The Unlock with Oliver Bruce

Annabel Makin-Jones is a third generation Yorkshire farmer and Founder of Tame & Wild Drinks. Starting out at a young age helping out on her family farm, Annabel then went to Harper Adams to study Agri-Food Marketing with Business Studies, before returning to the farm to start growing strawberries and launch Annabel’s Deliciously British. 
After getting her strawberries stocked in several high-end retailers, Annabel realised that it was time to ‘diversify or die’ and began branching out into different products like jams, daffodils and gin. Then, in 2020, Annabel launched Tame & Wild, a range of sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks using strawberries grown on her own farm.
In this episode of Success Is In The Mind, Oliver Bruce asks, how do you successfully diversify your business, how to balance raising children and running a farm, and how to never take no for an answer when trying to get your products into the market.

Exclusive Content –
How to get into bed with Ocado: https://bit.ly/3ufJK3A

Diversify or die: https://bit.ly/3oglUB5

Stretching the truth: https://bit.ly/3KZwciI

How to pitch to a food buyer: https://bit.ly/3rkA4Dk

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Freddy Ward is the Co-Founder of Wild Cosmetics, a direct-to-consumer subscription based deodorant company, with a heavy focus on using natural ingredients and cutting down on plastic waste with refillable deodorants. 
Starting out as the fifth ever employee at Hello Fresh in 2012, Freddy worked his way up to Marketing Director before deciding to start his own company, Wild, with a lifelong friend. Wild now has a loyal following of over 100,000 customers, after selling over 300,000 deodorants in their first 18 months.
In this episode of Success Is In The Mind, Oliver asks, what are the pros and cons of crowdfunding your brand, how much does dyslexia affect a career in business, and what is the experience of building a brand with a close friend?

Exclusive Content –
The positives of dyslexia https://bit.ly/3tRZ8mK

Customers in the London Underground https://bit.ly/3rQ58tn

 "If you're going to start a business..." https://bit.ly/3tYIh1I

 Difficult being a good dad and CEO (link) https://bit.ly/3KAYf85

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

 Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Trigger warning: this weeks episode contains references to suicide.

William Chase is a serial entrepreneur with over 40 years of experience running businesses. After a string of bad luck which resulted in him declaring bankruptcy and almost losing his family farm, William turned it all around when he began using rejected potatoes to create the hugely successful Tyrrells Crisps. 
In the following years, Tyrrells turned over millions of pounds and after selling the company to Langholm Capital for £30 million, William didn’t stop there, investing the money into a huge distillery which now produces Chase Gin and Chase Vodka.Even that was not enough for William Chase, who after recently selling Chase Distillery, is now already on to his next venture, Willy’s Apple Cider Vinegar.
In this episode of Success Is In The Mind, Oliver Bruce asks how to navigate the treacherous world of getting your product stocked in supermarkets, and how to keep pushing for success even in the face of complete failure.

“Don’t let the corporate in” https://bit.ly/3Ac9lLV

“Dealing with mental health problems” https://bit.ly/3FDXqYu

“I’ll never be happy wherever i am” https://bit.ly/3nCN9pc

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

 Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Josh White, Co-founder of CanO Water, launched the brand after returning from a holiday in Thailand where they had been inspired to drive change after seeing the dire state of plastic bottles lining the beach and what started out as an eye-opening trip abroad became a mission to reduce single use plastic.
Since launching in 2015, CanO Water has sold over 15 million cans in the UK and Ireland. Propelled by increasing consumer demand for more sustainable alternatives to plastic bottled water, CanO Water has built a national presence across multiple channels in the UK and Ireland, continuing its growth in new territories as the plastic problem becomes more globally recognised. 
Cut to 2022 and the brand is experiencing another exciting chapter with a seven-figure investment secured to drive the brand’s already exponential growth & a new Non-Exec Chairman, the former European President at Heineken.
In this podcast Oliver Bruce asks, how do you launch a brand when people don’t believe in it for the first three years and how to trust your vision and remain tenacious in the pursuit of success?

Exclusive Content –
“no one wants to be the first or last” https://bit.ly/31VpkBq

“failure is so important” https://bit.ly/3zQ40cO

 your water tastes a bit weird https://bit.ly/3qig3MU

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

 Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Entrepreneur Ellie Webb spotted a gap in the market when asked to be the designated driver. Ellie realised that there were no exciting alcohol-free options available at the venue, this got her thinking. Wanting a beverage with a little more punch, no alcohol but still grown-up, Caleño was born!
As a solo female entrepreneur Ellie has come up against the ‘funding’ glass ceiling, a number of times but through research and hard work Ellie in just a few short months has managed to raise over £1 million to launch her business. 
Ellie’s first order of 1,000 bottles didn’t quite go to plan, when they turned up just before Christmas with bubbles in the label it took Ellie and her sister most of the festive week to print out and hand stick them all! That’s commitment! 
From giving out bottles at festivals to being stocked in Sainsbury’s, Caleño is now stocked in supermarkets nationwide.
In this podcast Oliver Bruce asks, how do you develop a successful alcohol-free brand? What are the challenges of launching a business as a solo female and how do you raise funding when people keep saying no!  
Exclusive Content –
Women entrepreneurs get less funding  - https://bit.ly/3HwBjEu

Nobody teaches you how to launch a brand  - https://bit.ly/3sWYG62

Launching a brand is hard on your own  - https://bit.ly/3JL0iWL

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/32eboTi

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance https://www.capsulecover.com/ 

After weathering the storm that was the rural crisis of the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001, the pandemic was no problem for Corry Taylor. 
The founder, CEO and MD of outdoor clothing re-seller, Bradshaw Taylor, oversees 9 iconic outdoor clothing brands including Schoffel, Le Chameu, Keen and Sherpa.
In this podcast Corry joins Oliver to discuss how his board helps him keep his feet on the ground and how and why he doubled down on Shoffel’s digital presence to stay ahead during the pandemic.
From losses to acquisition, crisis to stability, Oliver asks, how does one weather a storm successfully or acquire a business, and can you really learn entrepreneurism? 
Exclusive Content –
Business is always risky - https://bit.ly/3yR9lQJ

The iconic gilet inception - https://bit.ly/3qlnNg7

We doubled down and went for it - https://bit.ly/3H446jv

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3pi2z3g

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Son of Mark Constantine founder of Lush, Simon Constantine stepped into the world of fragrance and entrepreneurialism launching ånd fragrance months before the pandemic. 
In this Christmas episode, Oliver Bruce asks the big question; what even is Frankincense?!
Going from one of the world’s favourite cosmetic brands to launching his own start-up, Simon Constantine brings a unique approach to his perfumery, ånd fragrance, by focusing on grassroots projects, stemming from his role as Head of Ethical Buying at Lush.
Growing up with entrepreneurial parents who eventually built a billion pound brand, how did this impact Simons’ entrepreneurial flair, appetite for risk and life ambitions? 
Simon is a man on a mission to help indigenous communities to preserve their endangered ecosystems by sustainably sourcing raw materials.
Exclusive Content –
What is Frankincense? - https://bit.ly/3EkQFdc
I saw Lush grow from nothing - https://bit.ly/3edqt9V

How hard is it to fill a bottle? - https://bit.ly/3qiLzcs

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3J7meLh

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

After burning out and quitting his job due to the poor selection of employee benefits when he needed support with his mental health, Ally Fekaiki founded Juno, the company reimagining how we access support from our employers. 
Conscious of the seemingly accepted notion that stress, and burnout are an endemic of work, Ally set out to improve employees’ lives inside and outside of work. Replacing forced company lunches and team building torture with personalised benefits that suit the needs of individual employees has proved extremely successful so far as the wellness tech platform have experienced exponential growth with revenues up 600% during the pandemic.
Believing that when advice is non-contextual it can’t add the same value, Ally shares his thoughts on doing business differently, creating a modernised working culture.
Looking after mental health isn’t a “perk”, and prioritising employees’ wellbeing is on the rise... with the help of Juno.
Exclusive Content –
Supporting mental health isn’t a perk - https://bit.ly/3dNdPyc

Sacking people isn’t always the answer - https://bit.ly/3GvE0Wu

Offices aren’t collaborative - https://bit.ly/31ZScb5

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3s51HAS

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance

Earlier in 2021 the co-founders of Thursday (the dating app) boldly announced to LinkedIn that over the next 12 months they would take their start-up from a valuation of £0 to some £50m; brave to say the least. Where do you even start? 
What started as a dating app called HoneyPot, founded in an Officers’ Mess whilst Matt was serving in the British Army, is now undergoing a Series A fund for £20m (Dec 2021) - the two schoolmates (co-founders) George and Matthew have seen over 250,000 downloads in just 9 months.
This Thursday (a unique day for us to release a podcast) Oliver Bruce chats to co-founder Matt McNeill Love about the ‘pointless pints’ behind the company’s infamous guerrilla marketing techniques and how they built a brand on just £500! Why did they rename their app ‘Thursday’ and why focus solely on 1 day of the week and not the remaining 6? 
It’s not all cardboard signs, pink balloons and reactive marketing in London, in fact most of what the team at Thursday do is incredibly proactive. From ensuring people get home safe on the night tube via push notifications to hosting parties for singletons in venues throughout the city, Thursday are 100% on the ‘ones to watch’ list…!
Enjoy. 
Exclusive Content –
How to fuel guerrilla marketing - https://bit.ly/31BgKaj

Top 10 apps in the App Store - https://bit.ly/3y0Hc9m

How to get the best when developing tech - https://bit.ly/3DBpt9M

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3lDwH76

Sponsor - Capsule Insurance - https://bit.ly/3oroa96

How do you build what is fast becoming the nation's favourite nut butter brand? With a creative mind, dyslexia but no clear career plan, founder Pip Murray launched her business off the back of a Government Startup grant. With a love for marathons, nut butter and health, the three go hand in hand and Pip & Nut was born! 
Founder of Pip & Nut launched her nut butters into the relatively untouched market in the UK. Wanting to introduce people to her healthy, protein filled product was one of her first challenges. This, followed by a lack of commercial knowhow, cash flow problems, and years of hard graft didn’t sway Pip from growing what is fast becoming the nations favorite nut butter brand.  
Even though the start-up life isn’t glamorous, Pip & Nut has recently been going from strength to strength, with new investors, advisors, supporters and team members Pip & Nut has seen significant growth over the past 18 months!
With the CEO of Vita Coco, Giles Brook, on her board, Pip has built Pip & Nut to an authentic, B Corp Certified consumer brand that is still scaling. Pick up a jar of nut butter and see how it’s done better.
Exclusive Content –
Dyslexia helped me! - https://bit.ly/3G5yGsN

Getting over imposter syndrome - https://bit.ly/3d1rEbI

Business is a marathon - https://bit.ly/3d0PUuz

For more exclusive content visit Oliver's YouTube - https://bit.ly/3d4JhHS