Confessions of a Former Retail Buyer

I used to place brands on Target shelves. Here's what founders always got wrong about retail—and how you can set yourself up for success.

- MATT ADELMANN

I feel bad saying this, but I have accidentally bankrupted many companies.

I didn't mean to! I was a senior buyer at Target, which meant that I was one of the people responsible for identifying new brands, getting them onto shelves, and (hopefully) setting them up for success.

I tried only working with brands that were truly ready for retail, but sometimes I got it wrong. Founders might have said they were ready and showed me evidence that they were ready, but they were not actually ready.

I'd put them on Target's shelves, and the impact would destroy them.

This is the stuff that founders never see. It's what I want you to know before you make the same mistake.

I've spent decades working in retail, and I see the same problem repeatedly: Many founders think about retail all wrong. They view making it into a big store as an accomplishment-as if getting onto 100 or 10,000 shelves means victory. But it does not.

Getting onto shelves is the easy part. The hard part is everything that comes next.

I'm not at Target anymore.

These days, I get to see retail from two perspectives: I'm the vice president of food and beverage at The Genesis Company, where we help brands navigate the digital and retail landscape. I'm also the cofounder of a green smoothie mix brand called Switchback Foods, which aspires to be on retail shelves nationwide-but only when we're ready.

As a founder, I approach retail very, very carefully.

You should too. Here are the three biggest problems to look out for.

Problem #1/ Cash flow realities

Retail costs money. A lot of money. Like, truly, much more money than you think.

Here's a cautionary tale to explain it: When I was at Target, I looked at a readymade meal brand. They seemed great for our shelves, and they insisted that they were prepared for retail. They handled their own manufacturing, and I went down to visit. Things looked good.