4 Things I'm Tracking Right Now in My Mid-Year Food Product Launch Strategy

We're at the mid-year mark, and if you're building a food product business, this is the moment things stop being theoretical. In this episode, I'm giving you an honest, behind-the-scenes look at four things I'm tracking right now: our September/October launch window, narrowing down our co-manufacturer, growing local retail distribution, and how it's all building toward a bigger retail launch next year. Plus — I'm sharing details on a free training I'm running later this month on the exact framework I use to get retail-ready. What We Cover [00:45] Why mid-year is actually a more important planning checkpoint than January [02:30] The September/October launch window — why it's really an August deadline in disguise, and the four things that have to be locked first (production lead time, packaging & compliance, marketing runway, retail readiness) [05:30] Narrowing down our co-manufacturer — the five-part framework I'm using (MOQs, quality consistency, capacity to grow, communication, geographic/logistics fit) [08:30] Growing local retail distribution — why independent stores matter beyond the revenue, and what we're doing to expand our footprint [11:00] The bigger picture — how this year's decisions are building the track record for next year's retail launch [13:30] Free training: Unlock the Secret to Retail Success with the ETS Method Key Takeaways A fall launch date is really an earlier deadline in disguise — everything meaningful (production, packaging, compliance) has to be locked 6–8 weeks out. Choosing a co-manufacturer is one of the highest-leverage decisions you'll make all year — vet in parallel, not sequentially, and prioritize consistency and capacity over a single great sample batch. Local retail accounts aren't just revenue — they're proof points that make the bigger retail pitch credible. Everything happening this year (co-man, fall launch, local stores) should be sequenced toward one goal: walking into next year's retail conversations with a track record, not a pitch deck. Free Training Unlock the Secret to Retail Success with the Exclusive ETS Method 📅 July 27th | 🕐 1:00–2:00 PM EST | Live & Free Join me for a live walkthrough of the exact framework I use to get a food product genuinely retail-ready — how manufacturing, distribution, and retail positioning fit together into one repeatable system. 👉 [<a title= "Unlock the Secret to Retail Success wit