When I started TerraCycle, we quickly came to a defining crossroads: Did we want to sell our made-from-waste products to independent retailers or to big-box retailers? Basically, we were told that if we sold to the big-box chains we would be blackballed by the independents. At the time, going independent seemed the more tempting path, and that was also what our advisers suggested. We would have a broader range of small distributors who care about green issues and who would help us build our brand. A broad range of clients would also offer security against the risk of being dropped by a big-box client. Perhaps an even more important factor attempting to avoid potential damage to the brand. If you go big-box, you may face backlash from consumers who will accuse you of making a deal with “the man.” Still, we decided to go big-box from the beginning for a simple reason: scale.