Old World Popcorn Strategy & Billing Adjustment — 2026-01-09
Discussed during [1].
Product Strategy
Decision: No new bag sizes.
Lucy (client contact) asked whether to expand into 2lb or 3lb bag sizes given the 6lb bag's strong performance. Mark's direction was clear: do not add new sizes.
"I think we don't need more products, we need less."
The 6lb bag is profitable, priced well, and not meeting market resistance. Adding SKUs would dilute focus without addressing the actual problem.
The single priority: fix bag breakage.
The only meaningful issue with Old World Popcorn is that the original bag breaks, generating customer complaints. The fix required is a heavier bag with a different seal — durable enough to survive rough handling. Until that is resolved, no other product changes are warranted.
Pop Popcorn Order Quantity
Lucy is finalizing bag designs for Pop Popcorn and preparing to place a production order. Given the product's short shelf life and unproven market demand, the decision was to start with the minimum run quantity the manufacturer will accept.
"We want to start and experiment with it and play with it… we should start with the smallest order we can make that's not prohibitively expensive."
Action: Karly to email Lucy, confirm the minimum run quantity, and place the order.
Billing Structure Negotiation
Lucy requested that a recent invoice be adjusted to appear more popcorn-related so she can apply a grant toward it. Mark's preferred approach is more structured:
- Keep the existing Asymmetric invoice as-is (currently ~$9,000/month covering Doudlah Farms work broadly).
- Create a separate, additional invoice specifically for Old World Popcorn work.
- Proposed amount: $2,500–$3,500/month on the new invoice.
- Net cost to Lucy: Only the increase above current billing — the grant offsets the new invoice, so her out-of-pocket may be minimal or zero depending on grant terms.
"If you want, I'll bill you $3,500 and you only have to send me $2,500. And then you can make a little extra on your own."
This structure gives Lucy a clean, grant-eligible invoice while also appropriately compensating for the scope of Old World Popcorn work that has grown beyond the original engagement.
Action: Mark to call Lucy to negotiate and finalize this billing arrangement.
Action Items
- [ ] Mark: Call Lucy to propose separate Old World Popcorn invoice ($2,500–$3,500/month); negotiate net payment structure to support grant usage.
- [ ] Karly: Email Lucy re: Pop Popcorn; confirm minimum run quantity with manufacturer; place order.
Related
- [2]
- [1] (full meeting notes)