The Bean Store That Broke Every Rule
She opened a store that refused to take your money.
Only your beans.
Kat Kavner was running a small canned food company with great products. The New York Times even called their beans “luscious and excellent.“
But here’s the thing…
She was invisible.
On paper?
Things looked pretty solid.
But sales?
crickets
Sound familiar?
Then Kat did something that made every business consultant within a five-mile radius clutch their pearls… She opened a four-week pop-up in Manhattan where customers could only pay… With cans of beans.
That’s right. No cash. No credit cards. No Apple Pay. Just beans.
The results?
- 300%+ follower growth on TikTok
- One video hit 750,000 views
- Over 13,000 profile views in one week
Pretty wild, right?
But here’s what actually mattered… (And this is the part most people miss)
Kat didn’t succeed because of some viral gimmick.
She succeeded because she did things in the right order.
Why Most Marketing Fails Before It Starts
See, most small businesses approach marketing completely backwards.
They start with tactics:
- “Let’s boost this post”
- “Let’s run some ads”
- “Let’s try TikTok”
That’s like building a house starting with the roof.
(Spoiler: Doesn’t work great.)
Here’s what really happens when you skip the foundation:
You throw money at Facebook ads without knowing who you’re actually targeting. You post on social media whenever you remember (which is never consistently). You redesign your website because it “looks dated” but it still doesn’t convert visitors into customers.
Meanwhile, your competitors aren’t necessarily better than you. They’re just following a sequence that actually works.
The Four-Step Foundation That Changes Everything
Heyday followed a different sequence. And it’s the same sequence that separates thriving businesses from struggling ones.
Step 1: Validate the Opportunity
They researched their competitors and found the gap no one was filling.
Not “what are we better at” but “what’s actually missing in this market?”
Think about it… How many businesses in your area do the exact same thing as you? Probably several.
But what need exists that nobody’s addressing?
For Heyday: Premium canned beans existed. Farmers markets existed. But an experiential retail concept that made shopping for beans fun? That gap was wide open.
For your business: Maybe it’s not about being better. Maybe it’s about being the only one solving a specific problem your market faces.
Step 2: Set Specific Objectives
Not vague “engagement” goals. Measurable targets that actually mean something.
Here’s a reality check… “Build brand awareness” isn’t a goal. “Increase engagement” isn’t a goal. “Get our name out there” definitely isn’t a goal.
Those are wishes disguised as strategies.
Real objectives look like this:
- Generate 25 qualified leads per month
- Increase average transaction value by 20%
- Book 15 strategy sessions this quarter
- Convert 30% of website visitors to email subscribers
Notice something? You can measure every single one of those. You know exactly when you’ve succeeded or failed.
The question you need to answer: What specific number would make this marketing effort worth your time and money?
Step 3: Make One Focused Bet
Instead of spreading effort thin across everything like peanut butter on toast, they did things in a strategic way with a goal in mind.
This is where most business owners completely lose the plot.
You’ve probably done this… Tried to be active on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest. All while managing Google Ads, email marketing, SEO, and trying to get featured in the local paper.
How’d that work out?
Here’s what happens when you do everything: You do nothing well. Your message gets diluted. Your budget disappears. And you can’t figure out what’s actually working because you’re measuring ten different things at once.
Heyday’s focused bet: A four-week pop-up with one clear gimmick. Not a pop-up plus social media plus ads plus influencer partnerships plus… Just one thing, done exceptionally well.
Your focused bet might be:
- Dominating local search for one specific service
- Building an email list of ideal customers
- Creating one piece of content weekly that demonstrates expertise
- Mastering one advertising platform before touching another
The key? Pick one thing and do it until it works or until you have clear evidence it won’t work.
Step 4: Lean Into What Makes You Different
They did something no competitor was doing (or would even think to do).
Let’s be honest… “Quality service” isn’t what makes you different. Every business claims that.
“Competitive prices” isn’t different either. Neither is “family owned” or “locally operated” or “we care about our customers.”
Different means:
- You do something competitors literally cannot copy
- You serve a market segment everyone else ignores
- You deliver your service in a way that’s genuinely unique
- You stand for something that naturally repels the wrong customers
For Heyday: Nobody was trading beans for beans. That’s weird. That’s memorable. That’s different.
For you: What could you do that would make competitors say “I can’t believe they’re doing that” while customers say “finally, someone gets it”?
What This Means For Your Business
The sequence matters.
Skip the foundation and your marketing dollars disappear faster than free beer at a bachelor party.
Before you spend another dollar on marketing, ask yourself:
What gap exists in my market that no one is filling?
(Not “what am I better at” – think: what’s actually missing?)
What specific outcome am I trying to achieve?
(Real numbers. Not “more engagement” or “brand awareness.”)
What one thing could I focus on that would actually move the needle?
(Not ten things. One.)
What makes me genuinely different?
(Not “better service” or “quality products” – everyone says that.)
Answer those questions in order… And suddenly your marketing investments start working.
Skip them? You’re just throwing money at the wall and hoping something sticks.
(Nothing sticks.)
Look, Kat was selling canned beans.
Canned… Beans…
One of the most boring products imaginable.
She didn’t have a massive budget. She didn’t have revolutionary products. She just did the foundational work first.
The right order changes everything.
The Foundation Most Businesses Skip
Here’s where it gets interesting for you…
Most small business owners we work with come to us doing marketing completely backwards. They’re running ads without knowing if their website converts. They’re posting on social media without understanding who their ideal customer actually is. They’re spending money on tactics without any strategic foundation.
Sound familiar?
We’ve spent years helping businesses in towns under 55,000 population build the kind of marketing foundation that actually works. Not because we have some secret formula or magic bullet…
But because we help them do things in the right order.
Want to see exactly where your marketing foundation stands?
Get your free Business Marketing Playbook – it’s a comprehensive analysis of where you’re strong, where you have gaps, and what specific steps would actually move the needle for your business.
No generic advice. No cookie-cutter templates. Just a clear roadmap based on your actual situation.
Because the right sequence isn’t complicated. But it does require actually following it.
FAQ
Q: How long does it take to see results from doing marketing in the “right order”?
It depends on where you’re starting. If you have zero marketing foundation (outdated website, no Google presence, few reviews), expect 60-90 days to see meaningful traction. If your foundation is solid but your tactics are scattered, you might see results in 30 days by simply focusing your efforts. The key isn’t speed – it’s building something sustainable that compounds over time.
Q: Can’t I just skip to the “viral marketing” part like Heyday did?
You can try. Most businesses do. And most fail spectacularly. Heyday’s viral moment worked because they had done the foundational research first. They knew their market, understood their positioning, and created something deliberately different. Random stunts without strategy are just expensive noise.
Q: What if my business is “boring” like canned beans?
Perfect. That’s actually an advantage. Every business thinks they’re too boring for interesting marketing. The truth is, boring industries have less competition for attention. When everyone else is playing it safe, doing something slightly different makes you stand out dramatically. You don’t need to be revolutionary. You just need to be the one person actually trying.
Q: How much should I budget for marketing once I have the foundation right?
For established businesses doing at least $500k annually, we typically see 7-15% of revenue invested in marketing. But here’s what matters more than the percentage: knowing exactly what return you’re getting. When your foundation is solid, every dollar you invest works harder. Most businesses could double their marketing budget tomorrow if they actually knew which channels were driving revenue.
Q: What’s the biggest mistake you see small businesses make with marketing?
Copying tactics without understanding strategy. They see a competitor doing Facebook ads, so they do Facebook ads. They hear about TikTok, so they try TikTok. They throw tactics at the wall like ingredients into a pot, hoping something good comes out. Strategy comes first. Tactics follow. Never the other way around.
P.S. – Kat’s bean-for-beans pop-up lasted four weeks. But the foundation she built? That’s permanent. The right sequence isn’t about viral moments. It’s about building something that works long after the cameras stop rolling.
Ready to build your foundation the right way? Get your free Business Marketing Playbook here.
