What Bottom-Up Actually Means: Mark Ward, Founder of Regal Rogue on the Behaviour Between One and Ten | 118

Join The Maffeo Drinks Substack for Episode Analysis!Mark Ward, founder of Regal Rogue, joins for a conversation validating bottom-up principles through 15 years of vermouth brand building. The discussion explores the actual mechanics of turning one account into ten, ten into a hundred, and the behavior that happens in between those numbers.The conversation challenges common misconceptions about bottom-up building: it's not about being small, building slowly, or lacking ambition. It's about the specific actions required to convert relationships, the constant auditing of whether your message connects with buyers, and understanding that past success guarantees nothing about future performance. Through examples spanning Seedlip's category creation, Diageo's Distilled Ventures program, CÎROC's P Diddy turnaround, and Regal Rogue's 15-year journey to simplifying their serves down to three drinks, the discussion reveals how the nuances of brand building remain fundamentally different across environments. What worked in 2011 operates differently in 2026, and expertise from one launch doesn't translate automatically to the next.The conversation establishes that bottom-up isn't a "small brand" strategy. It's the behavior required at any scale when building genuine relationships and advocacy, whether you're at 1,000 nine liters or 1,000,000 nine liters. The critical work involves constant checking that what you think you're saying actually connects with what buyers hear, because the gap between brand intention and market perception determines everything.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Greetings00:40 Discussing Bottom-Up Mentality01:51 Challenges in Building a Brand03:57 Realizations and Reflections05:34 Simplifying the Brand Message08:09 Insights on Craft Brands and Big Brands12:55 Principles of Brand Building22:37 Consistency in Brand Messaging31:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.