Lauryn Bodden has built S'noods into the first chef-driven noodle chip brand after winning Netflix's Snack vs Chef. In less than two years, she's scaled from a KitchenAid pasta maker in her home kitchen to 225+ retail locations including Fairway, ShopRite, and The Fresh Market—all while bootstrapping as a solo founder and actively fundraising.
🔧 Novel Product Validation Framework - Systematic approach to testing market demand when creating entirely new categories
📊 Manufacturing Partner Evaluation - Process for finding co-manufacturers willing to tackle unprecedented products and complex requirements
🤝 Solo Founder Operations Management - Systems for managing retail relationships, inventory planning, and growth without a team
⚙️ Strategic SKU Development - Framework for balancing product variety with operational complexity during bootstrap phases
📈 Category Creation Retail Strategy - Approach to positioning breakthrough products when traditional shelf categories don't exist
🎯 Bootstrap Cost Management - Methods for tracking hidden operational expenses and optimizing unit economics during rapid growth
Whether you're launching unprecedented products or scaling as a solo founder, Lauryn's frameworks will help you systematically validate new categories, navigate complex manufacturing, and manage operations efficiently while fundraising.
Perfect for: Solo founders, novel product creators, early-stage CPG entrepreneurs, category innovators
Guest: Lauryn Bodden - Co-founder & CEO, S'noods
Host: Samantha Rose - Managing Partner, Hologram Capital & Founder, Endless Commerce
This episode was recorded live and is part of our series on operational frameworks that drive real business results. Subscribe so you never miss an episode.
What is Commerce is Chaos?
Look, we've all heard the polished founder story—the perfect pitch, the seamless scale, the overnight success. But what about the time you oversold by 100K units? Or when your 'seamless' integration crashed right before Black Friday?
Host Samantha Rose has been there—from founding her first consumer business, GIR, managing fulfillment and industrial design for your favorite brands, or acquiring distressed brands on her own.
Welcome to Commerce is Chaos, the podcast for founders who knows that building a real business is beautifully, chaotically messy.