the only certainty is uncertainty

Author

Dan Pope
May 12, 2023

I shut my eyes tight. They burned. I bit down hard. Grimaced. Explosion.

CAAABOOOOOOM

IN THAAAAA FACE

AAAAAA RBBBIBBAAAAAA

AAAARIBAAAAAAAAAA

Sour explosions zoomed,zinged, zagged, zorbed around my head like an iridescent orange and pink and chlorine blue pinball machine on Mars.

My 3rd tequila of the night.

The waitress festooned a Sombrero upon my nut, crowned off nut.

I chortled through Volcanos of nachos. Stacked high. Doused in a fiery red hot sauce.

Tempered with cooling puddles of sour cream and lizard-green Guacamole.

AZTECA.

A little Mexican joint, bolted on and jutting out the Kings Road, Chelsea like an odious back mole on a hairy pugnacious-penny loafer-Har Har Har-salmon chinos banker wanker.

Wearing a Sombrero I felt uncertain. anxious. insecure. out of place.

A metaphor for the last month at Hungry, the CONSTANT feeling of insecurity and uncertainty.

Often I think: What THE FUCK am I evening doing?

Is this going to work? What’s the right way to do this? Where’s the blue print? Who’s got the road map?

Starter: the only certainty is uncertainty

Humans crave certainty. So do founders.

Certainty if we hire this CEO from Mars everything will be ok.

Certainty if we launch this NPD we’ll unlock heaps of new listings.

Certainty if we just raise this amount of money and follow this plan, it’ll all work out.

BUT.

CERTAINTY is the FIRE EXTINGUISHER that KILLS potent creative dynamite.

One of my fave quotes of all time is by Peter Theil - aim for creative monopoly, escape competition.

Uncertainty is the key to unlock the door to the path of creative monopoly.

Founders and teams must do things that have never been done before. We must lean into uncertainty and fear. It’s a superpower.

The other side of uncertainty is INNOVATION.

Uncertainty means you’re miles from the competition = creative monopoly.

Uncertainty means this hasn’t been done before = creative monopoly.

Uncertainty means there’s no road map or plan, you create it = creative monopoly.

The other side of fear is BOLDNESS. 

Fear is a calling. A sign to keep to keep pushing forward, when others wont.

Fear means you’re about to escape the bloody-red, competition-drenched, oceans to find gin-clear, serene turquoise seas.

NEW’S AT 10 - fear and uncertainty are the compass

“Hugh Edwards, here… News at 10, a.k.a. M.C Coronation-for-tha-bladdy-Nation - where’s my bladdy crown? How bladdy good was I?”

Fucking Christ, just let off a cheeky guff, soz

Fear and Uncertainty are THE COMPASS for challenger brands.

If you no longer feel fear and uncertainty you’re becoming a bland.

Founders and leaders must foster encourage fear and uncertainty.

How?

Ask yourself and your team:

  • What’s the opposite of this idea? Opposite of a Good Idea is a Good Idea - a la Rory Sutherland

  • How can we view this problem from the wrong way round? - James Dyson

  • Always, always, always - ASK WHY. WHY. WHY? - Perry Haydn Taylor

Main Course - Gin and Tonics, Fire Eating, Dido - White Flag

Why your packaging actually changes the taste of your product

After 6 weeks, lots of questioning - it finally made sense.

Neighbours rolled their eyes, gave me repulsed looks.

In February, Thursday evenings were like Church service.

Shut the Lappy.

Pour myself a Ginny-Ton-Ton.

Wet the baby's head - Can you get that to me by the End Of The Close Of The Play, please?

Saunter upstairs, slip into my violent-mustard yellow Crocs

Start shuffling to Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al’

Dancing mellowed out the malevolent mania of lockdown.

After my first song, and in between my “Dido - White Flag” fire-eating- breakdancing set.

I dropped a big old hunk of ice into my G&T.

BOSH! It made sense.

Perry Hayden Taylor taught me: YOUR PACKAGING CHANGES THE TASTE OF YOUR PRODUCT

At the time, I was

But now, I understand -

Great packaging is putting ice in your G&T. It AWAKENS your product and makes it TASTE 10x better.

If product is beer; packaging is sunset.

If product is fish and chips; packaging is seaside.

Great packaging tells a story and makes people FEEL something.

That feeling, subconsciously, makes the product taste better.

A Dessert of Denim

You NEED to enjoy the wondrous work of David Heatt of Hiut Jeans and deeply implore you to check out his DO Lecture Series too.

Some of David’s quotes that whet my whistle.

  • What you Dream is what you DO - so Dream BIG.

  • Interesting things happen when you do interesting things.

  • Your old gold is new gold to someone else.

  • Say no - it’s okay to scale slow in a world that’s addicted to scale and growth.

  • Strategy gets you a better result without more effort.

  • Never underestimate the small gathering of remarkable people.

Really appreciate you reading.

If you’ve got a question or an idea… let’s chat, feel free to drop me line.

Popey x

One small step closer to 300

We’re now at 273 wonderful newsletter subscribers. I’d bloody love to make it to 300.

If you enjoy it and get value and have a spare few minutes, please share on LinkedIn or WhatsApp or forward to a friend.

or gorge and stuff-ya-face with more delicious episodes, here

No need to read this bit… but please feel free to check out our wonderful sponsors… they’ll help you scale your brand with less stress

GS1

Avoid pain, anguish and toil and thunderous headaches.

If you need a barcode, 1000% get it from GS1

BUT… GS1 are SO SO much more than barcodes - they’re a community supporting challenger food and drink brands

What you’ll get?

  • Access to a community who can help you trade on Amazon

  • Get free tickets for events and invites to expert webinars and talks

  • Pitching opportunities to the likes of Planet Organic, Boots, Sainsbury’s and more

  • Benefit from speaking opportunities and further brand exposure

  • Help and advice with exporting opportunities and funding

Of course, I’ve got you covered 😉 

Get 20% off your first year’s membership with GS1 UK, use the discount code HUNGRY20 at check out.

Mackenzie Jones

There’s salacious-yet-superfluous recruiters out there - proper Cowboys. Thank goodness for Billy and Paul. The Good guys.

Loved by brands like Lucky Saint, Candy Kittens, Hunter & Gather, FULFIL. Looking to build out your team?

If you need help building your team, let’s chat [email protected] 

BOWIMI


Every challenger Food and Drink brand is using BOWIMI to SMASH FIELD SALES WITH LESS STRESS

Why wouldn’t you?

Check them out here or check out the poddy with Dommy too