Executive Briefing

How to make your brand feel alive when you only have one product

Lessons in world-building from the founders of Vintner’s Daughter and Athletic Greens.

Vintner’s Daughter founder April Gargiulo
Vintner’s Daughter founder April Gargiulo / Photos courtesy Vintner’s Daughter and Athletic Greens

One of the more impressive stats in recent memory: That Athletic Greens, the direct-to-consumer nutritional supplement brand, was able to build its business to a $150 million annual revenue run rate before raising its first outside investment.

Even better: It was able to do this with — essentially — a single product, its AG1 supplement powder, which includes “75 vitamins, minerals, and whole-food sourced nutrients,” including spirulina and wheatgrass, and drives the vast majority of the company’s business.

Last year, I wrote about how consumer startups can build a sense of momentum by regularly launching new products and collaborations and building a world around them, using the tinned fish brand Fishwife and spice company Diaspora Co. as key examples.

That’s nice, I heard from a few of you, but what about companies that intentionally have few products — or maybe only one? How can they make their brands feel alive without unnecessarily complicating things, or launching new stuff just for the sake of launching new stuff?

The New Consumer Executive Briefing is exclusive to members — join now to unlock this 1,300-word post and the entire archive. Subscribers should sign in here to continue reading.

Dan Frommer

Hi, I’m Dan Frommer and this is The New Consumer, a publication about how and why people spend their time and money.

I’m a longtime tech and business journalist, and I’m excited to focus my attention on how technology continues to profoundly change how things are created, experienced, bought, and sold. The New Consumer is supported entirely by your membership — join now to receive my reporting, analysis, and commentary directly in your inbox, via my twice-weekly, member-exclusive newsletter. Thanks in advance.

Join: $60 / Quarter Join: $200 / Year More Options