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How to Build a Brand that Sells Out Before It Launches ft. Greg Lavecchia

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Mar 13, 2026

Guest

Greg Lavecchia

Greg Lavecchia, co-founder and CEO of Bloom, scaled a creator-led CPG from supplements to a national beverage moving 170M+ cans. He recounts niche-first launches, meme-page and creator funnels, mastering Amazon-to-retail validation, building an in-house influencer engine, and using “restocked” scarcity to create sellouts. He also dives into product-first formulation, scaling operations, and when strategic partnerships make sense.

01:49:34

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ADVICE

Hire For Your Pain Points Not Other Companies' Org Charts

Hire for current pain points and founder weaknesses instead of copying org charts from larger companies.
Greg warns hiring ex-Red Bull/Monster employees often fails because they were a small cog in huge operations.

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ANECDOTE

Mishap Led To Strategic Partnership And Beverage Pivot

A major operational mishap pushed Greg to diversify Bloom into beverages and seek strategic partners.
After losing a sales channel he met Das Cunningham and sold 30% for Nutribolt expertise and distribution access.

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ANECDOTE

From Glovebox Cash To $1.3M Black Friday Chaos

Early revenue milestones felt surreal: Greg once held daily PayPal cash in a car glove box before moving to a business bank account.
Black Friday spikes repeatedly sold Bloom out and forced them to scramble inventory replenishment.

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Bloom's origin and rapid beverage expansion

01:07 • 2min

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Performance marketing vs. brand building

03:02 • 1min

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Launching to a hyper-specific niche

04:26 • 1min

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Risk tolerance and the all-in mindset

05:37 • 1min

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Meme pages, creator funnels, and lookalikes

07:00 • 2min

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Building an in-house influencer network

Scaling creators and TikTok strategy

12:27 • 2min

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Using Amazon and retail for validity

14:25 • 4min

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Pricing, value-adds, and avoiding discounts

18:03 • 2min

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Product-first: formulation and retention

20:20 • 2min

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Manufacturing leverage and when to optimize

22:47 • 1min

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Think big: pursue massive goals

24:10 • 3min

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Hiring for pain points, not org charts

26:47 • 3min

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Why Bloom took strategic partners

29:34 • 4min

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High-barrier categories can be advantages

34:02 • 1min

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How much capital to launch a beverage

35:28 • 3min

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Early wins, cash handling, and Black Friday chaos

38:11 • 3min

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Restocked: the strongest marketing word

41:01 • 47sec

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Founders' relationship with money and balance

41:48 • 7min

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ADHD, routine and designing work around strengths

48:19 • 51sec

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Brutal mistakes entering energy category

49:10 • 3min

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Content pitfalls and founder-driven marketing

51:56 • 4min

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When to build a personal brand

55:38 • 3min

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Valleys of despair and persistence

58:40 • 3min

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Long-term consistency as a superpower

01:01:33 • 4min

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Lessons from billionaires and staying human

01:05:26 • 5min

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Delegation: play to strengths, avoid spreadsheets

01:10:42 • 3min

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Product launches, surprises and data use

01:13:41 • 5min

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Retail relationships and exclusives

01:18:17 • 1min

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Operational headaches and supply-chain theft

01:19:42 • 3min

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Modern multi-stage launch campaigns

01:22:37 • 3min

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Choosing big campaign partners carefully

01:26:00 • 1min

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Creator businesses and longevity advice

01:27:01 • 2min

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What he wants his son to learn

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What's up Rock Nation! Today we're joined by Greg La Vecchia, co-founder of Bloom, the bootstrapped creator brand that scaled to $180M before taking on their first strategic partnership and is now moving over 170 million cans of energy drink with distribution in 70,000 doors nationwide. In this episode, we break down how Bloom went from a niche greens powder brand to a nine-figure CPG powerhouse, the marketing psychology behind selling out products and using "restocked" as your most powerful word, why product will always beat branding, how they used Amazon dominance as a launchpad into major retail, and what it really takes to compete with the monsters of the beverage world.

Check out Greg here:

https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@GregLaVecchia⁩

https://www.instagram.com/greglavslife/

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

00:01:08 - Bloom's Origin Story

00:01:56 - Bootstrapping to $180M and the NutriBullet Partnership

00:02:23 - Keurig Dr Pepper Deal and 70,000 Doors

00:03:09 - Performance Marketing vs. Brand Building

00:03:39 - Growing Mari's Personal Brand Through Meta Ads

00:04:16 - Booty Bands, Pre-Workout, and How Bloom Was Born

00:04:52 - Why You Need to Launch to a Hyper Specific Niche

00:05:39 - Scared Money Doesn't Make Money

00:06:57 - The Meme Page Strategy That Unlocked Everything

00:08:05 - Finding Customers When They're Not Looking for You

00:08:39 - How the Influencer Marketing Playbook Changed

00:10:02 - Building the Largest In-House Influencer Network

00:11:20 - Stan Store

00:12:27 - Scaling TikTok and the Creator Brand Stigma

00:13:47 - Using Amazon and Target as Validity Markers

00:14:26 - How They Redirected Their Entire Community to Amazon

00:15:41 - Becoming the #1 Health Product on Amazon

00:16:12 - Competing against Amazon supplements

00:22:16 - The Flavor Formulation Process

00:23:08 - Getting Better Terms From Manufacturers

00:24:10 - Why Small Goals Take the Same Effort as Massive Ones

00:25:31 - Thinking Month to Month and Staying Nimble

00:26:52 - Hiring Mistakes and Copying the Wrong Org Chart

00:28:23 - Why Hiring From Red Bull and Monster Backfired

00:29:30 - How Many People Are at Bloom

00:30:09 - The Business Mishap That Led to the NutriBullet Partnership

00:30:47 - The McLaren Moment That Changed Everything

00:31:47 - Why VCs Wouldn't Touch an Energy Drink Company

00:32:42 - Meeting Dos Cunningham and Selling 30% of the Business

00:34:07 - Why High Barrier Categories Are Actually Easier

00:34:46 - Getting Frustrated With the Nutrition Space

00:35:26 - How Much Capital You Need to Launch a Beverage Brand

00:36:14 - How Each Bloom Business Funded the Next

00:37:45 - The $1.3M Black Friday and Selling Out Overnight

00:41:05 - "Restocked" Is the Most Powerful Word in Marketing

00:42:15 - Greg's Relationship With Money

00:44:21 - How Becoming a Father Changed the Way He Operates

00:45:06 - Delayed Gratification

00:47:09 - Longevity Mindset and Protecting Yourself

00:48:45 - ADHD as a Superpower

00:49:03 - Brutal Mistakes Brands Make Going Into Energy

00:51:41 - Organic Marketing and Founder Content

00:53:22 - Building the Right Team for Social

00:55:18 - Why Greg Waited to Build His Personal Brand

00:57:00 - The Valley of Despair in Building a Business

00:59:06 - Getting Your Testosterone Checked

01:03:46 - Selling Candy in School

01:05:26 - What Greg Has Learned From Billionaires

01:06:55 - Greg's Superpower: Consistency and Routine

01:08:27 - Designing Your Life Around Your ADHD

01:10:46 - Why Greg Doesn't Touch Spreadsheets

01:14:36 - Using Data vs. Gut Feeling for Product Decisions

01:15:54 - Why Greg Hates Being the First Mover

01:17:42 - What Bloom Learned From Being in Target and Walmart

01:19:34 - Getting Robbed by the Cartel

01:22:34 - What a Full Bloom Marketing Campaign Looks Like Today

01:23:42 - Staggering Your Launch Moments

01:31:15 - The After Party

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