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.

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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.

Northwestern Mutual

Sophisticated relationship manager, second chair to CFP Hayley Dickson, and manager of overall plan implementation for our cherished clients that incorporates risk management solutions, investments, private equity, and tax planning tailored to each individual client within a fee-based planning arrangement. 

Responsible for innovating, introducing, and executing high level programs for the firm that include trading portfolios with individual equities and private equity funds, tax loss harvesting, guaranteed income for pre-retirees, internal organizational efficiency, artificial intelligence initiatives, and more.

Manager, Client Relationships & Plan Implementation

Junior Advisor to Hayley Dickson, CFP. A fee-based financial planner and wealth manager. 

Our mission is to foster a revolution in personal freedom through the empowerment of financial literacy. From a commitment to service and authenticity, our team challenges and inspires clients to build the secure and abundant life of their dreams.

We demystify the complexity around the financial markets, mentoring our clients - especially women, LGBTQ+ and diverse communities - in creating the economic security they’ve always desired so they can live their best life.

Junior Wealth Manager

M Advisory Group

My team and I sit at the same side of the table as you: 

Closely Held Business Owners, 
Executives, 
Entrepreneurs, 
High Net Worth Individuals.

We help maximize tax efficiency, create passive incomes, and preserve generational wealth. Our team has earned the confidence and commitment of high net-worth families, individuals, and closely held businesses not only around the SoCal area, but around the country for over 60 years. M Advisory Group is a Torrance, CA based member firm of M Financial.  We strive to help preserve and enhance the wealth of clients like you with access to high-end proprietary solutions, high touch concierge processes, and unrivaled business acumen. 

M Advisory Group adds value to our clients and their advisory teams with advanced planning conversations, including but not limited to: 

🟡 Non-qualified deferred compensation
🟡 Executive benefits and executive carve out 
🟡 LIRP (life insurance retirement plan) 
🟡 Tax efficient retirement income
🟡 Income stream creation
🟡 Family banking strategies
🟡 Estate planning
🟡 Exit planning

We consistently leverage our internal case design teams at key carrier partners like: Pacific Life, John Hancock, Nationwide, Penn Mutual, and many more.

Financial Advisor & Business Consultant

Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual & Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company.

Financial Advisor

I was a financial practice owner working with private clients to achieve financial security. Our team focused on risk management, wealth accumulation, wealth preservation & distribution with your specific goals and situation in mind. 

Risk Management: Term and Permanent Life Insurance, Long Term Care, Disability, Etc.

Wealth Accumulation: qualified and non-qualified retirement planning focused on IRA, Roth IRA, Brokerage, and 529 plans.

Financial Representative

Starbucks

Directed a multi-unit portfolio of 10-12 stores at any given time. Ensured a consistent implementation of our operational standards and procedure to achieve aspirational goals set across the organization and region. Role included: Business planning, p&l analysis, inventory management, performance management, hiring and staffing oversight, leadership development and talent pipeline creation, coached the coach.

I led and developed a set of diverse teams that know their markets, communities, and customers. My team of leaders delivered an exceptional customer experience in 12 company operated stores with annual sales of over $19 million. Created a supportive culture during the rippling impact of Covid19 on retail stores and led the area in sales rebound. 

Over my time at Starbucks, I collaborated with members of the executive leadership teams, provided information and insights that helped inform critical business decisions.

District Manager

Responsible for all aspects of day-to-day operations of the cafe and for forecasting future growth in a large store averaging $3M yearly. Tirelessly coached, mentored, and trained my team of 40+ employees. Drove top line sales and controlled the bottom line to increase total contribution year over year. Developed internal talent pipeline for company placement/promotions district-wide.

Store Manager

Similarly to my current role I was responsible for assisting the manager in the day to day operations of running the store. During this time I expanded my knowledge base through on the job experiences and occasionally with book or class work. Due to the medium volume of this location it was an ideal setting for not only my own growth and development but it allowed me to work with a great manager and work with him in training other RMT or even Regional Director new hires.

Assistant Manager

Barista & Shift Supervisor

Rosetta Stone

Worked at a selection of kiosk locations in downtown San Francisco selling the highly recommended Rosetta Stone Language system. The associates worked rather independently (only one staffed at a time) and were responsible for maintaining inventory, maintaining/reporting cash and credit sales, aggressively selling the product, and demoing the various qualities of the programs to customers of various nationalities, backgrounds, and language preferences.

Sales Associate

Financial for CXOs & Next-Gen Founders⭐ | Executive Comp Plans 📈 | Tax Mitigator 📊

💥 I've always been drawn by a passion to connect, empower, and protect those around me. 

Throughout my finance career, my team and I have provided financial planning and business guidance to:

👉 Closely Held Business Owners 
👉 Executives 
👉 Entrepreneurs
👉 High Net Worth & High Earning Individuals

🧰 In my early career as a multi-unit operations manager this meant challenging my leaders to believe that they can achieve more than they currently think they can. It meant coaching my rock stars to smash through self limiting belief and introducing the concepts and tools that they had never been trusted with before. 

I proudly continue to carry this work on  - with even higher stakes - with my financial practice.  For me: It's always been about positively impacting my community and the people that put their faith and trust in me. So as a finance professional it's my duty to put my client's needs first while helping them build foundations of financial well-being, blueprints for wealth, and legacies that carry forward to multiple generations of their families. 

Let's connect about your life & financial goals and your plan to get there!

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This material and the opinions voiced are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine what is appropriate for you, please contact me directly or consult another qualified professional. 

The testimonials/recommendations used may not be representative of the experiences of other clients, and they are not indicative of future performance or success.

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Will Nitze

Benjamin R. Miller 💡

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