Hey everyone,

We've got a really good one for you today.

We're diving into the story of Sam Nebel, founder and CCO of Goodwipes, the premium flushable wipes that have quietly built a retail empire. 

Over 12 years, Sam and his team have gone from a flawed product getting roasted on podcasts to dominating shelf space at Target, Walmart, Kroger, and more.

While everyone else was chasing DTC shortcuts, he built Goodwipes through retail. The patient way. The methodical way. 

And today, ~63% of their volume flows through brick and mortar.

We're breaking down the counterintuitive strategy behind those results, from the awareness insight that changed everything to the exact $500K playbook for scaling Walmart without burning cash.

🍽️ On the Menu: 

You can watch the whole conversation with Sam here:

Listen on Spotify 🎧 and Apple 🍎 as well.

You think 10K subscribers is good? Think bigger. You've probably had ~200K people seriously browse your products, add items to cart, and show real buying intent. 

But they dodge your popups, bounce before converting, and never end up on your email list. Even if they do, your cookies age within days so returning shoppers look brand-new and fall through the cracks.

Brands like ThirdLove and The Noli Shop said screw that and started using Instant to identify 10x more first-party shoppers who would normally slip away.

Suddenly they're sending abandonment emails to way more actual high-intent shoppers instead of just the tiny fraction they could see before.

ThirdLove unlocked $180K in incremental revenue from shoppers they didn't even know existed. The Noli Shop added an additional $65k in 30 days just by reaching people who were already on their site. 

Don't believe it? Instant guarantees you'll see 4x ROI (baseline). The average brand sees 21.7x. The average brand sees 21.7×. Go live in minutes and stack record revenue this Q4.

👉 Stop letting shoppers vanish - Book a time

Picture this: You send your product to a popular podcast. The host goes live to thousands of listeners. And proceeds to absolutely destroy your product on air.

That's exactly what happened to Sam eight years ago.

Goodwipes wasn't quite ready for prime time. The product had what Sam calls "poke through,” your finger would break through the wipe mid-use. 

But Sam sent samples to the Mind Pump podcast anyway.

And Adam Schafer (Co-founder and CEO of Mind Pump media) didn't hold back. He told his audience the product wasn't good. That his finger went right through it. Live on air. To thousands of potential customers.

Sam figured he should probably check the damage. How bad could the fallout be?

He pulled up their website…and oddly enough orders were flooding in.

"He literally just said the product sucked and we still got orders. That's why I'm so passionate about the power of awareness." - Sam Nebel, Founder

Most brands think: perfect product first, then build awareness. Sam learned the opposite.

Sam didn't stop shipping after that podcast roast. He kept investing in awareness while improving the product. 

Today, Goodwipes is a premium product that actually works. But Sam got there by building awareness first, perfecting product second.

If you're in that spot right now, start building awareness with these 3 steps: 

1) Track signals beyond sales: brand search volume, social mentions, podcast downloads when you're featured

2) Use imperfection as authentic content: Sam's honesty about early product issues builds more trust than polished perfection

3) Test channels early: podcast sponsorships, influencer boxes, PR stunts before you have TV budgets

The awareness foundation Sam built with a flawed product became the engine for everything that happened next. 

Because once people know you exist, you can sell to them everywhere.

Just like he'd learned with awareness, Sam knew that retail success came from taking the long road, not the shortcut.

The shiny dream is Walmart. One big PO, national rollout, instant credibility. For most brands, that dream becomes an expensive education in why patience beats shortcuts.

But Sam chose regionals first for three reasons:

1) You can actually learn: Concentrated geography lets you focus on field work, test programs, and understand how your category moves without spreading resources thin.

2) You can prove concept: Success at Market Basket gives you credibility when pitching Target. Failure at Market Basket is cheaper than failure at Walmart.

3) You can build relationships: Sam didn't abandon the regionals after scaling to nationals. Goodwipes still dedicates resources to those early partners. That loyalty creates advocates.

Sam started with Raley's (110 stores in California/Nevada), then Market Basket (88 stores in New England), then H-E-B (360 stores in Texas). Each step built proof for the next.

But getting shelf space was just the start. Sam needed to show retailers he was serious about building business in their territory.

Sam heard about LPGA tournaments happening in New Jersey territory. So he flew from Atlanta, set up his own booth, and passed out samples. 

His goal: reach ShopRite's customers and prove to their buyers that he was willing to invest in their market.

And it worked. Goodwipes became the number one brand and number one SKU at ShopRite.

In a crowded category, they didn't just get shelf space, they dominated it.

That success at a 275-store chain became the proof point for conversations with 4,000-store chains.

Sam's patient regional approach built something bigger than shelf space. It built credibility. 

When you can prove you dominate at ShopRite, Walmart starts listening.

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The regional wins were always building toward something bigger. Sam knew that dominating at ShopRite was just the foundation for national expansion. 

But Walmart presents a different challenge than regionals: you need both massive awareness and premium shelf space working together. 

Sam's $500K strategy reveals exactly how to do both:

Secure premium shelf space: $100K for end caps in high-traffic stores. This is your billboard. The end cap becomes your advertisement that millions of shoppers see.

Drive traffic to that shelf space: $400K on massive awareness. Podcast advertising (like Chew on This), TikTok influencers, billboards near stores. Tell people to go to Walmart, tell them which aisle, make sure they see your end cap display.

Why this works: awareness without distribution is wasted, and distribution without awareness sits on the shelf. 

You need both, timed together.

Retail success isn't just about getting on shelf. It's about driving velocity once you're there. Higher velocity earns you better shelf placement, more programs, and more retailer investment.

For smaller budgets, the same principle applies:

Match awareness spend to distribution footprint: Don't run national awareness if you're only in three states. Geo-target your awareness to where people can actually buy.

Give specific instructions in awareness content: "Go to Target, aisle 7" not just "available at major retailers."

Measure awareness impact on retail velocity: Track sales lift in the weeks following awareness campaigns. Build the case for bigger budgets.

Plan awareness around retail programs: Time podcast ads, influencer content, and PR to hit when your end caps go live.

The retail and awareness flywheel compounds. More shelf space earns you better shelf space. Better shelf space justifies bigger awareness spend. Bigger awareness spend drives more velocity. More velocity earns you more shelf space.

That's how you go from 110 regional stores to 4,000+ national doors.