Brand Growth Heroes cover art

Brand Growth Heroes

Brand Growth Heroes

By: Fiona Fitz | Brand Growth Heroes Mini MBA |
Listen for free

Summary

 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.Copyright Fiona Fitz Consulting Ltd. Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Sara Wilson - Why Brands Have Got Community All Wrong!

    Sara Wilson - Why Brands Have Got Community All Wrong!
    May 12 2026

    In this episode, I’m joined by digital strategist Sara Wilson, who coined the term “digital campfires” in Harvard Business Review, to explore why community is becoming one of the most important growth channels for CPG challenger brands. Sara works with brands including Nike, Netflix, YouTube, Airstream, Yahoo, PopSockets and Prince Street Pizza, helping them understand how to show up inside the communities where influence, identity and belonging are really being shaped.

    This conversation completely EVOLVED how I think about social media and its role in driving brand growth - genuinely.

    We talk about why the most important conversations may no longer be happening publicly on Instagram or TikTok, but in DMs, WhatsApp groups, niche communities, gaming spaces, Substack, Reddit and beyond.

    Sara shares why brands need to stop thinking only about reach and followers, and start thinking much more deeply about identity, transformation and the communities their consumers already belong to.

    Watch the episode on Youtube here.

    What You’ll Learn

    • Why Sara believes the future of influence is happening inside “digital campfires”.
    • The three types of digital campfires: private messaging, micro-communities and shared experiences.
    • Why relevance matters more than reach if you want people to share your brand.
    • How brands like Poppi and McDonald’s have embedded themselves into communities.
    • Why founders need to understand the transformation their brand offers.

    Key Topics Discussed

    • Community as a growth channel.
    • Why DMs and private spaces matter.
    • The “OMG, that’s so me” effect.
    • Identity, belonging and relevance.
    • Why brands should embed into existing communities.
    • Poppi’s winning 'sorority' strategy.
    • McDonald’s Grimace and Mets community moment.
    • How to create high-value community engagement.
    • Why sampling and discounts are not enough.
    • How founders can rethink brand strategy through a community-first lens.

    Useful Links

    Connect with Sara Wilson on LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/saraewilson/

    Sara Wilson’s newsletter
    https://communitycatalysts.substack.com/

    Sara Wilson’s website
    https://swprojects.co/

    We love inspiring you and helping your business to grow! PLEASE share the love by sharing this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague or a mate who loves thinking about community, culture and the future of brand growth.

    Don't forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and even LEAVE A REVIEW - both of these actions make a MASSIVE difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.

    Join our community on Instagram, LinkedIn, and find out more about the programmes and courses Fiona runs, as well as the NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning in to the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.


    **** Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, the commercial law firm.****

    If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.

    But scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.

    That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.

    Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, Trip, Eat Natural, Bear Graze and Pulsin, and advised the innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them at JamJar Investments today!

    ***The fabulous team at Joelson is offering a free legal consultation to any CPG founder listening - Book your session today!**

    Credits

    Thanks to our Sound Engineer Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove.com.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • How Citizens of Soil Is Reinventing Olive Oil

    How Citizens of Soil Is Reinventing Olive Oil
    Apr 28 2026
    In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Sarah and Michael Vachon, the founders of Citizens of Soil, one of the most exciting challenger brands in food and drink right now. We explore how they are transforming olive oil from a commoditised pantry staple into a brand built on transparency, craft, regenerative farming and fairer value for producers, while building a modern consumer brand with real emotional connection and standout commercial momentum.What I loved about this conversation is that it is about so much more than premium olive oil. Sarah and Michael share how they spotted a broken supply chain, why they chose to back small producers and female-led groves, and how a simple shift from calling something a subscription to calling it a club changed the business's growth trajectory. If you are building a consumer brand and thinking about community, premiumisation, founder focus and how to create real value in a category, there is so much to learn here.What You’ll Learn- Why Citizens of Soil saw a much bigger opportunity than simply selling premium olive oil- How changing “subscription” to “club” drove a dramatic increase in member growth- What founders can learn from borrowing packaging and positioning cues from adjacent categories- Why direct customer insight and social listening led to the launch of the Health Club- How Sarah and Michael are balancing rapid growth, team building and direct producer relationshipsKey Topics Discussed- Rebuilding value in a commoditised olive oil category- Regenerative farming and fairer producer economics- Borrowing premium cues from the wine category- DTC growth and the Olive Oil Club model- Community building versus transactional selling- Nutrition-led innovation and high polyphenol oils- Retail growth across Waitrose, Ocado, Booths, Fortnum & Mason and Selfridges- Building a team to support DTC and brand-led growth- Working as a husband-and-wife founder team- Premium pricing, value creation and consumer behaviourUseful LinksWebsite https://www.citizensofsoil.com/Connect with Michael https://www.linkedin.com/in/vachonline/Connect with Sarah https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfulton/Connect with Citizens of Soil on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/citizens-of-soil/posts/?feedView=allWe love inspiring you and helping your business to grow! PLEASE share the love by sharing this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague or a mate who loves brilliant food brands and category reinvention. Don't forget to FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and even LEAVE A REVIEW - both of these actions make a MASSIVE difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.Join our community on Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, and find out more about the programmes and courses Fiona runs, as well as the NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning in to the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.Follow Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.*****Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor Joelson, a B Corp-certified commercial law firm****************If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.Scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, TRIP, Two Chicks, graze and Crosta & Mollica, and advised the Innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them today!Joelson are SO brilliant that they are offering a free consultation to any CPG brand founder - book your consultation with one of the Joelson lawyers here: https://joelsonlaw.com/contact/bookings/*****************Thanks to our Sound Engineer Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove.com and podcast producer/content creator Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS https://socialkews.co.uk/
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Female Founder Leadership Lessons | Emma Woods, Chair of Ancient+Brave, ex CEO of wagamama

    Female Founder Leadership Lessons | Emma Woods, Chair of Ancient+Brave, ex CEO of wagamama
    Apr 14 2026
    Today, I’m joined by Emma Woods, Chair of Ancient+Brave, ex CEO of wagamama, and one of the most experienced growth leaders I know.Emma has done the full journey - Unilever, high-growth markets in Mexico, PizzaExpress, Merlin, Wagamama and now she brings all of that to the challenger brands who need it most, as a chair and board director.This isn't a conversation about corporate playbooks. It's about what actually works when you're building something from the ground up.We go deep on boards - why so many founders get this wrong, and what to do instead. Emma introduces the concept of a Growth Chair: not just governance, but someone who's been at your stage of growth and can help you make better decisions, faster.We also get into confidence, imposter syndrome, leadership stretch, and why, despite real progress, women are still underrepresented in the rooms where it matters.Emma shares her Vital 5 - a framework for the metrics and decisions that actually move a brand forward.If you're building a challenger brand, this one will change how you think.What You'll Learn- Why most founders get their board wrong and what a Growth Chair actually does- How to find and brief the right advisors for your stage of growth- Emma's Vital 5: the metrics and mindset shifts that drive real growth- How to lead when you're constantly outside your comfort zone- Why confidence isn't a personality trait… it's a practice- The real state of women in senior business leadership and what needs to changeKey Topics Discussed- Emma Woods’ journey from Unilever to Wagamama CEO to board leadership- What high-growth markets teach you about speed, instinct and leadership- When founders should introduce a board and why timing matters- Governance vs growth: what boards should actually be doing- The “Vital Five” and how to focus your business- Why consumer brands are “leaky buckets” (and what to do about it)- The PizzaExpress promotion lesson and the long-term cost of short-term growth- What makes a great chair-founder relationship- Growth leadership vs traditional leadership- Women in business: boards, CEOs and the “power seat” gap- Confidence, imposter syndrome and leadership stretch- Emma’s Conversations in Confidence seriesUseful links:Connect with Emma Woods on LinkedInEmma’s Conversations in Confidence series We love inspiring you and helping your business to grow. Please share this episode with another founder building a challenger brand, a colleague, or a mate who is interested in the future of food, content-led growth and scaling consumer brands. Don’t forget to follow or subscribe to Brand Growth Heroes on your favourite podcast app, and please leave a review too. Both of those actions make a massive difference to our mission to help more founders just like you.You can also connect with Brand Growth Heroes on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, find out more about the programmes and courses I run, and join our NextGen CPG WhatsApp group for founders leaning into the value that a leadership approach to engaging with AI can unlock for businesses like yours.======================================================================================================Thanks to Brand Growth Heroes’ podcast sponsor - Joelson, a B Corp certified commercial law firm.If you're a founder, you already know how much energy goes into building the perfect product, creating standout branding and connecting with consumers.But scaling a CPG business also brings legal complexities that can make or break your growth journey - from contracts and regulatory compliance to protecting your intellectual property.That’s why we’re proud to partner with Joelson, the leading commercial law firm specialising in helping founders of scaling consumer brands.Joelson works with brands like Little Moons, TRIP, Two Chicks, graze and Crosta & Mollica, and advised the Innocent founders on their landmark sale to Coca-Cola - and still work with them today!Do you need legal advice as you grow your brand? Take this BIG opportunity and book a free consultation with one of Joelson lawyers here. =====================================================================================================Thanks to our Sound Engineer, Gyp Buggane, Ballagroove.com and podcast producer, Kathryn Watts, Social KEWS.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
No reviews yet