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Assess, build, sell, grow — in that order.
The order isn't a preference. Skipping ahead is the single most common reason a well-funded launch stalls in its first year.
Why sequence matters
Almost every stalled launch we see was run out of order.
The pattern is consistent. A brand secures a buyer meeting early, because a meeting feels like progress and everything else feels like overhead. The meeting goes well. The buyer asks for the compliant label, the insurance certificate, the landed cost and the fill rate, and the brand doesn't have them.
That opportunity does not pause. Category reviews run on a calendar, and the next one is usually a year away. Meanwhile the buyer relationship has been spent, and a buyer relationship is not a renewable resource — you get one first impression per account, and it goes on the record.
So we do the unglamorous work first. Compliance before pricing, pricing before presentations, presentations before promotion. Each phase exists because the phase after it fails without it.
The four phases
What happens, and in what order.
Every engagement runs these four. What varies is how long the second one takes, which depends entirely on what state the brand arrives in.
Assess
Category fit, pricing and margin structure through the U.S. chain, compliance gaps, and a realistic door target. Delivered in writing, candidly, before you commit to a program. If the answer is that the U.S. isn't right yet, that is what the assessment says.
Build
Labeling and FDA compliance, claims review, liability coverage, customs and freight, warehousing, pricing architecture, marketplace listings and the sales materials buyers are shown. This is the phase brands most want to shorten and most regret shortening.
Sell
Target account list, category presentations, buyer meetings including ECRM programs, distributor and broker activation, terms negotiation, vendor onboarding, and first purchase orders shipped to specification.
Grow
Merchandising and resets, promotional calendars, marketplace management, PR and media, and the account servicing that decides whether the line survives its first category review.
What we commit to
We commit to activity, because activity is what we control.
A buyer's decision belongs to the buyer. Any firm that guarantees placement is either describing something other than retail, or arranging an argument for later. So the commitment is on the work, and the work is reported.
Stated, measured, reported
Full-management retail-development engagements typically target 25–30 qualified retailer presentations per month, tracked by account, date and outcome. Plus the deliverables in each phase, on dates agreed at the start.
No guaranteed outcomes
We don't guarantee sales, placement or door counts, and we don't work commission-only. Both promises sound generous and both shift the risk onto the brand in ways that only become visible in the second year.
How the relationship is structured
Three parts, so the incentives point the same way.
Scope and figures are set after we have seen the product and the numbers — we don't quote before evaluating, because a quote without an evaluation is a guess presented as a price.
A setup fee
Covers the build phase: strategy, regulatory and retail preparation, positioning, sales materials, CRM setup and launch planning. Front-loaded because the work is.
A monthly management fee
Covers the ongoing commercial function: sales management, retailer outreach, buyer meetings, account management and reporting. This is what makes the presentation commitment possible.
A commission on sales generated
Aligns the long-term outcome. We earn more when the brand earns more, which is the part of the structure that keeps attention on the accounts after the launch is over.
In their words
What the reporting feels like from the client side.
“Brian and the TruLife Team have been a great pleasure to work with. They are very responsive, and always over communicate everything to me and my team. They have successfully placed our brand in front of some of the largest retailers in the United States at a rapid pace.”Patrick ScallanCEO, AngioGenesis Medical LLC
Before any of it
We evaluate the product first, and we do decline brands.
Samples are reviewed before commercial terms are discussed. We look at differentiation, margin structure, packaging, claims, manufacturing quality, supply reliability and how ready the founder actually is for U.S. retail.
Taking on a brand we can't move costs the brand its money and costs us the buyer relationships we would spend trying. Neither is recoverable, so the conversation happens at the start.
Go deeper
Read the detail before you commit to anything.
Why TruLife
How this model differs from a broker, a distributor and a consultant.
See the comparison →Entering the U.S. market
The same sequence in detail, with what it costs at each stage.
Read the guide →Retail Readiness Assessment
Complete the assessment, then enter your contact details to view and receive your score, readiness band and three biggest gaps.
Start the assessment →Questions
Frequently asked.
- How long does each phase take?
- It depends on how much of the build is already done. A brand with compliant labeling, insurance and U.S. pricing in place moves to selling quickly. A brand starting from a home-market pack spends longer in build than it expects to, which is the honest version of the timeline rather than the encouraging one.
- Do you guarantee sales or placement?
- No. A buyer's decision belongs to the buyer, and any firm guaranteeing the outcome is either describing something other than retail or setting up an argument for later. We commit to the activity we control and report it.
- What exactly do you commit to?
- Full-management retail-development engagements typically target 25–30 qualified retailer presentations per month, tracked by account, date and outcome. Plus the deliverables in each phase, on dates agreed at the start.
- How is the engagement structured commercially?
- Three parts: a setup fee covering the build phase, a monthly management fee covering the ongoing commercial work, and a commission on sales we generate. The specific figures depend on scope and are set after we've seen the product and the numbers.
- Will you work on commission only?
- No. A commission-only representative works whichever brand in the bag is closest to a cheque, and that is almost never the new market entrant. Paying for the work is what makes the work happen in the first year, which is the year that decides everything.
- Do you take every brand that approaches you?
- No. We evaluate the product before quoting anything, and we decline where the product, the margin structure or the readiness isn't there. Taking a brand we can't move wastes their money and the buyer relationships we'd spend doing it.
- Who actually does the work?
- The same team throughout, with Brian involved directly on every engagement. Brands come to TruLife for the person who knows the buyers, not a coordinator relaying messages to one.
U.S. Market Assessment — $3,500
Find out what America would actually take.
Send us your product and your numbers. We'll come back with a written assessment of what entering U.S. retail would require and what it would realistically return.