Most of us don’t know.
That first jobs.
Are important.
;)
DUHHH.
What I mean is that the system doesn’t always suck. Employee dashboards. Healthcare. Compliance trainings.
It’s a talent pipeline generated by the US college system. For entry level jobs. (Like sales & marketing).
Okay.
The year is 2010.
And Brandin Cohen.
He gets it.
He’s 22. A recent college grad. (And not particularly qualified to run a biz).
Which brings us. To the Arizona Diamondbacks. And cold calls, BABY!
Now.
Selling baseball tickets isn’t exactly THRILL. But first jobs. Are what you make of them. And Brandin Cohen’s friendship with the pro baseball team gets him thinking.💡
All these players. And all their nutritionists.
Drink Pedialyte.
As in.
The drink made for babies. (And packed with sugar & preservatives).
Okay.
The year is 2012.
And Brandin Cohen does some research around Pedialyte. Specifically - oral rehydration therapy (ORT).*
It’s this super science. And it’s clinically proven to help water absorb in our bloodstream three times faster. (By mixing sodium, glucose, and potassium at a very specific ratio).
Sure.
The kid’s no scientist.
But he’s an optimist.
And he’s ready for change. Pedialyte is the ONLY product commercializing ORT.
So yeah!
Brandin quits the team.
He moves back to LA. And he starts LiquidIV. (Cool, healthy, adult brand). With two fellow LMU alumni.
Okay.
The LIV team hires a beverage nutritionist. And Brandin’s old college dean enlists five students to help with sales & college brand marketing.
New information.
ADJUST.
✍️
The team starts with bottles.
Then shifts to individually packaged “sticks.” (Because bottles are too expensive to ship DTC).
This means. Convincing suppliers to build a whole new “stick” machine.
So yeah! Brandin knows his strengths. 🤝
He’s a people person.
And he’s asking people. You. Me. College kids. Athletes. Suppliers.
To bet with our wallets. And our bodies.
The art of persuasion, BABY!
The dude samples like crazy.
Whole Foods. Super Bowl. Coachella. We get free product. He gets new customers.
Which brings us. To 2015. And Brandin’s crossroads.
Go to business school. (And ditch LIV).
OR.
Take a VC’s money.
He chooses the latter. (Tough decision. The dude’s 24!!!!). And he goes to ECRM. (Super big trade show. Lots of exposure to buyers). LIV wins “Best New Product of 2016.” We’re talking. Interest from Target, CVS, Costco.
So yeah.
TAKE ME TO THE MOON BABY.
(Or not).
The year is 2017.
I’m a senior in college. And my house is inundated with Pedialyte.
More than four years after LIV’s conception we’re still drinking the product made for babies.
It’s a slow burn. 🔥
But hey. There are a million reasons to quit. To never start. Building a business takes time. Success is a series of events.
(BTW. Sticks are easy. They don’t need shelf space. Just cashier stands. And they make for cheap shipping. (Hello Amazon). LIV takes off post ECRM intros).
A full five years after launch!
So yeah. Brandin is the last man standing between his two co-founders. (He bought ‘em out!).
As for LiquidIV. It sold to Unilever. For an undisclosed amount.
So take one from Brandin Cohen. We love a happy ending. Now go make it happen!
And that’s the skinny.