And who can blame them?
Founders are under enormous pressure to grow. Investors want results. Retailers want velocity. And there's always another competitor coming for them.
But here's something I've learned from spending much of my career building brands: Sometimes the most important things take the longest to get right.
I had a fascinating conversation with Kyle Feigenbaum, founder of Healthybud, that really brought this home.
First of all, I love his story. Kyle left a career in finance to walk dogs. Not exactly the conventional path to becoming a CPG founder!
But what impressed me most was his patience, conviction, and clarity.
Kyle is building Healthybud for the long term. And he's remarkably disciplined about it.
He's spent years developing products, learning from customers, building relationships, and figuring out what works. He's navigated the challenges of hiring, raising capital, and expanding distribution without losing sight of the business he's trying to build.
And now, after years of steady growth, he's ready to accelerate. Not because he's impatient, but because he's built the foundation to support it.
That same patience extends to the brand itself.
He's spent years refining Healthybud's positioning and messaging. What began as a broader proposition around healthy food for dogs has become something remarkably focused.
Gut health for dogs.
That's it. You know what they do. You know who they're for. And you immediately understand what makes them different.
It sounds so simple. But we all know getting to that level of clarity is really really hard.
And what's especially interesting is that this clarity isn't just helping consumers understand the brand. It's helping retailers, distributors, and salespeople understand exactly how to sell it.
What I love about Kyle's approach is that patience doesn't mean standing still.
He's building, innovating, learning, and making decisions. But he's doing it with a long-term perspective, rather than expecting everything to happen overnight.
In fact, Kyle talks about approaching entrepreneurship as a ten-year journey. If it happens in five, that's something to celebrate.
And I think there's a really important lesson here for founders and marketers alike.
Building a great brand isn't just about getting bigger. It's about getting better, clearer, and more relevant along the way.
Sometimes the greatest competitive advantage is having the patience to do exactly that.
I loved this conversation with Kyle. There's a lot here for anyone building or growing a brand.
🎧 Listen to our conversation on The Irresistible Factor.