From a Pandemic Side Hustle to an International Brand

Some entrepreneurs create products.The best entrepreneurs create brands.When Denise Caranto co-founded KONU during the pandemic, her vision wasn't simply to launch another snack.She wanted to make snacking exciting again.Using everything she learned from her years in corporate brand management, Denise built KONU into a fun, playful snack brand that people genuinely wanted to experience, share, and talk about.That branding mindset—combined with creative storytelling and the power of TikTok—helped transform KONU from a pandemic startup into a fast-growing Filipino brand that's now found in more than 400 stores across the Philippines and has expanded to major supermarkets in Canada, with its reach continuing to grow internationally.The lesson?People may buy your product because they're curious.They become loyal because they believe in your brand.🎙 In this episode of The RJ Ledesma Podcast, Denise shares how she applied the branding principles she learned in the corporate world to build KONU, why creating an experience matters as much as creating a product, and how social media transformed a startup into an internationally growing Filipino brand.Whether you're launching a startup, growing a family business, or building your personal brand, this conversation is packed with practical lessons on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurship.💡 If you're an entrepreneur, founder, or business leader with a story that can educate and inspire others, we'd love to hear from you. Reach out to my team—you might just be our next guest on The RJ Ledesma Podcast.For any collaboration, brand partnership, and campaign run inquiries, e-mail us at [email protected].#TheRJLedesmaPodcast #TheRJLedesmaExperience #Entrepreneurship #Branding #Marketing #KONU #BusinessGrowth #Startup Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.