Get Your CPG Product Idea Launch-Ready w/ a Founder Who's Done It
Do you have a CPG product idea you're ready to turn into a real brand, without making costly mistakes or wasting time and money? I'm here to help. I co-founded ELIMS Oral Care and took it from an idea to manufacturing to sales on Amazon, e-commerce, retail shelves, and dental offices across the country. I've won over $100,000 in grants for the business, and I've been part of the UCLA Venture Accelerator, the UC Berkeley Big Ideas Contest, and Cleantech Open, and I'm a 2026 Tory Burch Fellow. I've done all of this while bootstrapping, so I know how to build a brand without outside investors and how to make every dollar count. Choose the package size that fits where you are: 1 HOUR: IDEA CHECK-IN Tell me about your product idea and where you are, and I'll give you my honest take and a clear list of your next actionable steps. This is a great way to get expert eyes on your idea and see if working together is a good fit. You'll leave with a prioritized action plan you can start on right away. 5 HOURS: CPG PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & LAUNCH ROADMAP Five 1:1 sessions that walk you through every stage of launching a CPG brand. Each session ends with a detailed, customized plan that you'll carry out between sessions. Best for self-starters who want expert direction and are ready to do the legwork. Session 1: Validate your idea and define your customer. We'll pressure-test your idea, define your target customer, size up the competition, and create your positioning statement. Session 2: Product development and manufacturing. We'll map your path from concept to a manufacturable product, including finding and vetting manufacturers, minimum order quantities, costing, packaging, and labeling basics. Session 3: Brand and marketing foundations. We'll build your brand story, visual direction, and messaging, plus a plan to build an audience before you launch. Session 4: Choosing your sales channels. We'll compare Amazon, D2C, wholesale, and retail, choose your first channel, and set pricing that protects your margins. Session 5: Bootstrapping, grants, and accelerators. I'll share how I bootstrapped ELIMS and won over $100,000 in grants, and you'll leave with a lean budget and a shortlist of grants and programs to apply for. 10 HOURS: HANDS-ON PLANNING AND EXECUTION Everything in the Launch Roadmap, plus 5 additional hours where we roll up our sleeves and do the work together. Best for founders who want a partner in the trenches, not just a plan. Hands-on support includes: Market research and customer validation: I'll review your research, help you write customer interview and survey questions, and help you make sense of the results. Testing toward product-market fit: We'll design small, low-cost tests, such as pre-orders, landing pages, or small-batch samples, and use the results to refine your product before a full production run. Manufacturing support: I'll review your manufacturer shortlist, quotes, and specs, and flag red flags around costs, minimums, and timelines. Pricing and margins: We'll build your unit economics together so you know your product can actually make money. Grants and accelerators: You'll get my grant application templates, and I'll review your applications before you submit. All 5- and 10-hour packages include messaging support on Leland, written feedback on your materials, and a personalized action plan after every session.
What's included
My coaching style is warm, friendly, and compassionate. Starting a business is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming and lonely, especially when you're bootstrapping and every decision feels high-stakes. I've been exactly where you are, and I'll meet you where you are. I'm also very real with you. Everything I share comes from building ELIMS myself, from sourcing manufacturers and managing inventory to getting on Amazon, into dental offices, and onto retail shelves. I'll tell you honestly what I think of your idea, where I see risks, and what I'd do in your shoes. I also draw on a wide network of fellow founders from the accelerators and programs I've been part of, so you get perspectives beyond my own. Every session is action-oriented. You won't leave with vague inspiration. You'll leave with specific next steps, whether that's a list of manufacturers to contact, a customer survey to send, or a grant application to start. Because I've bootstrapped my own business, I'll always help you find the leanest way to move forward, so you can test and learn before spending big.
- A validated product concept with a clear target customer and positioning statement, before you spend money on development
- A development and manufacturing roadmap, plus the key questions to ask every manufacturer you vet
- A brand foundation and pre-launch marketing plan to build an audience before your product exists
- A launch channel recommendation (Amazon, D2C, wholesale, or retail) with a pricing structure that protects your margins
- A bootstrapped funding plan with a lean first-production budget and a shortlist of grants and accelerators to apply for
Meet your expert
Belinda L.
Forbes & LA Times-Recognized Founder | 10+ Grants Won | GTM Strategy
I've been in business since I was two years old — literally. I grew up behind the counter of my parents' gift shop, the child of immigrants who built something out of nothing because it was the only option they had. I didn't learn business from a textbook first; I learned it by watching my parents make it work, day after day, long before I ever set foot in a classroom. That upbringing is where my instinct for business actually comes from, and it's shaped everything I've done since — from earning engineering degrees at Carnegie Mellon, to leading product development on life-changing medical technology at Medtronic, to co-founding ELIMS Oral Care with my husband, which we've bootstrapped and grown together while raising our three kids. I think that mix is what makes me a different kind of coach. I've sat in boardrooms at a Fortune 500 company and I've also stayed up too late packing orders myself. I know what it's like to build something with real resources behind you, and I know what it's like to build something with almost none — and I genuinely love helping other founders and professionals figure out which lessons from each world actually apply to their situation. Outside of work, you'll usually find me traveling, hanging out with my kids (my literal best friends), or thinking about how business and sustainability don't have to be at odds. If any part of my story sounds like yours, I'd love to work together!
