Brand Growth Heroes

I am so thrilled to share this very special LIVE episode with you. I had the absolute joy of sitting down in London with Marisa Poster, co-founder of PerfectTed and Jake Karls, founder of Mid-Day Squares, for an unforgettable conversation about scaling challenger brands, radical transparency, and building community. And yes, I got to TASTE a Mid-Day Square and it's INCREDIBLE.  In fact, I actually ate 3 in a row.

If you haven’t come across Mid-Day Squares yet, they’re the Canadian-born brand redefining healthy afternoon snacking with functional chocolate AND now scaling rapidly across the US. Co-founder Jake Karls last joined me on Brand Growth Heroes in 2023 (scroll back to hear the original episode), and since then, the business has experienced significant growth, expanding from $8M to tens of millions in revenue, with its sights firmly set on reaching $100M.

Because it was PerfectTed who first introduced me to Jake, it felt only right to have Marisa Poster join in the conversation as co-host!

And thanks to Lucky Saint who SO kindly offering us their fab upstairs event room, we gathered 50 friends, founders, and partners for a night of storytelling, snacking, and straight-talking about what it really takes to scale a challenger brand. 

In this episode, we dive into:

• How Mid-Day Squares grew from the kitchen table to producing 150,000 bars a day.
• Why therapy, radical transparency, and “building a business out loud” became part of their DNA.
• The importance of building fans not just customers.
• How PerfectTed is making matcha accessible and creating a whole new category.
• The realities of expanding into the US market (and what’s different from Canada, the UK, and beyond).
• Why team communication and trust are make-or-break for founders.
• How Storytelling fuels challenger brands.
• What happens when new competitors enter a category and how to stay focused.
• The role of product excellence in sustaining growth.
• The highs, lows, trolls, and resilience it takes to keep going.

This is part one of our Mid-Day Squares live series. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did hosting it!

Next week we’ll be sharing the Q&A session, which ran for a whole extra hour and was packed with brilliant audience questions.

And as you’ll hear at the end of this episode, Shani Higgs, Head of Sales at PerfectTed (and their fourth team member after the founders), will be stepping in to co-host with me for part two. You’re going to learn A LOT so stay tuned!

Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it. And if you’re not already, go check out Midday Squares and PerfectTed on Instagram and LinkedIn; their storytelling is world-class.

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires YOU to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review, and maybe share with someone you know will enjoy it?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

Useful links

Midday Squares LinkedIn

Perfect Ted LinkedIn

Midday Squares Facebook

Midday Squares Instagram

Perfect Ted Instagram

Perfect Ted TikTok

Midday Squares

Perfect Ted

Lucky Saint on LinkedIn

Lucky Saint

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Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

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If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

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 Join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

Davina McCall is my daily running/dog-walking buddy (okay, okay... only in my earbuds), SO when I heard that she was promoting Ancient+Brave on her podcast, I just KNEW I had to see if I could get founder Kate Prince onto Brand Growth Heroes to find out just HOW she is scaling this incredible wellness business.

Because a brand that gets (and can afford) someone like Davina on their *team* has got to be doing something right, right?

Founder Kate began her career as a City lawyer, to discovering her creative side working as a lawyer at Endemol (right at the beginning of Big Brother...), through a first founding venture into Tea,  to building one of the UK’s most exciting wellness brands. 

In this honest conversation, Kate shares the harsh realities of scaling fast, why obsession with brand and storytelling matters, and how learning to let go as a leader can become a founder’s greatest strength.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why there’s no silver bullet in scaling AND how Kate got from £1m to £10m by stacking growth in layers.
• Why Kate believes brand is everything AND how design, packaging, and storytelling turned Ancient + Brave from products into a movement.
• The surprising choice to hire nutritionists early and why it paid off for credibility and product leadership.
• How Ancient+Brave raised money but kept it in the bank, a rare approach that gave them confidence and control.
• Why ritual and experience matter as much as product features, and how to make consumers feel something.
• The lessons Kate learned about team, culture, and leadership along the way.

I loved recording this conversation. I’ve already listened back three times, and I’m still learning from it. I know you will too. Enjoy.

Did this episode make you think differently or give you an idea?
 
If so PLEASE SHARE THE LOVE BACK BY taking a few minutes to

1. Hit 🔔 FOLLOW or 🔔 SUBSCRIBE

2. SHARE WITH A FRIEND

3. SHARE ON LINKEDIN

4. LEAVE a review on iTunes

5. Add a comment under the episode on Spotify ⬇️ 

...every new subscriber and comment or question makes my day - leave your name and I'll drop you a message on Linkedin !!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Useful links

Connect with Ancient + Brave LinkedIn

Ancient + Brave website

Ancient + Brave Instagram

Ancient + Brave Facebook

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Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

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If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

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A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

Founder-led doesn’t HAVE to mean being founder-run.

What does it really take to step away from the founder grind and still stay true to your business?

In this 5-minute short, Stu Macdonald, founder of ManiLife Peanut Butter, explains why so many entrepreneurs get stuck doing “an elite job they’ve never been trained for” and how he escaped the stress hole by changing the way he structured his business.

Stu reflects on:

• Why being founder-led doesn’t have to mean being founder-run

  
  

• Why most first senior hires don’t work out and why that’s okay.

  
  

• How the right team can turn chaos into momentum.

Selected and hand-picked by the brilliant team at MKJ Ignite – the FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles – this short is full of practical people insights. Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that thrive.

If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk

Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn

Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on LinkedIn

In case you've JUST discovered Brand Growth Heroes podcast, we're digging into the treasure trove of our most downloaded episodes from our back-catalogue so YOU don't miss A SINGLE BUSINESS INSIGHT!

From slow-burn visionaries to fast-moving disruptors, the show has featured founders of brands like Perfect Ted, Lucky Saint, Seedlip, Wild, Strong Roots, Oddbox, and global challengers like Waterdrop, Mid-Day Squares, Olipop, and Tony’s Chocolonely and many many more…

Next up in this special series, we are re-releasing one of the most loved and downloaded episodes of all time, an interview with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip. 

In this replay, Fiona sits down with Ben Branson, founder of Seedlip, the world’s first distilled non-alcoholic spirit and arguably the original poster child of the No & Low alcohol movement.

Started on a garden table in 2016, Seedlip didn’t just disrupt the drinks industry — it invented a new category. Now sold in 49 countries, with a sales value in the tens of millions, Seedlip has become a global benchmark for what true brand disruption looks like.

In this episode, Ben shares:

• How to build a brand that redefines an entire category

  
  

• Why he chose to partner early with Diageo, and how it changed Seedlip’s trajectory

  
  

• His unconventional approach to culture, team-building, and roles
  
  
• What inspires him creatively from robot chefs to the 47,000+ plant-based ingredients that fuel innovation

This is an episode that founders still rave about and for good reason. It’s full of insights for anyone trying to scale something bold, disruptive, and lasting.

If you do learn some good stuff from this episode (and we hope you do), please, please share it, follow the show, AND leave a quick review. It all helps bring more brilliant founders and insights to you, our Brand Growth Heroes community!

============================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=============================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

We loved chatting to Stu....and you're going to love learning from this GOLD taken from our recent episode: 
What happens when a founder steps back from doing everything and instead builds a team that can take the business further than they ever could alone?

In this 5-minute clip, Stu Macdonald, founder of ManiLife Peanut Butter, shares why building their own factory was a turning point, not just for product quality and innovation, but for company culture.

Stu opens up about:

- Why making their own product was essential for both quality and commercial success.
- The power of trusting great people to lead where he couldn’t.
- The difference between working “insanely hard” versus building a business that hums.
- His raw experience with burnout and the shift that saved both him and the company.

This is a powerful reminder that YOU, the FOUNDERS, perhaps DON'T don’t need to do it all...or at least that you can CHOOSE to work towards a time when you're NOT doing it all. The right team, the right timing, and the right role for you can play to your strengths and drive even stronger growth.

This clip was selected and hand-picked by the brilliant team at MKJ Ignite, the FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles, and is full of practical people insights. Directors Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that THRIVE.

A new 5-minute episode drops every two weeks — so make sure to HIT FOLLOW and don’t miss the next one.

If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk

Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn

Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on LinkedIn

In case you've JUST discovered Brand Growth Heroes podcast, we're digging into the treasure trove of our most downloaded episodes from our back-catalogue so YOU don't miss A SINGLE INSIGHT!

From slow-burn visionaries to fast-moving disruptors, the show has featured founders of brands like Perfect Ted, Lucky Saint, Seedlip, Wild, Strong Roots, Oddbox, and global challengers like Waterdrop, Mid-Day Squares, Olipop, and Tony’s Chocolonely and many many more…

To kick off this special series, we are re-releasing one of the most loved episodes of all time: an interview with Olivia Ferdi, Co-founder of TRIP, which we recorded when TRIP Was just 2 years in to their growth journey, but was already close to £20M in sales.

TRIP is the UK's market-leading CBD drinks company. Since its launch in 2019, UK consumers have spent literally millions of pounds on TRIP's delicious CBD-infused canned drinks, as well as on their dinky little dropper bottles of CBD oils. 

In this episode, Fiona spoke to co-founder Olivia Ferdi about leaving her law career to step into the unknown, about how she and her husband have created a mainstream category out of something that had tremendous barriers to purchase up until now, and we learn how the TRIP team have had to drive demand in the old fashioned way through experience and word of mouth rather than through paid advertising. 

This conversation is PACKED with insights we don't want you to miss. Plus, we'll be doing a new interview with Olivia VERY SOON, so this is a great way to remind you all of where the market was only a few years ago!

If you do learn some good stuff from this episode (and we hope you do), please please share it, follow the show, AND leave a quick review. It all helps bring more brilliant founders and insights to you, our Brand Growth Heroes community!

=========================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=========================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

Bold Bean Co is doing team and culture differently.

In this episode, co-founders Amelia and Ed discuss how the'yre building a high-performing, remote-first team with people working all across the UK and quite a few other countries.

They want their team's motivation to be powered by the business mission, and as this is key it's important to them to allow their team to work their jobs around their lives, rather than the other way around!

What you'll learn:

• Why "trust first" is key for Ed and Amelia and how they lead 
• How a remote working model allows Bold Bean Co to look globally for exceptional talent, rather than only searching in the UK.
• Why 'Culture' isn't something that you start thinking about once you're further on up the growth curve - it's got to be nurtured from the outset!

So, if you're building a team and wondering how to do it well without a traditional office setup, this one's for you.  

This 'BGH Short' is part of our People Series partnership with MKJ Ignite - The FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles. Directors Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that thrive - and as a result, this short episode is PACKED with golden nuggets around people, team and culture. 

A new 5-minute short episode drops every two weeks — so make sure to HIT FOLLOW so you don’t miss the next one.

If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk

Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn

Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn

Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on LinkedIn

This is one of our favourite interviews EVER! In this very special LIVE edition of Brand Growth Heroes, recorded at Bread & Jam Fest 2025, Fiona Fitz sits down in front of a live audience with the absolutely brilliant and hilariously honest Juliet Barratt, co-founder of the category-defining sports nutrition brand, Grenade. Juliet shares the fab story of how she and then-partner Al Barrett took Grenade from the back of a big night out in Birmingham to the shelves of Tesco, WHSmith and petrol stations across the UK, and ultimately to a £200M exit to Mondelez - without ever compromising on what made them different.

If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, PLEASE could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review, AND share it with a fellow founder - it could help them too!

The conversation covers so much - from how branding (and “weirdness!”) can be a superpower, to the moment they realised their “retire-on-a-beach” plan was delusional, to driving a tank into BodyPower Expo (yes, really) to get noticed by GNC. Juliet also opens up about how being “all in” meant no days off for four years, about hiring people who weren’t “knobs,” and about what it really felt like when the money landed in her bank account after the deal closed, and interestingly, why it WASN'T the moment of glory people imagine!

She also shares her views on today's funding-obsessed food and drink ecosystem, and why she believes too many founders are chasing other people’s stories instead of writing their own.

Wait for it...Juliet also shares her (perhaps controversial?!) views on the 'female founder' movement - we'd love to know what you think (if you're listening on Spotify, you can comment below!)

Juliet’s energy is infectious, her insight razor-sharp, and her advice unmissable for any challenger brand founder.

And yes, we talk about the Oreo bar. (Don’t eat five a day. Just… don’t.)

PS: Don’t miss the audience questions at the end. Golden nuggets tsunami!
 
Enjoy.

Useful links:

Connect with Juliet Barratt on LinkedIn

Follow Grenade on LinkedIn

More about Bread & Jam Festival

Follow Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn

Connect with BGH host Fiona Fitz on LinkedIn

============================================================

Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm

=============================================================

If you're a founder, you already know how much of your energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with your consumers.

But don’t forget that scaling a CPG business also comes with a maze of legal complexities that can make or break your business journey. From contracts, term sheets and regulatory compliance to protecting your brand's intellectual property as you expand, it's essential to get it right.

And that starts with the right legal partner.

So we're thrilled to introduce Joelson, a leading commercial law firm that specialises in guiding the founders of scaling CPG brands, as Brand Growth Heroes' sponsor.

With long-term relationships with clients like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze, and Pulsin, Joelson is also famous for advising the innocent founders in their landmark sale to Coca-Cola! As a female team, we are especially impressed by Joelson's commitment to championing female founders in CPG.

Not many law firms are also BCorps, nor do they specialise in helping founders navigate the legal challenges of scaling without stifling the creativity and momentum that got you here in the first place. So thanks, Joelson—we’re delighted to have you on board.

If you'd like to get in touch to find out more, why don't you drop them a line at hello@joelsonlaw.com!

==============================================

A tiny favour: If this episode inspires you to think about new ways to drive business growth, please could you click FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE on your favourite podcast app and leave a review?

This small gesture from you means the world to us, and allows us to share these nuggets of insight and value with you more often.

You won’t want to miss the next episode, in which Fiona Fitz talks with another successful founder of a challenger brand who shares more valuable insights into driving growth.

Please don't hesitate to join our Brand Growth Heroes community to stay updated with captivating stories and learnings from your beloved brands on their path to success!

Follow us on our Brand Growth Heroes socials: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.

From Solo Hustle to Remote Rocketship: How Tonic Health Built a Team to Scale

In this 5-minute power-packed short, handpicked by MKJ Ignite, we hear how Sunna Van Kampen, founder of Tonic Health scaled from a solo founder to a fully-fledged team—all while navigating the chaos of COVID.

Hear how Tonic health built their TEAM and CULTURE:

- Hiring a full leadership team across ops, finance, sales, marketing & growth

- Building a remote-first culture from necessity (and stuck with it)

- Balancing speed with values as the team expanded

- Codifying culture to keep pace with rapid growth

Handpicked by the team at UK CPG recruitment specialist MKJ Ignite, this SHORT 5-minute golden nugget is packed with insight into what it really takes to scale and what you need to survive as a team while doing it.

Don’t forget to hit follow for more bite-sized founder wisdom every 2 weeks.

If you're wondering whether you need help finding the right people or would like some advice, you can book a no-obligation call with Billy from the MKJ Ignite team here!

Connect with Billy Maddock

Connect with Immy Southwell

Connect with Paul Jones