The Founders

Joe Gradwell and Alex Brown founded social first marketing agency Campfire after meeting and fostering a healthy rivalry at Social Chain.

In the final episode of the podcast, Alex and Joe are now telling their founding story.

They explain what led them to starting their own competing agency; how they landed on their company values, which includes the ‘no d*ck head’ rule; how they romanticised their business and how that manifested into probation passing fireworks.

To keep up with Alex and Joe’s plans for the future, follow  the team behind The Founders.

Jens Knoop’s passion for hot chocolate led him to found Knoops in 2013 with only one store. Now, with more than 10 stores nationwide and an online range, you can now consider Jens Knoops, as the modern day Willy Wonka. 

Jens explains how while researching as part of his previous job, he stumbled across the ‘little luxuries’ market - which when paired with his nostalgic love of chocolate, led him to starting Knoops.

Knoops battled with the covid pandemic and so Jens shares exactly what he thinks startups should be focusing on in their early days to ensure...

What started out as a holiday became the foundation for a million pound business. Josh White was horrified by the number of plastic bottles covering beaches on a trip abroad and, with his co-founders, began the mission to reduce single use plastic with a fresh and forward-thinking approach. 

Josh describes how they convinced investors that canned water wasn’t too radical, and the turning point with a little help from Sir David Attenborough himself; he also shares the sad impact that founding a company had on his mental health and how it links to their slogan ‘Don’t Bottle...

Ever needed a service that didn’t exist?

Back in 2000, Graham Hobson had just bought a digital camera and was bored of trekking back and forth to Boots with the copious pictures he took of his children… so he founded Photobox: A photo printing service that was the first of its kind and became a category leader in the UK market. 

In this episode, Graham shares with Alex and Joe how he founded a multi-million pound company despite having zero aspirations to run his own business. He also divulges the low points of the first few years...

When you’re starting a business, a question you might try and be answering for years is who you are as a business. So, how do you go about discovering the answer? 

In this episode, Alex and Joe are joined by Trouva’s co-founder and former CEO Alex Loizou. Alex explains how he went from coder to C-Suite; and how Trouva has come to solve a huge problem for small businesses and customers alike.

He also shares his biggest lessons to pass onto entrepreneurs and business owners; and he also shares how he forgets about work by “f...

Ade Hassan had a lightbulb moment so good she couldn’t believe it hadn’t been done before: she had never been able to find a nude bra that matched her skin tone. So, she made it for herself and all the other women of colour who never had it before either. 

In this conversation, Ade tells Alex and Joe about her business idea that consumed her, the incredible yet terrifying moment when Nubian Skin went viral before they had a single product to sell, and how they almost missed an iconic opportunity with Beyoncé. 

Follow Ade, Nu...

Simon Martin, the founder and head chef of mana, Manchester's first michelin star restaurant in four decades, is disrupting the restaunter landscape and pioneering a new way of eating out. 

A man of great discipline, Simon discusses with Alex and Joe the stresses of setting up a restaurant with minimal business knowledge, the exclusive and mysterious process of receiving a Michelin star (and why no chef ever admits they want one), and an ultimatum from his long-term long-distance girlfriend which led him to creating his new legacy in Manchester.

Simon is dedicated to carving out a u...

After a successful career in finance and fintech, in 2016 Morten Toft Bech decided to pursue new passions not for money, but for the millions of people to be born after him.

Alex and Joe explore the fascinating world of plant-based meat – including the decision Morten made behind which product to make first. He also delves into the challenges of keeping up with competition in a rapidly growing industry and discusses the negativity surrounding plant-based meat.

Morten also provides valuable insights into securing investment and offers practical advice for startups, drawing from his experience as both a fo...

Despite not knowing much about wine initially, Heini Zacharissen has created the world’s largest wine community with over 60 million users on the Vivino app. 

Alex and Joe ask Heini about how he built his enormous user base, how to sell yourself to investors without traditional expertise, and why creating FOMO can be your strongest tool. 

Heini also shares how disruptive Vivino was to the wine industry, plus valuable insights on the mistakes to avoid when creating an app and where to find reliable feedback.

Follow @heinizach, @Vivino and the team behind The Founders.
...

Robin Hutson is one of the UK’s most successful and powerful hoteliers, but his story still comes with a lot of luck, sleepless nights and selling their own wine collections when they didn’t stock enough on opening night. 

Robin recounts the terrifying prospect of putting up his own house in order to secure a bank loan, why despite having over 1,000 employees they still work like a small business, and what made him return to hotels after selling his first chain for £66 million. 

Follow The Pig Hotels and the team behind The Founders.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more unique founding story than that of brothers Harry and Charlie Thuillier, the founders of low calorie ice cream brand, Oppo; this one features a word record attempt, kite buggies, and scavenging food… but you’ll just have to listen to find out how their story turned out to be to have an award winning ending.

Harry and Charlie join Alex and Joe to share how they got the business going by telling a few white lies (and why often asking for forgiveness over permission is the only way to get it...

ZOE is a company that at its heart wants to change lives, and co-founder George fully believes in that ethos. After being rejected from university 13 times, he leads with positivity and belief which he shares in this conversation. 

One of Wired’s and Forbes’ hottest startups, ZOE is on a mission to improve gut health through their personalised advice by analysing your gut microbe, all through an at home test kit and their app. 

Alex and Joe chat with George about why you should fall in love with problems, what business owners can learn from elite athlet...

Worldwide, we throw away 40% of the food we produce, and Lucie Basch wanted to do something about it. TooGoodToGo offers a win-win solution for businesses and consumers to grab cheap food that would otherwise be thrown away. 

Co-founder Lucie describes to Alex and Joe how she learnt from her experience in the food industry that she didn’t want to work for the current system, she wanted to make a new one. 

She shares the story of what she promised to the first cafés to get on board with the app, and how TooGoodToGo’s revenue...

Canopy & Stars’ don’t claim to have invented glamping; however since the launch of their curated site of unique outdoor stays in 2010, you only need to look at the Google trends to see it’s rise into the mainstream since. 

Co-founder Tom Dixon chats with Alex and Joe about how he’s built a company based on integrity and authenticity, with every listing personally visited by one of the team. He shares how the covid pandemic and rise of staycation affected the business, and how they’re still navigating the change in consumer behaviour. 

Tom also shares his t...

With only £4,000, Rude Health started humbly with ingredients, supplies, and branded aprons. Now, a brand  sold worldwide, co-founder and Brand Director Camilla Barnard has overseen an incredible evolution of a business that started with the aim to make healthy food delicious. 

Alex and Joe sit down with Camilla to discover how the simple sentiment of ‘Do I think this is brilliant?’ kicked off the journey; as well as the challenges of raising a young family and growing a new business.

If you’re a business owner and are worried about the year ahead, Camilla shares a unique pe...

From packing products in their kitchen, to a company of 40+, Absolute Collagen has built an authentic brand around helping people feel good about themselves.

Co-founder Darcy Laceby joins Alex and Joe to share the story of their rapid growth, and how she navigates life with her co-founder: her mum, Maxine. 

Darcy also shares the frustrations she faces being a young founder, including being mistaken for a marketing exec, and how she handled the company's rapid growth. 

She also discusses her experience of leading the production for the brand’s first TV ad after only ever...

Sacha Lord left school with no A-Levels and no idea what he was going to do with his life. Yet, he would go on to run the biggest metropolitan festival in the UK and be the first ever Night Time Economy Advisor for Andy Burnham.

Alex and Joe chat with Sacha about how he fell in love with Mancheter’s rave scene and how he has both been contributing and shaping it ever since. 

He shares stories of how he started with blagging to get people through the doors, the scary and darker moments of working in...

Ellie Webb was frustrated at the lack of alcohol free options when going out during Dry Jan – and through this frustration, Caleño was born. 

Alex and Joe sit down with Ellie, Caleño’s founder and Chief Joy Maker, to discuss the challenges of building a business as a side hustle. Ellie goes in depth about what it costs to get a business up and running; the loneliness she felt being a solo female founder; and the incredible story on how her sober spirit was picked up by Sainsburys. 

Ellie also divulges her most defining moment...

Home decor brand Lick happened to time their launch on day 1 of lockdown, when 48% of us ended up making home improvements to our home. However, in this conversation with Lick’s CEO and co-founder Lucas London, it’s clear that this coincidence was only a small part of their meteoric rise to becoming one of the biggest competitors in the space. 

Alex and Joe speak to Lucas about why he’s glad he waited to start a business, and the lessons he learnt working in finance during the 2008 crash. He discusses the conflict of building a high growth busines...

Peter has founded four businesses – three have failed. However, his fourth venture Dishpatch is thriving and giving access to incredible London restaurants to the entire UK. 
In this conversation, Peter shares the story behind his entrepreneurial spirit and how he persevered in the face of failure. 
He also has an open and thorough discussion about the logistical side of Dishpatch; what his plan for growth was and how he succeeded. 
Connect with Peter, follow Dishpatch and the team behind The Founders.

Oli White may be best known for his YouTube presence, 
which has over 2.5 million followers; but in 2020 he founded UNIQUE CBD – a premium and science backed CBD brand. So, how did he go from the height of YouTube stardom to a brand that barely mentions his involvement? 
Alex and Joe chat with Oli about his YouTube career, how that has prepared him for marketing a business and what led him to find an interest in CBD. 
Oli also shares the thoughts behind the decision to take a more behind the scenes role, what was surprising to him about...

If you’re on TikTok, you have probably seen an ad for Wild sustainable deodorant – they are everywhere. So how do you build a brand that performs well for the customer and excels in the social space?

Wild’s co-founder Charlie Bowes-Lyon joins Alex and Joe on the podcast to share his founding story. Charlie shares the fascinating decision process behind Wild’s inception; whether products need to be created with social media in mind and he offers crucial advice on how to grow your business during hard times. 

Follow Charlie, Wild and the team behind The Found

What question could you ask yourself to understand what makes your brand unique?
In this episode, Alex and Joe are joined by Nicola Elliott, the Founder of NEOM Organics - one of the first and fastest growing wellbeing brands in the UK, which specialises in 100% natural fragrances to boost your wellbeing. 
Nicola talks about the pivotal moment she decided to pursue her own business over her career as a magazine editor, how she struggles to see success even today and her guiding principles for building a brand. 
Follow Nicola @nicolaelliottneom and @NEOM
Connect with Alex and Jo...

Launching 7th December 2022.

From the team behind Breaking Social and The Deep Dive comes a brand new podcast, which finds out the incredible start up stories of some of the most exciting brands and businesses as told by the founders themselves. 

If you’re not using email marketing as a key channel, then you’re missing out on utilising one of the most effective options to reach and engage your audience.

Mailchimp’s Senior Director or Product Marketing Jamal Miller joins us on the podcast to dive into how to create impactful emails, how to use targeting to maximise your results and where to begin if you’re starting from scratch.

Follow Mailchimp and for more of what's happening at Campfire, follow @campfireagency_

Launching a new app is no mean feat but once it's launched, where do you get your users?
In this episode, Julia Mallaby, co-founder of the travel discovery app, Bimble, joins Alex and Joe to explain how they managed to grow their user base despite launching 3 months before the global pandemic and having a Ukrainian team directly affected by the war.
Download the Bimble app and check them out on socials @bimbleapp and of course for more Campfire, it's @campfireagency_!

If you don't know what web3 is, how to invest in NFT's or what the creator economy may become - This one's for you because as marketers, you don't need reminding of the rapidly changing social landscape.
So this week, joining Alex and Joe is Catty Berragan, the Creative Director at thirdweb, a company that makes creating Web3 apps, easy.
With Web3 still being a hypothetical and futuristic projection of what the internet may become - why is it so important that marketers understand what might happen to the internet in years to come?
Catty, an early...

To find out how livestreams will evolve in the near future, you only have to look east.

In part 2 of this dive into livestreaming, Alex and Joe take a look into how China's e-commerce market is using lives to drive enviable sales and why the east is so much further ahead than western markets.

They also share the tell-tale signs showing eastern trends coming over to the west, how you can build a cost-effective, sustainable and impactful live streaming strategy and how to scale your live audience.
For more of what's happening at Campfire, follow...

If you've been wondering where the value lies in livestreaming and how you can use it to achieve big results - click play, the answers are here.

In this episode, Alex and Joe dig into their extensive experience in producing and executing branded live streams on YouTube, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook to tell you their secrets to success...

They discuss the strategy that led to them breaking their client's website sales record, how they outline creative that generates 40k comments in 1 hour and how they choose which platform is best to go live on for the...

Josh Benge has tackled social media for some of the biggest worldwide brands – his CV impressively states previous roles at KFC and Brewdog before joining Deliveroo as their Global Head of Social Media in January 2022.

Josh joins Alex and Joe to share some of his most impactful campaigns across his career, how Deliveroo works to understand different social media patterns for different countries, and why you need to stop pushing the same content out onto every channel.

Follow Josh and Deliveroo and if you want the latest Campfire updates, it’s @campfireagency_

SoulCycle is more than just a spin class, it’s described as an “experience” and is as much about giving you an emotional release as well as a physical one. After dominating the big cities in the US, the phenomenon has made its way over to the UK. 
Roisin Branch, Vice President of Marketing at SoulCycle chats to Alex and Joe about knowing why London was ready for the move, how they created their cult-like customer base, and how they spark conversation with reactivity over bigger campaigns. 
Follow Roisin and SoulCycle, and for more Campfire it’s @campfireagency_

The demand for sustainable clothing is bigger than ever and By Rotation ensures that you don’t have to break the bank, feed into mass consumption or compromise on quality in order to wear a new outfit.
Founder Eshita Kabra joins Alex and Joe on the podcast to share why renting other people’s clothes is the future for the sustainability of fashion, what inspired her to build By Rotation while working in finance and how you can achieve big results with a small team. 
Follow Eshita and By Rotation @arentyoueshita @byrotationofficial and for updates from Campfire it’s @camp...

TikTok has evolved a lot since its inception – brands are flocking towards it because they feel like they have to, and then often failing in front of an unforgiving audience. 
After outlining their experience in ‘How we mastered TikTok’, Alex and Joe share some fundamental takeaways to step up your content, how to cut through the noise no matter what your budget and why you ultimately need to respect the platform. 
For more of what's happening at Campfire, follow @campfireagency_

In 2021, TikTok was the world's most visited domain – beating Google out of the top spot. So, if you're running a business or managing a brand's account, it's an important platform to be doing right.

In this episode, Alex and Joe share some award winning insights into the platform. They discuss how they discovered TikTok and how they knew it was going to be big, plus how they created some of their most successful campaigns with the likes of The INKEY List.

For more of what's happening at Campfire, follow @campfireagency_

In this episode, Alex and Joe are joined by Vice President of Marketing at WeTransfer, Julia Shapiro.

Although WeTransfer could easily be a webpage where you simply arrive, upload and send a file – they’re not, they do things differently and so instead, you’re greeted with incredible artwork, interactive full sized ads or innovative original content. But how is this also reflected in their marketing efforts, that so far have maintained their top spot in the productivity and file sharing industry?

Julia shares how WeTransfer’s creative strategy acquires new users, why it’s important for them t...

Louise Troen, the VP of International Marketing & Communications at Headspace, has an incredible CV. 

She started out working at behemoth PR and Publicity company Freud’s, before becoming one of the first employees at Bumble where she was responsible for growing brand awareness in the UK. 
Following this, she headed up the marketing at Formula E, where she was then headhunted by Headspace, tasked with the challenge of expanding their global presence.
In this episode Alex and Joe chat to Louise about her marketing principles, how she has paved such a huge path for herself as a mi...

Jody Raynsford accidentally started a cult – after co-founding Bad Boy Running, it grew a cult-like audience that has led fans to getting tattoos with the slogan and a Christmas number 1… 
However, when we think of the word ‘cult’ it isn’t usually in a positive sense… but what can we learn from cults in order to engage our audiences to the maximum effect? 
In this episode, Jody explains the difference between a community and a cult, the strategy he used to keep his audience standing to attention, and how you can take your brand from basic to following you to the end...

Vikki Ross is a leading Copywriter who consults her global clients, such as Sky TV and Spotify, on their brand and tone of voice strategies.

In this episode, Vikki shares her insights with Alex and Joe, touching on why it’s so important for brands to nail their tone of voice to be able to engage effectively with an audience, how copywriting forms the personality of a brand and why a consistent slogan is an important, yet often overlooked, brand asset.

For more Copywriting tips, follow Vikki @vikkirosswrites on Twitter and for more Campfire, it’s @camp...

For Liz Matthews and Jordan Mitchell, the co-founders of Good Culture, representation and cultural relevance is the primary driving force behind their work in the PR and communications world.

Good Culture is a cultural PR strategy company that works with brands on a small and global scale to build and execute strategies that positively reflect and add to today's cultural conversation. Their clients include Good American, SKIMS and Victoria’s Secret.

Whether it’s casting a nationwide campaign or transforming an international brand’s image, they encourage a truly progressive media where everyone can see themselves repres...

Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, one of the oldest and most prolific advertising and marketing companies in the world. 
Rory’s approach to creating original and impactful campaigns puts human behaviour and psychology ahead of data. 
He believes that data that’s based on the past should be used with caution when making decisions that are designed to attract, acquire or keep customers. 
In this episode, Rory speaks to Alex and Joe about his latest book 'Transport for Humans', his psychology-first, data-second approach and how he applies this to build impactful marketing campaigns.
If...