Rich Schuttenhelm

I recently had the opportunity to pen an article for Forbes Business Council. It was fun to reflect back over a couple decades+ (ack! am I that old?) working in the world of DTC retail. I’ve been able to see the scale and speed of a Fortune 5 (Amazon 🚀), a community-focused consumer co-op (REI 🏕️) and some upstart, innovative models somewhere inbetween (The Pro's Closet ♻️). What have I learned? TLDR: brick and mortar ain’t dead, and in fact many of the principles of the best Main Street, mom-and pop shops, apply at scale… they’re just really difficulty to replicate consistently. IMO Naked Wines 🍇 is in the sweet spot, bringing the efficiency of direct-to-consumer to connect our cadre of rockstar, independent winemakers to a growing network of discerning, premium wine-drinking angels. The muscle of scale + the personalized value of hyper-local… Win. Win. 🏆 #NakedWines #ShopYourValues #SupportIndependentWinemakers

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Offering a unique blend of convenience and premium appeal, these top-rated RTDs present a lucrative opportunity for businesses looking to capitalize on consumer preferences.

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🚨 Outdated Alcohol Laws Alert 🚨 Tennessee’s recent lawsuit against six online retailers for shipping alcohol without proper licensing highlights a bigger issue: the outdated three-tier system. It’s time to ask ourselves when this prohibition-era relic will catch up with modern society. Consumers today expect convenience and choice, yet these antiquated laws stifle innovation and limit access. #Innovation #Alcohol #Laws #ConsumerRights #Modernization https://lnkd.in/g4bQr4bn

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Search Manipulation: Why Yelp’s Lawsuit Matters for the Food Industry Yelp’s lawsuit against Google is a timely reminder of how search manipulation can impact businesses of all sizes. 📉 This comes on the heels of a federal judge ruling that Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the search market. ⚖️ For the food industry, this means that even top-quality brands 🍽️ could be overshadowed by lower-quality competitors, simply because of search engine tactics. 🔍 It’s a critical issue that businesses need to monitor closely, as it could significantly affect visibility and customer acquisition. #CulinaryTides #SuzyBadaracco #SearchTransparency #Antitrust #FoodIndustryInsights Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eJw82Jmx

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Despite the rise in QSR promotional deals, fast casual restaurants are proving victorious in winning over consumers! "Value" now includes quality, speed, convenience, and service—areas where fast casual excels. Recent data even shows that "...fast casual restaurants outperformed QSRs in the first half of 2024 with 3.2% year-over-year visit growth, compared to just 0.4% for QSR." Consumers increasingly prioritize a holistic dining experience, which fast casual delivers better, even for frugal spenders! Value has never truly been strictly about cost, but that's becoming increasingly true nowadays. #QSRs #FastCasual #RestaurantTrends

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On this episode, Matt and Kevin talk with Rob Dietrich of Blackened American Whiskey, the brand that is most commonly known as Metallica's brand of whiskey. #Cigars

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