Scaling goodwipes into 15,000+ Doors | Sam Nebel, goodwipes

On this episode, we're joined by Sam Nebel, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer at Goodwipes, a fast-growing eco-friendly wet wipes brand that's secured shelf space in pretty much every major retailer across the country. In this episode, Sam shares the wild origin story of Goodwipes - which started with a bathroom conversation at a Florida State fraternity house - and breaks down how they've built a premium flushable wipes brand that's revolutionizing the restroom routine for millions of Americans.We dive into their scrappy early days, the importance of bootstrapping and building on a budget, and how they navigated formulation challenges to create a product that truly stands out. Sam gets tactical on brand identity and packaging design, explaining why "in-home aesthetics" matter just as much as shelf appeal, and walks through the naming process that led to Goodwipes.We also cover retail strategy at scale - what's unique about Walmart, Target, and Kroger, why placement in the toilet paper aisle vs personal care matters, and how they've successfully scaled into 10,000+ doors. Sam shares insights on the challenges of sampling wipes, their growing presence in airports, and what it takes to launch new products successfully.---------------Episode Highlights:🚽 The fraternity house origin story💪 Bootstrapping lessons from franchising and nightlife🧪 Formulation R&D and product iteration📦 Brand identity, packaging, and "in-home aesthetics"✏️ The naming process and creating approachability🛒 Walmart, Target, Kroger—what's different about each📍 Why aisle placement matters (TP aisle vs personal care)✈️ The airport channel opportunity📈 Scaling from 100 to 1,000 to 10,000+ doors🚀 New product development and hitting timelines🎯 Risk and opportunity ahead👀 Trends and brands Sam is watching---------------Table of Contents:0:00 - Intro0:47 - Origin story and goodwipes overview3:21 - Lessons as a franchisee5:22 - Lessons as a nightlife agency owner7:59 - Building on a budget, fundraising11:02 - Formulation and R&D14:00 - Product roadmap and innovation15:32 - Brand identity and packaging design19:41 - The importance of in-home aesthetics21:43 - The naming process23:32 - Walmart, Target and Kroger and beyond27:41 - Sampling wipes?29:12 - Airports31:10 - Scaling into 10K+ doors32:28 - NPD decision process, getting it right35:15 - Risk and opportunities36:58 - Trends and brands Sam is watching---------------Links:Goodwipes – https://www.goodwipes.comFollow Sam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kingofwipes/Follow me on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg/For help with CPG production design - packaging and label design, product renders, POS assets, retail media assets, quick-turn sales and marketing assets and all the other work that bogs down creative teams - check out KitPrint.Shout out to my friends over at Glimpse, the go-to partner for automating retail-related back-office operations and unlocking margin trapped in invalid fees and manual processes.Are you in the market for a new flexible packaging partner? Check out HD Packaging. Third-generation, family-owned and built for the needs of category leaders like Newman’s Own and A Dozen Cousins. Faster launches, lower costs, and no artwork fees.