Sometimes, a real no-brainer, problem-solver of a product can crash and burn spectacularly upon entering the market. This isn’t limited to the Pepsi Clears of the world, where sheer ridiculousness doomed the idea from the start: According to Nielsen data, 85 percent of new consumer packaged goods will fail within two years. Marketing snafus, bad luck and timing aside, pitfalls in the process of product design are often to blame. Catching oneself before blundering into them takes a conscious effort, as several local designers and makers illustrate.

In the coming months, Chris Johnson will ask a lot of his employees, whose average age is just 24 years old. He expects to do $30 million in retail sales this third year of manufacturing, recently signed a powerful licensing deal with Disney’s Marvel, and plans to expand from the four products currently on shelves to more than 100 next year. But Johnson’s hiring strategy emphasizes passion over experience, something he says his team has in spades.

Sacramento may not be the TV and movie hotspot that places like Austin or Atlanta have become, but on the set of one locally-produced film being made in El Dorado Hills, optimism is high for the greater Sacramento area to develop a burgeoning filmmaking scene.

Wine tasting is often an experience shared only by the taster and pourer. A brewery tasting room, however, needs to facilitate the gregariously social aspects of craft beer, making space for interaction and mingling. Room to brew, room to chat and room to sample flights of beer make for highly dynamic spaces that bring to life the distinct personalities of brewers and their art.

Where in your local supermarket do you find the curry leaves? How about dumplings filled with red bean paste, or maybe smoked duck. Does your local grocer have fresh menudo, warm tortillas right out of the oven, or miso broth prepared that morning on-site? Independent grocery stores focused on specific ethnic cuisines are thriving in Sacramento, enjoying a boom in customers from beyond their base cultural markets.

Let’s eschew the wonders of hops and malts for a minute to explore the fizzy but kid-friendly offerings of Sacramento beverage artisans.

Last year we reported on efforts for a planned regional sports complex in Roseville (Kickstarter by Laurie Lauletta-Boshart, May 2014). In July, the project scored big when it brought on award-winning design and architecture firm LPA.

The 18th annual Sacramento Reptile Show on Sept. 26 and 27 brought snakes, lizards, turtles and other “non-fuzzy” cuddly critters to the Sacramento Convention Center.

The construction of downtown Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, the revitalization of The Kay District, development at the railyards and across the river on the banks of West Sacramento … there’s a lot growing in the area, but one of the most interesting projects is actually in sleepy Carmichael.

Where Crabbé left off in the development of departmental training and service protocols, Johnson will be connecting the dots in the larger picture for the company.

This is Chef Breedlove’s third attempt, more or less, at branding a mobile food business, and this time he’s letting his personality and mad-scientist approach to mobile food define the brand.

For Sean McDonald, improving the food production system is the future of his business —  and the entire agriculture industry. His work toward those improvements starts with … (drumroll please) … crickets.

In March of last year, we highlighted 12 rising leaders in our inaugural  young professionals feature  (“Command and Deliver,” by Russell Nichols, March 2014). Here’s what a few of them have done since: 

Lodi celebrated local wineries and their number one varietal, Zinfandel, with the 11th annual three-day outdoor affair, ZinFest May 15-17.

The Sacramento region’s higher education opportunities may get an incredible boost in the next few years should the University of Warwick, England, be successful in building a campus in Placer County. 

Innovative thinking and new market pressures are removing many of the barriers that once stood between small businesses and the capital they need to launch and grow. Now more than ever, small and medium-sized companies are finding success by raising funds from everyday investors.

These local businesses take teamwork to the next level with bold colors and innovative designs that inspire creativity and collaboration. Show us your company’s collaborative space for a chance to take over our Instagram account! 

Ask Andy Paul or Ana Manzano about launching their businesses and they’ll answer with smiles. The two previous winners of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s Calling All Dreamers contest have gone on to successfully launch their dream companies, including brick-and-mortar storefronts that will serve as milestones in the revitalization of downtown’s shopping corridors.

Texas will soon get a taste of Sacramento’s party flavor: Organizers of the local art and music event now known as TBD are co-producing a four-day musical showcase to coincide with Austin’s famous South By Southwest festival.

Drawn by the incoming arena, the burgeoning craft cocktail and beer scene and the farm-to-fork movement’s local strength, San Diego business partners Roy Ledo and Hassan Mahmood will be installing a version of their hit North Park arcade bar, the Coin Op, in place of Marilyn’s on K.