Julie Sullivan is the Founder of The Key Dough – plant-based, gluten free & keto baking mixes, and a Deputy Editor of the Startup CPG Spotlight. She brings many years of experience in hospitality, food, business and entrepreneurship.

Startup CPG is a national community for emerging consumer food brands. Which sounds more traditionally corporate that we are in practice… in only a good way. We keep business buttoned, and progress on a proven path, but we also emphasize more than a little fun along the way. Enter Startup CPG Slack. Our digital fountain of fun and a place where hard work & play are present each & every day. From connections with other brands, VCs & buyers to watercooler topics that deliver not only the goods on dropshipping but the LOL’s we’ve all ordered more of in unusual times such as these. Our Slack is an entrepreneurial lifeline of crowdsourced knowledge, funding, and all a founder could hope to find in a community of open-minded, helpful, committed humans. And of course, these resources and more remain completely free and accessible to all who share our mission.

Given all the challenges starting a business (R&D, sourcing, selling online, marketing, financing, shipping, etc.), anyone can benefit from a like-minded community that not only understands the struggles but has the collective skill & experience to make sure the inevitable ride on said struggle bus is at least short and wisdom-inducing (so we’re kinda like Yoda, you could say, right?)

How does it work? The home feed is more like a chat thread than email; welcoming team members has never been easier. Listed on the left side are common CPG topics. A quick scan through and you realize others are facing and solving similar problems. Example – one member recently wrote, under the “sales” section, “How are you adjusting your plans between Retail, Online, and Foodservice this year?” He received four responses that same day, all from folks who had been there, done that & found a way through the challenge.

The ‘donut’ Slack automation feature suggests virtual coffee dates with random members every two weeks. Here’s what Christina of Appleton Markets had to say about her experience, “Not only have I learned valuable insights and tips from all of the great founders in the community but I have had a fantastic time getting to know other members on my donut coffee chats. I even met another founder who is using the same packaging supplier as me! It’s been a big help to me, especially during these quarantined times when we can’t meet each other at food shows and events.”

Voila. On Startup CPG’s Slack, you have at your fingertips a network of people facing similar challenges and actively participating in solving them, enthusiastically (and patiently, which we all know is often needed as a new founder) together. We like to think of our Slack as a truly modern work & growth platform, from both a professional and personal view – and while we won’t call it the more productive Facebook, we won’t rush to correct anyone who does!
Join the Startup CPG Slack here.