What does it really take to scale a high-growth CPG brand in today’s market?

That was the question at the center of Mackie Myers USA’s recent event, How High Growth CPG Brands Scale and Sell, hosted by Mackie Myers USA Co-Founder, Joe Harris.

Joined by Quinten Thompson, Former Head of Operations and Finance at Vitamin Well, USA, and Dan Larson, CFO at DR. Squatch, the discussion explored the realities behind rapid growth, retail expansion, operational scaling, hiring challenges, private equity partnerships, and ultimately preparing businesses for acquisition.

What emerged from the conversation was refreshingly honest: scaling is rarely linear, growth creates complexity fast, and the businesses that succeed in the long term are the ones that seize opportunities and know when it’s time to professionalize - particularly when it comes to talent.

Here we round up some of the biggest insights from the evening.

Retail Growth Is a Long Game – Even for Breakout Brands

One of the most surprising takeaways from the panel was just how difficult retail expansion remains, even for brands already experiencing explosive growth.

Speaking about the growth of the Barebells brand at Vitamin Well USA, Thompson reflected on the misconception that success with one major retailer automatically unlocks others.

“We got Trader Joe’s in June 2020. We didn’t get into Walmart until three years later, even though we were trying to, obviously. But it took a lot of time to get there.”

For many founders, retail expansion is often viewed as the next natural step after direct-to-consumer traction. But both Thompson and Larson emphasized that retail operates on its own timelines, with its own processes and relationship dynamics.

Larson explained that for Dr. Squatch, getting into Walmart required months of relationship building, strategic planning, and understanding retail calendars.

“You can’t just get a meeting with buyers anytime of the year. There are two weeks of the year that you can get in front of somebody. If you’re not ready then, you’ve got 11 and a half months to prepare for next year.”

The panel also discussed how operational complexity increases dramatically once brands enter retail.

Unlike DTC businesses, where infrastructure can often scale relatively efficiently, retail introduces compliance requirements, retail-specific logistics, chargebacks, forecasting pressures, inventory risk and the need for retail pricing strategies.

Thompson summed it up with perhaps the quote of the evening:

“Read the contract.”

He went on to explain how rapidly scaling brands can lose significant amounts of money through delays, compliance deductions and operational oversights if they lack experienced retail operators internally.

For founders entering retail for the first time, the message was clear: operational expertise matters just as much as product-market fit.

Successful Companies Stay Nimble

COVID was a defining moment for many modern consumer brands, and Larson offered fascinating insight into how Dr. Squatch capitalized on shifts in consumer behaviour.

At the end of 2019, the business had roughly 10 employees and under $20 million in revenue. Within two years, headcount had grown to 150 employees alongside “multiple hundreds of percentages of growth.”

Part of that success came from macro tailwinds, including consumers moving online and prioritizing health and personal care products. But Larson also highlighted the importance of acting decisively at a time when competitors were hesitating.

“A lot of larger companies pulled back their ad spend significantly. We used that as an opportunity to really lean in.”

As digital advertising costs dropped during the pandemic, Dr. Squatch aggressively increased spending across Meta, YouTube, and Google platforms, efficiently acquiring customers while competitors reduced their exposure.

“It trained us to keep our mind on opportunistic situations and then make sure that our infrastructure was one that was nimble enough to act if we saw something.”

That same agility led the company to secure a Super Bowl ad opportunity in 2021. The brand observed that there was still ad inventory a month before the Super Bowl aired, while typically it's booked six months in advance.

“We saw there was still availability, spun together an ad quickly, got placement, and if we did that ad this year, it would be three to four times as expensive. It was great, we had a tonne of visibility, and we think it put us on the map for retailers.”

The lesson for growth-stage businesses? Speed matters.

The companies that scale fastest are often the ones structured to make decisions quickly while maintaining operational control.

Hiring Too Late Is One of the Biggest Scaling Mistakes

As a talent and recruitment partner to high-growth businesses, this was one of the most compelling parts of the discussion for the Mackie Myers USA audience.

Both panelists admitted they waited too long to hire.

Thompson described becoming deeply embedded in every aspect of the business during rapid growth, particularly across operations and supply chain management.

“I had a lot of tasks on my plate that I knew I shouldn’t be doing… but there was just so much happening.”

Over time, that creates what he referred to as “key man syndrome,” where too much institutional knowledge sits with a small number of individuals.

By the time support is hired, onboarding becomes significantly harder because processes are already too complex and undocumented.

Larson echoed the same experience from the finance side.

“If there’s a role that needs hiring, it’s going to be more work in the short term, but in the medium to long term you’re always in a bad place if you don’t hire someone.”

This is something we see consistently at Mackie Myers USA.

Founders often delay hiring because they’re focused on execution, preserving cash, or simply moving too quickly to step back and build infrastructure. But the most successful growth-stage businesses are increasingly hiring ahead of need – particularly across finance, operations, supply chain, and commercial leadership.

The cost of hiring too early is often significantly lower than the cost of operational strain later.

The Right Investors Bring More Than Capital

The conversation also explored what happens when founder-led brands move toward private equity investment or strategic acquisition.

Larson outlined Dr. Squatch’s journey through venture capital investment, private equity ownership, and ultimately acquisition by Unilever.

One of the strongest themes to emerge was that the right investors help companies professionalize, setting them up for the next chapter.

That can include anything from building stronger finance functions and improving forecasting rigor, through to professionalizing legal and accounting teams, strengthening people and culture infrastructure and even scaling operational systems.

Importantly, Larson emphasized that strong investors also bring talent capabilities.

Dr. Squatch’s early VC partner had an internal recruiting arm that helped place several key executives, including members of the current leadership team.

For scaling businesses, that partnership between growth and talent becomes increasingly critical.

At Mackie Myers USA, we see this firsthand across PE-backed consumer brands. The businesses best positioned for growth or exit are often the ones that invest early in leadership capability, operational infrastructure, and scalable teams.

Building Networks Matters More Than Most Operators Realize

Toward the end of the discussion, Larson shared perhaps the most human reflection of the evening.

“There were moments that were super lonely.”

He spoke candidly about the isolation many operators feel during high-growth phases and the importance of building strong peer networks early.

“There are so many other professionals trying to figure it out.”

For operators navigating rapid scale, external advisors, recruiters, peers, and leadership networks become invaluable.

That’s one reason events like this matter.

At Mackie Myers USA, we believe the best hiring outcomes and business partnerships are built through long-term relationships, honest conversations, and shared experiences – not transactional recruiting.

Final Thoughts

Scaling a modern CPG brand requires far more than a great product.

The businesses that succeed in the long term are the ones that build operational resilience early, hire ahead of growth, seize opportunities, stay agile during uncertainty, understand retail complexity, professionalize, and invest in leadership and infrastructure at the right time.

As the conversation throughout the evening reinforced, growth is rarely just about revenue. It’s about building organizations capable of sustaining that growth at scale.

And ultimately, that comes down to people.

Looking to Build the Team Behind Your Growth Story?

At Mackie Myers USA, we partner with high-growth CPG brands, PE-backed businesses, and scaling consumer companies across finance, operations, commercial leadership, and executive hiring.

Whether you’re preparing for retail expansion, scaling infrastructure, building leadership capability, or navigating investment and acquisition, our team understands the realities behind growth.

To discuss your hiring strategy or growth plans, connect with Joe and the team at joe@mackiemyers.com