Revenue is up 40%. Online ads are working! But cash is tighter than ever. Should they raise their prices?

If you’ve ever stared at growing sales numbers while your bank account tells a completely different story, this episode is for you. Sarah is walking you through a real client case study - a brand with 70% gross profit margins and 40% revenue growth that was still cash strapped - and breaks down exactly how she identified the true source of their cash flow problem. Spoiler: it wasn’t their prices.

Here’s what this episode covers:

* Why raising your prices when you’re cash strapped can actually make things worse, and how to know when it is the right move

* The shift from “should we raise our prices?” to “why don’t we have enough cash?” and why asking the right question changes everything

* The two-step framework Sarah uses to pinpoint exactly where a cash flow problem is coming from

* The inventory strategy this brand used to free up tens of thousands of dollars without touching their prices or their product

Ready to do this work in your own business? The Good Food CFO software walks you through exactly this process — investigate your margins, run your financial audit, and dig into your inventory — so you can find the true source of your cash flow problem. Learn more at https://thegoodfoodcfo.com/software Every subscription includes free access to weekly office hours with Sarah.

Thrive Market has built a loyal following of health-conscious consumers who are actively looking for better-for-you brands.For good food founders, it’s a direct line to your target audience. And the conventional wisdom has always been that selling direct to retail, cutting out the distributor, means better margins and more money staying in your business.

But the Thrive Market relationship isn’t as cut and dry as we assumed, and as Sarah uncovered many founders don’t realize the financial impacts until it’s too late.

In this episode

Sarah breaks down the real cost of selling through Thrive Market -including what she learned from founders actively selling there right now - and pulls back the curtain on how Thrive's price negotiation process works.

You’ll hear:

* What Thrive Market actually charges brands on every invoice

* Why the direct-to-retail margin assumption doesn’t always hold

* How Thrive Market margins stack up against national distributor KeHE (the numbers might surprise you)

* The 5 steps every founder should take before signing with any retail or distribution partner

Before you say yes to Thrive Market, or any retail partner, listen to this episode.

Most food founders think fundraising means perfecting your pitch deck. Angel investor Katie Dunn says you’re starting in the wrong place.

In our conversation, Katie breaks down the three fundamentals that actually get investors to meet with you, and say yes: understanding investor thesis (and why it saves you from wasting time), leveraging warm introductions instead of cold pitching, and building a financial model that shows exactly how you’ll reach profitability.

We cover the investment basics every founder needs to know—what a safe note actually is, why angels want equity, and whether regional brands can get funded (spoiler: yes, but with different deal structures). Katie also shares her strong recommendation on why your first hire should be finance, not marketing, and how to make it ridiculously easy for investors to want to help you.

If you’re considering fundraising or just want to understand how investment actually works in food CPG, this episode gives you the straight talk you need.

Connect with Katie:

Website: katiedunn.com

Advisory Board: The Masthead Strategy

LinkedIn: Katie Dunn

Instagram: @iamkatiedunn

TikTok: @iamkatiedunn

Join The Good Food CFO Community:

Follow us on Instagram: @thegoodfoodcfo

Watch on YouTube: @thegoodfoodcfo