Success Story — From Stagnation to Success: Jumpstarting Profitable Growth
The Situation
After a successful acquisition by a private equity firm, growth at Natural Vitality CALM had stalled. For two consecutive years, the brand had plateaued. That’s when I was brought in to revitalize performance and reignite momentum. Although I was operating as a Vice President and General Manager within Nutranext, a PE-owned supplement company, I applied my proprietary Full Speed Ahead process to drive results. With full P&L ownership of the Natural Vitality portfolio, I focused on repositioning the brand for sustained, profitable growth — starting with a focused strategy, optimized product portfolio, channel discipline, and accelerated innovation.
The FIX-IT Framework in Action
FOCUS I started with the fundamentals: where the business made money, and where it spent it. That meant assessing the brand strategy, channel mix, innovation pipeline, and sales execution with fresh eyes.
IDENTIFY The analysis revealed a clear picture:
90% of revenue and 98% of profit came from CALM magnesium, the brand’s flagship product.
Yet, the sales team was heavily incentivized to push ancillary products — less profitable, less differentiated, and off-strategy.
Innovation resources were spread thin across marginal product ideas, while the brand’s category-leading magnesium credentials went under-leveraged.
With a category-leading reputation for magnesium efficacy, distribution strength, and consumer awareness, the brand was sitting on a goldmine — it just needed to refocus.
XCELERATE We put the brand back on track. I led the development of a refreshed strategy focused exclusively on CALM magnesium:
Eliminated low-performing SKUs that distracted from the core.
Partnered with Sales to redirect efforts toward growing CALM distribution, not just hitting trade-driven targets.
Relaunched Innovation with purpose — starting with CALM magnesium gummies, tapping into unmet consumer demand for alternative delivery forms.
IMPROVE We translated strategy into execution:
Expanded distribution in current channels and unlocked new ones — including club and drug — with the right product offerings for each channel.
CALM magnesium gummies became an instant success, driving 25% incremental growth by appealing to new consumers.
Built on that success with CALM magnesium capsules, further extending the brand’s reach and reinforcing its leadership in the category.
TRANSITION As always, I focused on building capabilities, not just delivering results. I coached and developed the team to carry the strategy forward with confidence and clarity. The CALM brand maintained its momentum even after I transitioned to another portfolio challenge — but that’s a story for another blog.
The Results
Grew the brand from $32M to $50M in annual sales revenue in just two years
Rebuilt the brand foundation to deliver sustained 30% annual growth
At Full Speed Consulting, we help brands go from stalled to soaring. If your brand needs a jumpstart, the FIX-IT Framework and my Full Speed Ahead approach can deliver results. Let’s talk.
