Heidi At Home
Heidi At Home is a warm, lifestyle-led podcast filmed from my kitchen, featuring honest conversations with inspiring women navigating motherhood alongside business, careers, and modern life. Moving away from traditional “expert parenting” content, the podcast focuses on real stories, authentic experiences, and the realities of balancing ambition with family life - all in a relaxed, conversational setting that feels more like coffee with friends than a studio interview.
Heidi At Home
Eps 10: The Leap From Corporate to Founder with Fliss from Wild Thingz
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What does it really take to walk away from the security of a corporate career and build something of your own?
In this episode of Heidi at Home, I'm joined by the founder of Wild Thingz to talk about the leap so many people dream about - but few actually make.
We explore what it means to take a risk on yourself, build a business from the ground up, and create a brand that people genuinely remember. Along the way, we also talk honestly about the realities of juggling life with entrepreneurship, making difficult decisions, and finding a way to grow a business without losing sight of what matters most.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The decision to leave the corporate world and become founders.
- Taking calculated risks and trusting your instincts.
- What it takes to build a memorable brand in a crowded market.
- The realities of being women in business.
- Balancing ambition with family life.
- The lessons learnt along the way
Whether you're dreaming of starting a business, already running one alongside family life, or simply curious about the stories behind successful brands, this is an honest conversation about courage, resilience and building something you're proud of.
Wild Thingz have a brand new flavour of sweets out NOW
If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be so grateful if you followed Heidi at Home, left a review, or shared it with someone who's thinking about taking that next step in their own career or business.
How are you doing? Properly! Come on through. We're gonna film in the kitchen. Welcome to Heidi at Home, where we have real connected conversations about motherhood life and everything in between. Because motherhood isn't just one thing. It's messy, emotional, beautiful, and constantly evolving. Here we go beyond the surface to talk honestly about what it really looks like and how we can grow through it, not just survive it. So on this week's episode, I'm very excited about this. I'm joined by lovely Flis Newland. Hello, um, founder of Wild Things. This is a sweet brand just here, which I rave about all of the time. It's essentially a new sweet brand redesigning the sweet industry. That sounds intense, doesn't it? Um, available in Accado, Whole Foods, and Centrebox. So incredible places, noticing and recognising what incredible things they're doing. Before this, Flash worked at Cadbury's, so in corporate, and left that to essentially work on wild things. So welcome. Thank you. Thank you for coming to my kitchen, which is insanely hot, guys. It's 38 degrees in Hammersmith, where you've just come from.
SPEAKER_01Lordie, yeah.
SPEAKER_00So we are a little bit sweaty, we won't lie. So we'll uh we'll do our best for you. Um now, Flis, tell me. I'm so excited to learn the story. We've been talking in this series all about business and working in business as a woman as well, which is very different. I'm sure you'll be able to tell us some stories about corporate. So tell me, how did this all start?
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's a big question to start. So, yeah, so you summed up really well. I used to work for a huge um multinational company called Mondeleese. They own Capri's, Maynards Bassett's like jelly babies, sour patch kids, that type of thing. So I was with them for about um just shy of seven years. Um, yeah, in the big corporate world and loving it and loving working with brands. I started to get a bit of an itch that I wanted to work for a brand that was a little bit more aligned to my purpose. Sure, we'll come on to this, but bigger feelings of wanting to work for myself eventually for many reasons. Um but then I stumbled across a really amazing, uh very niche uh sweetie brand. They used to be called, I don't even know that they used to be called veggie bears. Okay, I didn't know that. So I'm a vegan and they're a vegan sweetie brand that slightly lost its way. I I've tasted these sweets and I was like, they taste amazing. They taste amazing. Um they're half the sugar, they're all natural and organic and vegan, plant-based. And I just had this feeling, um, they were looking for a home, basically, the old owner was looking to move on, and I said, you know, I'll take this off your hands. I had a hunch that parents might be quite interested in them. And I just did a little bit of scrappy research, again, which we can go into. And it that for me was the eureka moment of like, wait, this this could be quite exciting. So took on a um uh small kind of niche vegan sweet brand, redesigned it with mums in our corner and and kids on kind of trying to get to what would be exciting for kids, but also communicate to parents what we're about, um, and launched Wild Things last January.
SPEAKER_00Is it only last January? Yeah, a year and a half. No way, and you're in all of those places that I just talked about. That is insane. And did you find the bear, the gummy bear brand, whilst you were in your corporate job?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I was in the corporate job. So you were doing both things, yeah, for a bit, but then I was like, I need to give this my full attention because it's a tough category, it's a tough world to crack. But um, making that jump did feel a bit scary. But I felt more I would keep myself not giving this a go.
SPEAKER_00I'm really interested in that jump from corporate to taking that risk with your own brand because I've had to do it, and not I wasn't in corporate, but I was in childcare for a very long time before I decided, like, okay, I've got to give this my full attention, like you just said. And I know there are lots of people listening who have what we call like side hustles, and especially with children as well, it's like knowing when the right time is because you've got responsibilities. So, how do we navigate that jump? Do you have any tips on like when is the right time or just gut feel?
SPEAKER_01I think it's so hard, and I think the having family is takes it to another level, which I don't currently have, which I'm lucky for at this point because making those kind of moves, I can imagine as a parent, the stakes are another level. And I know a load of amazing entrepreneurs and founders through kind of food and uh drink who who are doing it with families and stuff, and it's my hat's off to them. I think scaling it and having a really firm business plan of like where a realistic um business plan, which you've thought through all the risks and thought through all the cash you're gonna need, and it's like doing a house renovation, whatever you think it's gonna take longer, it's gonna take more money, and then working out how you're gonna properly finance that, whether that's yourself or with help, I think is the best thing to do. And then doing it alongside your main hustle surely is a great way to kind of stress test it. But um, and I don't think it's for everyone as well, but I anyone who this is my favourite thing to talk about when anyone comes up to me and says, I've got an idea, I want to do this. I'm like, yeah, I I think for some for some people you never regret it, even though it is a bit meant it's a lot. I mean, you you know the shit.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, 100%. And I I think you're right. I think you've got to have a certain level of, I don't even know what the word is, but it's it's you've it's day and night, isn't it? Yeah at the very beginning. So that's really, really hard.
SPEAKER_01And it's a lot for your, I mean, you know, in my case, my partner and your friends and your family, like it is all consuming, but um, but then I wouldn't have it any other way. It's like it's an epic roller baster, but it is yeah, full on.
SPEAKER_00The suc the success and the lows, it's like up and down, as you say, isn't it? Constantly. Yeah. Um, so talk to me about let's should do a bit corporate. So you're in a corporate setting, you're a woman in a corporate setting. Um, any sort of stuff that comes up for you when we mention that, did it feel different to you? Do you think that's sometimes a disadvantage to careers?
SPEAKER_01Massive question is again. I I Mondele's are an incredibly fair employer, and I was on the gender network that they run. Oh, amazing. That still goes on. I believe they're almost at pay parity with women and men. At the time I was there, there was a female MD. So my example of corporate was incredible. And even within fast-moving consumer goods, this um, the sector that you, you know, anything you can buy in the supermarket, um, typically organizations are doing really cool stuff, amazing maternity leave, good pat leave that's getting better. So the standard I've seen was pretty first class, um, and felt quite proud about that. Having said that, what I see more and more now, my siblings and my friends having kids, the motherhood penalty is very real, petrifyingly real. And I think that now is something we really need to be getting our heads together on how we address and like expectations of childcare, expectations of just even risks that men take within careers that women don't when they're even approaching the time to wanting to start trying for kids. I can see my friends, I mean, it's understandably taking their foot off the pedal when men are making these big risky moves. So that's the bit I see hugely. But in a corporate setting, I'm also very lucky that I am raised by a very confident mum. I'm surrounded by two very confident female kind of um sisters. We've we've always had that, you know, the Cheryl Sandberg lean-in, that expression. It's always been a lean-in kind of family. So I have an incredible level of privilege to have a you know parents that really believed in me. But because I think there's a lot of stuff with um women leadership about women not backing themselves as in the same way men do, or not coming into pay negotiations the same way men do. But um, but yeah, no, that that was probably my broad experience at Montalith was pretty good, and a lot of that I take and and feel grateful that I that was the experience I had.
SPEAKER_00And that's also having known a little bit about world things, the feel and the vibe I get from your team is exactly that. Like, you're very welcoming, you've got what's a very female, exactly.
SPEAKER_01We yeah, and I think that's another level. Like the first person ever who helped me with the brand is a lady called Jen Spur, who does loads of, she's she's our fractional CMO, so she's our part-time um chief marketing officer. And she was a mentor for me since being at Mondeleese and a big inspiration because she left corporate and did her own thing in consultancy. So she sort of started things as you know, and I just it was just I'm used to working around her timings and she has pick-up and drop off, and that's normal, and she works from home. So it wasn't like we set out, although it is a big part of my own purpose, female, you know, women in leadership. And I think I really wanted to set up a business because I want to one day be able to have that balance with my kids and have freedom. But having Jen as the first employee kind of spiraled. Then Abby was the next, um, she's also a mum of three, her kids are always in our content, and she's she does all our operations and logistics. And again, home base role, worked around her hours, pick up drop-offs. So it's sort of built like that. Um, and now, yeah, we've got Lorna who's also a mom, and it it it's come quite naturally, but then when I take a step back, our culture is quite radical. It's like it shouldn't be, but it is Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say you are speaking as if it's completely normal. And can you only imagine what that would look like if the majority of organisations worked in that way, as opposed to the opposite, which is can I, is it possible, should I even ask?
SPEAKER_01I know, I think it's a shame, and I think that is the way I see it, is we need to create more roles that have, I don't know, even maybe it is more part-time roles, maybe it is more hybrid, more flexibility. COVID was good for that to an extent, but I just don't, I just see uh it's scary how many of my friends and my family that I see, and the cost of childcare is so extortionate, then they're having to make really big decisions, and it does just always seem to culturally seem to sit on mum's shoulders to make those decisions and to take that step back, which yeah, I don't know if I can swear, it just feels like a problem. You can sort of think we need to, yeah, we I don't know how we tackle it as a biggie, but we're doing our little bit as an organization.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you're doing an amazing job of leading by example, right? And I find that so interesting that that's all you ever knew. So you didn't even bat an eyelid when it came to running your own business because that's what you were surrounded by, and that just says it all.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think 100%. And I think also it's selfish. I'm setting this up because I want to one day be able to have that flexibility, and I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to want to just be able to pick their kids up from school or drop them off. Like that, there's I think there's so many highly capable people that we're losing from the workplace and opinions and ideas that we're not having at you know, tables because people are gonna have to step out because they don't they're not afforded just a fraction, I think, of flexibility. Or having those kind of core hours, maybe let's say we all work between 10 and 3, and outside that you do you're flexible and pick it up because I always say this if you want a job done, ask a busy person, and there's no one busier than parents, particularly mums. It's like I yeah, I have amazing people that help me and they get shit done.
SPEAKER_00They get shit done.
SPEAKER_01Because they have to, and they're juggling 10 other things, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. So we'll come on to work-life balance for you a bit later on. I wanted to ask, um, you mentioned your purpose. Yeah. So let's talk purpose. I think it's really interesting. I think it's really interesting when you're own your own business. Um, or just in life, like I don't think some people even know their purpose, even in sort of midlife, as it were. So, how did you know what your purpose was? Was it accidental? Tell me more. I oh call that.
SPEAKER_01I see, but I'm a bit of a funny one because I'm a I'm a vegan. I found being I went vegan as a bet about 10 years ago. It was Panther. It got out of control. Some of my good mates in the pub bet me I couldn't, so I did it. Anyway, that changed my psyche to do I love animals, and it was to do with animal welfare, and it's sort of that led me on a journey to become a lot more uh cog I don't know what the word is, really clear on my kind of values and stuff. Because that's quite an extreme example in this day and age. So that started me really starting to think about, you know, what I was selling, for example, at Mondelez. I loved the brands like dairy milk, I loved it. And I then I got to a point where I don't eat milk, don't drink milk or cheese, which used to be my favourite thing. Interesting. And then I'm selling dairy milk, so it felt quite fine, misaligned. And I was trying to really find that alignment, and then more and more I think I realized, and I think so much of our values and purpose, like we say they're quite like big terms, but like it's just more like what brings you joy. And I notice in me, like I actually am someone who I think what's the expression, like you work to live, live to work. I definitely live to work. I love working, and I want to come to work with people that push me and inspire me. Like that's probably part of my purpose now, working with great people who I like and rate. And some people maybe are more like you know, and fair play to them, money motivated. They want to just like get that coin. I know that's not, I think I want to do cool stuff that almost leaves a legacy. Like now with our sweeties, I'm really passionate about health and not in an extreme way, because I wouldn't say we're a health food, but what I'm trying to do is tackle one of the arguably least healthy categories, and it's like, can we make a dent here? Yeah, yeah. Um, so now I feel hugely passionate about you know, sugar and artificial ingredients and additives and UFPs and stuff. So I I I can't say my single purpose on this earth is this. And I think I'm constantly muddling through it, but I know that it sets my, you know, whatever on fire doing stuff I really believe in and feel like I can make a change to the positive. So whatever that means for whoever.
SPEAKER_00I think it's so hard, doesn't it? Because so many people are stuck in that gave me goosebumps. And I just felt it like, yes. I love this alignment thing because so many people are stuck in jobs that they don't align to or they feel like they can't get out of. And obviously, that's that's really, really hard, especially on a financial level. It's not saying that everyone can go out tomorrow and side hustle and off we go, especially in this climate. I do think though, within that, we sometimes maybe suppress or don't think truly about our values. We don't we don't give ourselves time to do so. Agree. And actually, you can get to what 60 and realize. And so it's really interesting, I think, and important to just zone in sometimes on you do a little values exercise, you know, what's important to me right now, and that changes, that changes, you know, pre-kids, post-kids, it changes throughout your whole life, but just constantly checking in with yourself. Do you know Ikigai, the Japanese?
SPEAKER_01I'm not gonna do it justice. I can't on a pod try and do ikigai, but but research that because that's all about an exercise on um looking at like what I'm good at, um, what you know, what sets my soul alight, what is my purpose, and like trying to work out, even if let's say you're right, it's it's a privilege to do something that you feel so purpose-driven, like that. Not everyone can do that, and there's you know, bigger stuff they need to make sure they've got covered, but maybe it's doing something in the charity sector outside of work or doing something on a Saturday morning, um, you know, building a kind of different community. So trying to work out because we all need that and we deserve it. And I think we all rush so quickly into school and academic, and I think it all starts from there. So, what you're doing, you know, homeschooling is hopefully trying to rejig that. But like, I think we're on such a rush and we're all so panicked. I think you just blink, and it's been like 15 years, and you're like, what am I doing? Why am I doing that?
SPEAKER_00If I think back to when I went to uni, it was like you just go to uni. Yeah, and I loved it, it was psychology and it was great. But but at the same time, when I look at my boys' trajectory now moving forwards, I'm like, we don't we learn, of course, we learn and we do maths and English, but we also just like what are you interested in? Yeah, like that's really important for me. Just keep pushing and they go, we want to do this top and watch it. Was it school and follow it?
SPEAKER_01Did anyone ever ask that at school? I don't think I ever. I think I thought, what could I get the best grades in? Yeah, therefore, what can I make, you know, my parents proud, myself proud, more unique. I didn't really, I didn't, I didn't do subjects I enjoyed, I did subjects I'd get the best grades that I thought for me I'd get the best grades. That's quite depressing, really.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, definitely. Especially with AI, I think it's a really interesting conversation around. I mean, I don't know. So you went to market last January, so it's 18 months. Yeah. Wow. You've done so much. How have you seen AI change business in that time?
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, it is the it is the thing at the moment. I mean, we use various bits and bobs as a small company. I'm imagining for whoever, but my own experience right now is that, but it's pretty game-changing. Like what you can do, I think it's gonna enable so many more entrepreneurs actually having AI because it's just that it's just time that it saves you. I have a plug-in in my inbox that reads my emails, helps me draft responses. I've got something that comes and takes notes on call. You know, I don't have a team to say, take notes for me, so that's not the privilege we've got. So I've got this AI robot that does it. Every idea, every social media strategy. We are trying to adopt Claude is the one we're using, but more and more and more as a team, and think, yeah, how we can use it in every way possible. I think it is brilliant. I do also find it petrifying, but that's probably for another episode. Exactly. But it's but in the context of running a small organisation, I think everyone should be thinking what they can do with it.
SPEAKER_00I think for a small business, it can be a game changer because you can get so much more done in such a short space of time. But yeah, I mean, there are much bigger questions which we don't have time to answer on the podcast. Um, let's talk about the sweet industry because yeah, if I think about it, so I love sweets. Good fact. Um, I grew up with a packet of sweets in my bag, handbag. I mean, you know, like sweets were my thing, pick a mix, love. Yeah. Um, if I think about sweets now, I could probably list 20 sort of brands or whatever. But if I look at organic, less sugar, I'm feeling like I can probably name, well, definitely one, maybe two or three, but I don't know if even then those would be as per yours. So what's going on there? Like, why hasn't that really changed when so much else of our eating and our health has?
SPEAKER_01I think it's first, I think sweets is a category. If I look at like the supermarket aisles and bays and stuff, the way you shop. Sweets is fundamentally about taste and enjoyment and fun. And it should be. That's what we're really passionate about. Like, this isn't a health food, this is a sweet in the moments where sweets are absolutely what you want. I think my kids do think it's a health. Yeah, but the amount of treatment, yeah, yeah, no, it's still. I wouldn't be saying give it food for breakfast. Yeah, yeah. When we want a treat, we're the best you're gonna get of that option. So I would say that sweets are all about joy and fun. So I think they are gonna be not everyone is thinking about their sugar when they're eating sweets because you're kind of like, you know what, the wheels are off, particularly as an adult, I think when we're eating them. What I see in the category is there's been a lot of innovation around um no nasty, as a lot of people call it, like tandykins, which I love. Yeah, particularly they're kind of focusing on a slightly older, more like kind of us, basically, audience of like no palm oil, no gelatin, no additives. Because there's a lot, we know there's EU numbers and there's preservatives and weird stuff that don't need to be in them. So I think the that has been a little bit of movement there, which is great. I have also seen some innovation that's like the kind of zero sugar, but they're using sweeteners or they're using additives. Which you don't want to do. And that's the thing I think that particularly parents resonate with. It's like, okay, right. Well, I don't want to give my kid, you know, diet coke, but I also give them kids full of sugar. So that balance. That middle ground. And I think that's also what I'm speaking to a lot of parents, like that's what they're trying to balance, is what they're trying to get to with their kids. It's not like restrict or buttons. It's also not healthy, right?
SPEAKER_00We know that with children, if you restrict something, ultimately they go on to crave it later on, potentially. So I think it's it's such a fine balance, and I think you've done it brilliantly. I I don't even know. I mean, where did you start? So you've you stumbled across, sorry, remind me of the veggie bears. Veggie bears. Yeah, and you were like, oh, they taste quite good. This is interesting. When you said you did research, like, how does one start looking at research for a brand that they've suddenly realized could be brilliant?
SPEAKER_01I I mean, speak to everyone that will listen or speak. Jen, like honestly, I still do, I guess. This is an example, isn't it? It's all learning. Yeah, but I persuaded a few groups of mums with my my god mum Auntie Allison. We brought her out of retirement. She used to be in consumer research, and I was like, Can you help me? Amazing. I mean, amazing. And then Jen, my CMO, who um who I mentioned earlier, we were like, right, we need to gather some mums, and we did like this, obviously, no mics and stuff, but like this around the kitchen. We had a group, three groups of around five or six mums. It was coming up to Christmas, so I gave them a 50 quid Amazon voucher. I was like, would this help? Yeah. And we just chatted and chatted about sweets and snacks and what they give their kids, what they don't, why they don't. And they but we basically got this very clear theme that of all the things you can give them from kind of cheese to breadsticks to crisps to sweets, um, to maybe with the exception of prime, mums seemed to say that sweets were the worst of the worst. They were like, This is what I just find my kids go mental for, but I do not want to give them. But then that emotional dynamic of this is what my kids are most excited about. So that tension of like, I want to give my kids sweets. I don't want to create these bad foods and good foods or diet culture that we all grew up with. They don't want to actually, but then I don't feel good giving my kids sweets. I feel reluctant too, because they're full of artificials and they're full of sugar. So it was like doing a lot of that and then and then working more on, but wait a second, we want to make sure the kids enjoy it and have that excitement. Because if we look like, I think a healthy suite. Yes, it's so true. Where's the joy that you know? So you've got to how do we capture the energy of uh, let's be honest, great brands like Harry Bow and Skittles and all these brands that kids go like, yes, but then wink wink to mum and dad and say, by the way, we're half the sugar and we're no artificials. That's that was the hard thing. And then we work with the mums through the design process on what do you think and so I'm so interested.
SPEAKER_00You went from I've forgotten the name again, Veggie bears. I'm so sorry. Veggie bears to wild things. That is quite a significant jump in name. Yeah. So for the whole thing. We've worked the costume. We start again. Tell me all about the branding. I love to hear about this sort of stuff. Well, we the sweeties themselves are little insects.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Well, I should start from the beginning. My favourite is the cola snail. I'm just gonna eat one now.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I love a cola one. It all started from us trying to be like, right, what is the most badass plant-based thing? A Venus flytrap. Interesting. That's fun. Kids love Venus flytraps. Like they're they how do you communicate natural plant? And then so we were like, right, and then we started working on this world, and I worked with we worked with this amazing design agency called How and How. And we they're so creative. And they were like, what would be in her world? It would be snails and bugs and slugs, and and then creating the shapes of the suites are all all those types of different insects and insects. Yeah, they're all insects. Like for a child, that would be.
SPEAKER_00Like a genuine unit. It's just fun. Yeah, it's really fun.
SPEAKER_01And it's cute because I noticed when my mates, um, you know, anyone basically over the age of 12, when they get some these sweets, they just put a fistful in their mouth. Yeah, kids are kind of going, oh, it's a wasp, it's a butterfly. But it's lovely seeing that. Um and wild things, it was just that point again on like we want it to be something that kids feel is cool and punk and fun, but like ultimately we are about natural and we're about, you know, and also wild things kind of are the kids themselves, aren't they? So there was something fun in that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And you've got different flavours, so we've got fruity fliers, zesty pears scummy. I like those.
SPEAKER_01I don't know when this is coming out, but we've got some new flavours launched.
SPEAKER_00Have you?
SPEAKER_01We've got some tropical um bag coming, which is delicious, like mango pineapples. Honestly, gorgeous, and like a berry mix coming, so specifically berries. Um, but yeah, they're all fruity flavours, with the exception of our cola, which is the one that typically just a couple of just a classic.
SPEAKER_00Every time we open them, I'm like, which one would you prefer? They always give the cola. With the little bags, it's so interesting. Yeah. So, okay, so wild things, nature, bugs, slugs, like it's just, I don't think there's anything else like it.
SPEAKER_01Well, I don't that I know there's nothing like it in terms of the recipe, which is epic, but um, we just wanted to be fun. It has to be fun and it has to taste nice. And they that, yeah, that's the biggest thing. Yeah, kids have to feel like they're not being shortchanged. This is a sweet, and we've made them deliberately in the little bags, you know, it's less than 80 calories for party bags, party bags, trickle treaters, trickle tweeters that I did with you guys last year.
SPEAKER_00And I was so happy to give them out as well because you really do feel, especially with things like trickle treating, you're giving out. I feel a bit bad that I'm just giving kids like, but actually, with these, I was like, have some!
SPEAKER_01I'm so proud of them. Parties and also like people tell us a lot they're going into school, having got a kid's birthday. Like, it's it's the fact that you've got no allergens, no gelatin. It's like you want to be inclusive with it.
SPEAKER_00That's so true. Because actually, anytime you know, we used to take them when they were at school, it would be 30 bags of mini Harry Bow. And I never thought about it. There was always a couple of kids who my son would say they can't have them because they've got gelatin pork. So, actually, that's so true. I'd never even thought about that. Because you can buy multi-packs, can't you? Is it Amazon or yeah, Amazon?
SPEAKER_01We can get we do like big party boxes and stuff you can buy.
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, no, it's can we just like stop for a moment and think about how well you've done it? It's mad. 18 months. All of the big retailers, amazing feedback from parents. And and when you speak to parents, what do they say now? They've you sat around the table initially and gave you all of their thoughts.
SPEAKER_01And now, yeah, I mean, it's cool. When we do like, we do a lot of sampling. So everyone acted as one of our new stockers. We did sampling there, outside the Whole Foods Market recently doing sampling. So it's always cool, I think, to take a step away from the laptop and hear actual, like, I mean, kids eating sweets and kids eating wild things is always an absolute slam dunk. So that's quite nice to hear sometimes. But hearing the kind of eureka from parents, like, oh my god, I've been needing something like this. Oh, this will be good for that. I've got a party on the weekend. So that that's always like for a small brand when it's lovely to hear your feedback. When you're living it, you're like, this is relentless. I mean, we're going up against the liars tier. So hearing those little bits of like anecdotal kind of reasons to believe are kind of your fuel. It's like you have to celebrate. I know we do need to we need to do more, I think.
SPEAKER_00Massive. I just it's huge. I think you've done so incredibly well, and it's just amazing. Um, and and going back to the work life thing, yeah. Because as per your point, yeah, that's really hard. So 18 months into your new sweet brand, what does work-life balance look like, if at all?
SPEAKER_01Ebbs and flows, fine, but better. I think I've become a lot more kind of better at riding the waves, as in like not not celebrating the highs, but not being so kind of I'm quite excitable anyway, and excited about this brand, but like not going so crazy for the highs and then also beating yourself up for the lows, but realizing it's a journey. And I've got a feeling that's only gonna continue over the time. Like, we're 80 months in is a relatively very short space of time for a brand. So I've just started to try and channel that like it's a marathon, not a sprint. Yeah, I'm having you know conversations with retailers. We want to take that next step into big grocery retail, you know. I'm talking the weight chosen, the task is the same to be, that would be the dream, or the next step, building on everything on a cartoon whole foods and planet organic. But I just keep working out now is like what is meant for me, and this brand will not pass me. And actually, timing is important, and we really want to build kind of the community around this brand, um, so that when we do get that chance in a big grocery retailer, we're ready and parents and families know about us. So trying to be a little bit more intentional about actually speed is great and agility is great to build a startup, but actually, if you want to go, you know, if you want to go far, go together kind of thing and go slower, maybe more intentional. So the hair and the tortoise.
SPEAKER_00It is at the very most basic concept.
SPEAKER_01I know, and I'm a bit of I'm a bit hair-leaning.
SPEAKER_00So I need to be but it's hard, and I think it's a really interesting point to make for those listening who maybe have a small business or want to have one. Yeah, that feeling, especially with social media, and I'm sure you've seen, whilst you know, in your arena, I suppose, these are doing really, really well. But I'm sure you see stuff that makes you think, oh, I should be doing that, or we should do this, or how many flavours are we going to bring out next? And I'm not sure what that is, but that ability to stay slightly more present and stay more grounded and not rush through everything. That's really important as a business, I think.
SPEAKER_01I think it's major, I think whatever you look at, it comparison is definitely the thief of joy. Like a social, whether that be like your own family situation or I don't know, your life, or for me, LinkedIn, I think. I kind of have this love-hate with LinkedIn because it's an amazing place to get your voice heard, which is cool, but you only see the highlight real, and that's really dangerous. I think you don't see the real kind of warts and all stuff. And yeah, the more I speak to founders or people in business or whatever that and you get them properly, typically over a glass of wine to tell you proper stories from the beginning, it's really like eye-opening in the best way of like the realities of these brands that you think are overnight successes or these companies that are overnight successes, are never overnight successes. There's always more to it in a way that I find quite inspiring. It's like we're just getting started, like, yeah. So I think it is one to watch, and Instagram is not great for it either, really, is it?
SPEAKER_00No, I think it's so hard. And I think it the the sort of entrepreneurial thing is really interesting because I feel like it looks like to a lot of people you can just go out and start a business tomorrow and have success. But we know that most businesses are built off the back of failure. Like, there's so much more to it than maybe what social media makes us think. And I think even then, you know, it looks as well, like with social media being easier to market a brand, you can just sort of set up and off you go. But as you were saying, like it takes some serious um and effort and sometimes days and nights and and and major sacrifices.
SPEAKER_01That's the other thing I think I found. Is I'm like, oh, how did you do it? And I I'm not gonna name the person, but they they have an amazing brand 10 years in. And I was like, But how you know, how did you get that balance? I remember I think I was probably quite struggling and thinking, how do you do it? How do you turn off when you come home? How do you turn off when you're with your friends? And he was like, Oh, I don't. I didn't I didn't see my friends for 10 years, I didn't go to their weddings. I didn't, and I'm like, oof, you know, I yeah, I'm not saying that's kind of where I want to get to, and I I want to be careful with this brand, I want to build it right, I want to do it in a way that feels fun still for the team, and that's hard sometimes because we everyone, my whole team are amazing, we work really hard, but we've got to keep the fun, we've got to keep celebrating success, and that in itself is something I think we have to be really mindful of. Otherwise, you're like, what is the point? You just I don't know.
SPEAKER_00I think it's true, and I think, I mean, I on reflection, I do lots of different things now, but I missed my sacrifice was I missed the first five years of my 20s, yeah, sort of 20 to 25, roughly. I worked five nights a week as a night nanny because I was so determined to get my business set up in the day. And I was in a house chair with three girls who are all great friends now, and I miss loads of stuff because I was actually 9 p.m. Heidi's off to work again. I missed the like girls' sessions on the sofa. Um, I paid rent when I was only there for two nights a week. And when I look back, I'm not sure if I'd have done it the same way, but at the same time, I'm obviously where I am today, and I'm very happy with that, and you know, sure I could be doing more and better or whatever else. But it's it was a sacrifice at the end of the day, and so sometimes you do come up against occasionally, you know, oh lucky you. And I'm like, well, you know, there's privilege, but then there's also sheer grit and determination that sometimes gets you somewhere, and yeah, you have to make compromises here and there.
SPEAKER_01And coming back to the point on purpose and values and working out what's important to you, because it only you can only do that stuff if you really believe in it, or well, it's gonna feel pretty rubbish if you're making these sacrifices, but you don't believe in what you're doing. I mean, that's a double, double downer. So, yeah, at least being really clear like, yeah, what makes you tick and what what it's about. And I think coming back to that, because otherwise, yeah, we all get stuck on this same rat race and we don't ever stop and think what we're doing and why we're doing it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. This episode is proudly sponsored by Biogaia Probiotics. Biogaia are experts in gut health, offering clinically tested probiotics designed to support the whole family's digestive system from day one and as your child grows. Whether it's helping with colic, gas, or overall gut balance, their products are developed with both science and safety in mind. You can purchase BioGaia in Boots, Amazon, or Hollander Barrett, or use the code PPBY20 for 20% off on their website. Because when your family feels better, everything feels a little easier. Um, Flash, you work very closely, as you mentioned, with mums in your team. And I know we've just touched on the sort of journey through parenthood and that difficulty of balancing. But as you've watched mums navigate their career journey, like what comes up for them? Well, what are the kind of challenges?
SPEAKER_01Uh I think it's that definitely that piece on childcare and working out what works for you and your family. Um, again, I'm no expert, this is just what I've witnessed like decisions on when you go back to work and at what capacity you go back to work. I think in a corporate setting, maybe if you don't have a company that's more like home-based, but it's like how many days you're going back, what you know, what works for you, what works for your child, um nursery, I mean the fees of nursery versus like a child mind or nannies. It's mad. I do sometimes get one of my pet peeves, I'll say sometimes I hear a bit of a I don't know what the word is. It seems to be a repetitive thing, people talk about. Yeah, but the thing is, after my salary and after tax, and you know, after this, is it worth doing that? And by the way, I I think you've just got to do whatever makes you happy. So if you want to be with your kids and you can afford that, that's amazing, you know, whatever brings you purpose. So I want to caveat with that, but it's always this conversation. We have this like we I do the maths of nursery and tax, and we always talk about the woman's salary. It bugs me. It's two salaries. We're not talking about as a family unit. That's so true. It's always talking about her salary.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, let's talk about me.
SPEAKER_01Right. Let's talk about both because we are a family and they're both children.
SPEAKER_00Is it worth it between us combined income against outgoings?
SPEAKER_01Because there's so much more to work than just a salary. Yeah, yeah. A lot of people need that, and it's like getting out of the house. It's it is purpose, purpose, as you said. Yeah, not for everyone, but for a lot of people, yeah, yeah. It's a massive sense of you know, value. And so I think how do we enable dads to again, that's also very heteronormative, but you know, there's two parents typically in these relationships. How do we enable the other to step up a bit more and take the load off their plate? It's always, I find this assumption and the mental load, again, another buzzword, but I think rightfully so, that lands on mum's head and she is trying to balance everything. To how do we get dads to do it more? And there's some amazing, I think, stuff out there that's happening, and seeing dads step in, and even the modern, the modern father versus what we had and stuff is a different stratosphere.
SPEAKER_00Still a long way to go, but but yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01And actually, I've got we've got uh sad that it's only one, but one one of my uh partner's uh best mates, his godson's dad, just did I think a month of pat leave now as his uh partner went back to work. And I thought that's really cool. That's the only dad I know that's done a proper month, just them with the kids. So I hate that that's revolutionary, but more of that.
SPEAKER_00It's happening more, but it's there's still a huge, huge long way to go, as you say.
SPEAKER_01But but organizations need to support that because I've also heard just as many horror stories recently of dads who've taken pat leave and come back to no job. Yeah, I mean it's awful redundancy. My sister went back and was made redundant on the back on the um day back from Matt Leave. Brilliant for me because she's helped me with the business. She's a free consultant. But no, seriously, you know, and that and that is a common theme with her the whole bump and baby group coming back, and either your job's been someone's nicked your job or someone's got a promotion. It's really rife, actually. So ultimately, I think organizations need to do better and support that and see it as a long-term investment into someone's career and how you retain great talent. Because the best organizations, that's what they do, they do great Matt Leave, great Pat Leave, and they get the they keep the best people.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, 100%. It's a huge topic, and it's one that I think needs more airtime constantly because it needs to change, doesn't it? Yeah. In terms of business, then in your own journey, which again, another celebration like is incredible. I won't stop telling you can't. When I when I see a brand that I genuinely love, and you you know I've been a massive supporter of you guys really since I knew about you, like I really want to champion it because it's I know how hard it is, and my business is tiny, like it's really just me at the moment, but I know how hard it is to build in the hours that go into it. But how do you stay resilient? Because I mean I've had various things, whether it's social media drama or like the tax man, or sometimes it's just a bit like I just I've said several times in the last year, I think I just want to go get a job, you know, like a job that where someone else pays me, and I don't have to do my own tax return and worry all about you know business coming in. So how do you as a business founder stay resilient, especially in this climate right now, which I think is probably as hard as it's ever been? I wasn't alive a hundred years ago, but you know what I mean? Like it's hard.
SPEAKER_01It doesn't feel easy, does it? But like, no, I I I think it's that point on marathon, not sprint, bigger perspective, which I think reaching out to other people, like leaning on everyone who can help. I like I'm not shy to ask for help, and I think that really is a good thing. Like you every day literally is a school day when you're like working for yourself. So the more you realise that actually not to be scared to ask for help, people love being asked to help, actually, and being asked for their advice. So I lean on anyone who will listen and get advice off. Um, and then it's that point on the highs and the lows, and that you know, that proverb about it's not good, it's not bad, it just is, and just seeing how things pan out is something I'm constantly trying to develop because that helps my resilience. And and rest is productive. Rest is productive. This idea, and I'm such a you know, I want to I'm want to be hyper-fixated on something and work late into the night on actually sometimes taking a step back, going and doing a gym class, whatever it is that gives you that peace of mind, going for a walk is something.
SPEAKER_00But rest is productive if you think about it. Like that was not something that I knew as a child, or even even now I struggle when you say that. I'm like, oh, but it's kind of not, but we know it is, but it's so hard.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. I think it's really hard because we're not wide that way, but particularly when it's your own thing, yeah, resilience is the game, I think. It's it is an endurance sport. This um, so you don't want to burn out bright and literally burn out. So I'm trying my best to do keep that bigger perspective a little bit, and do and even just having breaks from it, even if it's like spending time with family, or in my case, my niece and nephews, it does just jolt you into yeah, there's more to life actually than sweets.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, and I think it's really interesting because we've had a few founders on this series, and they've all mentioned what you've mentioned about reaching out and asking people, you know. And I think I'm one of those people who struggles to pick up the phone, and I'm like, oh, I can't possibly, I wouldn't possibly, you know, ask them how that was done. And like, why wouldn't you? Because as per your point, like most people do just want to help. Yeah. So we just it's it's hard for some of us.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I don't know what it is. I and I think that it might be a bit of a female thing as well. We don't want to burden anyone, and it's not a burden, like people are complimented to be said, and I and I can't wait. The amount of amazing mentors I've had in my career and continue to have and people who've helped me, I can't wait to one day pay that back. You know, I can't wait for me in 20 years' time to ask, you know, you say, What do you do for this? I and I will have all the time. But I think that's how it all goes. So don't be scared to ask.
SPEAKER_00Don't be scared to ask, it's really good. Yeah, we move on. Exactly, exactly. And it's not a no until it's no, it's not yes until it's no. There's there's some kind of phrase that I'm trying to say, but I can't say it. Um let's amazing advice, I think. So let's kind of finish off with I suppose you've just sort of said it really, but ultimately, if someone was looking to start a small business, a mini organization, whether it's a sweet brand or a I don't know, whatever else that needs disrupting right now, what would your advice be?
SPEAKER_01Uh other than some of the bits we've spoken about, my other bit of advice would be on the research piece. You can never have enough research, like, but but also you do not need a big budget to do research. So back to that piece on like asking, in my case, getting a load of mums in a room. You can also go into any supermarket or any like go walk around boots, walk around Tesco. You can learn a lot. You can even be a bit weird like me and linger around the shelves and talk to people at the shelves and say, hey, I'm not joking. You get a lot from that kind of thing. So I think as a small business, data is expensive typically. Now with AI, you can get a lot more data, a lot cheaper, so that's good. But like do that in-depth level of research, and that will help only make your business plan uh more robust and be more uh potentially attractive to investors if that's what you need to be doing. So I think um that'd be one bit of advice I I I definitely want to look to get across because it's something that we've done scrappy research. Actually, I still I still the the consumer groups that we did with before Wild Things was even born with the mums in the kitchen for an Amazon voucher, we still use and I lean on to this day. And it's a really helpful insight for me. So that's great advice.
SPEAKER_00And you mentioned the whole in 20 years piece. So in 20 years, I guess my question was what does success look like? But also, where where is this going?
SPEAKER_01I want Wild Things to be a brand that you see everywhere in in 20 years' time. I want it to be synonymous with families as the brand that uh parents feel good about and kids go wild for. That's kind of like our strap line, but it's like how is wild things that go to at every party and just telling more parents that we're here and like that we are a solution that they can feel good about ultimately and and not have to worry, there's enough to worry about as a parent. Sweets should not have to be one of those things. How can you kind of like allow your kids?
SPEAKER_00And switch, sorry. Just just simple that simple party bag switch, and you've done some really good stuff, even with that mini kind of swap over.
SPEAKER_01So and that's what we're here for. Make life a little bit easier when it comes to at least sweets, yeah. And leave you to the other big stuff. We're gonna eat all of them now.
SPEAKER_00Um my final question I ask everyone on the podcast the same question. So when it comes to navigating, what you've just done in the last couple of years like is incredible, but you obviously can't do it alone. So, what has that support looked like for you?
SPEAKER_01I mean, how long do you have? I honestly can't even every single almost full emotional. Every my my mum and dad, my siblings, every friend, my partner, my team, like every everyone you speak to is so weirdly supportive. It's like surprising, and that amounts to so much. Like it I don't even have enough time to talk about even like the amount of help and support I I've got and can need to get, and people chilling. Even you, like, you know, these moments when you posted on my story on your story, it's huge, you know. That as a small person when you were in the trenches is massive. So I have only been so lucky to just receive overwhelming levels of support from everyone. Um, and I'm majorly grateful for it.
SPEAKER_00So well, you deserve every last drink of it. So thank you so much for being here. I have absolutely loved that conversation. I'm inspired. I love your suit, as I've said already, and um yeah, thank you so much. Obviously, we can find you on well, any of the places we talked about, Amazon as well. And um, Instagram is just at WorldThings.
SPEAKER_01We're yeah, we're InstaWildthings.co, and we're in hundreds of independents and farm shops and farm parks and stuff. So if you go on our website, you can see your nearest store um and support independence that you've got near you. Um, or like you say, we're on Amazon at Cardo Whole Foods.
SPEAKER_00But um yeah, and if you enjoy tag, you like to see the content. Oh, always, yes, yes, yes. Stay out there in the community. Well, thank you for being here. Thank you so much. Sorry, it's so hot in my kitchen. Um we survived! Thank you for listening to this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe on whichever channel you find your podcast on, Spotify, Apple, or other podcast players.