Podcast
How I Financed It
Hosted by Keith Kohler · EN
How I Financed It brings you the real, in-depth, and vulnerable stories of founders who’ve built — and financed — their businesses. From the spark of an idea to the financing that fueled their journey, each episode reveals the strategies, successes, setbacks, and mindset shifts that drove their growth.
Hosted by Keith Kohler, your financing and mindset strategist, this show explores what it takes — and how it feels — to secure the right financing at the right time.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Matt McLean Financed Uncle Matt’s Through Growth, Crisis, PE, and a Buyback
1w ago01:03:37Tap to summarizeTaking “Florida” off a Florida citrus label sounds like a branding tweak until you live it. Matt McLean, founder of Uncle Matt’s Organics and a fourth-generation citrus grower, walks us through the real cost of building an organic orange juice company when nature, cash flow, and supply chains refuse to cooperate. From the early days of learning juice quality through an import-export brokerage to launching a perishable CPG product with short shelf life and tight working capital, Matt shares what it actually takes to survive the cash conversion cycle.We dig into what “organic” means on the farm, why European demand tipped him off early, and how he financed growth with a mix of scrappy self-funding, a small family loan, and eventually a borrowing-base line of credit. Then the story turns: Publix becomes a breakthrough, the business expands into fresh organic citrus, and private equity helps professionalize operations with KPIs, board discipline, and longer-term planning.The biggest curveball is citrus greening, an industry-wide crisis that forces a global sourcing pivot across Mexico, Texas, California, and beyond. Matt also tells the wild second act: selling the company to Dean Foods, facing their bankruptcy as COVID hits, and choosing to buy the brand back through a one and final sealed bid, then rebuilding with aligned investors, Farm Credit financing, and a new Texas manufacturing footprint that unlocks faster innovation in teas, lemonades, and more.If you like founder stories with real numbers, hard trade-offs, and practical financing lessons, subscribe, share this with a builder friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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OMG!: Rebuilding After Their Co-Packer Went Sideways
3w ago01:07:41Tap to summarizeA snack brand can do everything “right” and still get rocked by one thing going wrong at the wrong time. We sit down with Stephanie from OMG Pretzels to unpack how a family garlic pretzel recipe grew from two pans in her mom’s kitchen into a premium seasoned sourdough pretzel nuggets business selling through local retailers, distributors, and grocery accounts, and what it really takes to keep going when operations get messy.We trace the build step-by-step: early bootstrapping with credit cards, landing that first crucial shelf space, moving into commercial kitchens, and expanding through a regional distributor while also growing wholesale with Faire and testing Amazon. Stephanie explains why packaging decisions matter in grocery retail, how premium pricing collides with legacy snack brands, and how co-packer selection can make or break your supply chain.Then we get into the financing stack behind the growth: a bank line of credit that increases with revenue, an SBA term loan used to support larger production runs and expansion, plus pandemic-era EIDL and PPP support. Stephanie also shares what happened when a co-packer leadership change triggered long out-of-stocks and prepay terms, and how she rebuilt momentum with a new women-owned co-packer, tighter SKU focus, lower cost of goods, and a pivot toward in-person events and festivals for faster cash flow and brand awareness.If you’re building a CPG brand, navigating working capital, or evaluating co-packers and retail readiness, this conversation is packed with hard-earned lessons. Subscribe for more founder financing stories, share this with a CPG friend, and leave a review with your biggest scaling challenge.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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The Hidden Impact of Hormone Decline—and the Reality of Financing a Beauty Brand
Apr 2901:06:20Tap to summarizeNobody tells you hormone decline can start in your early 30s or that it can change your face, your sleep, your weight, and even your confidence at work. We sit down with Lorrie King, founder of Caire Beauty, for a candid talk that connects menopause education to skincare science and the realities of building a consumer brand with limited capital. We unpack why so many “anti-aging” promises miss the root cause, how perimenopause and menopause show up through dozens of symptoms, and why women often feel dismissed or confused when medical training and public conversation lag behind lived experience. Lorrie shares what finally made the pattern click for her, the resources she trusts, and why healthier skin starts with telling the truth about what’s happening inside the body. Then we move into the money: discovery versus distribution, retail and marketplace pay-to-play fees, why QVC beauty can run on consignment purchase orders, and what it really costs to launch in beauty from packaging minimums to clinical testing. Along the way, we talk founder mindset, time boundaries, SEO, Google ads, and the constant balancing act of growth versus capital preservation. If you’re building a CPG brand, navigating menopause skincare, or simply trying to understand what hormone decline means for everyday life, you’ll leave with clearer language, sharper strategy, and a few hard-earned lessons about financing. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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The OG of Organic Coffee: 30+ Years of Growth
Apr 1500:55:53Tap to summarizeOrganic coffee wasn’t a trend when Jim Cannell started roasting it. It was a belief and a bet, made years before most shoppers could even explain what “certified organic” meant. I’m joined by Jim from Jim’s Organic Coffee as we trace the real origin story: starting in the early natural foods trade, educating buyers who assumed all coffee was organic, and building demand store by store until the brand grew into a semi-national footprint.We get specific about the money side, because coffee is a working-capital business. Jim breaks down how vendor terms and net-30 purchasing helped him manage the cash conversion cycle when every bean is imported, and why a traditional bank line of credit only makes sense once inventory turns quickly. He also shares how a merger early in his career created the nest egg that helped launch Jim’s Organic Coffee in 1996, plus how bank financing supported equipment purchases so the company could roast in-house rather than rely on co-packing.From there, we talk about scaling with intent: expanding from one unit to five, shifting from rent to real estate ownership, and growing beyond grocery into foodservice accounts like cafes, bakeries, and hotels where service, calibration, and consistency matter. We also walk through volatility, including COVID demand shifts, tariff pressure, and serious commodity price spikes, plus the hard-won lessons from 2008 that pushed tighter terms, smarter SKU choices, and more disciplined operations.If you care about entrepreneurship, CPG financing, organic food, or how a mission-led coffee roaster survives three decades of swings, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a founder friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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From DMs to Froco: The Smearcase Journey (to date)
Apr 101:05:38Tap to summarizeCottage cheese ice cream sounds like a dare until you hear how Smearcase made it taste great, look shelf-ready, and sell like a real brand. Keith sits down with founders Joe and Drew to unpack the full arc: a marathon-training craving for a healthier dessert becomes “Froco,” a high-protein frozen treat built around casein and a surprisingly powerful ingredient choice, collagen, to support creaminess without leaning on a long list of gums and stabilizers.We also get specific about what most founders actually need: a financing and execution plan that matches reality. Joe and Drew share how they bootstrapped product development, kept spend tight, and pushed for speed over perfection by getting an MVP into market before overbuilding the logo, website, or “perfect” brand world. They walk through early capital decisions, including paid-in capital, zero-interest credit cards, and the moment they felt ready to open a friends-and-family round using SAFE notes, an FAQ, and honest talk about risk and portfolio fit.From there, the conversation expands into practical CPG funding and growth levers: investor update emails as a duty and a network engine, the value of being visible and asking for help, and how non-dilutive funding can matter just as much as equity. Drew and Joe also talk next-step tools like SBA loans, AR factoring, PO financing, private credit, and strategic partnerships, plus what they’re most proud of as the business reaches more doors.If you’re building a CPG startup or thinking about retail distribution, startup funding, and working capital, you’ll walk away with a clearer playbook and a stronger founder mindset. Subscribe, share this with a founder friend, and leave a review with your biggest question about financing your next stage.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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Monsoon Kitchens: Consistent, Safe, and Financeable
Mar 1801:17:18Tap to summarizeA lot of founders can tell you how they made something delicious. Swati Elavia can tell you how she made it consistent, safe, and financeable. Swati is the founder of Monsoon Kitchens, and her story runs from a PhD in nutrition to the unglamorous disciplines that actually scale a food business: standardization, HACCP, co-packer execution, and working capital planning.We talk about the moment a university chef said Indian food was “too complicated” and needed a turnkey solution, and how that single comment turned into a product strategy. Swati shares what it took to land an early customer at Harvard, why quality consistency and food safety became non-negotiables, and how family life and entrepreneurship collide when you are building a CPG brand while raising kids.Then we get practical on financing: founder capital, negotiating faster payments, managing the cash conversion cycle when co-packers want to be paid in days and receivables arrive weeks later, and why personal guarantees are often part of the journey. Swati also breaks down the shock of losing 90% of food service revenue during COVID, how PPP and EIDL kept the business alive, and what changed when Monsoon Kitchens leaned into smarter distribution and modern credit options.If you care about food entrepreneurship, CPG financing, co-packer growth, or scaling Indian food in food service and retail, this conversation delivers real lessons. Subscribe, share this with a founder who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest cash flow question.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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From Warehouse To Walmart: Financing Growth
Mar 401:06:00Tap to summarizeEver wonder how a distributor scales from a single pallet favor to pro seller status on a major marketplace? We sit down with Noslen Anaya of Great Deals 21 to unpack the real mechanics of financing growth in logistics and distribution—where Miami’s ports meet Latin American demand and e‑commerce velocity meets old‑school wholesale relationships.We start with origin and place: how Miami became the perfect launchpad for bonded shipments, consolidated air and ocean freight, and fast transfers to the Caribbean and South America. From there, we dive into the operational core—what it means to turn “can you hold this pallet?” into a reliable 3PL service, then layer on distribution of electronics and household appliances. The conversation drills into the cash conversion cycle on Walmart: buying inventory, prepping to spec, shipping to fulfillment centers, biweekly payouts, and the realities of returns, reviews, and reserves. Along the way, we contrast that relative speed with the complexity of bonded logistics, where duties can be deferred but fees, documentation, and misdeclared dimensions can derail timelines and margins.The throughline is financing. Noslen shares how disciplined personal credit habits—paying before statement close, managing utilization, and learning from a banker mentor—created a foundation for business credit with Dun & Bradstreet and Experian. That credibility paved the way for a conventional bank line of credit after profitable years, turning 500‑unit orders into multi‑thousand‑unit buys and effectively 5x‑ing annual inventory turns. We weigh interest cost against expanded buying power, better vendor pricing, and the chance to pursue semi‑exclusive distribution that deepens moats and accelerates growth. There’s also candor about lessons learned: the cost of personal splurges, selling a rental too soon, and how today’s maturity guides smarter reinvestment.If you’re building a product company, wholesaling into retail, or expanding on marketplaces like Walmart and Amazon, this deep dive will sharpen how you think about cash flow, credit, and scale. Subscribe, share with a founder who needs a financing reset, and leave a review to tell us your toughest cash flow hurdle—we may tackle it next.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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Merge To Grow: When Mission Outweighs Ego
Feb 1801:03:39Tap to summarizeA spiky cactus and a crowded snack aisle sparked a bigger mission: rewrite the story of Latin flavors on U.S. shelves. We sit down with Regina Trillo to unpack how Nemi Snacks emerged from representation, health, and heart—and why money wasn’t the only thing that fueled the journey. From the first pitch to sweaty palms, she turns fear into a trigger for preparation and practice, showing how showing up—again and again—becomes a founder’s superpower.We take you inside a funding path many overlook: grants. Regina shares how she treated applications like a pipeline, recycled strong answers, and paired checks with mentorship and networks from programs like Hello Alice and major CPG accelerators. Then we move into the financial toolkit: bringing in a fractional CFO, forecasting with clarity, rightsizing cases, reshaping supplier terms, and using PO financing to bridge production without giving up equity. It’s a practical playbook for founders navigating margins, trade spend, and the steep cost of distribution.The story pivots in a powerful way: instead of fundraising solo, Regina chose partnership. She merged Nemi Snacks with Todo Verde and TUYYO to form a new, unified brand—TUYYO—built on shared mission, complementary strengths, and zero ego. We break down the merger architecture: legal and operating agreements, SKU and supplier consolidation, retailer collaboration on brand design, and a clear division of roles. Most importantly, we talk pacing with intention: 1,100 existing doors provide a solid base while the team upgrades packaging, aligns ops, and gathers data before expanding further.Threaded through it all is a human operating system: self-awareness, boundaries at home that protect energy, and a mission-first rule where the brand outranks any one product. If you’re building a culture-forward, better-for-you company—or just need a blueprint for courage, cash flow, and community—you’ll leave with tactics to act on today and a mantra to carry you forward: llorando pero caminando. Subscribe, share with a founder friend, and leave a review to help more builders find this conversation.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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A Different Kind of Mojo: Building A Mission-Driven Medtech Without Venture Capital
Feb 401:06:28Tap to summarizeWhat if you could slash a medical device’s cost by 75 percent, scale to 39 countries, and still avoid venture capital? That’s the story we unpack with Keto-Mojo’s cofounder, Mr. Mojo himself, who turned a personal health crisis into a mission-driven company that put $1 ketone strips in millions of hands—and backed it with rigorous clinical science.We start at the spark: a ketogenic diet that lifted depression, shed 47 pounds, and sparked a hard question about why strips cost $5. That curiosity led to reverse engineering the supply chain, securing FDA-cleared manufacturing, and financing the first buys with a home equity line. Hypergrowth followed, but so did cash walls. You’ll hear the real mechanics of staying alive: weekly rolling cash forecasts, inventory math across 30–45 day builds and 45–60 day transit, and why “business is messy, never run out of cash” became a mantra. We break down the decision to use debt—Shopify/Amazon advances, mezz loans, SBA refinancing—over equity to preserve a long-term health mission rather than chase a quick exit.The playbook isn’t just financial. We dive into the brand’s information-first strategy that drives unusually high conversion, the shift from pure DTC to a 40% B2B mix, and the global expansion that required tight KPIs, clean closes, and disciplined ROAS. Then the plot twist: tariffs threaten the model. The team secures 120-day supplier terms to turn a manufacturer into a bank, pauses shipments, and wins a binding ruling under the Nairobi Protocol to protect a critical diabetes channel. Transfer pricing, DDP imports, and collaborative partners round out a masterclass in resilience.Most powerful of all is the impact. With devices used in 100+ clinical trials and a nonprofit funding research and education, Keto-Mojo has helped people put type 2 diabetes into remission and supported oncology and PCOS care with data. The proudest moment lands close to home: an 82-year-old mom announcing her own remission. If you’re a founder weighing growth capital, wrestling with inventory risk, or building a mission that must outlast fads, this conversation offers clear principles: price for access, plan cash like your life depends on it, and protect nimbleness. Subscribe, share with a founder who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest cash lesson.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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From the Lowest of Lows to the Good Journey
Jan 2100:53:29Tap to summarizeWhat if a donut could change how you feel, think, and show up each day? Kristoffer from Good Journey Foods joins us to explore a path that threads through a rocket-ship startup, a painful collapse, and a return built on purpose, taste, and smarter financing. We dig into how a brand name became a compass, why “healthy and delicious” must coexist, and how the right capital is more than money—it’s operational leverage, access, and a sounding board.Kristoffer opens up about scaling too fast, co-manufacturing quality slips, and the moment inventory swallowed cash. He shares the personal fallout of bankruptcy and the mindset shift that followed: build safety nets, measure what matters, and cut losing bets faster. We talk practical tools for founders—working capital planning, terms with co-mans, dashboards that link spend to signals—and the discipline to be cautiously optimistic rather than blindly aggressive.The conversation turns deeply human when we connect food to mental health. Keto’s clinical roots in epilepsy offer a clue: for some, ketones can be a cleaner brain fuel. Kristoffer describes how cutting sugar and refined carbs lowered his anxiety and sharpened his focus, and why that insight guides Good Journey’s product choices. We unpack the social reality of change—holidays, family expectations, stigma—and the power of leading with love, patience, and example rather than pressure.If you’re building in CPG, we break down the investor spectrum and make the case for strategic partners who bring channel access, operations expertise, and cost engineering. If you’re a consumer, you’ll hear a compelling case for joy-first healthy food that helps you feel better without giving up flavor. Subscribe, share this with a founder who needs a lift, and leave a review with the one lesson you’ll act on this week.Connect with Keith on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithkohler1/
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