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Supplement Brand ESSENTIALS

Rush Ricketson on March 15, 2024

Besides a product and a manufacturer, what are the ESSENTIAL items that a Supplement Business has to have?

At PURE Private Label, we’re obsessed with supporting supplement brand owners and helping them scale their business.

Because of that, we’ve put together this guide to help you make sure you’ve got everything checked off of your list!

Let’s dive in…

Every Supplement Brand Needs:

Label Design:

The label of your product is your billboard to the world! Our experienced design team can help you get the exact look that you need to break through the crowd.

Ask your Account Manager about label design to learn more.

Label Print:

Once you’ve got it designed, you need to get your label printed! You can print on your own, or take advantage of our cost savings with strategic partners to get your labels printed.

It’s just another way we can support your brand!

Website Design:

Your online presence is your storefront to the world!

Having a professional website can make all the difference, and it’s important to get this part right!

The good news is, you don’t have to become a web developer to get it right. Our partnered agency, RevMulti, specializes in creating Shopify sites for Supplement Brands.

To learn more about web design and claim your special price for being a referral from Pure Private Label, Click here >>.

Marketing Support:

There is a lot of “B.S.” in the world of dietary supplement marketing, and we have paid for our fair share of bad information through workshops, trainings, and agencies.

Along the way, we learned how to scale and grow our own brands and the brands that work with our partnered agency, RevMulti.

That’s why we created the ShopBytes Newsletter – to give you those tips and tricks absolutely free because we know that our success happens together. Click here to Subscribe to the ShopBytes Newsletter >>

Credit Card Processing:

A lot of people don’t realize that dietary supplements are outside the terms of service for PayPal and ShopPay.

That means that PayPal and ShopPay do not support dietary supplement transactions.

If they audit your store and find that you’re selling supplements, they will cancel your payment account – effectively strangling your business.

The best way to avoid this is to have a merchant processor that supports dietary supplements.

We have a trusted partner that we have used for years in BankCard and have done Millions in transactions with them.

If you’d like to set up your own compliant merchant account through BankCard, Click Here >>

Organizing a company:

Important disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and no part of this email should be considered legal advice. Before making any legal or business decisions, you should consult with an appropriate professional such as a lawyer or accountant in your field.

Most of the brand owners that we work with have chosen to create an LLC (Limited Liability Company) for their brand. You can do that easily through LegalZoom if that’s what you choose to do.

Thank you again for the opportunity to support your brand.

Talk soon!

Rush Ricketson

CEO, Pure Private Label

Follow Rush on LinkedIn for more content like this (LinkedIn’s “Top Entrepreneurship Voice”).

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How to Pick a Supplement Manufacturer: The Ultimate Guide

Rush Ricketson on March 14, 2024

I know it can be overwhelming to try to figure out how and where to have your products made for your brand!

Once you know how to make decisions about manufacturing choices, it can be a lot more simple though.

Just by reading this guide, you will be on your way to making a better decision for the long term benefit of your brand.

It’s NOT as simple as just picking the best price and moving forward. There are other extremely important considerations.

I know you want the absolute best at the very best price and speed available, but there are a lot of risks involved with picking a manufacturer that we are here to help you with!

“Why Create This Guide?”

It might seem strange that I would be the one to deliver this information to you, but I believe that the rising tide raises all ships and that more success in our industry only creates more opportunities for everyone.

Even if we aren’t the perfect choice for your brand, I know the industry is a better place with more experienced and savvy brand owners.

The more we support manufacturers that create high quality products, the more successful they will be and the more likely that low quality manufacturers will go out of business, which creates a net benefit for everyone (especially consumers!).

So How Do I Pick A Manufacturer?

I think it’s fair to say that most people understand how to compare prices among manufacturers, but…

are you aware of the other factors that you need to consider for a true comparison?

Price is important, yes, but if you fail to compare the other important factors, you can set yourself up for frustration and your brand for failure.

Then what else should you consider?

Quality: this is a huge concern for picking the right supplier for your brand. Make sure that you are comparing similar quality manufacturers in terms of the process, testing, and ingredients used.

For example, your quotes from various manufacturers might not be comparing the same ingredients if you’re not looking very closely.

Lead Time: Also known as Turnaround Time (TAT), this is how long will it take to get your product? Also be sure to know when the “clock” starts (ex. when labels arrive, from deposit, from material arrival, etc.)

Accessibility: How long does it take for you to get a response during business hours from an email, phone call, etc.? Having a direct line of communication with a prompt professional can make a huge difference – especially if there is ever a problem that needs to be addressed. Be sure to add this into your overall value consideration.

How Do I Evaluate These Areas?

When you consider price, quality, lead time, and accessibility together you’ll start to notice that there is a “push and pull.”

Meaning that you might have to pay a little more for high quality made quickly.

On the flip side, that might mean there is an opportunity to pay less if you’re okay with only receiving a response to an email from your supplier once every 2 weeks.

Ultimately, the right choice for your brand is up to you, but I know that with this in mind, you are better equipped to make the right division for your brand.

Understand which of the 4 areas matter most to you, and try to pick a supplier that can hit 2 out of those 4.

Obviously, what we always want is 4 out of 4, but that push and pull is likely to lead you down a path that requires you to prioritize what your brand’s needs are.

The good news is that when you understand your brand’s needs clearly, the choice can become obvious.

For me personally for example, I always put a premium on accessibility and having a representative that answers my calls and gets back to my emails within 1-2 business days. I have a track record of being willing to pay more for that even because of how much I value speed of communication.

That might describe you and it might not – there is no “right” answer. It’s just about finding the right fit.

Once you’ve found the right fit, turn all of your focus into growing your brand!

Talk soon!

Rush Ricketson

CEO, Pure Private Label

Follow Rush on LinkedIn for more content like this (LinkedIn’s “Top Entrepreneurship Voice”).

P.S. Whoever you pick to manufacture your product, our partnered weekly newsletter, ShopBytes, will help you grow your sales. Click here to subscribe >>

Top 3 Reasons Supplement Brands Fail

Rush Ricketson on March 14, 2024

There are certain mistakes that take supplement brands out.

If you commit these “sins,” your brand is going to have a very hard time ever getting going.

I’ve worked with several hundred supplement companies ranging from “mom and pop” shops to international brands with more than $40M in Revenue and have seen all kinds of strategies, business models, and products.

The supplement industry is not unlike most businesses in that most companies will not survive the first 2 years.

Here at PURE Private Label, we want you to have the best chance possible to succeed, we know that we win and lose together.

If you work with us we have aligned goals of reaching as many customers as possible with high quality products.

That’s why I’ve taken the time to put together the top 3 reasons supplement companies fail.

There are many things that can take a business out, but here are the most common ones to watch out for.

Reason #1: Nobody Cares About Your Brand

That may seem a little harsh to phrase that way, but I think it’s important to highlight this one in the most aggressive way possible.

I’ve stated this one in an aggressive way because this is a problem you need to solve aggressively.

Nobody cares…

YET.

You can put together a great product with a killer website and gorgeous branding, but if nobody ever visits the website, you will sell exactly zero units.

It’s not that people know about you and have decided not to care about you. It’s that no one has heard about you or been given a reason to visit your website.

You must have a concrete and aggressive strategy for driving traffic to your website.

Obscurity is your biggest challenge, and you must be seen. There are many options, but you need to dive in aggressively.

There are more than just these, but some options include:

Organic/Social Media Traffic
Paid Search (ads)
Affiliates
Influencers

Set up a strategy and give people a reason to care!

Reason #2: They Don’t Understand Who Their Customer Is

A lot of brand owners naturally assume that their market or target customers are similar to themselves.

This can be a deadly assumption for your brand.

Brand owners operating under this bad assumption make all of their decisions for the brand based on personal preferences, which could cause your brand to completely “miss” with your target customers.

For example, if you’re a top 1% bodybuilder releasing a sports nutrition product, it will be important for you to remember that most of your customers are not top 1% bodybuilders.

If the decisions you make about your brand are only appealing to top 1% bodybuilders, you will fail to connect with your audience and drive substantial sales.

If you understand who your audience is on a deep level, you have a much greater chance for success.

Build a profile of your ideal customer: How old are they, what do they do, what sites do they visit, what are their family dynamics, what do they eat for dinner, what kinds of pets do they have (it may seem silly, but the more detailed, the better!).

Give that person a name (yes, really) like “Supplement Steve.”

When questions come up for your brand, make the decision based on Supplement Steve’s point of view – not your own.

This practice will also help you figure out “where” your customer is (geographically or on the internet), which will help you solve for Reason #1 above.

If we know WHO and WHERE they are, we can start to get them to our website.

Reason #3: They Don’t Know What’s Important

It’s a very natural human behavior to be drawn to doing activities that we’re good at or comfortable doing.

The reason this presents a challenge with starting your own supplement business is that you are going to have to learn and do things that you don’t already know or have experience with.

If you spend all of your time focusing on only the parts you’re comfortable with, your brand will struggle.

For example, I have worked with brand founders that are very confident in formulating and creating products. That’s the part that comes naturally to them, and therefore, that naturally becomes the area of their company that they spend most of their time on.

I have seen MANY brands fail because they spend so much time on creating products that they never spend any time selling their products.

In the example above, that founder should take a break from formulating and work on marketing.

They might not be as comfortable marketing, but if they don’t market their product, their brand dies.

This doesn’t just apply to this one example though.

You will have to hold yourself accountable and force yourself to do the “hard” things.

Doing new things can be scary and risky, but that is the path that you’re on as an entrepreneur.

The thing that you’re putting off is probably the thing that you most need to do today.

Wrapping It Up

As I stated before, there are many potential pitfalls for new brand owners, but these are definitely the 3 you need to pay most attention to starting out.

Make sure you understand your customer (who they are and where they are).

Attract them to your store (make them care).

Do the hard things (build the whole business, not just the part of it you like).

If you can do these three things, you will be head and shoulders ahead of your competition and well on your way to building a thriving business that serves high quality products.

We are here to help you every step of the way. Ask your Account Manager for their opinion on these three areas as they relate to your business or start working with one today.

To YOUR Success

Rush Ricketson

CEO, PURE Private Label

Follow Rush on LinkedIn for more content like this (LinkedIn’s “Top Entrepreneurship Voice”)

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