Lessons from Founding Eight Brands: Common Mistakes and Practical Tips

Hi, I’m Mayer. Over the last decade, I’ve had the chance to build and launch eight different brands across e-commerce, B2B, and in-store retail. These brands range from natural wellness and personal care products to home-care, insect control, and private-label manufacturing projects.

Along the way, I’ve lived through the ups, the downs, and the late-night pivots. Some launches worked beautifully; others taught me expensive lessons. I’ve negotiated with retailers like Walmart, Meijer, Aldi, and Dollar-type chains. I’ve worked with marketing partners on TikTok and Amazon. And I’ve spent more time than I can count solving the gritty details of packaging, compliance, and logistics.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: building a brand is never just about the product. It’s about the systems, the timing, and the ability to adapt when things don’t go as planned.

This blog series will share two sides of that journey:

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1. Common Mistakes I’ve seen (and made) repeatedly in brand building — from underestimating lead times to mismanaging product positioning.

2. Common Tips that helped me succeed — practical, hard-earned strategies that apply whether you’re building your first DTC site, launching into retail, or scaling through B2B.

My goal isn’t to paint a glossy picture. It’s to be transparent about what actually happens behind the scenes of launching and growing consumer brands — and to share actionable insights that might help you skip a few of the bumps I hit along the way.

So if you’re an entrepreneur, brand builder, or someone just curious about the process, stay tuned. In the next post, I’ll dive into the first set of mistakes I wish someone had warned me about before I started my journey.