The questions founders actually ask.

Traditionally, brokers work on commission — a percentage of the sales they generate, typically in the low single digits, billed monthly against shipped volume. Some engagements add a retainer, especially early, when the work is heavy and the volume hasn't arrived yet. ScalePoint works both ways depending on the engagement: LaunchPad and Growth are each scoped to the brand, in writing, before anything starts. What we don't do is take a percentage of a deal we didn't produce.

A consultant tells you what to do. A broker does it and is measured on whether product moved. Consultants deliver strategy decks and leave execution to you; brokers carry your line into buyer meetings, submit into category reviews, manage the distributor relationship, and chase the reorder. Both have their place — but if nobody is actually selling your brand, a strategy document doesn't put you on shelf.

Growth makes sense once you have real traction — placements that reorder, velocity you can show a buyer, and the ability to fund a launch and survive the terms. National sales leadership too early is the wrong spend. Brands still building that proof belong in LaunchPad first — and we'll tell you plainly which side of that line you're on. Pushing a brand into national distribution before the fundamentals hold is how founders lose money faster.

Thirty minutes, on video, no deck. We'll ask what you're selling, where you're selling it, what your margin structure looks like, and what's actually blocking you. You'll get a straight read on where you stand — including "you're not ready yet, and here's what to fix first," which is a real outcome and happens often. There's no retainer pitch at the end.

No. ScalePoint is based in St. Louis and works nationally, across conventional and natural retail, with relationships spanning all major national and regional distributors. Our current portfolio spans seven categories and brands from the Midwest to the coasts.

Independents can happen in weeks. Regional chains and national banners run on category review calendars, which means the honest answer is often months — sometimes close to a year from first conversation to reset day, depending on where your category's window falls. Anyone promising a national chain in thirty days is selling you something. The controllable part is being ready when your window opens.

Yes — deduction recovery works as a standalone engagement, no tier required. It's contingency-based: we're paid a share of what we win back, quoted plainly in your free audit before anything starts, and if nothing is recovered you owe nothing. Many brands start here — it's the lowest-risk way to see how we work — and move into LaunchPad or Growth once the recovered dollars speak for themselves. Start with the free audit.

No. We're paid for the work, not with a piece of your company. Equity arrangements tend to blur whether a broker is optimizing for your next order or their eventual exit — and that ambiguity is bad for the brand.

Food, beverage, and wellness — currently frozen, pantry, Mexican and Hispanic foods, snacks, functional beverage, beverage, and supplements. The common thread isn't category, it's stage: emerging and established brands from new innovation up to $100M+.

Then we'll say so, and tell you what to fix. Most "not ready" verdicts come down to the same handful of things: item data that isn't buyer-grade, pricing that can't support retailer margin, no velocity proof, or no budget for the true cost of a distribution launch. Score yourself honestly with the Retail Readiness Quiz, or start with Book 1 of the Shelf Series — it's free, and it exists specifically to help founders decide whether to proceed.

The large firms are consolidating — and emerging brands become line items on rosters of thousands, reshuffled every time an agency changes hands. ScalePoint is deliberately the other model: one operator who has held every seat in the transaction, a client list short enough that your brand isn't a line item, straight answers on cost before you sign, and free tools instead of a discovery call to learn how things work.

Yes. The deduction audit is free and separate from any engagement — send recent distributor statements and we'll tell you what looks valid, what looks disputable, and roughly what it's worth. If there's nothing to recover, you'll hear that too. Start a free audit.