The first sales never feel real. Driving around with boxes in the car, pitching to small shops, hoping someone would take a chance on a completely new brand it looked easy from the outside, but every conversation was a test. The biggest lesson? If people genuinely love the product when they try it, that belief becomes your biggest advantage. Sometimes the early hustle is what proves the idea actually works.
Most people never start because they already know the risks, the costs, and everything that could go wrong. But sometimes, not knowing everything is the biggest advantage. From building a premium rum brand during lockdown to figuring out sales, branding, distribution, and growth in real time this episode is a reminder that action beats overthinking. The people who build something different are usually the ones willing to start before they feel fully ready.
Most founders stay busy solving urgent problems. Thatās exactly why they never build long-term growth. Bruce Goddard Watts explains why entrepreneurship slowly pulls you into reacting all day instead of building with intention and how saying yes to the wrong things can take your business completely off track.
Everyone said the easier path was to make something cheap that sells fast. But building a premium product in a market obsessed with low prices is a completely different game. It takes patience, confidence, and the courage to choose quality over shortcuts. In the end, the goal wasnāt just to sell more it was to create something people genuinely feel proud to use.
When two brands collideā¦ @allora_drinks x @saucerer.uk to make the ultimate summer sauce. Perfect topped on only the best @sunnyandlunaeats gnocchi there is.
Hosted at @riseanddine.cafe for the ultimate vibes!
Genuinely a delicious evening full of the coolest people in F&B
Honoured to join!!
Most founders believe one thing: āIf the product is good enough, people will buy it.ā That belief kills businesses.
Bruce explains why great products still fail, why distribution matters more than quality, and why it took them 1.5 years of persistence just to secure their first national wholesaler listing for Sly Dog Rum.
Bringing back the top three things I love each month. Itās been a LONG while since I did one of these but they are back.
The top three things for May are:
1. @wearegoodphats Extra Virgin Olive Oil 10/10
2. @discoversuri toothbrush, genuinely a product I was gifted by my mother for Christmas and love love love it
3. @kloudymatcha a new matcha brand on market with extra functional benefits
#gettingtogrow #gettingtogrowpodcast #fmcg #foodandbeverage
From launching a premium rum brand during lockdown, to spending 1.5 years fighting for their first wholesaler listing, Louise & Bruce break down the brutal reality of building a consumer brand from scratch.
Full episode out now.
Youtube: https://youtu.be/fMP2dKicdpo
Spotify: /episode/0RrZxUXWf7tDEDe8ziJlWj?si=mdZQSXkDR52GU7iVlDHacA
Itās time to guess the best founder.. who am I having on the podcast this week?!
Guess in the comments below!š #gettingtogrow #gettingtogrowpodcast
Most people donāt hate energy drinksā¦ they just donāt trust whatās inside them. The real concern has always been the same artificial ingredients and high sugar. And once that doubt enters the mind, it becomes the biggest barrier to growth. But what if you simply remove those concerns? Sometimes, building a great product isnāt about adding moreā¦ itās about removing what people already fear. Because in the end, people donāt just buy energy they buy trust.
