Why Killing Her First Product Saved This CPG Brand with Michelle Razavi

About this episode

Michelle Razavi discusses her journey in building Elavi and the lessons learned from pivoting away from her first product line.

This episode is brought to you by The Hidden Gems. Hiring agencies is risky. Most overpromise and underdeliver. The Hidden Gems connects founders with highly vetted, brand-loved boutique agencies across media, creative, dev/design, events, and more — at preferred rates. Free for Consumer VC listeners → https://thehiddengems.com/ Most founders won’t do this. They’ll hold onto their first product… even when it’s clearly not working. In this episode, Mike sits down with Michelle Razavi , Founder & CEO of Elavi , the fast-growing better-for-you snack brand known for its protein brownies and desserts. Michelle shares how she went from working 16-hour days at Sephora and Equinox to building a breakout CPG brand, why her first product line failed, and how a bold pivot into a completely different category unlocked massive growth. From protein bars → dessert spreads → protein brownies, this is a story of constant iteration, brutal decision-making, and understanding what consumers actually want. The conversation also dives deep into retail strategy, why Costco can completely change a business overnight, and how to build a profitable CPG company in a market where “growth at all costs”…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Gelb

Guest: Michelle Razavi

Topics covered

• product development
• consumer packaged goods
• retail strategy
• entrepreneurship
• profitability
• market trends

Keywords

• CPG
• snack brand
• product failure
• retail partnership
• profitability
• consumer demand

Sponsors

The Hidden Gems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Elavi, Sephora, Equinox, Costco

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