# “The U.S. Market Is a Beast”: Sophie Hood on Scaling Seoul Tonic, Her Growth Tactics & her NEXT business!

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/process-the-podcast-5114104/the-u-s-market-is-a-beast-sophie-hood-on-scaling-seoul-tonic-her-growth-tactics-her-next-business
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/process-the-podcast-5114104/the-u-s-market-is-a-beast-sophie-hood-on-scaling-seoul-tonic-her-growth-tactics-her-next-business.md
Podcast: [Process The Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/process-the-podcast-5114104)
Published: 2026-02-17T00:10:36+00:00
Episode link: https://episode.flightcast.com/x58eygufmqnm0q47pqjve0te.mp3
Audio file: https://episode.flightcast.com/x58eygufmqnm0q47pqjve0te.mp3
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Duration seconds: 4633

## Resource

🎙️ Sophie Hood on Building Seoul Tonic: From Australia to New York, Amazon, Retail Strategy & Scaling a Wellness Brand What does it really take to build a modern wellness brand and have the ambition to take it global? In this episode of Process, Arielle Thomas sits down with Sophie Hood, founder of cult-favourite tonic brand Seoul Tonic, to unpack the creative and commercial decisions behind moving to New York, scaling through retail, navigating Amazon, and positioning a product for international success. Sophie is one of Australia’s most exciting women-led founders to watch, and in this conversation, she shares the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship: from winning Food Stars and landing major retail opportunities, to managing inventory pressure, pitching airlines like Qantas, and building a brand that resonates in the hyper-competitive U.S. market. This episode is a masterclass in creativity meeting commerce. Perfect for founders, brand builders, marketers and anyone curious about what it actually takes to turn an idea into a global consumer brand. ✨ In this episode, Sophie and Arielle cover: Moving from Australia to New York and why global ambition changes everything The early creative vision behind Seoul Tonic and finding product-market fit What winning Food Stars taught Sophie about pressure and opportunity How to position a wellness product for premium retail Scaling from independent stores to national distribution Inventory, supply chains and the realities of cash flow Why community and in-store experience matter more than ever The brutal truth about launching in the U.S. market How Amazon really works. Seller Central, fulfilment and margin games Differences between U.S. and Australian e-commerce Pitching to major partners like Qantas Launching new product lin…

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