In this episode we hear from Tom Mercer, Founder of MOMA Foods. Tom started his company in 2005 from a London railway arch, which remains its HQ to this day, with a mission of ‘making oats more awesome’. 

Disappointed by the lack of convenient and healthy breakfast choices for his morning commute he decided to solve this gap in the market and began selling oats from a makeshift stall in Waterloo station. Today, as one of the fastest-growing young food brands in the UK, MOMA now produces a range of 21 premium products stocked in leading supermarkets. 

Tom shares with us his advice on knowing when is the right time to leave full-time employment to commit 100% to your startup and tips for securing shelf space in UK supermarkets and online retailers. 

Tom’s advice: 

• Test your product to make sure it’s as good as it can possibly be at the outset
• Be objective about your product; just because you are enthusiastic about it does not mean it will necessarily be a commercial success.  So find the balance between objectivity and passion
• If your product is a) good and b) commercially viable, you will succeed in getting retail space
• When running a company, keep good structures in place: daily / weekly / quarterly meetings
• Interacting with colleagues on a daily basis - even via Zoom - is valuable
• Sustainability and inclusivity should be assumed and not be one of your key selling points, unless you're doing something groundbreaking 
• Always look for innovations to inspire you
• Trade shows are a great way to get feedback on your product plus they can reinforce your own belief in it

If you’d like to contact Tom you can reach him via LinkedIn . 

Head over to Speakpipe to leave your voice note for future guests too.

• LastPass the password-keeping site that syncs between devices.
• Google Workspace is brilliant for small businesses
• Buzzsprout podcast 'how to' & hosting directory
• Canva has proved invaluable for creating all the social media assets and audio bites.
• For contracts check out Law Depot.

Recorded, edited & published by Juliet Fallowfield, 2021 founder of PR for startups advisory Fallow, Field & Mason. Edited by Renale Mathurin. MUSIC CREDIT Funk Game Loop by Kevin MacLeod.  Link & Licence

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