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  • From Eswatini to the World | Building a Challenger Food Brand with Purpose

    From Eswatini to the World | Building a Challenger Food Brand with Purpose
    2026/07/31
    What do you do when events beyond your control hit sales in your biggest growth market? How should you react when a branding expert tells you yours looks 'safe'? Why would you launch a chilli brand in countries where, apparently, nobody eats chilli? Claudia Castellanos is the founder of Black Mamba Foods. Originally from Colombia, she worked in Italy, then spent 4 months volunteering in Eswatini and never went home. Find out how she's scaling up a global hot sauce challenger brand from one of the smallest countries on Earth. Claudia didn't set out to build a hot sauce brand. A Colombian marketer working in corporate Italy, she went to Eswatini — one of the smallest countries on Earth — for a four-month volunteering stint. Sixteen years later she's still there, running Black Mamba: a purpose-driven range of hot condiments made with organically grown chilli, packed in glass, produced by a workforce that's 94% women, and sold across South Africa, the UK and — the market that surprised everyone — the UAE. Then, at a trade show, a buyer she desperately wanted to convert asked, "Would you be willing to make your brand look more African?" And then a passing brand expert summed up ten years of work in three words: "It looks safe." This is a refreshingly honest conversation about what those two gut-punches set in motion — and about the commercial reality underneath a feel-good brand story. Claudia is candid about how the criticism landed and answers the question that makes many scaling founders uncomfortable (do you make a profit? She also admits that she "sucks at operations". Listen to the episode to discover: The Gross Margin rule that brutally decides whether a new product even launchesWhy a buyer telling her to "look more African" was the best bad feedback she ever got — and why she still refuses to put an elephant or a sunset on the labelUnderstanding Black Mamba's customers — chilli heads, ethical foodies and African AdmirersWhy sustainability isn't what sells the sauce (and the thing that actually does)What happened to sales in her fastest-growing market when the US-Iran war broke out — and how she respondedThe founder's-sanity mantra she repeats when it all gets too much Chapters: 01:31 — From corporate Italy to Eswatini: the four months that became sixteen years02:59 — Why chilli was an economic decision before it was a product one05:37 — Scaling: VC money, and choosing to go deep instead of wide08:11 — The UAE, the war, and a 45% overnight drop10:15 — "It looks safe": the rebrand, and African-ness without the clichés14:33 — The Good Food Manifesto, and why flavour beats purpose at the till17:46 — Three avatars, one jar: segmenting the message not the product23:41 — "Do you make a profit?" and the 40% pricing rule27:41 — Building a team where the talent doesn't exist, and "I suck at operations"31:00 — Staying sane: optimism, breathing, and open heart surgery33:11 — Quick-fire questions, Fridays and productivity hacks39:36 — Books, flow states and the founders she actually trusts Links and Resources: Online shop and stockists: https://blackmambachilli.com/Connect with Claudia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiacastellanos/ Recommended Reading: Traction by Gino WickmanThinking Bigger by Sarah Dusek -- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too. If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    42 分
  • Why Selfridges Said Yes | Megan Tan on Supermarket Listings & Retail Strategy

    Why Selfridges Said Yes | Megan Tan on Supermarket Listings & Retail Strategy
    2026/06/26
    Singapore has one of the world's great food cultures. But walk into almost any British supermarket, and you'll find Thai, Japanese, Indian, Korean and almost nothing from Singapore. Megan Tan noticed that gap when she moved to London. Leaving her career in corporate law, she started running supper clubs from her flat. Then she launched her first product - a ginger chilli sauce inspired by Hainanese Chicken Rice - in March 2025. Within two months, Yumm Singa was listed in Selfridges. The road there wasn't so straightforward. She had a brand name she loved, a trademark already registered, but received a legal notice from one of Hollywood's biggest studios. What she did next says everything about how she thinks and how she's building Yumm Singa. In this conversation with Karen Green, Megan talks about the commercial logic behind every decision she's made, why she spent December 2025 zombie-walking through supermarkets mumbling brand names, and why she treats every failed sales conversation as a diagnostic question rather than a rejection. It's a conversation packed with ideas, insight and honesty. Why you need to listen to this: Megan won a Selfridges listing two months after launch with a brand she now calls "cringe." The buyer saw the gap, not the packaging. There's a lesson in that for every founder.She explains why she chose sauces over ready meals. It has nothing to do with passion and everything to do with capital, logistics, and giving herself a chance.After spending months trying to define her customer, she was stuck. Find out the shift in thinking that made everything click.Warner Brothers sent her a legal notice over her planned brand name. How she responded is one of the best founder resilience stories you'll hear - and it's not what you think.Her prioritisation framework is genuinely useful: four categories, in order, that turn a chaotic to-do list into a productive working day. Links: Buy Yumm Singa and find stockists: https://www.yummsinga.com/ Connect with Megan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-tan-761b73129/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yummsinga/ On TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yummsinga References, books and podcasts mentioned: Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz. The negotiation masterclass for founders https://www.blackswanltd.com/never-split-the-difference The Aspire podcast by Emma Grede - Megan's current favourite business listen https://www.emmagrede.me/ Bread & Jam, the founders festival, where Megan pitched and won her Selfridges listing https://www.breadandjamfest.com/ Chapters: 0:01:00 - The Yumm Singa elevator pitch — market opportunity and mission 0:03:32 - What is Singaporean cuisine? 0:06:13 - Is it spicy? Singaporean flavour versus Sichuan heat 0:07:56 - From Homey Kitchen to Yumm Singa 0:09:59 - The meaning behind the name 0:11:48 - Warner Brothers sent a legal notice - and what happened next 0:19:25 - Connoisseurs or the broad market? The hawker centre philosophy 0:22:06 - Psychographics over demographics - Ozzy and King Charles 0:25:13 - The commercials - pricing, co-manufacturing, format choice 0:27:41 - Getting the Selfridges listing - and keeping the rate of sale up 0:31:08 - Growth strategy - independents now, supermarkets next 0:33:02 - How to prioritise when everything feels urgent 0:34:51 - The hardest thing in the next 30 days 0:38:46 - Productivity tools and the one distraction she'd remove 0:40:32 - Books and podcasts — Never Split the Difference 0:41:49 - Where to find Yum Singa -- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too. If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    43 分
  • You Can't Be What You Can't See | Female Entrepreneurs & Challenger Brands

    You Can't Be What You Can't See | Female Entrepreneurs & Challenger Brands
    2026/05/29

    Why are so few of the FTSE 100 led by women? If you asked a young person on the street to name a famous businesswoman, would they struggle? And if you're building a food business without a financial safety net behind you, would you expect to receive investment — not because you've been turned down, but because somewhere along the way you absorbed the idea that it simply wasn't an option for someone like you. Mex Ibrahim has spent years trying to change all that — and she's blunt about why it's still so hard.

    Mex is co-founder of Women in the Food Industry, a UK-based non-profit community connecting women across all food verticals — from hospitality to farming, from food production to writing. She shares what she thinks is holding women back in food, explains why the funding gap for female founders isn't improving, why 'bootstrapping' is often something of a myth, as well as how and why women approach building food businesses differently.

    Listen to the interview to find out:

    • What Women in the Food Industry does and why it spans all food roles and verticals
    • The 'bootstrapping' myth
    • The gap that disproportionately affects women - but nobody ever talks about
    • How women and men approach food entrepreneurship differently
    • The class-coded psychology of asking for investment
    Links, Resources and Book Recommendations
    • Women in the Food Industry: https://womeninthefoodindustry.com/
    • Connect with Mex on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meccaibrahim/
    • The Quiet Burn by Lynne Blade: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quiet-Burn-Ambitious-Recognizing-Preventing/dp/1639081305/
    • The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tipping-Point-Little-Things-Difference/dp/0349113467/
    • F*** Being Humble by Stephanie Sword Williams: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Humble-self-promotion-isnt-dirty/dp/1787135136/
    Chapters

    0:01:06 — What is Women in the Food Industry?

    0:03:01 — Why span all food verticals?

    0:05:16 — Evolution & geographic expansion

    0:07:03 — "You can't be what you can't see"

    0:10:22 — Class, privilege & the bootstrapping myth

    0:14:32 — How women approach food business differently

    0:19:08 — Where female founders trip up

    0:21:43 — The funding gap

    0:24:08 — The other gap nobody talks about

    0:26:33 — 3–5 year vision for Women in the Food Industry

    0:30:38 — Productivity & AI tools

    0:33:29 — Book recommendations

    --

    Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now.

    If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too.

    If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    37 分
  • Building a Category Leader | Supermarket Strategy with Ramona Hazan

    Building a Category Leader | Supermarket Strategy with Ramona Hazan
    2026/04/24

    Ramona Hazan built the UK's #1 hummus brand (Ramona's) from a one-bedroom flat full of chickpeas to the chillers in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Waitrose. In this episode, she reveals the exact supermarket listings strategy and retail negotiations that got her there - plus the brand pivot no one saw coming. If you're a founder chasing major retail, this is the playbook you need.

    In this conversation, Ramona talks about what that journey actually looked like: from a one-bedroom flat full of chickpeas to mainstream retail, via a brand name she had to abandon for a reason no one could have foreseen.

    We get into investment and why she's sceptical of large seed rounds before revenue, and what building a resilient business actually means in practice. She talks about quality as the only true non-negotiable and shares the factory-floor story that proved her approach had worked. How she defines a successful week might quietly change how you think about your own.

    If you're building a food business, this is essential listening:

    • Why 21 years without a ‘hockey-stick moment’ is actually good business
    • The most dangerous thing a founder can do when it comes to investment
    • How Ramona branded her way through the "wall of beige" in the chilled aisle
    • Why getting into Tesco doesn't mean your sales will take off - yet
    • How and why she measures the "love" coming from customers

    Links

    Find out more about the Ramona’s range: https://ramonaskitchen.coma

    Connect with Ramona on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramona-hazan/

    Chapters

    01:52 - How a brand breaks through in an own-label category

    03:07 - When a global movement destroys your brand name

    04:14 - 17 years of no - and the break that finally came

    05:52 - From falafel balls to a 9kg blender: the operational journey

    07:52 - Why the packaging is that bright

    08:41 - Investment, the cockroach principle, and why millions can be a trap

    13:28 - What gets Ramona out of bed now

    15:13 - Stretching the brand

    18:49 - Is being in love with your business dangerous?

    20:51 - Redefining a good week

    24:29 - The one thing she repeats until they want to kill her

    25:29 - Putting extra love in

    26:31 - The email address on every pot

    29:01 - Work-life balance and why she's stopped worrying about it

    31:46 - Eat the frog

    34:17 - Quick-fire questions

    --

    Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now.

    If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too.

    If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    37 分
  • She Couldn't Buy It, So She Built It: Borough Broth's Ros Heathcote

    She Couldn't Buy It, So She Built It: Borough Broth's Ros Heathcote
    2026/03/13
    Ros Heathcote founded Borough Broth in 2015 with no food industry background, no manufacturing experience and no contacts - just a gut health problem, a systems-thinking brain, and a butcher who was paying to throw his bones away. Within a year, she had a Selfridges listing. Today Borough Broth is stocked in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Abel & Cole and more, and has just completed a raise with Piper Private Equity. This is a candid conversation about what a decade of slow, deliberate building actually looks like, including the moment when it didn't go to plan and Ros felt like "jumping off a building". Listen to find out: Why Ros founded Borough Broth despite having no food industry experience, but with key skills and strengths.How her journey began as part of a personal health regimen and how it became a business.The transition and challenges of scaling from small, shared kitchen to a larger industrial environment.The importance of staying on top of financials and building investor relationships.How she runs Borough Broth, the transition to an SLT and the demands on a founder as the business grows up. Chapters: 01:34 — Origin story: gut health, a dismissive GP, and butcher's waste bins 05:12 — From IT consultant to food founder 06:44 — Early growth: organic beginnings, Selfridges in year one 09:15 — How the Ocado relationship started 12:20 — Raising with Piper Private Equity: how it actually happened 14:31 — Is broth a one-trick pony? The frozen cube launch 19:04 — From solo founder to SLTs, and how Ros structures her week 21:48 — Goal setting, board meetings and KPIs post-raise 23:20 — The EOS model: Visionary vs Integrator 30:22 — Burnout, Long Covid, and the retailer crisis that risked everything 33:10 — Asana, founder podcasts, and how LinkedIn misleads 35:46 — Quickfire questions Links and Resources Connect with Ros on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosheathcote/ Find out more about Borough Broth, find stockists and buy online: https://boroughbroth.co.uk/ New Frozen Beef Bone Broth Cubes available on Ocado: https://www.ocado.com/products/borough-broth-organic-frozen-beef-bone-broth-cubes/683981011 Register for IFE, March 30-April 1, where Ros and Karen will be speaking: https://www.ife.co.uk/ -- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too. If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    38 分
  • From Red Bull to Natural Energy Rebel: Huib van Bockel on Building Tenzing

    From Red Bull to Natural Energy Rebel: Huib van Bockel on Building Tenzing
    2026/01/30

    Huib van Bockel spent eight years as head of marketing for Red Bull UK and Europe before leaving to launch Tenzing, a natural energy drink inspired by what Sherpas drink when climbing Everest. Now approaching its 10th anniversary, Tenzing is the fastest-growing energy drink in the UK, stocked in all major supermarkets, and recently received investment from Heineken.

    In this episode, Huib shares the origin story - including tracking down Sherpa Tenzing's family to get their blessing - and the product formulation and innovations that defied industry norms. He's disarmingly honest about the emotional reality of competing against giants: the constant underlying terror, periods of near-depression, and why founders have to project confidence while feeling anything but.

    Listen to the episode to discover:

    • Why he left Red Bull and how long it really took him to make the leap
    • The hidden rule that keeps every soft drink at exactly 11 grams of sugar - and how breaking it became Tenzing's biggest competitive advantage
    • Why Huib was happier at Red Bull but more fulfilled running his own business
    • The surfing lesson that became his philosophy for building the business
    • The shark attack problem: what founders should really be worrying about
    • Why Huib will be more worried than excited when the time comes to exit

    Chapters

    00:01:13 - The Red Bull years: From bad energy to good energy

    00:03:44 - Why Tenzing?

    00:05:03 - Natural caffeine - spin or science?

    00:09:52 - Biggest risk, biggest asset

    00:10:27 - The retail journey and Heineken's investment

    00:15:16 - What does success look like?

    00:17:49 - A founder's Monday morning

    00:21:59 - Surfing, skiing, and staying sane

    00:24:33 - "That wave's not going to catch you"

    00:27:43 - Your own worst critic

    00:31:41 - Seven Summits

    00:34:21 - Most Everest deaths happen on the way down

    Links and Resources

    • Find out more and buy online at: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/
    • Find out where Tenzing is stocked: https://tenzingnaturalenergy.com/pages/stockists
    • Connect with Huib on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/huib-van-bockel-8454834/

    --

    Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now.

    If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too.

    If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    39 分
  • Profitable Pivots: How Ella Rauen-Prestes Built Fitbakes' FMCG Success

    Profitable Pivots: How Ella Rauen-Prestes Built Fitbakes' FMCG Success
    2026/01/28
    What made Ella Rauen-Prestes walk away from supermarket listings most founders dream of? Discover how the Fitbakes founder turned strategic pivots into challenger brand growth, moving from cakes to bars to bread. In this food entrepreneur interview, learn how successful FMCG founders prioritise profitable growth over scale and navigate product-market fit with real-world insights. Karen Green explores the leadership decisions that built a thriving food business in the UK's super-competitive health-conscious market. FitBakes is the UK-based brand that makes low-carb, high-protein bakes with real ingredients. Originally from Brazil, where healthier baking is second nature, Ella spent over 20 years in the corporate world before friends encouraged her to turn her baking into a business. Her story matters to food founders and leaders looking to exit because she represents a different playbook: deliberately choosing profitability over growth to achieve her goals. In an industry littered with brands that scaled fast and burned out even quicker, Ella's approach - procedures, ruthless discipline, and following the market rather than fighting it - offers a way to find sustainable success. Listen to the podcast to discover:
    • The exact revenue milestones that marked the business’s real progress
    • How Ella and her husband Lucien divide responsibilities to run a business together without destroying their marriage
    • The secret customer service weapon that turns furious customers into loyal advocates
    • What Ozempic and Mounjaro mean for the future of food brands like Fitbakes
    • The specific turnover targets she's working toward for an exit
    • Her honest take on navigating perimenopause while starting and running a business
    Find FitBakes:
    • Buy online at fitbakes.co.uk
    • Also stocked at Amazon, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, and a range of independent stores
    Connect with Ella: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprestes/ Ella's podcast recommendations: The Economist podcasts https://www.economist.com/podcasts Harvard Business Review IdeaCast: https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-ideacast How I Built This: https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/

    --

    Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now.

    If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too.

    If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    32 分
  • How ByRuby Won Over Charlie Bigham

    How ByRuby Won Over Charlie Bigham
    2025/11/21

    Milly Bagot co-founded ByRuby with a mission to create premium frozen meals that taste like "one of your really good friends - who happens to be a great cook - has filled your freezer for you." What started as a side project at Finn's deli in Chelsea transformed into a standalone business that grew fast and caught the attention of Charlie Bigham.

    In this conversation, Milly shares the story of that accelerated their growth, the challenges of balancing profitability and growth, what it's like being part of a much larger organisation now and how By Ruby has helped change the perception of frozen food. She's refreshingly honest about the challenges in retail, the drivers of that early growth, and why she refuses to compromise on quality even when costs are rising.

    Listen to discover:

    • The journey that took Ruby from Finn's deli to the Charlie Bigham family
    • All about the ideas and experiences that sparked the ByRuby concept
    • How to 5x your rate of sale in the supermarket
    • What her non-negotiables are even in a challenging market
    • How she runs her week and plans for success while 'staying sane'
    • Where she has her best ideas and makes time for growth

    Where to Find ByRuby:

    • Buy online at https://byruby.co.uk/
    • Also available on Ocado and in independent shops across the UK
    • Follow on Instagram for freezer hacks and foodie inspiration at https://www.instagram.com/byrubyfoods/

    Connect with Milly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-bagot-83a22517a/

    --

    Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to fridayaccelerator.scoreapp.com now.

    If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - https://pod.link/1849435884 - and why not leave a review too.

    If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book a discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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    33 分