In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff Mains sits down with serial entrepreneur and strategic executive Josh Sizemore, a powerhouse in building and scaling consumer brands in retail, CPG, wellness, and ecommerce. Drawing from decades of experience (including billion-dollar brands and innovative startups), Josh reveals the realities of taking niche health products to household names—without losing your brand’s soul or becoming just another “me-too” in a crowded market.
The conversation uncovers the art and science of brand storytelling, making the leap from DTC to retail, the power of deep versus wide expansion, the importance of authentic leadership, and how to avoid the pitfalls of solo decision-making and delegation. Josh gets candid about his journey launching a premium water brand, the value of grit in founder storytelling, navigating retail growth, keys to scaling SaaS marketplaces, and the ever-present challenge of knowing when to sell or double down.
Whether you’re a SaaS founder, a CPG upstart, or growing any high-integrity brand, this episode is loaded with actionable insights on leading powerfully, communicating clearly, and building market momentum that lasts.
Key Takeaways
00:00 AI, Innovation, and Mindset Shift
06:35 Boost Product Sales with Sampling
07:38 Slow and Steady Market Expansion
11:24 Effective Virtual Communication Tools
16:24 Water Donation and Distribution Initiative
18:24 "Authentic Storytelling in Branding"
23:00 "Original New York Salsa Success"
27:00 Entrepreneurship Patience and Resilience
30:05 High-End Retail Venture Story
32:49 Founders' Delegation Challenges
35:48 Instincts and Delegation
39:31 Entrepreneurial Journeys in Innovation
Tweetable Quotes
If a distributor wants you but the retailers don't want you, then they're not going to bring you in. If a retailer wants you and then, but you don't have distribution to that retailer, well how are you going to get there? So it's gotta all kind of work in synchronous, you know, together and kind of synchronize itself up." - Josh Sizemore
"you have to just stick to the play of slow and steady until you, you know, until you have the, the capital and the resources to hire 100 people or whatever to get to those stores." - Josh Sizemore
"when you're not communicating directly to somebody, you have to be super, like, aware of, okay, does this text sound kind of even killed or is it over the top, or is it underwhelming when you send those communications through virtually?" - Josh Sizemore
"just make sure that whoever it is is authentic. They're coming from a perspective of grit and grind." - Josh Sizemore
Scaling with Integrity: "Delegation isn't just about survival, it's about enabling real growth." - Jeff Mains
AI and the Future of Work: "Documenting current processes is the first step to any meaningful innovation." - Jeff Mains
"It's not strategy, not charisma, it's not even luck. It's relationships, specifically four of them." - Jeff Mains
"It's really refreshing to be able to turn that over to somebody like that. They can just take it and run with it and make it so much better than even we thought it could be." - Jeff Mains
SaaS Leadership Lessons
Don’t Rush Retail: Go Deep Before Wide
Early retail wins are tempting, but focus on dominating a few stores at a time before expanding. Depth beats spread.
Grit and Authenticity Beat Flashy Marketing
Share real founder stories and struggles; people spot authenticity and reward it.
Test Relentlessly and Leverage Data
Whether it’s email flows, ad creative, or messaging, let data guide decisions—not just founder instinct.
Communication is Culture
Set rhythms and choose the right channels (Slack, intranet, etc). Keep communication clear and emotionally intelligent, especially as you scale.
Delegate What Drains You
Identify tasks you don’t enjoy or aren’t great at, and empower others to own them. This unlocks growth and prevents burnout.
Mindset Shifts with Business Stage
What you want at launch (fast sale) may change after years of sweat and momentum. Stay self-aware and re-evaluate your goals periodically.
Guest Resources
Josh Sizemore:
jsizemore@feastfast.co
FeastFast.co
https://www.facebook.com/josh.sizemore.946
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-s-23606113
https://www.instagram.com/joshua__sizemore
Episode Sponsor
The Captain's Keys
Small Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel’
Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/
SaaS Fuel Resources
Website - https://championleadership.com/
Jeff Mains on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkmains/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffkmains
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesaasguy/
Instagram - https://instagram.com/jeffkmains
