Building One of the Fastest Growing CPG Companies in History | Peter Rahal of David Protein & RXBAR
David Senra talks with Peter Rahal, who sold RXBAR and then built David Protein to over 400 million in run-rate revenue in two years. They cover branding, pain tolerance, buying a key supplier, and organizing for speed.
The gist
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After selling RXBAR for 600 million, Rahal says investing made him miserable because the feedback loops were slow and he felt stuck in the back seat.
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Rahal treats a brand like a person whose values stay consistent for decades. Senra says this echoes David Ogilvy's view of the best brands.
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Rahal says being labeled disabled for dyslexia as a child fuels anger he channels into work. Psychedelic therapy did not remove it.
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Rahal bought Apogee, the single-source maker of a low-calorie fat substitute, after locking in a supply agreement. He says the communication should have shown more compassion.
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Rahal runs semi-autonomous business units under a parent company called Medici, with about 25 direct reports, accepting duplicated costs because speed is the goal.
David Senra uses it
"I was obsessed with this guy named David Ogilvy and I've read every single one of his books. He built one of the greatest advertising agencies of all time. If you read his autobiography, if you read Ogilvy on Advertising, his whole thing was just like people jump around too mu..."
▶ Play at 18:582 creators recommend it, including This Week in Startups.
See all on the Ogilvy on Advertising page"I've tried psychedelics therapy. It's like tattooed in me at this point."
▶ Play at 24:49"I read this book on Jensen and Jensen has famously like 60 direct reports, and a lot of people when that came out in the book — and I think he's talked about this in some interviews too — they're like, 'That's way too many, like how could he do it?' Like, well, this guy's runn..."
▶ Play at 1:12:23What they recommend · 3 picks
"I was obsessed with this guy named David Ogilvy and I've read every single one of his books. He built one of the greatest advertising agencies of all time. If you read his autob..."
"I've tried psychedelics therapy. It's like tattooed in me at this point."
"I read this book on Jensen and Jensen has famously like 60 direct reports, and a lot of people when that came out in the book — and I think he's talked about this in some interv..."
Peter Rahal
2 picks · guest
"I've tried psychedelics therapy. It's like tattooed in me at this point."
"I read this book on Jensen and Jensen has famously like 60 direct reports, and a lot of people when that came out in the book — and I think he's talked about this in some interv..."
David Senra
1 pick · host
"I was obsessed with this guy named David Ogilvy and I've read every single one of his books. He built one of the greatest advertising agencies of all time. If you read his autob..."
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