Lesson: Retailers don’t buy vision, they buy velocity. Show them why your product will move.

Most founders think getting into retail is about having a great product. It’s not.
Retailers and distributors don’t care about your dream. They care about what’s in it for them.

Here’s what they actually want to know:

• Will it sell? Do you have brand awareness and a marketing plan?

• Will it make them money? Are your margins strong, and is there proven consumer demand?

• Do you have traction? Sales data, testimonials, or signs of real velocity?

This is the classic chicken-and-egg problem early founders face: retailers want traction before giving you shelf space but you often need shelf space to create it.

Even Celsius ran into this. On Odd Lots, CEO John Fieldly shared how most buyers passed on Celsius early on. It wasn’t proven. They needed data but Celsius needed shelf space to get that data.

I faced the same loop trying to land Jivati in 7-Eleven and Total Wine. It wasn’t a lucky break, it was a targeted push backed by real traction and proof.

Here’s how I approached it:

• I built a clean pitch deck and tailored sell sheets - each one specific to the retailer, showing I understood their store, customer, and category.

• I placed Jivati at events where my target audience would be - testing reactions, collecting testimonials, and tracking real-time sales.

• Every sip became feedback. Every interaction became data. That’s what moved the needle.

I used that momentum to sharpen my pitch:

• Cold outreach, refined after every reply. I adjusted the messaging and followed up with intention.

• Product demos, in person. That trust and immediate feedback often converted into placements.

• Warm intros from other founders. Those connections opened doors cold emails couldn’t.

I refined the messaging after every “no.” Made it tighter. Clearer. Focused on one thing: why this product will move.

Eventually, it landed. First 7-Eleven. Then Total Wine. Not because of hype because of discipline. Because of data. Because we proved we could move product.

If you're trying to get into retail, stop leading with why your brand is different. Start leading with why it will sell. Buyers don’t need to believe in your story. They need to believe your product will move.

Every rejection is just feedback. Get sharper. Iterate. Move forward.

And for investors reading this, this is how I build.
Not off hype. Off repeatable systems. Strategic discipline. Clear execution. I understand how to create value in a low-margin, high-barrier industry - and how to prove it.

That mindset applies to everything: including how I raised our first round of capital.

In the next D-Brief, I’ll break that down:

• What I got wrong about fundraising early on.

• I used WeFunder to raise $121K without a traditional network and secured an additional $68K as Jivati continued to gain traction.

• And what founders need to understand to get real capital behind them.

Stick around. The next drop goes deeper.

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_{DISCLAIMER - All content by Devraj Patel, including The Weekly D-Brief, is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute business, legal, or personalized advice. No client relationship is created unless agreed upon in writing. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. You are solely responsible for your decisions—always consult appropriate professionals before acting on this content.}