328. Kat Cole, CEO of AG1

Today, I'm joined by Kat Cole, CEO of AG1.   Evolving from a $160M single-SKU brand to $500M+ revenue, AG1's in hypergrowth mode — adding flavors and sleep aid AGZ, entering Costco, and investing $30M in clinical research.   In this episode, we discuss building foundational capabilities before scaling complexity.   We also cover:   Handling criticism and competition Insights from early operational mishaps Strategies for retail expansion and packaging redesign   Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast  Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe  Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider    AG1's Website: www.drinkag1.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkag1  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drinkag1  X (Twitter): https://x.com/drink_AG1  The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities. Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/  Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/  Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/  Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:50) Kat stepping into CEO role (02:30) Multi-product, multi-channel evolution (03:05) US blending capacity expansion (04:00) First flavors after 10+ years (04:45) AGZ launch: consolidating sleep stack (07:01) Operating gaps despite hypergrowth (09:00) New Zealand supply chain dependency (10:30) Leaky shaker bottles insight (13:00) Real growth at scale (14:20) Delaying retail expansion (16:00) Packaging redesign for shelf (18:20) NSF certification delays (20:10) D2C relationship advantages (22:05) $30M research commitment (23:15) Double-blind trials and skepticism (25:20) Larger studies: 100 vs. 30 participants (27:00) Why competitors don't invest in research (28:20) Handling criticism and competitors (30:00) Apple, Lululemon comparison (32:00) Using critique to improve (33:30) Marketing science strategy (35:00) Scientific advisory council (36:21) Podcast marketing reality (38:25) Referral and gifting conversion (40:00) Multi-channel integration (41:20) Retail as billboard (42:20) Costco untapped awareness (43:20) Slow operational work pays off (44:02) Future retail expansion (45:00) Stacking products customers request (45:39) Conclusion