Scaling Your Supplement Brand: Best Strategies For Growth
Every entrepreneur wants to see their new venture take off. They dream of the day when they are a household name across the globe. However, as their business grows, they may become overwhelmed. How can a business owner be prepared to scale their supplement brand?
Countless people assume scaling just means producing more product. However, it involves much more than this. The business owner must ensure their systems can keep up with the demand and that their supply chain is optimized so products get into the hands of customers rapidly. When doing so, they need to confirm quality controls are in place so that the products meet customer expectations. Many supplement brand business owners work with Sawgrass Nutra Labs to scale as needed.
Scaling Aspects
As a business grows, it becomes more complex, and increasing volume leads to increased pressure on every step of the supply chain. The business owner must ensure they have the raw materials to produce these products, all the way through to retailers to sell them to consumers. Scaling may involve many things.
A company might choose to offer new delivery formats. Consumers have informed the business owner that they are seeking options, including capsules and powders, and the business is working to meet these needs. With each new product introduced to the lineup, the company will be dealing with more SKUs. At times, however, the business owner won’t launch new products. They simply need to ramp up production of existing products to meet increased demand.
The business owner must be concerned about sourcing the raw materials, testing products for quality, and complying with all regulations. When the manufacturing infrastructure cannot keep up, it will quickly become apparent.
Common Challenges When Scaling
Business owners often encounter similar challenges when they attempt to scale. They try to use the same approach as the business grows, only to find that their methods cannot keep up. How can they avoid these issues?
The business cannot simply increase the number of ingredients when making the product, as the quantities increase, ingredient interactions can be altered. Consumers might find that the texture and taste of the product are no longer appealing once the batch size increases. Scale testing must be conducted to avoid this issue.
This testing involves running pilot batches using the new production scale perimeters. The business must also ensure the flavor and solubility of larger batches and confirm that they will be shelf-stable under anticipated storage and transport conditions. Flavor research and development should also be considered when formulating products.
A business owner might also find that there are delays in raw materials as they scale. They must ensure their suppliers can meet the increased demand before setting a launch date for any new products. Ingredients are only part of the equation; packaging lead times must also be considered. Many business owners find they need multiple suppliers to ensure they always have a backup option if something goes wrong.
Flavor Consistency
When scaling, a business owner must standardize their base flavor system. Flavor retention testing is needed regardless of batch size to ensure flavors remain consistent. Many manufacturing partners now offer deep flavor science services, and the business owner should take advantage of these.
The most important thing a business owner can do when scaling is to ensure effective communication. Miscommunication as the business grows can lead to costly errors, which no owner wants. A dedicated project lead is helpful, and all suppliers should remain in constant contact with the business owner or the project lead to ensure everyone has real-time updates. With the help of this professional, a business owner finds it easy to scale and watch their business thrive.
