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Can Generative AI be a Game-Changer for Your Food Business? A Candid Conversation with Meg Faibisch Kuhn of Aioli

Release Date: 07/08/2024

BABOYOT with Sarah Nathan of Nooish: How an Industry Veteran Created a Buzz-Worthy and Profitable Product

The Good Food CFO podcast

Meet Sarah Nathan, founder of Nooish, who transformed traditional Jewish matzo ball soup into an instant comfort food sensation. On this episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, Nathan shares how her decade of experience in CPG and deep roots in Jewish culinary culture led her to invent freeze-dried matzo balls - a culinary breakthrough that turns an hours-long cooking process into a 2.5-minute preparation. Beyond the innovation, she reveals how authenticity in branding and patience during development helped Nooish become a runaway success in the gifting market, particularly...

Grateful & Growing: Saying Goodbye to Where This All Began

The Good Food CFO podcast

In this special bonus episode of the Good Food CFO podcast, Sarah Delavan shares a deeply personal moment as she prepares to leave the home office where her consulting business was born seven years ago. From an unexpected job loss that led to her first consulting gig, to launching a podcast that's grown into a thriving community, Sarah reflects on how this single room has witnessed hundreds of conversations with founders across the globe – from Los Angeles to New Zealand. With characteristic authenticity, she explores the complex emotions of being simultaneously grateful for a space...

A Fresh Take on Planning for the New Year: Why Looking Back is the Secret to Moving Forward

The Good Food CFO podcast

In this must-listen season finale, Sarah Delevan flips the script on typical year-end planning by exploring why looking back is crucial before looking ahead. Inspired by an Office Hours member's approach to evaluating progress, Sarah reveals how understanding your past performance in context can transform your decision-making. She challenges the "bigger is better" mindset, explaining why sometimes declining revenue in certain channels can actually signal success. Through real-world examples, Sarah demonstrates how to conduct an effective year-end review - from analyzing specific metrics that...

BABOYOT with Sydney Karmes-Wainer of French Squirrel: Lessons in Pricing, Negotiations and Sustainable Growth

The Good Food CFO podcast

From accidental entrepreneur to confident business owner: Sydney, founder of French Squirrel, reveals how she transformed her healthy snack company by confronting hard truths about pricing and profitability. After years of underpricing her premium date-based treats and struggling with razor-thin margins, Sydney shares the pivotal mindset shifts that helped her raise prices, say "no" to unprofitable opportunities, and put her business health first. She candidly discusses overcoming people-pleasing tendencies, learning to be transparent with retailers about costs, and finding...

Answering Listener Questions: Customer Profitability Analysis, Cash Flow Management, and Bubble Goods

The Good Food CFO podcast

In this value-packed episode of The Good Food CFO podcast, we tackle three critical business questions asked by our BABOYOT Members. First, we reveal why your cash flow tools might not be delivering results (hint: it's probably not the tool's fault!). Then, we dive into a step-by-step guide for analyzing customer profitability – essential knowledge for any business owner wondering if their biggest customers are actually their most profitable. Finally, we explore how to evaluate new retail opportunities, from local collectives to e-commerce platforms, breaking down the real costs and...

Breaking Free from the Food Industry Playbook: How to Stop Comparing and Start Customizing

The Good Food CFO podcast

This week on The Good Food CFO podcast, we explore financial benchmarks for CPG brands, emphasizing that many common questions about business finances often lead to the answer 'it depends.' Sarah discusses the importance of understanding individual business contexts rather than relying solely on industry standards, challenges prevalent beliefs in the food industry such as the notion that founders must sell their businesses to achieve financial success, and encourages founders to create unique business models that align with their values and goals, and breaks free from...

BABOYOT with Keesha of Live Loud Foods: Building a Bold and Authentic Brand

The Good Food CFO podcast

In this BABOYOT episode of The Good Food CFO podcast Sarah chats with Keesha, the vibrant founder of Live Loud Foods, a brand that’s redefining the nut market with bold, unique flavors. Keesha shares her fascinating journey from information systems engineer to culinary entrepreneur, highlighting the challenges of launching a food business, including crucial financial insights and marketing strategies. She emphasizes the importance of gathering customer feedback and adapting products for success while staying true to her mantra: "live your bold, authentic life." As we explore her...

Why Doesn’t My Model Match Reality? How to Know and What to do When Your Model isn’t Working

The Good Food CFO podcast

Financial Modeling helps build financially successful businesses. But what if your model doesn’t match reality?! Sarah and Producer Chelsea are discussing the importance of regularly comparing your models to your actual business outcomes, how to identify if your model doesn’t match reality (because as you’ll hear it is not always obvious!) and, of course, what to do about it. Sarah shares a recent instance where she recognized that a founder's model and reality weren’t matching up, how a Good Food Founder identified that labor costs were higher than...

Sarah’s Take: What the Siete Acquisition Says About Our Food Industry

The Good Food CFO podcast

Stay Connected! Instagram: YouTube: us in The Good Food CFO Community There were a lot of “hot takes” on the recent PepsiCo acquisition of Siete Foods, a popular brand known for its grain-free tortillas and snacks. In this episode, Sarah offers her nuanced perspective, explores the reactions from various groups, including consumers, industry experts, and other founders, and discusses how the challenges and limitations of the CPG industry, coupled with the influence of investors and advisors create a system that is driving toward complete industry consolidation. ...

Old School Meets New Tools: How to Use CPG Automation to Do More of What You Love with Jessi Freitag

The Good Food CFO podcast

What advice would you get from a CPG Operations Expert that believes in building a business on your own terms (BABOYOT), and enhancing productivity to do more of what you love, rather than simply doing more? Sarah invited CPG Operational Expert, Jessi Freitag to the show to find out. Jessi is an operations and project management consultant helping CPG businesses get organized and scale. She’s also the former host of the Startup CPG podcast and has successfully led businesses from startup through growth while managing operations and teams. Jessi is shedding light on how...

More Episodes

How can cutting-edge technology like generative AI benefit Good Food Founders?

What opportunities and challenges might arise from incorporating AI into your business operations?

In this episode, Sarah welcomes Meg Faibisch Kuhn, an expert in AI, to discuss the applications of generative AI in your food business. Meg is the founder of Aioli, an AI education and consultancy firm specializing in helping founders understand, learn, and apply AI in their work.

Meg's first hand exposure to critical operational and marketing bottlenecks has equipped her with the insights needed to harness the potential of user-friendly AI technology. By combining her deep industry knowledge with the latest AI innovations, Meg offers tailored training programs, expert guidance, and practical resources to empower her clients on their AI journey.

You’ll hear Meg explain how tools like ChatGPT and Fathom can streamline processes, improve efficiency, and save time (and money) for food businesses. Whether it's drafting newsletters or conducting market research, AI can bring you a step closer to your goals. Meg also highlights the importance of data privacy and offers practical advice for founders on leveraging AI.

They discuss:

How to get started with AI, and the tools available to streamline your business
The ways AI can elevate your communications strategy
Saving time by creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) with AI
How generative AI can create synthetic focus groups to test new ideas and gauge customer reactions
Tips for keeping your data secure
And so much more!

Then check out our bonus episode with Meg, recorded exclusively for BABOYOT members.

Connect with Meg:

Website: Spread Aioli

LinkedIn: Meg Faibisch Kuhn

From our News Segment:
Can AI Help Cut Plastic Waste from the Food System?

Stay Connected!

Instagram: @TheGoodFoodCFO
YouTube: @thegoodfoodcfo

Join us in The Good Food CFO Community

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