Over the last few months we have helped launch multiple THC beverage brands in different markets. Interest keeps rising, shelves keep opening up, and the pace is not slowing. If you are a founder choosing an agency, the pick you make now will shape what happens over the next two quarters. You do not need a vendor. You need a partner who can launch fast, keep you compliant, and prove that the work is moving product.
Let’s make this decision simpler. Here is what to look for, what to ask, and how to tell if an agency can actually help you grow.
What day one should look like
A good relationship starts with momentum. Day one should feel organized. The team should walk in with a clear launch toolkit, not a vague plan to make one someday. You want a sell in story that buyers can use in a meeting this week. You want product pages and a store locator that make it easy for a curious shopper to find where to buy, not a maze of dead links. You want a weekly rhythm so ideas move to market and everyone can see what shipped.
If the first conversations are already stuck in theory, that is your sign.
Compliance without last minute drama
Everyone says they take compliance seriously. You are looking for the team that treats it like a system. There should be an intake checklist that flags claims, states, age gating, and disclosures. There should be a named person who reviews copy and creative before anything goes live. There should be a small library of approved language your whole team can reuse so you are not reinventing the wheel every week. When a rule changes, there should be version control and a tidy rollback plan. Creator programs need the same discipline, with age verification and clear disclosures from the start.
When compliance runs like quality assurance, launch weeks feel calm. When it does not, launch weeks turn chaotic.
Proof over promises
Pretty decks are easy. Velocity is not. Ask for outcomes that connect to the shelf, not vanity metrics. You want to see how the work drove store adds, how fast the first purchase orders landed, and what happened in weeks on shelf. You want to see locator conversions and QR scans tied to real list growth or carts. You want CAC and repeat purchase signals you can trust.
Here are a few metrics worth putting on the table:
- Store adds and time to first purchase order
- Units per store per week over the first 8 to 12 weeks
- Locator conversions and QR to subscriber or QR to cart
- CAC by channel and growth of owned audiences
- Wholesale movement from deck sent to signed order
If an agency cannot show results like these, keep evaluating.
The team model that keeps your launch moving
Founders rarely need more meetings. They need a team with names, roles, and real turnaround times. Your agency should be able to tell you who owns strategy, who writes and designs, who runs media where allowed, who manages SEO and local visibility, who builds landing pages, and who is responsible for analytics and attribution. There should be weekly standups, a clear sprint plan, and the right checkpoints for legal or compliance review. Reporting should be short, frequent, and focused on the numbers that pay the bills, not screenshots of impressions.
Momentum comes from clarity. Clarity comes from a team that has shipped this kind of work before.
Pricing that points at outcomes
Cheap work is expensive when it burns weeks. Look for simple pricing that maps to how you grow. Retainers should cover strategy, production, and analytics. Media management should only exist if you are allowed to advertise, and even then it should be grounded in guardrails that protect the brand. Launch toolkits can often be a fixed scope so everyone knows what will be delivered and when. Performance components can make sense when they reward store adds, qualified wholesale leads, or repeat purchase growth. IP ownership and exit ramps should be clean.
When incentives match outcomes, the work tends to move faster and the conversations get easier.
A fast scorecard for your shortlist
You do not need a complex rubric to make a good choice. Score each contender from one to five across a few essentials. Shortlist the top two and run final calls with your team.
- Compliance workflow and speed of review
- Launch toolkit quality and time to ship version one
- AEO and SEO plan for product, occasion, and location pages
- Local and marketplace execution that drives add to cart and directions
- QR, UTM, and promo structure that ties events and retail to real outcomes
- Dashboard clarity and weekly reporting discipline
- Team depth, named roles, and realistic SLAs
- Case proof with store adds, velocity, and CAC improvements
- Pricing clarity and alignment to growth
Aim for the partner who can explain how they will win week by week, not just quarter by quarter.
How we work with founders
Our approach is simple. Launch with sales in mind. Build the assets that help you get on shelves, then make sure the people who are looking for your product can find it and buy it. That is why our first weeks focus on the sell in narrative, the one pagers buyers expect, a store locator that converts, and a measurement framework that ties QR, events, and retail to the numbers that matter. We keep a weekly rhythm with named owners for strategy, creative, media where permitted, SEO, and analytics. We align with your legal partner so compliance is part of the workflow, not a blocker at the end. Then we report against velocity, store adds, CAC, and list growth so every decision ties back to growth.
We have been running this playbook while launching multiple THC beverage brands this year. The pace has been high. The momentum has been real. The process scales without turning your week into chaos.
What to watch for in your first ninety days
Keep your early scoreboard short and clear. If these numbers move in the right direction, you will feel it in revenue and retailer confidence.
- RFP shortlist rate and time to onboard
- Store adds and time to first purchase order
- Locator conversions and QR to subscriber or cart
- Units per store per week and signs of repeat purchase
- CAC by channel and growth of your email and SMS list
If you are actively evaluating agencies and want a partner who can move at retail speed, reach out to us. We can talk through your goals, show you how we work, and map a plan that fits your timeline and budget.