Avsnitt
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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 verticalsThe 'bootstrapping' mythThe gap that disproportionately affects women - but nobody ever talks about How women and men approach food entrepreneurship differentlyThe class-coded psychology of asking for investmentLinks, Resources and Book RecommendationsWomen 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/Chapters0:01:06 — 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
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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Ramona Hazan is the founder of Ramona’s, the UK's number one hummus brand. Stocked in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose and more, how did she do it?
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 businessThe most dangerous thing a founder can do when it comes to investmentHow Ramona branded her way through the "wall of beige" in the chilled aisleWhy getting into Tesco doesn't mean your sales will take off - yetHow and why she measures the "love" coming from customersLinks
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
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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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/
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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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 leapThe hidden rule that keeps every soft drink at exactly 11 grams of sugar - and how breaking it became Tenzing's biggest competitive advantageWhy Huib was happier at Red Bull but more fulfilled running his own businessThe surfing lesson that became his philosophy for building the businessThe shark attack problem: what founders should really be worrying aboutWhy Huib will be more worried than excited when the time comes to exitChapters
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/stockistsConnect 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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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What made Ella Rauen-Prestes walk away from supermarket listings that most founders would kill for? Why has Fitbakes pivoted from cakes to bars to bread? And how does the Fitbakes founder manage herself and her company towards their goals? 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 progressHow Ella and her husband Lucien divide responsibilities to run a business together without destroying their marriageThe secret customer service weapon that turns furious customers into loyal advocatesWhat Ozempic and Mounjaro mean for the future of food brands like FitbakesThe specific turnover targets she's working toward for an exitHer honest take on navigating perimenopause while starting and running a businessFind FitBakes:Buy online at fitbakes.co.ukAlso stocked at Amazon, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, and a range of independent storesConnect with Ella:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprestes/ Ella's podcast recommendations: The Economist podcastshttps://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/
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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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 familyAll about the ideas and experiences that sparked the ByRuby conceptHow to 5x your rate of sale in the supermarketWhat her non-negotiables are even in a challenging marketHow she runs her week and plans for success while 'staying sane'Where she has her best ideas and makes time for growthWhere to Find ByRuby:
Buy online at https://byruby.co.uk/Also available on Ocado and in independent shops across the UKFollow 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/
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
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Kelly Dowson is the managing director of FIS Group, the innovation and research business on a mission to help reimagine the future of food and drink. Listen to this episode of The Friday Accelerator to hear how this consultancy business went from front room to 40 people inside 15 years.
Kelly shares her experiences, learnings and approaches to the personal and business aspects of that success. Listen to this episode to discover:
How she went from ‘brutal’ sales role to startup to 40 people and £7m turnoverThe challenges of running and scaling a consultancy-led businessKelly’s personality type, setting goals for herself and her teams, and how she stays on targetFIS Group’s approach to risk-taking and the times they’ve got it wrongSome surprising findings from early studies of the impact of GLP-1Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-dowson-7159b53/
Find out more about FIS Group:https://www.fis-group.co.uk/
Further Reading:
Why Should Anyone Be Led By You, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
The Art of Spending Money, Morgan Housel
Buyerology, Karen Green
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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 friday-accelerator.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 - and why not leave a review too.
If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1
