20 MILLION PACKS SOLD | Success & failure with Mike Stevens, Co-Founder & ex-CEO of Peppersmith

Mike Stevens is the exited founder of Peppersmith, the confectionery brand you'll  recognise on supermarket shelves, in coffee shops and in health food stores. Responsible for a total of over 20 MILLION of packs sold worldwide, Mike led the company from its inception to a successful exit, achieving over £4M in annual retail sales from the likes of Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Whole Foods... Mike is also the bestselling author of The Direct-to-Consumer Playbook and now advises challenger brands looking to scale.In this episode, you'll hear about:🌿 The genesis of Peppersmith at Innocent HQ, Fruit Towers🌿 Selecting a Co-Founder, the key traits to look for, and transitioning away from co-founding team to solo founder-led scale-up🌿 The importance of product development, solving a real customer need, and building a business around a high-frequency purchase rate🌿 Practical realities of finances (paying a team while scaling) and privilege in entrepreneurship🌿 The Peppersmith exit journey and steadying the ship during the biggest turmoil the brand experiencedPLUS: 👉 Most common missteps for early-stage founders👉 Perspective on the investment landscape for consumer brands👉 From a successful exit to winding down a failed businessBuilding a D2C brand? Purchase Mike Stevens bestselling book, 'The Direct to Consumer Playbook' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1398605425/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk-Want more?Follow Steph:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!