Scaling Against the Odds: How Grit, Strategy and Leadership Built a $100M Brand with Harmeet Ahuja

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<v SPEAKER_00>We were developing food brands, drink brands.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So one of them was an energy drink brand, and the brand in particular, or bullet, actually became a market leader.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You're always looking ahead and saying, how can I build something which prevents me falling back?

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you lose any money on anything that that's ours that we sell to you, we'll always underwrite that loss.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So your partners are guaranteed success, basically.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Absolutely.

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<v SPEAKER_02>You're never going to lose money with us.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So Hummy, 100 million, right?

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<v SPEAKER_02>You guys got to 240, 250?

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<v SPEAKER_02>So in building a business like that, when you started in the business, 10, 11 million, what do you think is the distinction between tens of millions and hundreds of millions?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Or what are some of the distinctions?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, there are a series of stages along the way.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So to go from a 10 million, which is already a substantial business in its own right, for us it was formalizing certain processes.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I think that's key all the way through the journey that the processes that apply at for a 10 million business is not the same as something for a 250 million business necessarily.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So for us, that was the first thing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>How do you get all the systems and processes running appropriately for that and maybe the next stage up?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, so you're building ahead of the game almost.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Always, always.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You're always looking ahead and saying, how can I build something which prevents me falling back?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if I can get those necessary like safety stop measures in place, I know I won't drop again, but I can keep on keep on building on that.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I've never heard anyone put that straight that way, that it saves me from dropping back as well.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So that was your thinking along the whole way?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, because you could see the mistakes that could happen if something went wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If you had a truck, I mean we were in the food business and and we were trucking product or shipping product.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So what would happen where something could go wrong?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Like delivery comes in or doesn't come in because you haven't got a proper a measure for how it comes in?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Or do five turn up at once and you don't have the capacity to take them in?

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it's simple, simple sound like simple situations, but they always do unless you don't have them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah?

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<v SPEAKER_02>They're simple until they go wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um people-wise, what did you notice as you grew from the tens to the hundreds?

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<v SPEAKER_02>What was the distinction for you in the human capital of the business?

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was a set of values that remained consistent throughout throughout the the journey.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So we we we were uh or we are a family business, and it was that family ethos all the way through that you treat your all your people as your own and you take them through both the good times and the bad.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So good times, people are getting on better, getting uh rewarded better, but there would be a point where if things aren't so good, you explain to people they're not so good, but you don't fire people.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You find new roles for them within the company and you explain why you're having to do it, whether it's temporary or permanent, but that communication all the time, so that people would always know you have their back and that they should be with you for the good times and the bad.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that security, I think, meant a lot, uh meant a lot to the people that always worked with us.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Did everyone know you were aiming for hundreds of millions, or is it just a uh an ethos of the vision of doing great work, great things?

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<v SPEAKER_02>What what was the Yeah?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I think when we when we were starting off, or when we were starting to grow, you didn't necessarily have a number in mind.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It was just like I can know this can go a lot further and a lot further, and it just kept on growing from that point.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But because we kept some of those values uh in the right place, those people who were on that journey with you could see that you're constantly growing and they could see what you're trying to do.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So they they believed in what you were doing, and you just it just kept on rolling forward.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But also it meant when people joined in, you had a group of existing staff that would say to them, look, this is what we're trying to do.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it's not the bloke at the top trying to feed it through, it's everyone saying the same thing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So then it becomes self-reinforcing as a message.

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<v SPEAKER_02>When talk about bringing people in, obviously, to grow the business, you've got to bring in some higher caliber people too.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did you manage bringing in people to bring them into the culture of the organization?

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<v SPEAKER_00>We generally hired from the bottom up.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it would be people growing through the ranks.

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<v SPEAKER_00>As in, because it was an 11 million revenue business to start with, it was always going to be people at a more junior level coming in, entry level, and then learning the ropes as they went through, and then becoming more senior.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So for a very long time we didn't bring people in at senior level, and when we needed some short-term boost or something like that, we would bring in external expertise temporarily.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But it was always about growing people through.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Let's talk about branding then, because I think building the right products, the right brands, all of that sort of stuff was a big part of what got you to where you went to.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did that come about?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Did you did was that the thinking that we need to create the brand, or was it just getting the right products?

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<v SPEAKER_00>What was the strategy?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, so we had two things.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One was the corporate branding for ourselves, and that was always based upon we stand by our by our name, our company name, and what it represents and what it delivers.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And if it fell short, we would always be responsible for that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So we we we were we were a B2B business um in the food distribution uh uh sector.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Um so for that we were known that you're a credible company, you stand by what you do.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But on the other side, we were developing food brands, drink brands.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that was a very different situation because you're looking at specific markets.

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<v SPEAKER_02>There were some fun ones there too.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So so so one of them was uh uh or is um uh an energy drink brand, some of which have alcohol in them, some which don't.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that was quite a fun journey because that was mostly focused on West Af the West Africa, primarily Nigeria, and there we worked with celebrities, with pop stars, with various people like that.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And um, and that was that was a lot of fun, worked very well for us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And and the brand in particular, um, which is called Bullet, actually became a market leader and still is still head of that category.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, like when you look at building that brand, you talk about the celebrity endorsement, that sort of thing.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Why celebrity endorsement?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Because I think a lot of people miss how much that can add value to a business.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, it adds credibility in the short term.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Um that's for sure.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, because a lot of these people will not necessarily put their name to a product that they don't like, they don't believe in.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It also attracts a lot more attention to the brand immediately.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Uh so we did do that, but generally we also did it from the bottom up.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So um it would be grassroots level introduction of product, and then they see, okay, I'm trying the product, it's backed by um XYZ and brand ambassador.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Follow that up with good distribution because people will see, well, if the company's prepared to invest in the brand in this way, then surely it's likely to sell.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So they were all again self-reinforcing uh messages that were being sent out.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The actions were all positive, but we had a good product as well.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I mean, ultimately, it's got to be something good that sells.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Great people, great product, great values.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Let's talk about the distribution then, because it's rare that a company gets to hundreds of millions without partners in some way, shape, or form.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did you develop the distribution networks, the partnerships, those sorts of things?

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<v SPEAKER_02>And what was important to make that successful?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So, where we were developing our own range of products, we would always stand by the quality of what we are selling.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And we always promise to our customers that if you lose any money on anything that that's ours that we sell to you, we will always underwrite that loss.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So somebody comes into it and says, right.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So your partners are guaranteed success, basically.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Absolutely.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You're never going to lose money with us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it was always, whatever you do, you believed in what we've developed here, you believed in the individual selling it to you, and the management team behind them, and the company behind them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Now we have to deliver on that if things go wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So that means that they will work that much harder for you from the outset.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I don't need to have a huge brand behind me.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They just need to know that I will be there if something goes wrong.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And if it ever happened, we were.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it did happen occasionally.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Not everything works in every market.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But when it did, we always we always followed through on that.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So global or geographic expansion, I think a lot of companies get very stuck in localization and they don't let's just say fear kicks in.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You're absolutely right.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It's the perfect word for it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That people are scared to go, and I say particularly, people are scared to go to the markets where we are, sitting in in the UK, they'll be frightened to do business in parts of Africa because they don't culturally understand both the culture of the country, but also the business culture.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So we would actually embrace that and say, wherever it's difficult to go, take the time to learn about it and then do business there.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Because actually that's a competitive advantage in its own right in the future.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Other people will look at you and say it must be easy if they can do it, but they've got to go through all those, they've got to jump through all the same hoops we did to get there.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then you're already years ahead, right?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, now I know with uh with Action Coach now in 85 countries, and people are like, oh, it must be pretty easy.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Sugars has done it, and it's like, yeah, Ron, yeah, yeah, go feel off.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But I know for us, developing partners in those foreign markets, we had to really learn the customs, the culture, all of those things.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did you do that in the business?

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<v SPEAKER_02>What was the lots of great experiences and a few bad ones along the way, right?

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<v SPEAKER_00>That that's how it works.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So um so yeah, mostly it was it was trial and error.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But but I think credibility sort of precedes you quite often.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that being the case, we we we initially had to learn our way and and and see how things went in some markets, but once that credibility started coming to the fore, we would find that the right people came to it that little bit quicker.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, that one's an interesting one that I'd like to ask you about.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did you pick the right partners?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Because I know in certain markets, and especially early on for me, I would, if a partner came to us, he'd be like, Yay, we got a partner.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And then I very quickly learned, well, not very quickly, maybe three or four partners in, that I'm pretty sure I should decide which ones.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How did you decide that?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Was it a values thing?

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<v SPEAKER_00>What was the method?

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<v SPEAKER_00>I think it was that same sense of euphoria that's you know, I'm so happy someone wants to do business with me in that country where I where I'm what I'm looking to enter.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you have that, and look, the partnership has to go both ways.

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<v SPEAKER_00>We we might be the wrong partner for somebody, as well as them being the right one for us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you would you would build on that relationship in more sort of formalized ways.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You would sign an MOU, you would have all those gradual uh commitments to each other that's well, a certain period of time, a certain amount of business.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And if it works for us, we carry on.

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<v SPEAKER_00>If not, we part as friends with maybe a future business project uh in the offing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then you retain that relationship.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You know you're not right for each other for that particular type of business, but that doesn't mean that something further down the line isn't something that would be successful for both of you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So running the existing business versus looking for more opportunities, always looking for new brands or new things or new markets, where did you find most of your time was at each phase of growth of the business?

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<v SPEAKER_00>Well, therein lies the right balance, right?

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<v SPEAKER_00>So you start in a very operational role, you're not looking forward so much, you're looking to just make sure everything is steady and sound and running well, and then you start finding one opportunity, a second opportunity, and bring that into the company, reinforce that with your team or hire the right people to bring in and gradually reinforce the entire team.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And then it becomes a more strategic role later on.

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<v SPEAKER_00>As you get that much bigger, you can't be the operational.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How big were you when you got out of that operations and really became the more strategic thing?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Was it at 10 million, 20 million, 100 million?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Was there a pencil?

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<v SPEAKER_00>More like the 100 plus million at that stage.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Uh, but you're always heavily embedded in the operation to a certain extent because you know the business inside out.

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<v SPEAKER_00>You've done every every bit of that company, you've been involved in every operation, you've helped develop it, you've implemented all the systems.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So there's that unfortunate default where you can drop back in all too easily and get involved in an operation when you should just try to keep away.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I've never done that.

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<v SPEAKER_02>No.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I've never suffered from superhero itis and tried to fix things in my own company, no.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, you get to a point where acquisition becomes a thing, whether it's someone trying to acquire you or you acquiring other companies for opportunities.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Where did that fit in in the growth path of your business?

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<v SPEAKER_00>So we looked at acquisitions along the way, but we didn't actually go for it.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And in the end, we were acquired, which was um the right solution for us as well.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But now, as a company, I said we I was telling you earlier that that we're we we've now sold a part of the business again, but that part is now going to be looking to acquire other businesses.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that's the that's the strategy which which we've agreed going forward.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So look, it can be at any stage.

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<v SPEAKER_00>In our stage, we were growing sufficiently quickly to not need to look to acquire anybody because we were taking on business so fast.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And and our our growth was entirely organic all the way through.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Um more built upon the values, the processes.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, I mean, having a chairman of a company, your your father-in-law, who was a chairman who held those values tight.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And he instilled those right from the beginning.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And and as long as we had the right people that believed in those, it was always that much easier because it is a game of people, and and it was a question of having all the right people around you that said, okay, that's how we carry the business forward.

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<v SPEAKER_00>That's those are the values of the company, the direction is X, and that's how we're going to do it.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Now, going into the sale part of it and selling a major brand or a major segment of the business, um, average entrepreneur, it's my baby, I'm selling my baby, how am I selling my baby?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, you guys had more of a, given the size, you had more of a not a corporate feel, but more of a business feel to go into selling.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But was there still a bit of that?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Am I doing the right thing by selling?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Is it the right time?

00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:32.639
<v SPEAKER_02>How did how did you get through that phase?

00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:36.960
<v SPEAKER_00>I think you just realized that there are some parts of a business that you could only take so far.

00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:49.200
<v SPEAKER_00>So in this particular matter, when we when we sold the bullet brand, it was, it should be owned by a company in its local market, or it's sorry, in its most dominant market, which is Nigeria.

00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:54.720
<v SPEAKER_00>They will be able to do justice to that brand, and we probably have taken it as far as we can.

00:13:55.200 --> 00:14:02.320
<v SPEAKER_00>And that it's almost like a grudging sense of, you know what, we can't do any more sitting in London as a full-time management team here.

00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:05.200
<v SPEAKER_00>It really should be Domusal eventually out of that country.

00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:11.919
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, I think it's it's a strong entrepreneur that at some point can recognize I've gone as far as I can.

00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:16.799
<v SPEAKER_02>But that's not just uh selling a program or selling a product.

00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:25.120
<v SPEAKER_02>It's also, you know, your your father-in-law was an amazing example of being out, like him stepping back and handing it over.

00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:46.559
<v SPEAKER_00>Like that that's a good example for you, I guess, of learning that it's time to step back and let someone else and you have to understand the potential of what you have and say, okay, I've let's say, just repeating myself that it it it was like we saw that that was as much as we could do with it, but there's plenty more that we've developed along the way that probably we haven't had enough time to dedicate to those.

00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:47.919
<v SPEAKER_00>So now we'll look at those as well.

00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:58.480
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, that balancing act of, okay, we've sold that big one, it was great, now we can focus on these other three or four type thing and build them to sale, and build the next one to sale, and that sort of thing.

00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:02.240
<v SPEAKER_02>Do you think that became a part of the strategy, build to sell?

00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.519
<v SPEAKER_02>Or do you think it's just build and if someone comes along, then maybe.

00:15:05.840 --> 00:15:08.399
<v SPEAKER_00>Sorry, I'm saying it very emphatically, no, it was never part of the strategy.

00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:14.720
<v SPEAKER_00>It was never a consideration for many, many years that this was something we'd ever do, but it just became the right thing for us.

00:15:14.799 --> 00:15:16.879
<v SPEAKER_00>And that and that's part of the point of management, right?

00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:21.759
<v SPEAKER_00>You remain pragmatic at all times and you realize that I'm struggling to go any further with this.

00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.600
<v SPEAKER_00>It needs to be handled differently now.

00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.240
<v SPEAKER_00>And I think the business world is you see that everywhere.

00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:26.559
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:38.240
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, I think that sometimes people do make a mistake of just trying to build to sell, and you're not thinking as long term as what your business is.

00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:40.720
<v SPEAKER_02>And so I want to finish with that idea.

00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:52.879
<v SPEAKER_02>Family business allows you to think a lot more long term than other businesses do in some ways, but it's also got to be more short-term in some ways.

00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.919
<v SPEAKER_02>How did you balance the family business aspect of it with the business aspect of it?

00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:18.000
<v SPEAKER_00>I think it was, again, what you just said, achieving the balance, what we thought was the right one, that you look at monthly numbers, you look at quarterly numbers, you even look at annual numbers, and you just say, honest to yourself and not trying to cover yourself because there's a shareholder breathing down your neck and say, that was a good year, that was a bad year, we could have done that better, or that was an exceptional situation.

00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:26.720
<v SPEAKER_00>And when you have all of those considerations and you look at them for your own perspective, not for anybody else, then it's a lot easier to make the right longer-term decisions.

00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:37.360
<v SPEAKER_00>And that's it's that self-honesty, not almost also not just saying, trying to saying I could have done this better and genuinely knowing you could have, and not saying, oh, there were excuses.

00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:38.159
<v SPEAKER_00>Not even that.

00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:44.240
<v SPEAKER_00>Just I know this could have been done better, it should have been done this way, or the world moved against me, COVID came, you know, whatever it could be.

00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:45.600
<v SPEAKER_00>Nothing we could do about it.

00:16:45.679 --> 00:16:47.679
<v SPEAKER_00>And and if it did badly in that year, so be it.

00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:49.279
<v SPEAKER_00>But we know next year it's not going to be the case.

00:16:49.759 --> 00:16:57.600
<v SPEAKER_02>What would your final piece of advice be to someone that's I think I can go to hundreds of millions, I'm not sure I can, but I think I can.

00:16:57.759 --> 00:17:00.000
<v SPEAKER_02>What's your final thoughts for someone in that situation?

00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.080
<v SPEAKER_00>Very difficult question in some respects.

00:17:02.159 --> 00:17:14.480
<v SPEAKER_00>Um, but look, I I've learned over the years that retaining focus, keeping a right balance in terms of all the people around you, your family, your stakeholders, and particularly your family, they can be your greatest asset if you create the right balance.

00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:22.160
<v SPEAKER_00>And if you focus on the right element of your work, what makes the most money, where the greatest potential is, then there is very little stopping you.

00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:25.759
<v SPEAKER_01>Thanks for joining me on the Hundred Million Dollar Podcast.

00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:31.039
<v SPEAKER_01>If you've got value from today's episode, make sure you've subscribed and share this with all of your friends.

00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.559
<v SPEAKER_01>Never miss a strategy that can change your business and your life.

00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:38.480
<v SPEAKER_01>And remember, the fastest way to scale is to learn from those who've done it.

00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:40.079
<v SPEAKER_01>That's what this show is all about.

00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:41.920
<v SPEAKER_01>See you on the next episode.