In short
Bold Bean Co’s remote-first approach and “big culture vibes” for scaling a challenger FMCG brand, plus a recruitment segment with MKJ Ignite.
Guests
Co-founder Billy Maddock (Bold Bean Co) and MKJ Ignite recruitment consultants Immy, Paul, and Billy (mentioned as speakers/contacts).
Guest backgrounds
MKJ Ignite is an FMCG specialist recruitment consultancy with experience placing marketing, e-commerce, sales, and operations talent for scaling brands.
Key claims
Remote-first builds engagement and trust by focusing on belief in the mission rather than enforcing office attendance; it helps attract talent who prefer locations like Spain, the Isle of Man, or mountain/camper-vanning lifestyles.
Notable examples
MKJ Ignite has worked with Hunter and Gather, Lucky Saint, True Start Coffee, Untamed, and Marlabones; they handle job descriptions, interview process, and offer negotiation to make hiring “seamless” and “stress free.”
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Remote Work Philosophy
0:08 to 2:08
Exploration of a remote-first culture and its impact on team dynamics.
“I often speak to people who started businesses and they say, you know, yeah, we're in the office three, four, five days a week, because how do you know if people are doing their work otherwise?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:07What are you doing?
0:30done thing. I often speak to people who started businesses and they say, you know, yeah, we're in the office three, four, five days a week, because how do you know if people are doing their work otherwise? And we've just got this complete other philosophy, which is that we want to create a team of engaged people who trust us and who we trust as well to believe and deliver on this mission. And how can you do that by demanding that people are in a certain place and not able to go and work from somewhere else or do their laundry or whatever they need to do. And I think we've got this kind of different attitude around.
1:05Yeah, I think it's really around belief in what you want to be doing. And we're trying to create this environment where people really feel like motivated around the mission, not that they're just coming in to do a job eight hours a day or whatever it is. So, yeah, I think that's that's one of the big differences. And I think it's sort of given us this incredible team as well. I'm sure that you can you can build an incredible team anywhere but I think our real superpower has been we've got some of the talent we've managed to get are you know we've got five people in Spain really we've got such a firm hold of our supply chain and understanding because of that as well we've got team members who really want to live in the mountains and go off camper vanning each weekend they don't want to be in London I mean see you're in the Isle of Man like you know you there are incredible people incredible people across the UK and in other countries.
1:57And I think it's given us the ability to find those people and, you know, attract them, which has been incredible.
2:07As the founder or leader of a scaling challenger brand, finding the right people to join your growing business can be much harder than you think. That's why we've teamed up with FMCG specialist recruitment consultancy, MKJ Ignite, to bring you the best people and recruitment insights from some of the most successful founders out there. Recently, I asked co-founder Billy Maddock to explain the real value that a specialist recruiter like MKJ Ignite can offer founders. Let's be honest here, hiring is incredibly time-consuming and founders and business leaders, they've already got so much on their plate as it is.
2:41A specialist recruiter such as us, we can take care of most things. So whether it's writing job descriptions, building candidate packs, looking at the positioning of the role, into the interview process, offer negotiation that we can take care of all of that. Now at MKJ Ignite we have worked alongside some of the fastest scaling brands in the industry. Imi's named a few but some others, you know, Hunter and Gather, Lucky Saint, True Start Coffee, some pet food brands like Untamed and Marlabones. We've helped these brands not just, you know, not just to hire and fill roles but to build high performing teams that drive real business growth.
3:15So our job isn't really to, Our job really is to make the process seamless, structured and more importantly, stress free. Honestly, besides the obvious value of having a deep network and tons of experience in recruitment, so much more time and effort goes into finding the right people than you might think. No matter what stage of the journey you're at, MKJ Ignite can help you find the right people for your marketing, e-commerce, sales or operations teams, whether that be at middle management or senior leadership roles. They have an extensive network of deep personal relationships in the space.
3:50And I think that's because they are really lovely, genuine people. So if you want to chat to Immy, Paul or Billy about all things recruitment, or indeed, if you just need a piece of advice, then please do reach out to them. There's a link in the show notes to book a no obligation chat, or you can email them at info at mkj-ignite.co.uk. Thanks to MKJ Ignite for bringing us this nugget of brand growth value today. don't forget to hit follow so you won't miss the next one
From the publisher
Bold Bean Co is doing team and culture differently.
In this episode, co-founders Amelia and Ed discuss how the'yre building a high-performing, remote-first team with people working all across the UK and quite a few other countries.
They want their team's motivation to be powered by the business mission, and as this is key it's important to them to allow their team to work their jobs around their lives, rather than the other way around!
What you'll learn:
- Why "trust first" is key for Ed and Amelia and how they lead
- How a remote working model allows Bold Bean Co to look globally for exceptional talent, rather than only searching in the UK.
- Why 'Culture' isn't something that you start thinking about once you're further on up the growth curve - it's got to be nurtured from the outset!
So, if you're building a team and wondering how to do it well without a traditional office setup, this one's for you.
This 'BGH Short' is part of our People Series partnership with MKJ Ignite - The FMCG recruitment experts helping challenger brands grow with the right people in the right roles. Directors Billy, Paul, and Immy have combed through the Brand Growth Heroes archives to bring you the most valuable founder wisdom on hiring and scaling teams that thrive - and as a result, this short episode is PACKED with golden nuggets around people, team and culture.
A new 5-minute short episode drops every two weeks — so make sure to HIT FOLLOW so you don’t miss the next one.
If you're wondering whether or not you need help with your recruitment, or would like to ask for some advice, you can e-mail Billy directly at billy.maddock@mkj-ignite.co.uk
Connect with Billy Maddock on LinkedIn
Connect with Immy Southwell on LinkedIn
Connect with Paul Jones on LinkedIn
