$100M+ in Revenue With 9 Employees | Will Nitze, IQBAR

On this episode, we’re joined by Will Nitze, the Founder and CEO of IQBAR, a functional nutrition brand pioneering “brain + body” fuel for the modern consumer.Launched in 2017, IQBAR is on track to hit $125M this year with just nine full-time employees, spanning 10,000+ retail doors including Walmart, Costco, and Target.Will unpacks how he built one of the most capital-efficient brands in CPG, his unique “hub and spoke” operating model, and how he engineered each year of growth around a new business “unlock.”We dive deep into IQBAR’s multi-category expansion strategy, pricing philosophy, agency management tactics, and how Will strips cost out of his supply chain while still scaling velocity.Will also reveals a pretty game-changing upcoming product launch (that’s now in market as of today).—---------------Episode Highlights:📦 Building a $125M brand with just 9 employees📊 The “hub and spoke” model that drives $7M+ revenue per head⚡ How faster iteration unlocked IQBAR’s biggest growth leaps💰 Pricing to maximize volume (and a 50% velocity bump at Walmart)🏷️ Rebrand learnings that doubled shelf velocity🌱 Supply chain control as a gross-margin unlock📈 Why category “durability” matters more than trend-hopping👨‍🍳 Tease: upcoming product collab with chef Thomas Keller—---------------Table of Contents:00:00 – Intro & IQBAR Origin Story04:00 – Lean Team, Big Business: The $125M Org Chart08:00 – Broker Management & Third Party Ecosystem14:00 – Agency Diligence & Accountability18:00 – Rapid Iteration vs Long-Term Strategy23:00 – COGS Reduction via Ingredient Sourcing27:00 – Product Roadmapping & Category Selection31:00 – Functional Ingredient Strategy34:00 – Premium vs Value Pricing Strategy38:00 – Rebrand Strategy That Boosted Velocity42:00 – Trends (Liposomal Gels, etc.) —---------------Links:IQBAR – https://www.eatiqbar.comFollow Will on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-nitze/Follow Adam 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.