Kyle Bergman

Wanna see what behind scenes at Pisgah Peaks Ventures ? I see more & more folks going out on there own & wanted to share more about our growth and some lessons. Inspired by Nick Lafferty and his public build. Backstory: I founded PPV after leaving Franny's Farmacy in early 2020 right at beg of COVID lockdowns My wife thought I was nuts I started it with few grand & a laptop. I found one client on Upwork & did some cheap work for a friend who had started a SaaS product. I got testimonials Used those to get a paying client Then another Etc I made literally no money for first 18 ish months. Few hundred bucks here & there My wife had a job with benefits and we made some $ selling a house in a hot market so was able to afford it. I could not have done it without this. Pure facts. Lessons: 1) Don’t niche down right away. You’ll narrow focus too soon & miss out on opportunities IMHO. Learn what you can deliver & how you can make $ doing it 2) Network every day. I used to take ANY (and I mean any lol) networkint call. I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on random calls. It increases your surface area for luck early on. Take a lot of shots. Most will miss. 3) Don’t over invest in fancy website / logo / CRM / mar tech etc early on. If you’re selling B2B services; people buy YOU not a site. I’ve seen folks close 5-6 fig deals with a google doc. I haven’t updated my site in years 4) Open a biz checking account quickly and expenses everything you can to claim a loss while you can. I see folks co mingling their personal & biz expenses. That’s messy and will cause issues later. 5) Have a cash runway. If you are expecting to replace your income from your old job in first few quarters you’ll most likely be disappointed. You now are paying FICA tax (14.5%) and all other taxes (state & fed). You’re getting no benefits or retirement either. Just assume 50 - 60 cents for every dollar you earn will be not end up in your pocket 6) Grind every day but not all day. Don’t expect to take 2-3 week vacations and maintain momentum. It’s not like the gurus make it seem in their ads or posts. You won’t be posted up on a beach 🏖️ but also remember to give yourself grace and don’t burn yourself out too quickly. 7) Keep notes & build systems once you know your path. I didn’t do this early & am working backwards now. 8) Don’t measure weekly trends or monthly trends. Focus on quarters. You’ll get discouraged if you over analyze. It likely won’t go as fast as you want it to. I’m going on 5 years and last month I netted more than I netted my entire 2nd year doing this biz. We’re on a 7 fig run rate currently 🚀🤯 Keep at it. HMU if you need help

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Today was a big win for consumer health, with Flo Health Inc.'s valuation at $1 billion. We're hearing talk about the market becoming frothy again, but I’d argue—without seeing the detailed financials—that this valuation could be entirely warranted. Flo has built an impressive business, with 5 million paid subscribers and 70 million monthly active users. At $60 per year for users to access the product, this business has hundreds of millions in revenue and plenty of room to grow. It's increasingly clear to me that innovators focused on healthcare have been wildly underestimating consumer business models for years, believing that patients would only opt for solutions covered by their health plans and prescribed or recommended by their doctors. That thesis needs updating, particularly given high deductible plans and soaring co-pays. Innovators building solutions that users genuinely love will win - even in healthcare. These businesses also have the potential to move into B2B channels, which is far easier to do when you have an engaged, loyal user base. I expect we’ll see many more consumer health businesses “pop” in the years to come, further proving that consumers are ready and willing to pay for such solutions. We're watching closely at Cherish Kudos to the team at Flo for this impressive milestone. Lainie Muller Charlotte Yeh Aashima Gupta Avanlee Christine Esther Dyson Alexandra Drane Jessica Kamada Vin Gupta, MD MPA Asheesh Saksena Paul Crnkovich Josh Kampel Steve Chazin Lee Wagner #agingwithattitude #independentliving #consumerdrivencare

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Health and Wellness is a wave, and integrated care will be (and already is!) the defining characteristic of most winners. Many DTC healthcare companies are putting money into Meta/Google, and getting patients out. Something similar is possible at a Doctor's office, with a significantly lower CAC. Put in resources, get patients out. I think this is a compelling distribution channel for a lot of wellness companies--Pharmacies, Gyms, Nutritionists, Therapists, Longevity etc. Because if you're a healthcare company, chances are the people who you can impact the most (and who may be the most motivated to use your product!) are those at the Doctor's office. Yes it will be non-trivial to set up distribution through clinics... but those nuances are just a barrier to entry for your competitors. The rise of multi-clinic operators makes this extra powerful right now.

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My ecommerce trend prediction: Prescription Testosterone Replacement Therapy for men is going to see as big of a boom as hair loss in the next 2-3 years among telehealth brands. I’m already seeing brands crop up in this space on Meta. Convos around testosterone are starting to dominate the “manosphere”. Common health misconceptions/old myths about the risks of TRT are being dispelled similar to Creatine in the last 5 years. Search volume for this category is pacing on par with total search volume for hims & hers in the last 5 years There are still many valid health risks to TRT that may prevent this from scaling the way I predict, but this is a trend that’s happening in real time, a trend that is STILL EARLY and GROWING.

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Here are 50 VC Firms funding female beauty founders. 1. Female Founders Fund Stage: pre-seed/seed Amount: pre & post-launch: $500,000 to $750,000. Portfolio: Cay Skin and Ceremonia 2. Harlem Capital Stage: seed Amount: $1 million to $3 million Portfolio: Beauty Bakerie 3. BBG Ventures Stage: seed/pre-seed Amount: $500,000 to $1 million Portfolio: Radswan, Starface 4. SoGal Ventures Stage: seed Amount: $2 million to $3 million Portfolio: Function of Beauty, Winky Lux 5. The 51 Stage: Pre-seed Amount: $25K-$1.5M Portfolio: Blume For the full list of 50 VCs, link in the 1st comment. #venturecapital #fundraising #cosmetics #beautyindustry #entrepreneurship

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3 Learnings for Early-Stage Startups from the 2024 Election Results (on a lighter note) 😉 1. Product-Market Fit: We saw how political parties must address what voters care about, not just what they think voters should care about. In the same way, don't create products you think are awesome; create products your customers actually want. It’s not a dictatorship, it’s a democracy, even in business! 2. Repeat Customers/Churn Rate: Just like voters, customers might try your product once or twice for various reasons. But if they're ghosting you after that, you've got a problem. You’ve got to keep the romance alive. 3. Customer Communication/Feedback: Spend time listening to your customers. Take note of their needs, concerns and preferences. This will help build stronger relationships and make better business decisions. Bonus Point: 4. Buzz vs. Substance: You can create all the buzz you want using marketing, influencers, PR, etc., but in the end, it’s the people/customers who bring in votes/revenue. So, don't just toot your own horn—make something people want. #startup #founders #entreprenuership #election #democracy

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Your brand is not your logo. 🎨 It's your reputation. 🌟 In today's noisy markets, having a compelling brand narrative is just as critical as having an innovative product. It's what sets you apart, earns trust, and drives growth. Warby Parker built a brand around making high-quality eyewear affordable for everyone. By anchoring their story in this authentic purpose, they've created a mission-driven, customer-centric brand. Craft your brand narrative around: 1️⃣ A clear, authentic purpose 2️⃣ A relatable protagonist (your customer) 3️⃣ A transformative journey 4️⃣ Your unique value prop 5️⃣ An inspiring vision for the future Tell a story that turns customers into fans and advocates. Build an asset that appreciates over time, even as your products change. #branding #startups #marketing

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I put down some thoughts on my disenchantment with venture studios in healthcare, quick thoughts on retail healthcare, and an open question of whether healthcare will ever experiment with dynamic pricing You can read it here: https://lnkd.in/enbBaSWC

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Insane podcast episode today picking the brain of a $500M apparel brand… From formation of the brand, their expansion into retail, to how they constructed their visual identity and so much more – True Classic’s Ben Yahalom hit it out of the park This may be a spoiler… but he revealed the biggest tip around your branding system… Overall, your branding system (should) change over time as your brand evolves and figures out what it really is Like your logo, typefaces, colors, you name it – your visual identity is ever changing. 💡But the key to having a strong brand → making these changes unnoticeable to the consumer’s eye. At Obvi, we’re constantly iterating and refreshing the brand – but people don’t notice because we keep it small and under the radar. So it was pretty cool to see that a huge brand like True Classic is still making these changes just like any other size brand. I can’t wait for you guys to see this episode. (Ronak Shah – missed u)

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As founders of growing brands, many of you understand the struggle of scaling your vision. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Anthony Standifer, Co-Founder and CMO of mSEED group, who's revolutionizing the beauty industry. Anthony and his team specialize in helping small-scale entrepreneurs overcome the daunting barriers of minimum order quantities, enabling them to start small and scale efficiently. In our conversation, Anthony shared insights on how mSEED supports burgeoning businesses, particularly those in the beauty sector, to not just start, but to thrive amidst industry giants. Their unique approach to small-batch production and comprehensive brand support really opens doors for many who thought entering the beauty industry was out of reach. For all the innovators out there hustling to bring your products to market, Anthony’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance and innovation. What challenges have you faced in manufacturing or scaling your products? 🎧📺 Listen or Watch the Full Episode here: https://ecpg.us/4diQW3j #CPG #ecommerce #amazon #podcast #beautyindustry #entrepreneurship #scalingbusiness

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***SCORED CONTRACT WITH WALMART TO SELL PRODUCT IN THEIR RETAIL STORES IN U.S. MARKET: 7/5/2024. Serial entrepreneur, Dr. D. Anthony Miles CEO and founder of Miles Development Industries Corporation ® and CMO/Equity Partner of “Safe Drop®” secured a deal with Walmart. The company just signed a lucrative deal with the global retail giant, Walmart. They will be distributing the company’s product. They just signed a lucrative deal with the global retail giant, Walmart. They will be distributing the Safe Drop® product worldwide. The projected sales for Safe Drop® in 2024 is in the billions. The company’s CEO, founder and inventor, Bob Safstrom, the mastermind behind Safe Drop®. and Dr. Miles have secured a vendor contract with Walmart Inc. Safe Drop® will be sold in Walmart’s retail stores around the country. Also they will be selling “Safe Drop®” on Walmart.com. They are both very exited to have secured the deal with Walmart. This gives them the opportunity partner a global and dominant firm like Walmart.

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I’m excited to share that I was recently featured on Upflip’s YouTube channel, where I discuss the journey of building ionBottles into a thriving direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. In this episode, I delve into the strategies and challenges that helped us achieve over $5 million in revenue in just three years. If you're interested in entrepreneurship, e-commerce, or business growth, I encourage you to watch the full interview. Thank you to the UpFlip team for this opportunity! #Entrepreneurship #Ecommerce #BusinessGrowth #IonBottles

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The $177 digital grocery cart you’re missing. Delivery and curbside are no small thing. A growing number of shoppers are skipping the isles. And conventional brands seem to be missing it the most. The results for Q1 2024 are in: -> $31B in total digital grocery sales. -> 6.1% YoY increase in digital cart size. -> 77% of grocers see 1st party delivery as vital to better profitability. The picture is not all rosie for retailers though. Many are struggling with delivery and curbside profitability. Which may be good for both brands and shoppers. As the need for efficiency drives greater tech innovation. ——— 🔹Driving shelf turn in Kroger, Whole Foods, Albertsons, Costco, Walmart, Sprouts, and More 🔹DM me or book an appointment for help! #ecommerce #retailmedia #retailvelocity #retail #cpggrowth #instacart #cpg #tradespend

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Although female founders are typically in the minority compared to male founders, we do our best to include them for MELT in NY! Allow me to introduce some remarkable and innovative female founders 🙋‍♀️ ☞ Co-Founder & CEO @ Blanka Stage: Seed Blanka is a platform that automates the process of launching a branded beauty line. With high-quality products manufactured in North America and with no minimums or upfront costs, our technology unifies the process of launching a brand - from product selection through order fulfillment. ☞ Founder & CEO @ FemiSpace Co. Stage: Pre-seed AI doctors for women’s health. ☞ CEO / Founder @ Parrot Finance Stage: Seed Copy trading platform. ☞ Founder and CEO @ InstantReplay Stage: Pre-seed The in-store “cookies” for retail. ☞ Founding Product Manager @ Stealth Stage: Seed Payment management with AI. ☞ Founder @ Copy trading consumer investing platform Stage: Seed Copy trading consumer investing platform. ☞ CEO/Founder @ Bonde Stage: Seed Member-only platform to support the advancement of professional women. ☞ Co-founder @ usebeams com Stage: Seed The next-gen productivity and automation platform for meaningful insights and seamless workflows. ☞ CEO/Founder @ LinSha Techworks Stage: Pre-seed We are improving the speed and safety of flanged pipeline maintenance by bolting/unbolting flanges autonomously. ☞ Co-founder @ Poldit Stage: Pre-seed Poldit is a community for sharing knowledge through interactive livestreams and Q&A, aimed at fostering human connections and reducing misinformation. ☞ CEO @ NaviGuide Stage: Pre-seed Equitable AI guidance counselor. ☞ CEO & Founder @ Transformers Academy Stage: Pre-seed AI-Driven LMS that transforms BORING manuals into ready-to-study employee or client courses in minutes. ☞ Co-founder @ Index Network Stage: Pre-seed Index allows you to create truly personalized and autonomous discovery experiences across the web. ☞ Founder and CEO @ TAMMIRA, INC. Stage: Pre-seed An evidence-based livestreamed health, wellness & beauty programming for kids & young women. ☞ Founder and CEO @ Bridgit Health Stage: Pre-seed Centralized AI-enabled social worker platform for hospitals to reduce delay of discharge. ☞ Chief of Staff (Founding Team) @ Mattermore Stage: Pre-seed Mattermore empowers managers with AI, automating 1:1 call data to boost performance, save time, and reduce stress, productivity loss, and turnover. 【💎 VIP Sponsored by】 ​Bradley Kam ​・Founded 2 companies Unstoppable Domains & Talkable ・Raised over $70M ・Unstoppable Domains recently raised $65M in a Series A round led by Pantera Capital, reaching a $1B valuation. Aquibur Rahman ​Founder of Mailmodo, has received funding from Sequoia and is an alum of Y Combinator S21 ​Nathan Stevenson ​CEO and Founder of ForwardLane Inc. has been featured by Forbes, the World Economic Forum, and American Banker Event link 👉 https://lu.ma/ldbfgkez

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Whether  $850 Millennium Falcons and $680 Titanics, someone is minting serious money from AFOLs… That someone, naturally, is LEGO. An AFOL is an Adult Fan of Lego. Since shifting their strategy to focus on adults as a distinct category, they’ve expanded their market and command significantly higher prices. The broader trend is known as 'kidulting' by the way. Before, AFOLs used to pretend to buy for a fictitious nephew or niece but now the sets are marked 18+ and the trend has become mainstream so there is no shame. The broader trend is known as 'kidulting' by the way. Source: WSJ + On a related note, one of my early clients was a company that rented out LEGO sets. The founder was a parent who’d felt the pain of spending money on so many different sets as his child grew up. + Lego is a virtual monopoly and since the company was founded in the 1950s, whatever patents they might have had have expired. If you create toys that can be assembled like Legos, but with a slightly different locking mechanism, can they sue you? #toys #kidulting #ecommerce #patents #entrepreneurship

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Science-backed products will reshape wellness. Osman Khan of Squared Circles is revolutionizing how consumer health brands are built and scaled. On the Fitt Insider Podcast, we discussed the venture studio’s $40M funding round, AI-powered ideation, and the playbook for launching successful companies. We also cover: Conscious Maximalism A growing demographic of 43M Americans seeks long-term optimization without sacrificing indulgence. Science as the Differentiator Leveraging novel IP and unique ingredients allows brands to deliver superior products in a crowded market. Data-Driven Conviction Using large sample sizes, clear thresholds, and multiple data points ensures ideas have market potential before launch. Iterative Testing Leveraging AI tools allows for faster iteration and testing of concepts, brands, and marketing materials before significant investment. Future Focus  Niche microbiomes, destigmatizing men's health, and "picks and shovels" for the GLP-1 wave represent major opportunities for innovation. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation https://lnkd.in/emPeiXNP 💪 Presented by EGYM

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Let’s play the blame game. Whenever an NBA team – or a company – fails to reach expectations, people are quick to point fingers. "The Atlanta Hawks didn’t make the Playoffs because of Trae Young," some say. "Company Y missed their earnings because the VP of DTC didn’t get enough unique visitors to the website," they say. Rarely, though, is the finger pointed at the right place. That’s because – and the example of Trae really had me thinking about this – when a company falls short, it’s almost always an institutional failure and not a single individual. What does that mean? Let’s keep using Company Y and that VP of DTC as our example. In a nutshell, the VP was in charge of DTC revenue and missed the projected number. Still, to drive that revenue the VP’s dependent on the product team producing and delivering the right product at the right time. That VP’s dependent on the marketing team cooking up the right assets, branding, and copy. That VP’s dependent on the C suite allocating the proper budget to drive the expected dollars. That VP’s depending on a lot of variables – and on the overall institution – that are out of their control. Likewise, Trae averaged 26 ppg, 10 apg, and made the NBA All-Star team this year. Yeah, he wasn’t perfect on defense and he turned the ball over a fair amount. Still, he’s dependent on institutional variables, too, such as the front office picking up the proper complimentary pieces before (and during) the season. He’s dependent on the ownership group hiring the right basketball, medical, nutrition, and training staff. And, he’s dependent on all of his teammates. With all of that in mind, no matter who is at the top of a company or team, it takes certain factors to be successful. You have to have clear goals and incentives need to be aligned. You have to have outstanding communication. You have to trust one another. You have to, lastly for now, respect one another. If one of those key elements is missing, leadership is going to be on the hook. Which is why we say: Heavy is the head, in this case Trae and our VP of DTC, that wears the crown. #leadership #business

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At Zenti, a client is making $15-35K more every month. (After we helped them make a tiny BUT important tweak) Imagine you have this bright idea to start selling *good* quality plastic bags. You're excited, business has launched, but then... Boom, you get labeled as high-risk. Why is that bad, you ask? Well, 1. Higher processing fees, 2. Higher chargeback ratios, and 3. Keeping your merchant account approved... Are just some reasons that come to mind. This is exactly what happened to one of our clients. They were selling plastic bags to the Cannabis industry, and the high-risk label stuck, not because of the product, but because of their customers. "𝗢𝗸𝗮𝘆, 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲?" They were hit with high transaction and monthly fees. Annoying, I know. Being a startup with low processing volume, the charges were even higher per transaction and monthly fees. They were processing at most $15K per month and paying through the nose in fees. "𝗢𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻, 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 Zenti 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽?" I'll tell you. Patience, my friend. 1. We worked closely with our underwriters to get them lower fees. 2. We provided a reliable processing solution that understood their industry. 3. We offered peace of mind that their account wouldn't be suddenly shut down for being related to Cannabis. 4. We suggested them to market their product as "food-storage bags" instead of "plastic bags" to drop the high-risk label. "𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻?" ✔️ They enjoy significantly lower fees. ✔️ They now process $30-50K per month. ✔️ They no longer fear sudden account shutdowns. It wasn’t the plastic bags that were the problem. ↳ It was who they sold them to, ya see? Just by repositioning their product and providing the right support, Zenti was able to help make all the difference in their business. Sometimes, We cannot see what's right in front of our noses. And that's okay, Cause we cannot all be experts haha So, if your high-risk business is facing problems... DM me "Personalized Payments" and let's talk about finding THE right solution for your high-risk business. —————— Zenti provides customized payment solutions for high-risk businesses and partnership opportunities for businesses, and individuals connected to high-risk industries.

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