EP39: 20 MILLION PACKS SOLD | Success & failure with Mike Stevens, Co-Founder & ex-CEO of Peppersmith

Strategy & Tragedy: CEO Stories with Steph Melodia

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 experienced
PLUS:
👉 Most common missteps for early-stage founders
👉 Perspective on the investment landscape for consumer brands
👉 From a successful exit to winding down a failed business
Building 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
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