David Lester, Co-founder of Olipop on Why Founders Must Convince People To Do Unreasonable Sh1t!

David Lester, Olipop On Why Founders Must Convince People To Do Unreasonable Sh1t!

Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly frustrated at just how HARD it is for founders to find the right people for their business.

There are fewer applicants than there used to be for roles in sales and marketing in CPG businessesIt's even tougher to find that magic mix of mindset, experience and soft skills— as well as someone who genuinely fits your culture and values.And the process? It's a lot: search, connect, schedule, first interviews, follow-ups, feedback loops — all while juggling a scaling business — and you STILL might not end up with the right person.

It struck me that so many of the incredible guests on Brand Growth Heroes have shared absolute gold when it comes to building teams — how they hire, how they lead, and what they’ve learned when it all goes wrong.

So the brilliant crew at MKJ Ignite - Billy, Paul and Immy, have gone through the Brand Growth Heroes archives and handpicked some snippets from the founders of your favourite challenger brands (think Olipop, Child's Farm, Perfect Ted and Tony's Chocolonely), pulling out the best people insights.

And as a result....BGH SHORTS: The People Series was born!

Short 5 min episodes. Golden nuggets. Actionable insights

Every 2 weeks, we’ll drop a new 5-minute clip - so don't forget to HIT FOLLOW!

Because your business is only as strong as your team.

It really shouldn’t be this hard — but it is.

So let’s make it a little easier!

👋 If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can book a no-obligation call with Billy - or anyone on the team - here!

Connect with Billy Maddock on Linkedin

Connect with Immy Southwell on Linkedin

Connect with Paul Jones on Linkedin

Follow MKJ Ignite on Instagram

Connect with MKJ Ignite on Linkedin

Have a listen and don't forget to hit FOLLOW so you can collect all the tips, stories, and real-world advice to lighten the load.

Thanks again to MKJ Ignite for bringing us BGH SHORTS: The People Series

#brandgrowthheroes #mkjignite #people #foundergrowth #leadership #scaling #foodanddrink #consumerbrands #startuplife

Brand Growth Heroes ranks in the top 1.5% of ALL podcasts globally. With +25 years' experience working for brand giants and as coach to over 400 challenger brand founders, Fiona Fitz asks the questions you need the answers to from the founders of wildly successful consumer goods brands driving transformational growth.

• No. of episodes: 94
• Latest episode: 2025-06-18
• Business

Where can you listen?