Food Business Marketing Podcast | Brand Strategy, Sales, & Growth for Food & Farm Brands

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  200. Start Here…Katie & Clint's Picks from 200 Episodes 19.08.2026 16min

  There are 200 episodes just waiting to help you build your business! 🎉 So where do you start listening? Or, if you've been listening for a while, what might be worth revisiting with a new perspective that some time and experience have given you? In this episode, Clint and I went back through the archives and pulled out 5 episodes we think are especially worth a listen. Our picks cover brand strategy, sales, leadership, and regenerative agriculture, with ideas you can put to work as you build your business. Our Picks from 200 Episodes Clint's Pick: Episode 176 — Build Your Inner Edge to Deliver When it Matters Most | with Chad McGehee A conversation about mental resilience, brain training, and taking care of yourself as a leader so you can show up better for your business. Katie's Pick: Episode 182 — Your Brand Adds Value Across Your Business, Not Just Marketing Why brand strategy isn't just a marketing tool. It can be a business asset that helps you make better decisions, reduce rework, strengthen your positioning, and build business value over time. Clint's Pick: Episode 153 — Sales Intro: Unsure About Sales? Use This to Create a Process You Love The starting point for Clint's sales series and his 4 Ps of sales: Planning, Prepping, Pitching, and Persisting. If you want to strengthen your approach to sales, start here and then keep going with the full series. Katie's Pick: Episode 163 — Brand Pillars: The Backbone of Your Brand That Makes a Major Impact A practical place to start organizing your brand strategy. We talk about how brand pillars help clarify what your brand consistently stands for and give you a foundation to build from when it comes to messaging, products, and more. Shared Pick: Episode 192 — Stewarding the Land and Building Brand | Scaling Regenerative Agriculture with StarWalker Organic Farms One of our favorite conversations about regenerative agriculture, stewardship, and building a business around something bigger than the products you sell. Jason and Kristina also share a bigger vision for bringing others along as they work to move regenerative farming forward. Keep Exploring You don't have to scroll through 200 episodes to find what you need. Browse podcast episodes by topic on the Real Food Brands website or explore the Spotify playlists: Brand Strategy 101 Playlist Brand Strategy 201 Playlist Sales Series Playlist Business Management Playlist And be sure to follow the Food Business Marketing Podcast on Spotify or your favorite podcast app so you don't miss what's coming next. Whether this is your first episode or you've been here for years, thank you for being part of the first 200. We've got no plans of stopping, and we're glad you're here as we keep working together to shake up shopping carts and help more people get access to real food. The best is yet to come - let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews
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  199. Marketing: Are Your Efforts Adding Up to a Bigger Picture? (4 of 9) 12.08.2026 13min

  Do you feel like all of your marketing efforts are adding up to something bigger, or more like a collection of tactics? Your marketing should support your business goals and bring your strategy to life in a cohesive, consistent way that makes your brand easier to choose. In this episode, we (Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews) talk about why effective marketing starts before you decide what to post, where to advertise, or which tactic to tackle next. Using analogies from the art technique of pointillism to a snowball fight, we explore what happens when each of your marketing efforts contributes to one clear picture of your brand. We also dig into the role marketing plays in influencing consumer behavior, why food and farm business owners have an opportunity to use that influence for good, and how consistency across your customer touchpoints can build clarity and trust over time. In this episode, you'll hear: Why your marketing should start with strategy and business goals—not tactics How each customer touchpoint can help people understand the value of your brand Why cohesive, consistent marketing can build recognition and trust How marketing can influence consumer decisions without manipulating or adding to the confusion Where to start: a simple "One Room Test" to see what all of your marketing efforts are adding up to today Whether you're thinking about social media, packaging, email, your website, sales materials, trade shows, or what happens at the shelf, the goal isn't simply to do MORE marketing. It's to make sure what you're already doing is working together to reinforce what you want your brand to be known for. Mentioned in this episode: The CMO Podcast with Jim Stengel and guest Todd Kaplan, CMO of Kraft Heinz A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (example of pointillism) Up next...EPISODE 200! We've got a special episode for you that will help highlight our top value-packed past episodes you will want to go back to if you missed or haven't listened to in a while.   —————————– >>> Subscribe HERE to Katie's weekly email Newsletter for ways to bring the ideas you hear here to life for your business. —————————– Have a great week – see you next Wednesday! Katie & Clint    
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  198. Financial Clarity: Are Your Numbers Helping You Make Better Decisions? Business Maintenance Series (3of 9) 05.08.2026 15min

  Food & farm business financials aren't just about accounting—they're one of the most valuable tools for making informed business decisions. In Part 2 of our 8-part Business Maintenance series, we (Katie Mleziva and Clint Matthews) explore why financial clarity is essential for food business owners, farmers, and CPG brands working to grow with confidence. Whether you're launching your first products and experiences or have been in business for years, understanding your numbers can help reduce uncertainty, improve planning, and uncover opportunities you may be missing. In this episode, Clint shares three practical areas he uses in his own business to build stronger financial visibility, and Katie connects financial clarity back to brand strategy and decision-making. In this episode: Why financial clarity helps reduce uncertainty and build confidence How understanding your true Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) impacts pricing and profitability Why understanding margins across distributors, retailers, and your own business matters so much The huge benefits of reviewing your financials consistently—not just at tax time How financial clarity supports stronger marketing, operations, and growth decisions Why it's never too early—or too late—to gain a clearer picture of your business Remember: Whatever your numbers say, it's better to know what you're really working with. If this episode was helpful, follow in your favorite podcast player so you don't miss the rest of our Business Maintenance series, where we're exploring eight key areas that help food businesses stay aligned and continue growing with purpose. ----------------------------- >>> Subscribe HERE to Katie's weekly email Newsletter for ways to bring the ideas you hear here to life for your business. ----------------------------- Have a great week - see you next Wednesday! Katie & Clint
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  197. Brand Clarity: What Do You Want Your Business to Be Known For? | Business Maintenance Series (2 of 9) 29.07.2026 12min

  Your brand isn't built by one great product, pitch, or marketing campaign; it's built by planting a clear idea and reinforcing it through every business decision you make. That's why Brand Clarity is the first stop in our Food Business Maintenance Series. In this episode, food & farm business strategists Katie Mleziva and Clint Matthews explore why getting clear on what you want your business to be known for creates better business decisions across your business to create consistency, align teams, and make everyday decisions easier to make. Katie also shares where to start so you can think about your own brand's clarity! In this episode, you'll hear: Why Brand Clarity is the foundation for every other area of your business Three questions to help define what you want your business to be known for What brands like Liquid Death, Lifetime Fitness, Aldi, and Start Right Foods can teach us about consistency How Brand Clarity improves team alignment and simplifies decision-making Katie's tip on where to start: finding the intersection of Company, Consumer, and Competition Why better brand decisions lead to better business decisions Questions to reflect on: What do you want your business and brand to be known for? Would everyone on your team answer that question the same way? Are your daily decisions reinforcing that reputation—or pulling your brand in different directions? Brands mentioned in this episode: Liquid Death Lifetime Fitness Aldi (note: after recording, we looked up the meaning of Aldi and it DOES align with what they want to be known for!) Start Right Foods Make sure to listen to Ep 196, which set the stage for this series. See you next week - until then, let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva & Clint Matthews
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  196. Business Maintenance Check: 8 Areas to Review (1 of 9) 22.07.2026 19min

  Your business doesn't have a check engine light. There usually isn't one clear signal that tells you your marketing, operations, finances, or your product mix have drifted out of alignment. Instead, small issues build over time until you feel scattered, and they begin affecting growth. That's why stepping back to periodically review your business isn't just helpful—it's part of building a stronger brand. In this episode, food & farm business strategists Katie Mleziva and Clint Matthews walk through eight key areas every food business owner should evaluate on a regular basis. Whether you're halfway through the year or simply looking for a fresh perspective any time you find this episode, this framework will help you identify what's working, where things may have drifted, and where your next best opportunity may be. Use this episode as a friendly reminder that your brand isn't just an item on the list to talk with your graphic designer about. It's a business management approach - the lens that helps guide every other decision you make. In this episode, you'll hear: Why every food business benefits from a periodic "maintenance check"  How your brand serves as the North Star for better business decisions The eight areas we talk through include: Brand clarity Financials Marketing Sales & distribution Product mix Operations Customer experience Leadership & team Why alignment isn't something you achieve once—it's something you continually maintain. Where to learn more about each of these if you're feeling stuck Resources & Links ✔ Download the Free Brand Strategy Checkup to evaluate your brand and identify opportunities to build a stronger, more aligned business. Plus, you'll get the Friday newsletter with more details on these 8 points! ✔ Learn more about working with Katie & Clint by scheduling an intro call here. ✔ Past Episode mentioned: Here is a Spotify Playlist of Food Business Management episodes for you all in one spot. If this episode helped you step back and look at your business differently, share it with another food business owner who is building with purpose. Small shifts in alignment today can create a much bigger impact over time See you next week - let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie & Clint
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  195. The 5 Hidden Product Gaps That Stop Food Businesses From Scaling - featuring food scientist Jacinta Kemboi 15.07.2026 43min

  You can't build a strong food brand without a great product—but a great product alone isn't enough to build a business that can scale. 💡 Before your product can become the foundation of a strong brand, it has to be ready for growth. In this episode, Katie and Clint sit down with food scientist Jacinta Kemboi, founder of Cama Research & Development, to discuss the 5 Hidden Gaps she sees preventing food products from successfully scaling. From product integrity and shelf life to packaging, manufacturing, and commercial viability, Jacinta shares the foundational work that often happens behind the scenes—and why addressing these gaps early can help food business owners avoid costly missteps later. Whether you're preparing for retail, working with a co-manufacturer, or simply working to build a stronger business, this conversation will help you think differently about what it takes to grow. In this episode, we discuss: Why a great product is the foundation of a strong brand. The 5 hidden gaps that can limit a product's ability to scale. Product integrity and how to maintain consistency as demand grows. Why shelf life is both a food safety issue and a business decision. The joys of scaling your recipes and what to do if the "recipe gnomes" seem to be involved. How packaging protects more than your product—it protects your brand, and the important decision on packaging substrates. Commercial viability, margins, and knowing whether a certain channel like retail is even the right fit. Why early traction doesn't always mean retail readiness. How addressing these foundational elements can save significant time, money, and frustration as you grow. How geometry impacts your food business! Why having a "gold standard" is so valuable. Resources Mentioned Join Katie's weekly newsletter here RealFoodBrands.com or Katie's Instagram Cama Research & Development - Connect with Jacinta Kemboi and take Jacinta's Product Readiness Quiz Listen to Jacinta's podcast: Scaling Your Healthy Food Product How to Build a Brand People Trust (Ep 188) Until next week, let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist Clint Matthews - Host, Co-Founder at Start Right Foods, & Food Business Strategist PS--Enjoying the podcast? If you're finding these conversations helpful, please follow, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with another food business owner. Every share helps us reach more brands that are working to make real food easier to choose.
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  194. Your Brand Is the Bridge...How Brand Strategy Can Align Your Whole Business 08.07.2026 16min

  When sales, marketing, and operations don't seem to be on the same page, it's tempting to look for a tactical fix. But more often than not, the real opportunity isn't better tactics—it's better alignment. In this episode, Katie and Clint explore why your brand is the bridge that connects your entire business. A clear brand strategy doesn't just shape your marketing. It helps align leadership, sales, operations, customer service, and even external partners around a shared vision so your customers experience one consistent brand. That's why they say brand building is a team sport! Whether you're a solo business owner working with contractors or leading a growing team, this conversation will help you think about brand strategy as a practical tool for making better decisions, improving communication, and creating a stronger customer experience. In this episode, you'll learn: Why sales and marketing challenges are often signs of a bigger alignment opportunity. How brand strategy serves as the bridge between your vision and day-to-day decisions. Why customers need to experience one brand—not separate departments. Practical ways to communicate your brand strategy across your team. How involving your team creates better ideas and stronger buy-in. Why documenting your strategy helps turn hallway conversations into consistent action. Why brand building is a team sport How your brand values can guide hiring, onboarding, training, and leadership. Why celebrating wins helps reinforce your culture and brand over time. Key Takeaway A strong brand isn't built by one department. It's built when everyone understands what your business stands for, how they contribute to it, and how they work together to create a consistent customer experience. Your brand becomes the bridge that helps your entire business move in the same direction. Resources & Next Steps If you're ready to create more clarity and alignment in your food business, we'd love to help. Visit RealFoodBrands.com to learn more about working together or connect with me on Instagram to continue the conversation. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with another food business owner who's working to build a stronger, more aligned brand. Resources Mentioned Join the newsletter here RealFoodBrands.com or Katie's Instagram Until next week, let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist Clint Matthews - Host, Co-Founder at Start Right Foods, & Food Business Strategist PS--Enjoying the podcast? If you're finding these conversations helpful, please follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with another food business owner. Every share helps us reach more brands that are working to make real food easier to choose.
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  193. How the Right Dietitian Can Help More People Choose Your Food Brand - featuring Whitney Stuart, RDN 01.07.2026 24min

  People are inundated with complicated and sometimes conflicting nutrition messages. Food brands have an opportunity to replace confusion and food fear with a boost of clarity and confidence. When you think about advisors for your food brand, a dietitian might not be the first person who comes to mind....or is it? Beyond nutrition, dietitians can bring a unique perspective that helps you better understand your customers, communicate your product's benefits more clearly, uncover new market opportunities, and reinforce key support messages.  In this episode, Katie and Clint are joined by registered dietitian and diabetes educator Whitney Stuart of Whitness Nutrition to explore how nutrition expertise can strengthen what you want your brand to be known for -- from product development and messaging to consumer trust and long-term brand growth...and more!  This conversation offers a fresh perspective on the value of choosing advisors who align with your vision but will also challenge your thinking to make your team stronger and create better connections. As Whitney shares, helping consumers move from food fear to food confidence isn't just good nutrition—it's good brand building. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why the right dietitians can be valuable strategic advisors—not just nutrition experts • How RDNs can help uncover new customer segments, product development, ingredient decisions, and growth opportunities • How to communicate nutrition benefits in a way that's credible, clear, and easy for consumers to understand...making your brand easier to choose rather than adding to the noise • Why choosing advisors whose perspectives align with your brand matters • How some dietitians can help promote your brand to the right audiences • How curating the right team can help strengthen what your brand becomes known for And one final takeaway from the episode: ....BE KIND. READ LABELS. We can use a little more of both, right? :)   Resources Mentioned Whitney's Website Whitney talking "easy swaps" on one of her TV appearances Join the newsletter here RealFoodBrands.com or Katie's Instagram And until next time, let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist Clint Matthews - Host, Co-Founder at Start Right Foods, & Food Business Strategist   PS--Enjoying the podcast? If you're finding these conversations helpful, please follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with another food business owner. Every share helps us reach more brands that are working to make real food easier to choose.
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  192. Stewarding the Land and Building a Brand - Scaling Regenerative Agriculture with StarWalker Organic Farms 24.06.2026 46min

  Some people are skeptical that regenerative agriculture can be scalable, but our guests are proving it can be done while they build a strong brand as well. For Jason and Christina Walker of StarWalker Organic Farms, success started with a series of everyday decisions—and a few pivotal fork-in-the-road moments that shaped everything. StarWalker Organic Farms introduced the first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) pork and beef in the United States and is working to help more farmers transition to regenerative agriculture through a scalable, farmer-focused model. In this episode, we explore the choices, values, risks, and long-term thinking that shaped their journey from a multi-generational family farm to a growing regenerative agriculture brand with a vision that extends far beyond their own acreage. Along the way, we discuss what it means to steward the land, build a business, create a brand, and leave something better for the next generation. In this episode, you'll hear about: The family decision that led StarWalker Organic Farms down the path of organic farming decades before it became more mainstream The pivotal choices that shaped the farm's growth, from launching a direct-to-consumer business to purchasing their own USDA processing facility What it means to produce the first Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) pork and beef in the US How regenerative agriculture, soil health, and nutrient density are connected The challenges and opportunities of building a vertically integrated food business How our life experiences that seem unrelated today may actually be preparing you for what's next How the business is helping other farmers transition to regenerative agriculture without having to build a brand. Their vision to create regional networks of regenerative farms and make high-quality food more accessible locally across the country What the brand will be known for...their answer wasn't about the products they sell. Listen to hear more! Whether you're a farmer, food business owner, entrepreneur, or someone who cares about where your food comes from, this conversation is a reminder to keep grounded in our purpose every single day. Resources Mentioned StarWalker Organic Farms Join the newsletter here RealFoodBrands.com And until next week, let's go shake up shopping carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist Clint Matthews - Host, Co-Founder at Start Right Foods, & Food Business Strategist If you are interested in clarifying what you want your brand to be known for and making your brand easier to choose, please email me at katie@realfoodbrands.com. We'd love to hear what you are working on and see if we might be a good fit to work together...or at least share a few resources with you! 
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  191. What a Viral Post Revealed About Content Creation 17.06.2026 15min

  This week, my simple Instagram post about Swedish Fish unexpectedly reached more than 160,000 people...and counting! Now, that might be a normal day for some people on Instagram, but it certainly wasn't for me. While it was fun to watch the views climb, not all the comments were as fun to read. Not that I took it personally, but I don't understand the need to be so negative. With that in mind, what I found most interesting were the lessons that came from the experience—not just about social media, but about our ideal audience and how we choose to show up when we get unexpected attention. In this episode, Clint interviews me about what happened, what surprised me, and what business owners can learn from finding themselves in a similar situation. In the episode, you'll hear: Why attention doesn't always equal growth The difference between reach and relevance How to respond when the internet wants you to react Why not every audience is your audience How to use the algorithm without losing your personal programming (ie values) How to find the sweet spot between your strengths and your audience's interests What a viral post can teach you about your brand, your audience, and yourself Resources Mentioned 📌 View the Instagram post here 📬 Join the Real Food Brands newsletter here And until next time, let's go shake up shopping carts. Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist Clint Matthews - Host, Co-Founder at Start Right Foods, & Food Business Strategist
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  190. Building What's Next 10.06.2026 3min

  As we approach episode 200, we're inviting you to help shape what's next for the Food Business Marketing Podcast. We've been working to make strategy more actionable, more valuable, and...more fun. As we think about what's next for the podcast, we'd love to hear directly from you. 👉 Take the short survey here We've got some exciting ideas in the works, but before we make plans for the next chapter in the coming weeks, we want to make sure we're building something that's truly valuable for you. Thank you for being part of this community, for spending your time with us each week, and for helping us build what's next as we help YOU build what's next! - Katie & Clint PS--Make sure you're on my newsletter email list. Most weeks I'm helping you turn your ideas into action, but this week I'm asking you for your ideas to help US take action - and we appreciate every single reply. Access the survey here or sign up for the newsletter and get it in your inbox on Friday: Weekly Email Newsletter or at www.realfoodbrands.com.
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  189. Your Brand Strategy Is the Starting Line 03.06.2026 13min

  Have you ever finished strategy work, felt excited… and then thought, "Okay, but now what?" Your brand strategy being done isn't the finish line. It's the starting line. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) talk about what happens after the strategy work is done and how to activate your brand so it becomes part of your everyday decisions—not just a PDF sitting on your computer. Building on recent conversations around defining your strategy, aligning your team, and creating clarity, this conversation focuses on activation: what happens next, how to avoid overwhelm, and how to keep moving forward to build momentum as you build a strong brand and business. From prioritizing what comes first to testing and learning in the market, this episode will help you think differently about what it means to bring your strategy to life. ➡️ In this episode, you'll hear: --Why strategy work often feels exciting at first—but overwhelming when it's time to implement --How to prioritize what happens next instead of trying to do everything at once --Ways to think through 30 / 60 / 120 day priorities --Why your strategy should guide agencies, partners, and vendors and not the other way around --How to test and learn without abandoning your strategy too quickly --The difference between evolving intentionally and changing direction because you got nervous or someone asked a question you couldn't answer yet --Why strategy should make decisions easier—not harder ➡️ What this means for your business: Your brand strategy should create clarity—but clarity alone doesn't create momentum. ➡️ When you activate your strategy intentionally, you can: 1) Bring more consistency to how your brand shows up 2) Make decisions with more confidence and less second-guessing 3) Create priorities that help move the business forward 4) Stay aligned while continuing to learn and optimize ➡️ What's next: Strategy isn't the finish line. It's the starting line. Whether you've documented your strategy already or you've been piecing it together as you go, activation is where strategy comes to life—and where momentum starts building. Stay tuned for more podcast episodes to help you bring your vision to life! ➡️ Continue the conversation: If this episode helped you think differently about what happens after strategy work is done, make sure you're on Katie's newsletter email list. She'll share additional thoughts, tools, and resources, including the Brand Activation Worksheet. You can get access to the newsletter and find links to everything else HERE: Weekly Email Newsletter or at www.realfoodbrands.com. ➡️ Let's Connect! Connect with Katie Mleziva on LinkedIn or ➡️ Set up an intro call if you're ready to move from strategy to action and build a brand with more clarity and confidence. 🔗 Connect on Instagram Let's go shake up shopping carts, together! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist
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  188. How to Build a Brand People Trust 27.05.2026 13min

  What makes you trust a brand? It's usually not one big thing. It's the repeated experience of seeing a brand show up consistently over time — through the packaging, product, messaging, the customer experience, the team, and allll the little details in between. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (RealFoodBrands.com) and Clint Matthews (StartRightFoods.com) explore how trust is built through cohesive, consistent brand experiences...and why alignment inside your business matters to what customers see on the outside. As a follow-up to recent episodes related to the "define" part of Katie's Define, Align, & Activate framework, this conversation focuses on what happens next: aligning your team, partners, and day-to-day decisions around what you want your brand to be known for… then activating that strategy consistently across the business. Because strong brands reinforce the key thing they want to be known for over and over again. In this episode, you'll hear: Why consistency builds trust over time The difference between alignment and activation How cohesive brand experiences create recognition Why repeated touchpoints shape brand perception The role team members and partners play in your brand How familiarity influences buying decisions Why strong brands feel intentional The connection between trust and customer experience Key Takeaway People trust brands that feel clear, cohesive, and consistent. And that doesn't happen accidentally! We can be intentional about how that happens when your business is aligned around what you want to be known for and reinforces it through repeated experiences over time. Links & Resources: • 📧 Weekly Email Newsletter • 🔗 Connect on Instagram If this episode gave you a new way to think about building your business, please share it with another food business owner who is working to build a brand that makes a positive impact. Let's go shake up shopping carts, together!
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  187. What Do You Want Your Brand to Be Known For? 20.05.2026 14min

  If your brand is trying to communicate everything, people may remember nothing. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (realfoodbrands.com) and Clint Matthews (startrightfoods.com) talk about the power of focus — and why strong brands know what they want to be known for instead of trying to say everything to everyone. Building on recent episodes about purpose, vision, values, and listening to your consumers and competitors to inform your market success, this conversation explores how focus helps create clarity across your products, messaging, packaging, marketing, customer experience... everything you do! Katie also connects the conversation to positioning and brand pillars, explaining how they help guide decisions, reinforce consistency, and keep brands from getting pulled in too many directions. In this episode, you'll hear: Why clarity is the result of focus How trying to communicate too many things can create confusion Why consistency helps brands become more memorable How positioning and pillars help guide decision-making Why focus is meant to create freedom, not limit creativity Plus, Clint shares how Start Right Foods gained traction after narrowing their focus and aligning around what they wanted to be known for in the market. If you want additional insights and practical ways to turn your ideas into action, make sure you're signed up for Katie's newsletter (see below). Links & Resources: • 📧 Weekly Email Newsletter • 🔗 Connect on Instagram   🎙️Episodes mentioned --> 101. Brand Strategy 101: Positioning Your Brand to Stand Out --> 165. Brand Pillars: The Backbone of Your Brand That Makes a Major Impact   If this episode gave you a new way to think about building your business, please share it with another food business owner who is working to build a brand that makes a positive impact so we can shake up shopping carts, together! Katie Mleziva  Food Brand Strategist
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  186. Make Your Brand Easier to Choose: The Cheesecake Factory Factor 13.05.2026 17min

  Too many choices (or unclear choices) can create friction for people to make a decision. So, the brands that win are often the ones that make decisions feel easier. Sometimes being clear and easy to choose means knowing what to say… and what NOT to say. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (RealFoodBrands.com) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) unpack the concept of decision fatigue and how it impacts things like shopper behavior, packaging, product assortments, and buying decisions. You'll hear: • Why more choices, words, and icons are not always better • The Cheesecake Factory "decision overload" example • How shoppers make different decisions throughout a shopping trip • Why packaging has to work so hard...even after popping on the shelf • If Clint or Katie could better handle judging 25 cheesecakes in a contest without decision fatigue setting in • The importance of communication hierarchy • The famous "jam study" and what it tells us about consumer behavior • How products move from shelf → cart → pantry/fridge/freezer → repeat • A course Katie is taking through Texas A&M called Advanced Behavioral Economics -- she's loving it!  Katie also shares details about her free live Brand Strategy Q&A happening May 20, 2026.    Links & Resources: • 🗓️ Sign up for the free Brand Strategy Q&A • 📧 Weekly Email Newsletter • 🔗 Connect on Instagram • 🎙️Episodes mentioned --4Ps of Sales Series Spotify Playlist --Ep 114. Intentional Marketing: Getting ON the shelf, IN the cart, and OUT of the pantry/fridge/freezer • When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? (aka "The Jam Study") If this episode gave you a new way to think about shopper behavior, packaging, or brand clarity, please share it with another food business owner who is working to build a brand that makes a positive impact. Let's go shake up shopping carts! 
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  185. Listening to Understand Your Market & Guide Your Food Brand 06.05.2026 18min

  You might be a good listener, but are you a strategic listener? In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) explore how to use listening as a strategic tool—not to collect more ideas, but to gain clarity and guide your brand decisions as you optimize and grow. Building on recent episodes about defining your version of success and clarifying your purpose, vision, and values, this conversation shifts outward—focusing on how to better understand your market through what you're already hearing and also where to listen more intentionally. From buyer conversations to consumer feedback to observing the competitive landscape, this episode will help you think differently about where insight can come from and how to use it. In this episode, you'll hear: Why listening is about understanding and making decisions, not just collecting opinions or adding to your idea list How buyer conversations can reveal what's happening in your category Ways to "listen" to consumers beyond direct conversations What you can learn from competitors—without copying them The difference between one-off feedback and meaningful patterns How to use what you're hearing to guide your brand as you grow What this means for your business: As you're working to build clarity in your brand, listening becomes a way to proactively understand your market—not just react to it. When you start paying attention to patterns, language, and real-world feedback, you can: Refine how you show up as the brand you want to build Spot some opportunities you might have missed Move forward with more direction and confidence What's next: Once you begin to understand your market more deeply, you can start to define what you want your brand to be known for—and how to consistently bring that to life. Continue the conversation: If you want a simple way to capture what stands out and turn ideas into action, make sure you're on Katie's newsletter email list. She'll share a quick recap in writing and help you apply what you hear on Ep 185, and every episode! You can get access to the newsletter and find links to everything else at www.realfoodbrands.com. Let's Connect! Connect with Katie Mleziva on LinkedIn or ➡️ Set up an intro call here if you're ready to talk about prioritizing your ideas as you work to build a strong brand. Let's Go Shake Up Shopping Carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist
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  184. What Is YOUR Version of Success in Your Food Business? 29.04.2026 14min

  What does success actually look like for you—and are you building your food business around it? If you haven't clearly defined your own version of success, it's easy to end up chasing someone else's without even realizing it. For the first part of our lives, success is defined for us—the next milestone, the next step. Good grades, good performances. But as business owners, that structure disappears… and we're left to figure it out on our own. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) unpack how making sure you're defining your own version of success will impact how you make decisions. They also share how their own definitions of success have evolved over time—and how those definitions directly shape the decisions they make in their businesses today. Because success isn't one-size-fits-all. But when it's undefined, it leads to comparison, second-guessing, and misalignment. And when it's clear? Your brand, your strategy, and your decisions start to fall into place. In This Episode, We Cover: Why success feels clearly defined when we're younger—and why that changes as a business owner How your definition of success influences your daily decisions Real examples of how evolving priorities shift business direction The difference between building a business that looks successful vs one that actually fits your life Why defining success is the foundation for a clear, aligned brand Katie's recommendation on where to start Key Takeaway: If you don't define success for yourself, you'll default to someone else's definition, and that's where misalignment starts. What's Next: If you're ready to define YOUR version of success and start building a brand around it, Katie put together a simple way to get started with your purpose, vision, and values. 👉 Join Katie's weekly newsletter list to get access here. Every week Katie walks you through putting these insights and your ideas into action...becuase you don't need more ideas, you need to prioritize them based on your goals so you can make more confident decisions in your business. Note: if you're listening after 5/1/26, just send Katie an email katie@realfoodbrands.com, and she'll share the newsletter issue with you.
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  183. Is Luck Random or About Being Ready? 22.04.2026 14min

  How preparedness, alignment, awareness, and resilience lead to luck. It's easy to look at other brands and assume they just got lucky. They met the right person. They were in the right place. They caught the right opportunity. But when you take a closer look, that's usually not the full story. In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) and Clint Matthews (Start Right Foods) talk through why two businesses can have similar opportunities but very different outcomes. This isn't about pure luck; it's about how prepared, focused, and aligned you are when those opportunities show up. In this episode, you'll hear: Why luck is often a reflection of preparation and past experience Why CLARITY and ALIGNMENT help you recognize and act on opportunities faster How setbacks actually build readiness for future opportunities The role of curiosity, relationships, and follow-through in creating momentum Why "the greatest thing since sliced bread" didn't happen overnight. 💡 Key takeaway: Opportunities happen—but what happens after that isn't random. When your brand is clear and aligned, it helps you recognize the right opportunities and people, make better decisions, and follow through in a way that ultimately leads to growth. 🗣️ Continue the conversation Follow along on Instagram and let us know —> Do you think of success in business as luck, preparation, or something else? 📝 Apply What You Heard - Get the Newsletter If you want to work on building a brand that's clear, aligned, and adds value across your business, join Katie's weekly newsletter list at RealFoodBrands.com. Each week, you'll get a short, strategic reflection to help you think more clearly and take aligned action as you grow.
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  182. Your Brand Adds Value Across Your Business (Not Just Marketing) 15.04.2026 13min

  Most food business owners think of their brand as a marketing tool, but what if it's actually one of your most valuable business assets? IT IS! In this episode, Katie Mleziva (Real Food Brands) shares highlights from a recent training she gave for the Food Finance Institute's GROW series, where she explored how brand strategy impacts how effectively your business runs on a day-to-day basis. When your brand is clear and aligned, it doesn't just help you grow—it helps you operate more efficiently, make better decisions, and build a more valuable business over time. 🎧 In this episode, you'll hear: Three elements that help you build a valuable brand How a clear brand reduces price sensitivity and builds customer loyalty How a strong brand improves decision-making across your business Where brands lose time and money through rework, revisions, and lack of alignment Why your brand strategy is a margin driver—not just a marketing expense Stay tuned for more brand-building episodes each Wednesday! 📩 Want to keep going? If you want support working through your brand strategy, Katie offers 1:1 workshops, 6-week coaching, and a more in-depth Brand Success System to help you define, align, and activate your brand in a way that actually drives your business forward. ➡️ Set up an intro call here if you're ready to talk about your vision.   Let's Connect!  1) Connect with Katie Mleziva on LinkedIn. 2) Join Katie's weekly newsletter HERE 3) Follow along on Instagram for more – @realfoodbrands Let's Go Shake Up Shopping Carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist
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  181. Build a Brand That Adapts While Staying True to Its Core - Kasondra Shippen Flax 4 Life 15.04.2026 21min

  Flax 4 Life is a 25-year-old brand that has adapted to changing consumer needs and market realities, while staying grounded in the core of what the brand stands for...and I'm slightly obsessed with their blueberry flax muffins! ➡️➡️➡️ This episode is part of a 3-part series on examples of what it looks like to build a strong brand. Check out Ep 179 and 180 in the series after you listen to this. In this episode, I'm joined by Kasandra Shippen, CEO of Flax 4 Life—a national family-built brand rooted in multi-generational baking and a deep commitment to better-for-you products. Fun Fact: They were one of the first certified gluten-free companies in the US! We talk about how Flax 4 Life has adapted over time—responding to family health needs, evolving consumer expectations, and even market shifts like rising egg prices—while staying true to what made the brand work in the first place. This is a fantastic example of what it looks like to lead a brand over time: not by completely reinventing it, but by adapting with intention and innovation. Key Takeaway A strong brand gives you the clarity to adapt. When you know what you stand for, you can evolve your products, respond to change, and make new decisions without losing your direction. What You'll Hear How family health challenges helped shape the foundation of Flax 4 Life Why they've always focused on nutrition and flavor—not just "free-from" positioning How rising egg prices + consumer needs led to a new allergen-friendly innovation partnering with Plantible The role of new ingredients in adapting their product line How to evolve your products without losing your brand foundation Why education and communication remain ongoing challenges Walmart's Open Call experience What's Next This episode wraps up our 3-part series on building strong brands. If you haven't listened yet: Listen to this first - Episode 181 Go back to Episode 179: Build a Brand That Grows With the People You Serve Then listen to Episode 180: Build a Brand That Solves a Real Need Together, these three episodes walk through how to build a brand that grows, solves real problems, and adapts over time—while staying grounded in what matters most. ...Stay tuned for more brand-building episodes each Wednesday! 🤝 Share with a fellow food business owner If this episode sparked an idea or helped you see something differently, share it with someone else who's working to grow their brand. 🌟 Rate and Review—we might give you a shoutout! And if you haven't already, a review goes a long way in helping more people find the podcast. We appreciate it and may give you a shoutout! Likewise, if you have any ideas to optimize the podcast, please email us directly at Katie@realfoodbrands.com. LET'S CONNECT! Listening is helpful, but doing is even better! 1) Connect with Katie Mleziva and Clint Matthews on LinkedIn. 2) Join Katie's weekly newsletter HERE to get additional insights, industry resources, and the Weekly Worksheet for this episode, designed to help you build your own brand strategy workbook over time. Joining the email list gives you access to book a Brand Strategy Session as well! 3) Follow along on Instagram for more – @realfoodbrands 4) Check out Flax 4 Life! Let's Go Shake Up Shopping Carts! Katie Mleziva – Host & Food Brand Strategist