The $200 Amazon Test Every CPG Founder Should Run First

There’s a $200 Amazon program that gets 30 brutally honest strangers to review your product before you commit to a manufacturer’s MOQs. Most founders have never heard of it used this way.Shahnawaz Sheikh swears by it, and his own brand went from a website contact-form inquiry to every SKU in every Goodness Me store. Shahnawaz Sheikh built and exited Mommy Knows Best to a venture capital firm, spent a year chasing generative AI, and came back to brand building with Canadian Grace, a Canadian-made beauty oil brand (argan from UNESCO biosphere reserves in Morocco, marula from Namibia, batana from Honduras). He spent the first six months online only, tracked return rate instead of retention, and walked into retail buyer meetings, including Walmart Canada, with a folder of proof points instead of a pitch. Canadian Grace is now heading for 200+ stores across the GTA and expanding its travel retail placement from Toronto to Vancouver and Calgary. If you’re a CPG or beauty founder deciding between online and retail, Canada and the US, or wondering how to get a retailer to come to you, this is the playbook. GUEST Shahnawaz Sheikh, Canadian GraceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahnawaz-sheikh-b692401a/ Website: https://canadiangrace.ca/SHELF TO SCALE Weekly conversations with CPG and FMCG founders on distribution, retail and scaling. Hosted by Devesh Tilokani.