Ugly Talk: The Growing Pains In Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Business
💡 What’s the Big Deal
CPG founders know the road from scrappy startup to scaled-up success is anything but smooth. That’s why this edition of Ugly Talk pulls back the curtain on the gritty realities of growing a consumer packaged goods brand. We’re bringing together CPG entrepreneurs who have not only scaled their companies but have also weathered the messiness that comes with rapid growth. Think operational bottlenecks, bad hires, retail headaches, supply chain chaos, and product pivots. It’s the side of scaling no one talks about until now.
🎯 Why You Should Attend
Gain actionable insights from seasoned CPG founders who have navigated the toughest phases of growth.
Understand the realities of fundraising, distribution, and building long-term retail relationships.
Learn practical strategies that go beyond surface-level advice and grounded in real experience, not theory.
Connect with a room full of industry peers who understand your challenges and may become valuable collaborators, advisors, or partners.
🙋 Who You’ll Meet
CPG founders who’ve been through it
Operators, investors, and retail strategists
Brand builders, growth hackers, and partners ready to scale with you
Investors who understand that building a brand isn’t always pretty, but it’s always worth it
🎤 Who’s on the Panel
Sydney Karmes-Wainer - CEO of French Squirrel
Sydney Karmes-Wainer is the founder of French Squirrel, a wellness snack brand inspired by her French roots and personal healing journey. After struggling with disordered eating in college, she studied in Bordeaux and reconnected with a balanced, joyful relationship to food. While working at Erewhon, she began making protein bites that helped her heal—and quickly gained a cult following. Encouraged to turn her hormone-friendly snacks into a brand, French Squirrel was born. Today, her mission is to help women nourish their bodies with snacks that are as good for the soul as they are delicious.
Dominic Minogue - Founder of Dirty Water Hard Seltzer
Dom is the founder of Dirty Water Hard Seltzer. Utilizing his prior experience in performance marketing and luxury merchandising, Dom has created what he believes to be the "First Great Heritage Hard Seltzer." A single SKU beverage that is meant to be the antithesis of the current hard seltzer market. Light, sessionable, easy drinking. Similar to the classic American light beers. Dirty Water has been making waves around New York City as the "Dive Bar Hard Seltzer."
Amy Anaiz - CEO of Ozaiz
Amy Anaiz is a creative director, photographer, and founder of OZAIZ, a homewares brand rooted in ritual, memory, and intentional living. Inspired by her Afro-Latina heritage, journey through motherhood, and deep reverence for design, Amy created OZAIZ to offer multifunctional pieces that evolve with you. From hand-blown glassware to scent-forward accents, each item is made to elevate daily rituals and invite presence into the home. With over a decade of visual storytelling experience, Amy brings a soulful, layered perspective to the art of living well where beauty, function, and feeling coexist with purpose.
Moderator:
Glenn Johnson - Marketing Consultant at Fractional CMO
Glenn Johnson works with small brands, startups, and founders to address their marketing needs. Formerly a VP/Creative Director at a Madison Avenue marketing and branding agency specializing in luxury and bespoke audiences, he brings expertise across multiple verticals. As a category-agnostic brand storyteller, he helps founders define their vision and develop their brand.
💬 What We’ll Talk About
The bottlenecks nobody tells you about until you hit them
Real stories of failed product launches, ops disasters, and hard pivots
How to protect your margins while scaling
Mistakes that cost founders money, time, and sometimes sanity
The mindset it takes to scale a CPG brand that lasts
🤝 Previous Event
🤝 Partner Brand
doola - is the Business-in-a-Box™ for e-commerce founders—helping you launch, manage, and grow a US business from anywhere.
Aidgentic - At Aidgentic We Craft Custom AI and Automation Solutions to Unlock Business Growth
🤝 Co-Hosted With
GREY Journal – Media partner spotlighting modern entrepreneurs (featured on Apple News + Google News).
🤝 Venue Partner
The Malin SoHo - a workspace where the most ambitious go to work beautifully.
🎥 Get a taste of past Ugly Talk energy:
⭐ About Ugly Talk:
Started in 2019, Ugly Talk has been transforming business setbacks into breakthrough “aha!” moments by hosting unfiltered, no-nonsense events where battle-tested entrepreneurs share their raw lessons and insights.
With a growing presence in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Miami, we’ve built a vibrant community of thousands of founders and industry leaders making a profound impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.