Will Nitze (IQBAR) | Blitzscaling Brain Food to $50M+/year
We're getting meta as Joe interviews Will!
Will Nitze is the founder and CEO of nutrition company IQBar. He shares his unconventional journey of growing his CPG business. Will discusses the importance of focusing on operational excellence and scaling quickly by taking calculated risks. He also dives into his contrarian approach to hiring, fundraising, and going to market, emphasizing the value of trust and taking advantage of opportunities others may deem too early. Throughout the conversation, Will offers candid insights on the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, the future of IQBar, and his personal aspirations beyond this venture.
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:03:04] Will's background and starting IQBar
[00:08:45] Early days of product development and manufacturing
[00:14:35] Fundraising strategy and dilution
[00:17:37] Measuring repeat purchase rate and customer retention
[00:18:50] Marketing strategy and growing the business
[00:20:21] Using Kickstarter
[00:24:19] Expanding product lines
[00:29:30] Breaking conventional wisdom
[00:34:50] Building a team and thoughts on nepotism
[00:38:17] LinkedIn strategy
[00:40:39] Thoughts on selling
[00:50:28] Rapid fire questions
ABOUT THE HOSTS:
Will Nitze is the founder and CEO of nutrition company IQBar. He shares his unconventional journey of growing his CPG business. Will discusses the importance of focusing on operational excellence and scaling quickly by taking calculated risks. He also dives into his contrarian approach to hiring, fundraising, and going to market, emphasizing the value of trust and taking advantage of opportunities others may deem too early. Throughout the conversation, Will offers candid insights on the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, the future of IQBar, and his personal aspirations beyond this venture.
[00:00:00] Introduction
[00:03:04] Will's background and starting IQBar
[00:08:45] Early days of product development and manufacturing
[00:14:35] Fundraising strategy and dilution
[00:17:37] Measuring repeat purchase rate and customer retention
[00:18:50] Marketing strategy and growing the business
[00:20:21] Using Kickstarter
[00:24:19] Expanding product lines
[00:29:30] Breaking conventional wisdom
[00:34:50] Building a team and thoughts on nepotism
[00:38:17] LinkedIn strategy
[00:40:39] Thoughts on selling
[00:50:28] Rapid fire questions
ABOUT THE HOSTS:
Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.
Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.
Connect with Will:
IQBar: https://www.eatiqbar.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-nitze/
X: https://x.com/willnitze
X: https://x.com/willnitze
Creators and Guests
Host
Joe Lemay
Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.
Host
Will Nitze
Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.