7 Life-Changing Challenger Leadership Principles The Multi-Millionaire Food & Drink Founders Use On a Daily Basis

You’re probably reading this on the bog, aren’t you?
Or maybe on the train?
Or maybe, just maybe, on the bog ON the train.

Avante West Coast rattler en route to Liverpool::: Fokin’ ‘ell our kiddaaa
10 Points to Grifindore:: our kiddaaa

On a rainy Tuesday, I was in the gym.
Doing Deadlifts.

LEG & BOOT-AYYYY DAY he he he he he he.

Carefully, I loaded the plates.
Accidentally, I my maths was wrong.

On the right side, I added 50kg.
On the left side, I added 20kg.

*deep breath
*HEEEEAVEEEEEEE

I tried to lift the fucking barbell off the floor.
Off balance. Lopsided. Back hurt.
All over the gaff.

Crash
BANG
Wallop

I was, in short, Fragile.

Food and drink founders: Fragile is dangerous.

Our goal: Anti-Fragility.

How?
Firstly, don’t wank off an Ostrich at London Zoo after a couple of Gin & Tonics

(**ohhhh shit… fuck… fuck… sorry…. forgot this was a newsletter… thought it was a WhatsApp to my Friend Tony)

Secondly, please let me introduce you to Nassim Taleb’s Barbell Theory

Nassim Taleb Barbell Theory

Taleb explores the Barbell Strategy in books: Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, and The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.

The barbell strategy is an approach to uncertainty (risk) that uses two extremes - like weights on the opposite ends of a barbell - to avoid ruin and simultaneously expose yourself to a speculative upside.

Barbell Strategy: a method that consists of taking both a defensive attitude and an excessively aggressive one at the same time.

On one end of the barbell is extreme risk aversion (safety). On the other end is extreme risk loving (speculation).

Taleb’s Barbell Strategy isn’t exclusive for investing.

It’s for Leadership too.

Food & Drink Founders can implement Barbell Strategies to become Anti-Fragile, too.

1. Barbell: Speed vs. Slow

Right plate: Move at lightning speed
Left plate: Careful, slow planning to move in the RIGHT direction.

What’s the point in going fast, if you’re going in the wrong direction?
What’s the point in going slow, if you’re going in the right direction?

Balancing Speed & Intensity + Slow & Right Direction = Anti-Fragile

2. Barbell: Pure action, then Pure reflection.

Stoic Sloshpot Seneca employed a Barbell Strategy, too.

right plate: pure action
left plate: pure reflection

So man founders are do, do, do.

But, never stop to reflect.

Do, do, do - reflect, reflect, reflect = Fragile.

Do, do, do + reflect, reflect, reflect = Anti-Fragile

3. Barbell: Negative Voice in Your head

Right plate: negative INTERNAL voice in your head
Left plate: positive EXTERNAL results

So many try SOLVE the voice in your head…(I tried, for ages, and failed )

James Watt, BrewDog wholesale ACCEPTS the negative voice in his head.
James is Anti-Fragile.

The negative voice in your head, is, ironically, Anti-fragile.
The voice tempers your ambition
The voice squelches your ego
The voice avoid hubris and getting big for your boots.
The voice is tail wind, not, headwind.
The voice make you relentlessly pursue better.
The voice make you improve 1% everyday.
The voice is Anti-fragile.

4. Barbell: Focus vs. New

Right plate: focus on the core range
Left plate: focus on NPD and innovation

So many brands get this wrong

Either too much focus on innovation, NPD, new launches = all over the gaff-focus = Fragile

Or, too much focus on driving core = lose the entrepreneurial bite/hustle = Fragile.

Focus Innovation 70kg + Focus on Core Range 10kg = Fragile
Focus on Core Range 40kg + Focus Innovation 40 kg = Fragile

This Barbell Strategy to be Anti-Fragile is more nuanced.

I’d probably, load up 80kg on focus vs. 10kg on innovation.

Why?

Keep the Main Thing, The Main Thing = AntiFragile
Innovate or Die = AntiFragile

Lucky Saint’s IPA Launch is an Anti-Fragile strategy

80kg on driving the core hero sku in off-trade and on-trade
20kg on launching an IPA in Tesco, to keep buyers sweet, unlock the meal deal.

LS aren’t launching 20 new beers. Just one. One good one. That’s Anti-Fragile.

5.Barbell: Analogue vs. Digital

Right plate: submerged deep in the analogue, creative underworld doing deep work
Left plate: above water in the fast paced, digital, connected over world communicating fast

Christopher Nolan, director of Oppenheimer, Inception, Batman lives an analogue life.

Chris doesn’t do emails.
Or texts.
Or meetings.

Chris’s analogue creative life = Anti-Fragile

So many founders, spend their time “working” in the digital world.

We’ve got HARD work all wrong.

We do long, shallow work and call it HARD work.

Fragile Hard Work = long shallow work, staying in the office till 8pm, lots of meetings about meetings.

Anti-Fragile Hard Work = short, INTENSE, deep sprints of work in 2 hour blocks.

The Barbell:

Carveout time for DEEP work + Carving our time for Fast Paced Communication = Anti-Fragile.

6.Barbell: Simplicity vs. Complexity

Right plate: complexity
Left plate: simplicity

Maybe, the hardest barbell of all to master.

But, the barbell, if you nail, you become Anti-Fragile.

“A novice is easily spotted as they do too much, a master uses the fewest motions required to fulfil their intention” - Dave Senra

“Genius have the fewest moving parts” - Dave Senra

Julian Metcalfe “Complexity is EASY, Simplicity is HARD” Check out the podcast with Julian Metcalfe for a master class on this.

7.Barbell: Control Everything vs. Control Nothing

Right plate: you control everything
Left plate: you control nothing

This past week, we’ve had some tough loses.
They hurt.
They sucked.
It was rough.

Fragile = assuming you control nothing
Fragile = assuming you control everything.

Anti-Fragile strategy = accept you control EVERYTHING & NOTHING

Oh! It’s my Birthday today.

Fancy feeling warm inside?
Fancy kick starting that Friday-feeling?
Go on you little minx… be a total fucking legend… gimme a bday prezzie?

I’m not looking for a Champagne drenched banquet at The Ritz (maybe I am).

Any of these would be amazing

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You Legends

Popey xx

1. What on earth is Unleashed, I hear you asking?

Unleashed is Inventory management software that talks to your financial and eComm software. We use it daily at Islands. It's BANGING!!

2. Why Unleashed will change your life as a foodie founder?

Cut admin time in half. Save money. Lots of money. Get lucid clarity on margins. Be all over cash flow, after all cash is king. Manage stock and cash flow.

3. The biggest brands in FMCG love love Unleashed?

Your fave brands like Candy Kittens, Tiny Rebel, TRIP, Tarquins Gin, Three Spirit, Minor Figures, The Turmeric Co., Volcano Coffee

4. Do yourself a favour

Feel free to reach out to the utter legends Josh and Bryony at Unleashed, book in a 20 min chat with this magical link. Even if nothing comes of it, it's worth having a chat. Click this magical link.

Still Hungry? Course you are…

Please feel free to gorge on the most downloaded podcast episodes of all time (these are CERTY: BANGERS)

1. Rory Sutherland: Why Challenger Brands Must Never Follow Logic to Truly Disrupt Categories 

2. Waitrose CEO: How Challenger Food & Drink Brands Can Win and Build Profitable Partnerships with Waitrose - James Baile

3. Spencer Matthews: How Spencer Matthews Built Unshakeable Resilience and Raised + £10m to Launch Clean Co. in Sainsbury's, Tesco and the U.S.A. 

4. How Grenade Exited to Mondelez for £200 Million and Lessons in Unapologetic Authenticity- Juliett Baratt

5. Tyrells Tycoon: How William Chase built and sold Tyrells for £50 million and sold Chase Distillery to DIAGEO 

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