Do you even need a broker yet?

Seven questions, answered honestly, tell you whether a broker would grow your brand right now — or just spend your money. No email required, no score theater. Sometimes the answer is "not yet," and a broker who won't say that is selling you something.

1 · The product is finished and buyable today

Produced, packaged, priced, and in hand — not a prototype, a rebrand in progress, or "two months from the co-packer."
2 · Your item data is buyer-grade

GS1-registered barcodes, a complete spec sheet you could produce in under a minute, real product photography.
3 · Your price survives the math

Your everyday retail supports roughly 40% retailer margin after distributor margin — and you still make money.
4 · Stores that carry you reorder

You're on shelf somewhere — and the second and third orders came without begging.
5 · You can fund a launch wave

Slotting, free fills, and intro promos for the next tier of doors wouldn't break you. (Price it here if you're not sure.)
6 · Selling is the bottleneck

The founder's selling hours are maxed out, or the next tier needs buyer relationships you don't have.
7 · Nobody reads your distributor statements

Deduction lines land every month and no one checks them against contracts, line by line.