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The Mobilization Mindset
Mobilization Mindset is the podcast for construction and manufacturing leaders who are building smarter, leading stronger, and growing with intention. Hosted by Mobilization Funding CEO Scott Peper, each episode features insightful conversations with founders, operators, and changemakers who are rewriting the rules and doing the work.
From workforce challenges to mental health, communication to cash flow, culture to leadership - this is where grit meets strategy, and strategy meets action. No fluff. No filters. Just real insights for the MF’ers moving their businesses forward.
The Mobilization Mindset
How to Launch a Food Brand & Overcome Retail Setbacks w/ Doug Kantner | Construction MF'ers Ep.85
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Launching any startup is tough. Launching a plant-based cheese startup brand is even tougher. Losing a two-year retail contract after just four months in business—and taking a $300K hit on unsold inventory—can feel like a knockout blow and can derail any business.
In this episode of The Construction MF’ers podcast, Scott Peper sits down with Never Better Foods founder Doug Kantner to talk about the challenges and strategies of launching Never Better Foods, who dissects how his plant-based cheese brand (under AME Nutrition) navigated that crisis and found a new path forward.
Doug explains:
- Why too many product lines dilute your focus—and your budget.
- How distributors, buying groups, and end customers each have different demands.
- The role of financing and purchase-order funding in weathering unexpected hits.
- How donating stranded inventory turned a bad situation into new opportunities.
If you’re tackling manufacturing, distribution, or financing hurdles, Doug’s story shows that a major setback doesn’t have to kill your brand. Learn how he stayed afloat—and where Never Better Foods is headed next.
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-kantner-35312395/
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