HUNGRY.

Charlie Bigham’s meals ALWAYS put a humungous smile on my face.  I was fizzing with nerves before interviewing Charlie for the HUNGRY. podcast. Our conversation provides a smorgasbord of delicious insights into how to build a juggernaut food and drink brand.  ON TODAY’S MENU 1. WHY SCALING AND EXITING A BUSINESS FAST IS UTTERLY FLOORED AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT2. PLAY THE LONG GAME: 1% BETTER EACH DAY, EACH MONTH, EACH YEAR + TIME = GREAT BUSINESS. 3. OBSESS OVER THE DETAIL - HOW YOU DO ONE THING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING.4. CONSTANTLY LOOK FOR NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. NEGATIVE FEEDBACK + TINKERING = RAPID IMPROVEMENT.5. WHY CULTURE, PEOPLE, AND PRODUCT MUST BE BUILT ON CORE PRINCIPLES6. BE MASOCHISTIC ABOUT THE BAD TIMES: "YOU CAN’T SAY YOU’LL *ONLY* HAVE THE GOOD BITS IN LIFE" Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Are you a Mum working for a challenger food and drink brand? Eyeballs bulging with stress? Juggling Kids, Work, Sanity? The gnawing guilt of checking emails whilst your kids play Lego.  “Mental Jujitsu” sound familiar?   Don’t worry you’re not alone!  My hat goes off to all Mums’ working in Challenger Food & Drink. It’s INTENSE.  That's why I was thrilled to interview Stephanie Drax for the latest episode of HUNGRY. Stephanie is founder of LeapFrog.  LeapFrog is a supplement brand that’s using radical research to prevent colds using Lacotopherin. She's also a full-time Mum to Mylo and Noah. Whilst having a previous career as an actress, a writer for Vanity Fair, Sunday Telegraph and the FT. Our conversation linchpins around “Mental Jujitsu” of balancing kids, work and sanity.   Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

She was looking out the window thinking: “What am I even doing here ?!!”  We’ve all been there.   Stuck.   Stuck in a dead job, watching the Clock of Life slowly whizz by.    How do I escape? Find my passion? Do something I genuinely care about?  These questions ferociously fizzed through Louise Avery’s mind.  Searching.   In 2011, Louise leaves her job.  Travels to the Isle of Mull. Then America. Searching. Searching.   In Vermont, Louise discovers a potion called Kombucha: a spring well of health benefits bubbling with tarty-tangy-taste.  Back in London, she works a crippling schedule to pursue her Kombucha Calling.  Managing a restaurant in Islington, nannying three kids, hand-delivering kombucha to restaurants in Hackney.  Bludgeoning her way through stress, fear, and anxiety.   10 years later, L.A. Brewery just raised over £1,337, 221 on Crowd Cube, they're building their own brewery and have INSANE NPD in the pipeline.  One of my fave pod episodes to date, a Masterclass in Grit.  ON TODAY’S MENU:1. THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF SUCCESSFUL CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS. 2. LET GO OF YOUR EGO. "YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW” - HAVE A BEGINNERS MINDSET DAILY.3. "DREAMS GIVE YOU LIFE”- BE SINGLE-MINDED, DON’T TELL EVERYONE YOUR DREAM. 4. THE CHALLENGES OF MANUFACTURING YOUR PRODUCT IN-HOUSE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.5. WHY FOUNDERS MUST USE RETROSPECTION IN THE PRESENT TO PROPEL THEMSELVES THROUGH CHALLENGES. Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

In 2012, I watched Harlequins win the Premiership Rugby title at Twickenham. Playing second row that day was Olly Kohn.But 5 years preceding that momentous day, Olly got badly injured  To null the tedium his wife gifted him a sausage making kit. In 2007, from a Twickenham flat, The Jolly Hog was born.Next year, along with his brothers, Max and Josh, they started slinging sausages from a food truck at The Stoop. Over 13 years later, with sprinklings of drive, setbacks, resilience, hard work, and high standards. The Purveyors Of Pig have had conglomerate success:- Featured at Glastonbury, Winter Wonderland, Cheltenham Festival- Opened two restaurants: The Pigsty (it’s absolutely BANGING!) and On The Trott. - Secured listings at Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Ocado, ASDA- Have a river of tongue-tantalising NPD in the pipeline ON TODAY'S MENU:1. DITCH YOUR EGO. FOLLOW YOUR GUT - BE BRAVE AND LEARN TO QUIT THINGS QUICKLY IF THEY’RE NOT WORKING  2. HOW VALUES ALIGN BIG CHARACTERS ON BIG GOALS: FUN. HONESTY. QUALITY. 3. ACCEPT, THERE IS NO SHORTCUT  4. YOU DON’T NEED A MASTER PLAN. JUST MASTER YOUR PRODUCT AT FIRST. 5. GET COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Ever devoured a Gourmet Burger Kitchen burger? Or demolished a Crosstown Doughnut?Both are tremendous at every bite and put a smile on my face. That's why I was thrilled to interview @Adam Wills, co-founder of Crosstown Doughnuts and GBK. In 1997, Adam landed in the UK from New Zealand. On this wet little island, he pioneered the Casual Dining movement that we all love. Much like All Blacks rugby, our conversation ducks and weaves and glides deep into Kiwi culture. We surface with Gourmet Learnings from Cross cultures and continents. Implore all UK foodie businesses to go to Town on this episode. You'll come away with double-stacked learnings to implement immediately. ON TODAY’S MENU 1. ALL BLACKS BUSINESS LESSONS: No Dick Heads. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Go again. 2. CREATE YOUR OWN LUCK: Be positive and open-minded to meet the right people to unlock the right doors. 3. HOW TO EFFECTIVELY HANDLE CRISIS: “Never Let a Good Crisis Go To Waste”.  Always lead from the front. “Skin In The Game”.4. HOW TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE A TEAM WITH 100's OF EMPLOYEES: Empathy is a superpower.5. HOW TO WRITE A PITCH DECK TO WIN INVESTMENT: Go above and beyond what's required. Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

How Challenger Food and Drink Brands can scale from £0-£1 million sales - Mark Palmer, co-founder Cawston Press, L.A. Kombucha, ex-Marketing Director Green & Blacks “The SINGLE HARDEST challenge for food and drink brands is going from £0 to £1 million sales”Mark Palmer told me on our first podcast, several months ago.I scribbled down the sentence on my coffee-laden notepad with “Round 2” next to it.A carousel of questions percolated my mind over the past few months. Last week, I was fortunate to interview Mark again, my questions answered, my expectations -MASSIVELY surpassed.  ON TODAY’S MENU: 1. Why Cawston Press ripped up their business model and started again - structural margins fuel growth. 2. Sampling in the early days: Quality of Contact > Quantity of Contact = Deeper Connection3. When you find your “Surprising Success” quadruple down4. Different formats/salespeople for different channels/occasions. 5. The Top "3 Must-Haves" for brands seeking investment from Mark.Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

5 Crucial Lessons From Silicon Valley for Challenger Food and Drink Brands - Chris Dee, ex-CEO Booths, ex-Director of Food, Harrods.Imagine ripping up the Challenger brand playbook? Starting completely from scratch. Well, that’s what happened last week.I interviewed Chris Dee. Chris has a plentitude of retail experience; ex-CEO Booths and Director of Food, Harrods. Now Chris is voraciously slurping up Silicon Valley wisdom to fuel his tech venture: Malt Release Radar. F&B and Silicon Valley is an unlikely marriage. Perhaps not? Palo Alto - Pale Ale - Apple - Apple Juice - TESLA- TESCO.Tilt your head slightly, look at the edges, that's where the juicy knowledge is.  Our conversation changed my FMCG perspective, like Netflix gorging on BlockBuster, downloading a Challenger_F&B_Perspective_2.0ON TODAY’S MENU: 1. A START-UP LOOKS AND FUNCTIONS LIKE A BIG COMPANY AS MUCH AS A BABY FUNCTIONS LIKE AN ADULT  2. START-UP'S ARE AS UNNATURAL AS SKIING - resist your instincts - look for “Surprising Successes”  3. BUILD SOMETHING PEOPLE WANT - Tinker + Tinker = product-market fit. 4. DO THINGS THAT DON’T SCALE - constrain yourself by Geography, Create INSANE case studies. REPEAT. 5. CREATE A CATEGORY OF ONE: Zig when everyone Zags.6. BE A MAKER NOT A MANAGERWant more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

“It was a frightening, exhausting experience – and I wouldn’t wish it onanyone.” Her co-founder tried to kick her out of the business after 2 years of trading,resulting in 14 months of litigation and a 10-day court case.Recording this podcast was INTENSE.My stomach was in knots, sweat gushed down my brow, palms felt like they’d beendunked in Vaseline. When we stopped recording.All worry and concern relinquished, equanimity permeated my body.A feeling clung, a feeling that I could achieve LITERALLY anything.Renée Elliot, founder of Planet Organic is the latest guest on HUNGRY.It’s a bamboozingly good episode - providing a toolkit to persevere throughcolossal challenges.ON TODAY’S MENU: 1. “Trust your gut and believe you can do ANYTHING” 2. Why founders must constantly STOP. CHECK-IN. MAKE BETTER DECISIONS.3. The 6 Spheres of Wellbeing- physical, occupational, psychological,economic, social, and spiritual.4. How your role as a founder changes as your business scales - Ditch what youhate. Implement systems. 5. How Spirituality informs Successful Strategy - The marriage of Being andDoing.Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Against all odds, Sherpa Tenzing was one of the first men to climb Everest. Entrepreneurship and Everest are parallels.The climbCamaraderieAnguishPainJoyTriumph It’s what makes the pursuit of the summit so palpably addictive. I was pumped to interview Huib Van Bockel the other week.Our conversation adventured and explored "How Food and Drink founders can summit their own Everest”. Tenzing is icy air, fresh snow, hot sun in a can - it Zings through your body, immediately feeling Ten/Ten. Our conversation like slurping up a Tenzing. I came away charged and excited to keep "chipping away" on my own Everest.ON TODAY’S MENU: 1. What Sherpa Tenzing can teach us about winning listings at Supermarkets2. How Tenzing creates a team that moves mountains a) Remove hierarchy b) Create Coach/ New starter relationships c) Create commitments that install autonomy/accountability. 3. How F&B brands can create BRAND love on a budget: GIVE more than you TAKE. 4. The Reverse Gratitude list: How Huib gets things done whilst filling with gratitude. 5. The best marketing is the strategy you’re BORED OF. 6. Tenzing's Chipping Away Philosophy = Relentless Focus + Repetition.Want more Content?  Follow  on LinkedIn and Instagram 🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)

Slumped on the sofa, scrolling-drooling, eyes bright white like fog lights. My inner glutton screams “FEED ME PAPPI, FEED ME PAPPI”Dish after dish - stupendously delish.A river of scrumptiousness flowing from the screen.Blonde-white creamy carbonaras, zingy-bountiful technicolor salads, down-and-dirty kebabs. J’ADOREEE Mob Kitchen, their content is 50 Shades of Banging.When Ben agreed to the podcast, the goal was to lift the bonnet of the MOB Machine and see how they’ve built a juggernaut that’s stampeded on to the food scene. ON TODAY’S MENU:1. How to push through moments of utter despair and breakdown. Use what you’ve got around you. 2. How to hire the right people and build a great company culture. Be very open with wins and losses with the team. 3. How to build a following of 1.2 million die hard fans. Use your mates/network. 4. Why fear is your friend and propels you forward. It’s actually only 15 seconds of discomfort. 5. Why every idea is a good idea, fall in love with tinkering and failure until you land on gold.6. Why rough and ready is a strength. Screw perfection. Want more? Follow me on LinkedIn for extra content: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/🤝 Let's Connect! ►Let’s link-up here ​ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-pope/) ►Stalk me here ​ (https://www.instagram.com/_hungry.pod/)