What’s it like to be a real legacy business? One with a heritage going back over 100 years? How do you navigate new methods, classic products and changing tastes? This is a masterclass in knowing who you are, who your customers are and what you’re about.

Andy Valentine is a food industry veteran who now feels like the proverbial "kid in the sweet shop". He’s responsible for developing direct, B2B and private-label channels for a business that combines traditional handcrafted techniques with state-of-the-art facilities.

Stockley's was founded in 1918 in Accrington, Lancashire and has managed to navigate tastes, trends, the second world war, the demise of Woolworths and, more recently, a number of different owners. But how far and fast should you go to open up new channels in a £6bn market dominated by multinationals?

Listen to this episode to discover:

• The journey from humble premises to 21st century manufacturer
• The channels and formats bringing new customers to Stockley's
• Where and what the biggest opportunities are, and how to prioritise
• Why being a relative minnow might just be their greatest advantage
• What’s the most divisive product in confectionery

Find out more and buy online: https://stockleys-sweets.co.uk

Connect with Andy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-valentine-1752671/

-- Thanks for listening.

Curious Business is here to bring you insights, experiences and ideas to help you think differently about your business and marketing. My name is Stephen Morris and I help start-ups and scale-ups gain clarity, take action and ignite momentum in their marketing and pipeline. Like to know more? Book a discovery call: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/discovery/ Or sign-up to 'The Prompt' my monthly newsletter: https://www.curiousbusiness.co.uk/signup/ If you'd like to talk about how podcasts can build reach, enhance authority and fuel your pipeline, visit: www.curiousbusiness.co.uk.

After eight years as Head of Marketing for Red Bull UK and Europe, Huib van Bockel walked away to build something the industry told him couldn't work - an energy drink made entirely from nature, with 60% less sugar, and no artificial ingredients. Every manufacturer he approached said it wasn't commercially viable, but he found one willing to try. Today, Tenzing is the third-biggest energy drink brand in Tesco, and number one in London universities and climbing, proving that you can take on the "big dogs" of the soft drinks world.

Former Red Bull marketer Hub Van Bockel tells the story of founding Tenzing, the low‑sugar, all natural ingredient energy drink inspired by Himalayan brews and named with the blessing of Tenzing Norgay’s family. The episode covers Huib's idea, starting-up, early business development and pivoting on flavour, building and growing with communities, retail partnerships, winning major listings (including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA) and minority investment by Heineken.

Listen to this episode to find out:

• Why every soft drink from apple juice to Red Bull has 11% sugar — and why Huib refused to follow the formula
• The overlooked advantage small brands have that Coca-Cola and Monster can never replicate, no matter what they spend
• How Tenzing grew by embedding in communities and the next-generation for who believe that "run clubs are the new nightclubs"
• The winning go-to-market approach Huib wishes he'd used far more when starting out

Find out more about Tenzing, buy online: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/

Connect with Huib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huib-van-bockel-8454834/

Books mentioned and recommended in this episode (affiliate links):

Daniel Kahneman ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780141033570

Richard Branson ‘Losing my Virginity’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9780753519554

Phil Knight ‘Show Dog’ https://uk.bookshop.org/a/15792/9781471146725

How much can we influence people with advertising? What’s the best way to understand and model buyer behaviour? How should we set about growing market share?

James Hankins has worked in agency, consultant and client roles, tackling these very questions. In this episode, he challenges marketing myths and woolly thinking, and explains why understanding your market matters more than chasing funnels. The conversation blends practical strategy with behavioural insight to help marketers - and leaders - make better decisions.

I worked at the same media agency as James in the 2000s (Walker Media). Since then, his insights have regularly appeared in the marketing press, at the IPA, and in my LinkedIn feed. He’s a veteran of the UK's major media and advertising groups and, more recently, Global VP Marketing Strategy and Planning for Sage. He’s also the creator of the Share of Search and Hankins Hexagon models.

Listen to this episode to learn:

• Why market dynamics are the gravity upon which strategy and execution must be built
• How Share of Search works and how it gives the rest of us valuable market share data
• Why funnels are misleading and how the Hankins Hexagon is better for marketers looking to influence buyers
• The impact of slowing SaaS growth on businesses like Sage
• How brands, influence and ‘share of model’ will likely play out in the world of ChatGPT

All that, and this episode features the podcast’s first mention of devil worship.

The Hankins Hexagon: https://www.marketingweek.com/forget-funnels-new-model-path-to-purchase/

If you’re a WARC subscriber, the full paper is here: https://www.warc.com/content/paywall/article/warc-exclusive/the-hankins-hexagon-a-new-practical-model-for-the-path-to-purchase/en-gb/137888?

More about Share of Search and how to calculate yours: https://www.myshareofsearch.com

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cp-hankins/

Read James' blog: https://theeqplanner.wordpress.com