Most entrepreneurs believe creating a great product is the hardest part of building a business.
It’s not.
According to Seven Skies founder William Boze, that’s often where the real challenge begins.
On a recent episode of The Fervent Four, Boze explained that launching a premium canned cocktail company meant overcoming obstacles most consumers never think about. Creating a product people love is only one piece of the puzzle. Convincing a retailer to carry it, earning valuable shelf space and then persuading shoppers to choose it over hundreds of competing products can be an even greater challenge.
“You can make the best product in the world,” the lesson becomes clear throughout the conversation, “but if no one sees it, it doesn’t matter.”
For beverage companies, getting into a supermarket isn’t as simple as making a few sales calls. Distribution networks, state regulations, retail buyers and category competition all play a role in determining whether a product ever reaches a shelf.
And once it does?
The battle starts over.
Consumers often have only a few seconds to notice a new product sitting among hundreds of others. That’s why branding, packaging, pricing and in-store sampling become just as important as what’s inside the can.
It’s a lesson that extends far beyond the beverage industry.
Whether you’re launching software, opening a restaurant, manufacturing a product or starting a service business, building something great is only half the equation. Success often depends on solving a second problem: getting discovered.
During the conversation, Boze also shares how artificial intelligence is helping accelerate product development, why scaling a cocktail recipe from one drink to thousands of gallons isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds and what he’s learned navigating one of the most competitive consumer markets in the country.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens between developing a product and seeing it on a store shelf, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges every entrepreneur eventually faces.
The lessons have very little to do with cocktails.
They have everything to do with building a business.
Watch the full conversation with William Boze on The Fervent Four, available wherever you listen to podcasts.
