Ryan Rouse

Growth advisor to consumer businesses with a focus on every line of the P&L | Previously, Co-Founder at Factor Meals (acquired), CEO at Highkey

Growth-minded CPG leader with deep experience across finance, brand building, and operational leadership.

After more than a decade in finance—culminating in an eight-year tenure at Merrill Lynch—I co-founded Factor_, a ready-to-eat meal delivery company that went on to be acquired by HelloFresh for $277M in 2020.

I joined HighKey Snacks as Chief Marketing Officer and later CEO, guiding the low-sugar snack brand through rapid expansion and an acquisition in 2024.

I'm currently the President of MALK Organics, a fast-growing, near nine-figure brand redefining the plant-based milk category with its commitment to clean, organic ingredients and uncompromising quality.

And I write a newsletter about what it really takes to grow—your company, your mindset, your tolerance for chaos:
​
​• The unfiltered truth about building a brand
• Why “strategy” isn’t always strategic
• What to do when everything feels on fire
• Mindset shifts that keep you sane(ish)​
• Founder mistakes, market moves, and lessons I’m still learning​
​
​Part playbook, part perspective shift.
For anyone trying to grow something—and keep their head on straight.

Sign up using the link here (or below my profile pic above): https://ryanrouse.me/

Vice President | Partner

Data driven investors in early stage consumer brands. 

MALK made the Bain 2026 US Insurgent Brands list 👀 

What I love about this list is it's numbers based (i.e., not a popularity contest.)

• Greater than $35MM in revenue
• Grown at least 10x faster than their category average over the last 5 years
• Maintained positive growth over the past 2 years

A couple other stats that stand out. 

- While the overall market grew less than 2% in 2025, the insurgents captured 36% of market growth.

- Insurgents grew volumes by approximately 55% year over year in a market where overall volumes were largely flat, demonstrating that their growth reflects real consumer demand, not just price inflation.

- Insurgent brands continue to be at the forefront of where consumer demand is accelerating with 44% of the brands featuring natural or organic claims. 

I'm proud of what we're building at MALK. 

And honored to sit alongside the other amazing Brands on this list. 

Let's get after it once again in 2026!

Never been on a Forbes list // President @ MALK Organics // Follow for posts about the highs and lows of building consumer brands from 13+ years in the trenches actually doing it

We’re debuting our new Cleaner Creamers at Expo West.

Organic, dairy-free, and made without gums, oils, or natural flavors. 

One thing we all need at Expo is coffee (duh), so come have a cold brew on us at our Cleaner Creamer Coffee Bar outside of Hall E (S21). 

Or explore the full MALK lineup (and more) at our main booth N322.

Lastly, we're also hosting a happy hour on Thursday 3/5, from 4-5PM — where MALKtinis will also make their debut :)

See you there!

(Full details in the link in the comments)

I turn 47 today.

Five years ago, I wrote a post on my 42nd birthday about entering my prime.

Looking back, I was right. But I underestimated what was coming.

Because every year since then, I've finished even stronger than I started.

Not older. Stronger.

Mentally. Physically. Emotionally.

Patience made me stronger mentally.

I stopped needing everything to happen right now. The urgency that used to consume me is more controlled. The more I let things unfold, the quieter my mind gets. Clearer. 

Acceptance made me stronger emotionally.

I stopped fighting what I can't control. The setbacks, disappointments, and other people's opinions that used to stunt me... I learned to let them pass through instead of take up residence.

Balance made me stronger physically.

I stopped treating my body like it was separate from everything else. Sleep matters. Recovery matters. I'm in better shape at 47 than I was at 37 because I finally stopped grinding myself into the ground.

Focus made me stronger universally. 

I stopped giving F's to things that don't fill me up. Relationships, opportunities, envy of other's people's highlight reels on social media. 

I'm still a work in progress, but recognize and acknowledge that if I'm going to grow, those are the areas that need to be more developed. So I work on them. 

At 22, I thought 47 was ancient.

At 47, I know the truth.

I'm not declining. I'm compounding.

Every hard conversation. Every failure I sat with instead of ran from. Every time I chose the long game over the quick win.

It all stacks.

So if the 22-year-old version of me showed up today, I'd tell him the same thing I said five years ago:

You have no shot against this version of me.

But now I'd add one thing:

You won't have a shot against the 60-year-old version either.

We’re hiring a Director of Finance.

You’ll report directly to and work closely with our CFO Jay Stone. 

MALK is growing fast with a smaller team which means you’ll have meaningful ownership and impact.

It also means we need a builder. 

Someone comfortable operating in the fast-moving, messy world of high-growth CPG.

You’ll partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Category Insights, and Demand Planning to help us understand what’s driving growth and how we invest to scale the business.

We have a culture we protect furiously. 

A group of humans who are all different, but who have common traits. 

Self motivated, open minded, intellectually curious, and cool. 

Last thing I’ll say is this.

This place is special. And will be one of the most fun and rewarding work experiences of your life if you’re the right fit. 

I don’t just believe that. I know it. 

If you’re interested, or know someone great, email hr@malkorganics.com. 

Or text me if you know me.

I've never met a happy person in a hurry.

Last week I looked down and realized I'd eaten an entire lunch without tasting a single bite.

Fork in one hand. Slack in the other. Eyes on the next call starting in 4 minutes.

I couldn't tell you what I ate. I was already somewhere else.

And I thought: what am I actually racing toward?

Look, I get it. Speed wins. 

I've built my entire career on moving fast. I preach it constantly.

But there's a difference between moving with urgency and living in a constant state of hurry.

Urgency is a choice. Hurry is a disease.

Urgency says "this matters, let's go."
Hurry says "this moment isn't good enough. I need to be somewhere else."

Every time you're rushing, you're basically telling yourself: I don't want to be here. I want to be there.

"There" is always some future moment. When the deal closes. When the launch is done. When you're "further along."

You know what you'll find when I got there?

Another "there."

Happiness isn't waiting for you at the finish line.

It's not in the next milestone or the cleared inbox or the lunch you inhaled at your desk.

It's here. Right now. 

Even if "here" isn't where you thought you'd be.

If you can't get your arms around that, happiness will always elude you.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

Stop trying to be Steve Jobs.

He's the exception, not the rule.

An entire generation of founders watched the turtleneck tantrums and thought that was the playbook for great leadership. 

It's not.

I've watched brilliant people flame out because nobody wanted to work with them.

Being easy to work with is a competitive advantage.

Nice people make more friends.
Nice people create more loyalty from colleagues.
Friends and loyal colleagues expand your network.
Your network brings more opportunity.

The math is simple.

Be decent.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

The relationships will matter more than you think.

More than the wins. More than the exits.

Between Expo and a few trips to Austin, I've been reconnecting with people I've worked closely with over the years.

Different brands. Different outcomes. Different chapters.

But one thing was universally true across all of it.

Real connection got built.

Not the surface-level kind. 

The kind rooted in trust, respect, and genuine love for each other.

I'm grateful to have crossed paths with so many great humans along the way.

And proud as hell to watch them go out and do amazing things.

But the part that hits hardest is this.

They still want to sit down for a coffee and a big hug.

That's the real scorecard.

Not the revenue. Not the valuation. Not the press release.

The people who still show up for you when the chapter's closed.

The chapter ends. The relationships don't.

Build accordingly.


—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

There’s nothing like putting your skills to the test.

I say it to the team all the time. 

No doubt they’re sick of hearing it. 

But getting the chance to put your hard work to the test is a privilege. 

Full stop. 

I’ve worked really hard on my jiu jitsu since picking it up 3.5 years ago. 

And love to compete in tournaments because what better way to test skills than that?

This is me getting a choke submission in the gold medal match at the Austin Open last week. 

Stoke Level = Off The Charts

Really proud of the work I’ve put in regardless of the outcome. 

But winning is pretty sweet.

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I used to think good leaders had an opinion on everything.

Every deck. Every decision. Every damn detail.

If someone brought me something, I had to weigh in. That was my job, right?

Wrong.

I was exhausting my team and myself.

Not everything demands your judgment.

You're actually allowed to say "I trust your call on this."

You can sit in a meeting and just listen. You can let your direct report run with their idea without inserting yourself into every corner of it.

The best leaders I know? They're selective about where they spend their opinion capital.

They know the difference between:

• Things that need their input
• Things that need their approval
• Things that need neither

When you comment on everything, two things happen:

Your team stops thinking for themselves. And you become the bottleneck.

So now I ask myself: Does this actually need me? Or do I just want to feel important?

Most of the time, it's the latter.

Shutting up is a skill. And it might be the most underrated one in leadership.

—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

The best leaders don't announce themselves.

Sure, you can feel their presence.

But when they're with their team, there's no performance. 

No need to remind everyone they're the boss.

Their authority comes from how they listen. How they ask questions instead of giving orders. How they make space for others to shine.

The insecure ones do the opposite.

They interrupt. 
They dominate conversations. 
They make damn sure you know they're running the show.

But real leadership shows up in the room without saying a word. 

People lean in when they speak. 
Decisions get made faster. 
The team moves with confidence.

That's the tell.

If someone has to constantly remind you they're in charge, they probably aren't.

Self reflection is in short supply.

Most people are so damn sure they're right.

I get it. Confidence feels good. Certainty is comfortable.

But what I've learned in nearly 47 years on this planet is the most dangerous thing you can do is stop asking yourself one simple question:

Am I wrong?

Not once in a while. Regularly.

Pick something you're convinced of and argue against yourself. Make the best case you can for the opposite view.

You'll either strengthen your position or realize you need to change it.

Either way, you win.

The people who do this consistently? They make better decisions. They build stronger teams. They avoid costly mistakes.

The ones who don't? 

They get blindsided by their own blind spots.


—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

Your best relationships aren't built in the good times.

They're forged in the shit storms.

When revenue's down. When you're making layoffs. When the product launch flops and everyone's pointing fingers.

That's when you find out who's really on your team.

I've watched partnerships crumble during growth phases that should've been celebrations. And I've seen teams get tighter during crises that should've torn them apart.

The difference?

How you communicate when it's hard. 

Whether you protect respect even when you disagree. If you can trust each other when the path forward isn't clear.

You can't go back to the early days when everything felt simple. When the stakes were lower and disagreements didn't matter as much.

And honestly? You shouldn't want to.

Because every hard conversation, every tense board meeting, every moment you chose trust over ego made you stronger.

The relationships that survive the pressure are the ones worth keeping.

Everything else is just networking.

Intelligence isn't why leaders fail.

They fail because they can't connect.

I watched a VP with all the talent in the world lose his team in 6 months. Not because the plan was wrong. Because no one wanted to follow him.

He couldn't read a room. Couldn't give feedback without destroying morale. Couldn't build trust.

The gap between good and great leadership isn't IQ. It's EQ.

You can be the smartest person in the building and still create a vibe people don't enjoy.

Because leadership isn't about being right. It's about bringing people along with you.

Your direct reports. 
Your counterparts. 
Your boss. 

The hard skills get you in the door. The soft skills determine how far you go.

If you're stuck at a certain level, ask yourself: Is it really your capabilities holding you back? Or is it how you make people feel?

Start there.

No one person can make or break a company. 

Not once the brand becomes the most important "person" in the room.

Can a complete leadership overhaul across the org do it? Yes.

But no single individual, up or down the org chart, has that power alone.

That's actually a good thing.

For employees, leaders, founders, all of it.

Because it means the brand has arrived. It's bigger than any one person. That's the whole point.

But here's the flip side.

One individual, anywhere in the organization, CAN impact the culture in a meaningful way.

And culture? That can destroy a company from the inside out.

The brand might be bulletproof from the outside. But rot starts internally, quietly, one bad actor at a time.

So protect the brand by building it. But protect the company by protecting the culture.

They're not the same thing.

Consuming content doesn't build confidence.

Doing does.

I spent years thinking I needed one more book, one more course, one more framework before I was ready. Spoiler: I was never ready.

The confidence I have now didn't come from any of that.

It came from:

• Launching things that flopped
• Making calls I wasn't sure about
• Building Factor_ with no roadmap
• Getting it wrong, then getting it right

You can watch every YouTube video on swimming. But you don't learn to swim until you're in the water.

Same with business. Same with parenthood. Same with life.

The reps are the education. The failures are the curriculum. The wins are just proof you survived long enough to figure it out.

Stop waiting until you feel ready. You won't.

Start before you're confident. That's how confidence actually gets built.


—

I write emails. Unfiltered takes from 12+ years building brands.

It's free. Subscribe (or don't):

https://ryanrouse.me/

Most hiring decisions are made by asking "are they good?"

Wrong question.

The right question: "Are they incrementally better than anyone else we could get?"

Because you can build an entire leadership team of talented, credentialed, hardworking people and still have a team of expensive commodities.

They're all good. None of them are that much better than someone else you could go get. 

Example: Your VP of Ops is solid. Keeps things running. But if they left, you could replace them in 8 weeks and the business wouldn't skip a beat.

That's not a person problem. That's a unique value problem.

Same applies to agencies, advisors, fractional execs — anyone you're paying premium rates.

If their contribution is "generally helpful" instead of "uniquely effective," you're overpaying for adequacy.

"But isn't all value good?"

Sure. But good doesn't justify premium compensation or equity or a seat at the table.

Unique capability does.

So here's the filter:
→ What do they deliver that others can't?
→ How much better are they than the next best option?
→ What capability gap would their departure create?

If you can't answer those clearly, you're hiring for credentials, not impact.

And if you're the one being evaluated?

Same test applies to you.

Momentum is the most powerful force in business.

It's intoxicating. And finicky as hell.

When you have it, deals close faster. Hiring gets simpler. Problems suddenly have solutions.

That part is obvious. The part that isn't... 

Your team doesn't feel it the way you do.

They're in the weeds. Focused on tasks. They don't see the pattern you're seeing.

So when momentum's on your side, your job isn't just to ride it.

It's to make sure everyone else feels it too.

Point it out. Celebrate wins. Connect the dots between their work and the results. 

So you can get the most out of it when the winds are at your back. 

Because it can disappear as fast as it arrived.

My newsletter hit inboxes this morning.

Throwing it below in its entirety. 

I send 1-2 emails a week. 

Short, punchy takes from 13+ years building brands.

No fluff. No sponsors. 

Just the stuff I wish someone had told me earlier.

If you like what you see, link to subscribe is in my profile.

—

I had a manager once who was incredible when I first hired him.

Hungry. Coachable. Eager to grow.

But over time he changed. He got comfortable. He stopped pushing.

The problem wasn't him though. The problem was me.

I kept treating him like the guy I hired two years earlier. I wasn't seeing who he had actually become.

We all do this. We meet someone at a certain point in their life. Then we freeze them there in our heads.

But people change. They grow. Or they don't.

Your job as a leader is to actually SEE who someone is RIGHT NOW.

This works the other way too. Sometimes someone on your team has leveled up massively. 

And you're still treating them like a rookie.

That's how you lose your best people.

They outgrow the box you put them in. Then they leave to find someone who sees them clearly.

Look at your team this week with fresh eyes. Ask yourself who has grown that you haven't recognized yet. 

Ask yourself who you've been holding on to out of loyalty to a version of them that no longer exists.

It's a tough exercise. But it's worth it.

Same goes for your kids, your friends, and your partner by the way.

—

Your team isn't underperforming.

You're under-deciding.

I see this constantly. Smart, capable founders drowning in 80-hour weeks while their team sits around waiting for answers.

The bottleneck isn't their talent. It's your inability to make a call and move on.

Every decision you hold onto is a decision they can't execute on. 

Every "let me think about it" is another day of momentum lost.

You hired them to solve problems. But if you won't let them make mistakes, they'll never learn to make decisions.

The companies that scale aren't led by people who make perfect decisions. 

They're led by people who make fast ones, course-correct when needed, and trust their team to do the same.

If your calendar is full and your team's is empty, you're not leading. You're hoarding.

Let go of something today. Make the call. Empower the decision.

Your business will move faster than you think.

Will Nitze

Founder, IQBAR (iqbar.com) 🍫+💧+☕️

🍫 Founder/CEO, IQBAR (iqbar.com)
🎙️ Co-Host, "Eating Glass" Podcast
🎓 Harvard BA

Founder/CEO

We make superior brain + body fuel. IQBAR® plant protein bars, IQMIX® hydration sticks, and IQJOE® instant coffees are packed with the functional compounds you need to win your day.

🚨 New product line launch 🚨

IQBAR PB&J Protein Bites are live today, only at Sam's Club!

High-protein, high-fiber, low-sugar, "poppable," and nostalgic. Coming in hot at the absurdly good value of $9.98 / 15-pack.

It took a full year to figure out how to manufacture and perfect these (shoutout to Matt Stinson). They may just be the best things we've ever made.

Major thanks to Alek Guzman and the Sam's team for making this happen 🚀

On the Costco [dot] com homepage for the first time ever.

Pretty rad.

🚨 EXPO TAKE-AWAYS from airplane text exchange with Daniel Puckett:

→ Taste is still king
→ Good design / packaging is now a commodity
→ Not much true “innovation” - very few surprises
→ The breakfast category is under-served; big oppy
→ This industry has great humans; more collegial than others
→ Nutritional “no man’s land” is a death sentence; pick a lane
→ Most big booths have been in the game a while; build to last
→ Booths are only as valuable as how engaging folks at them are
→ Meat sticks are now ultra-competitive; chicken's having a moment
→ Protein everywhere; less fiber / creatine / GLP-1 stuff than expected
→ More loyalty erosion (bad for Big CPG; good for upstarts / private label)
→ A.I. wasn’t mentioned much, but when it was the tone was positive (CPGs will get more efficient / profitable; none of the "doomerism" you see elsewhere)

💭 Solid add-ons from the comments section:

→ A shocking number of honey companies (h/t Drew Mabry)
→ In chips, tallow continues to steadily grow (h/t Jeremy White)
→ International flavors - esp LatAm - was big (h/t Andres Siman)
→ This year was mostly "back to the basics" (h/t Eric M.)
→ Energy / attitude / quality was higher than past years (h/t Andy Godish)

- - -

CRITICAL CAVEAT: true insight into brands is *entirely invisible* at at Expo cuz it's under the hood. Supply chain creativity, manufacturing excellence, cash management, media buying efficiency, SG&A streamlining, negotiation prowess, contracting strategy, etc. etc. etc.

If the "engine" isn't assembled and maintained right, trends don't matter.

Today I witnessed a non-negligible cohort of folks walk out of Natural Products Expo West and immediately light up a cig.

Humans are an interesting bunch.

Extremely niche Expo observation…

Lithuania goes hard in the paint.

Must’ve dropped a milly on 100 feet of booth space plus an army of people.

Never forget - you aren’t just competing with rival cookie / chip / bar startups.

You’re competing with entire Baltic states.

I've made the difficult decision to age in reverse.

Compete with me if you'd like. But I wouldn't recommend it.

"Mainstream weird" is the best brand positioning.

If you're too mainstream, you'll get knocked-off into oblivion.

If you're too weird, you'll never achieve major scale.

Mainstream weird is juuusssttt right.

Optionality is the desired end state.

But FLEXIBILITY is how you get there.

Create maximally flexible products. And positioning. And teams.

Heck, ensure your OWN BRAIN is maximally flexible. (Can you learn new stuff quickly? Can you change your mind quickly in light of new data?)

In today's environment where the chess board is violently shaken up on an annual basis, the most flexible player adapts best.

And...over time...wins.

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