Brett Schulman of CAVA gives advice to early-stage founders

Executive overview

Three founders call in with distinct challenges: imposter syndrome, niche marketing, and timing for growth funding. Brett Schulman draws on CAVA's scaling journey to ground his advice in hard-won experience.

Focus and discipline — doing fewer things better — is the lever that separates businesses that survive adversity from those that don't.

Imposter syndrome and resilience

• Founders who feel imposter syndrome are rarely imposters — the feeling reflects self-awareness, not incompetence.
• A decade-plus of relevant experience (cooking, running a prior business) is standing, not a liability.
• Overconfidence is more dangerous than self-doubt; healthy doubt prevents reckless decisions.
• Build a circle of advisors or mentors; cold outreach to respected operators is underrated and often welcomed.
• External setbacks (lost co-packer, failed partner) feel personal but are a normal part of running any business.
• Perseverance through operational chaos — not just good ideas — is what separates successful founders.

Niche product marketing: Little Me Allergy

• Food allergies affect a large share of the population — this is a mainstream need, not a niche one.
• Post-pandemic, digital customer acquisition is expensive and increasingly restricted by privacy law changes.
• Brick-and-mortar channels (Target, Whole Foods, gift shops) put the product in front of parents at the moment of need.
• Gift trade shows are a practical first step to map distribution options and understand the retail landscape.
• Partnering with established allergen-friendly food brands (Planet Box, Abe's Allergy Friendly Muffins) creates warm referrals to a pre-qualified audience.
• Branded giveaways and social collaborations with aligned brands amplify reach without paid acquisition costs.
• Build a tribe of roughly 1,000 passionate early customers first; they become the word-of-mouth force multipliers.
• Market to parents, not children — parents hold the purchasing decision.

When and how to raise growth capital: Rootless Coffee

• Determine what you want the business to become before deciding how much capital to raise; the target shapes the strategy.
• Scaling physical businesses (roasteries, restaurants) requires capital for people, process, and infrastructure — it does not scale like software.
• A clear, focused use of funds tells a coherent story to investors and demonstrates capital stewardship.
• Growing multiple channels simultaneously dilutes focus; each channel (e-commerce, wholesale, retail, events) needs different capabilities and headcount.
• Wholesale is often more profitable and easier to fulfill than direct-to-consumer at small scale — lean into the channel with the best unit economics.
• Fractional CFOs and COOs let early-stage companies access senior experience without full-time commitments.
• Hire a short-term consultant with relevant industry and regional experience before committing to a full-time executive hire.

Lessons from CAVA's own scaling journey

• When CAVA acquired Zoe's Kitchen in 2018, 2019 became the hardest year — operational complexity buried the team before simplification saved it.
• "Right people, right roles" — understanding what capabilities each stage of growth actually requires is a recurring failure point for founders.
• What you choose not to do is often more important than what you do; simplification and focus turned CAVA's hardest period around.
• Maintaining a separate, dedicated team for each distinct channel (CPG vs. restaurants) is necessary once both channels are being grown intentionally.
• Fractional executives can convert to full-time if the fit is right — it is a low-risk way to trial senior talent.