Winning in the store isn’t easy. To find the secret ingredients for growth, we set out to chat with execs who are manufacturing success at the store level. Here we spoke with Aaron Hinde, founder of LIFEAID, on what it took to grow his delicious nutrition drink brand from small idea to shelf staple.
For more tips and strategies from other brand builders, check out our full interview series here!
I’m here at BevNET Live with Aaron Hinde, founder of LIFEAID. So, Aaron: would you like to tell us how you got your start?
Absolutely. About six years ago, two young, quasi-ignorant beverage entrepreneurs decided to push our chips all-in to create a better-for-you brand that was very functional like the energy drinks were. Very cool, sexy, and hip like the energy drinks, but unlike the energy drinks actually very clean and healthy. And that’s where LIFEAID was born.
What would you say is behind the secret to your success so far?
I think we took a very non-traditional route to market. This industry is very expensive, as all of your viewers know, and bootstrapping this business is what we did for many years. We really focused on going very deep in target markets like Crossfit with our FITAID brand; golf with our GOLFERAID brand, so on and so forth.
Bonus Question: What is your favorite product that you don’t make?
I’m gonna have to go over to my buddy Peter at RxBar and also Perfect Bar here in SoCal. Those are my two favorites.