific problems, leveraging new technologies, creating new categories, building authentic connections, and maintaining quality during growth. The session serves as an implementation guide, offering practical steps and success metrics for mid-sized companies aiming to not just compete, but to truly outperform their larger rivals by prioritizing agility, focus, and customer understanding.

How Mid-Sized Companies Outsmart Giants: Learning from Tech and CPG Success Stories

Angie’s Boomchickapop–one of the most legendary homegrown Minnesota brands in recent history and the benchmark for just about every new packaged food startup hoping to make it big. As the story goes: Angie Bastian was a nurse; her husband Dan Bastian a teacher. They bought a kettle corn machine off the internet in 2002, and started selling at festivals, in hopes of making some extra money. Soon they were selling to grocery stores, building their own manufacturing center, and becoming the first truly national ready-to-eat popcorn brand. In 2017, the company was acquired by Conagra for an estimated $250 million. Today, another Minnesota-made popped snack is slowly gaining shelf space at stores around the country: Yoga Pops, made of popped water lily seeds—a snack as popular in India as popcorn is in America. Currently sold in 350 stores across the country, co-founders Nalini Mehta and Anita Balakrishnan want to make Yoga Pops a household name. They get advice from the Bastians on manufacturing, marketing, culture building, and what it really takes to build a lasting packaged food brand.. As Dan Bastian says, “Leaders work for their people, and then they in turn will work for you.”

Stick around for Office Hours with Kingshuk Mukherjee, chair of global business leadership at College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. He talks about the school's entrepreneurial alums, the Bastians, and tariff volatility.

141. Growing a Food Brand: Angie and Dan Bastian + Yoga Pops

The pet food industry is a constantly evolving landscape of trends and consumer needs. Join Petfood Industry magazine Editor Lindsay Beaton every other Wednesday as she interviews industry experts and covers hot topics affecting the world of pet food. If pet food is your thing and you want to know what’s trending, tune in!
Brought to you by Petfood Industry and WATT Global Media

MARKETING DEEP DIVES by DENYSE is a Podcast for CPG Executives wanting to attract, delight and retain more consumers.
In each episode Denyse shares her tips, tools and ideas gathered from her more than 30 years experience working in over 125 countries around the globe.
Denyse is: 📈 Advisor to Fortune 100-Inc 5000 | 🚀 Strategist for mid-sized CPGs | 👨‍💼👩‍💼Leadership Coach | 🎤 Keynote Speaker | 📚 #1 Best-Selling Author | 🌍 Former Global Head of Consumer Excellence at Nestlé

Looking for insights on marketing trends and driving innovation? Rick Mathieson (author of Branding Unbound, and The On-Demand Brand) and Rick Wootten (Silicon Valley CMO) share their unique brand of news and views from the intersection of marketing, media, tech, and pop culture—delivered with an extra-large serving of fun. 

From B2C to B2B. CPG to SaaS. Digital to direct. Email to experiential. Social to search. Content to commerce. Generative to agentic AI. Viral video to virtual & augmented reality. POS to podcasts. Full funnel to WTF. This is the podcast for every marketer who’s out to rule the world.

Making business work in Minnesota. Entrepreneurs and leaders share the stories behind their beloved brands, and the ones you’ll want to know next

The Food Institute Podcast leverages the Food Institute's 90-plus-year history to provide actionable information and insight to food industry professionals.

New tracks tagged #Cpg