The Friday Accelerator

What made Ella Rauen-Prestes walk away from supermarket listings that most founders would kill for? Why has Fitbakes pivoted from cakes to bars to bread? And how does the Fitbakes founder manage herself and her company towards their goals?
 
FitBakes is the UK-based brand that makes low-carb, high-protein bakes with real ingredients. Originally from Brazil, where healthier baking is second nature, Ella spent over 20 years in the corporate world before friends encouraged her to turn her baking into a business.
 
Her story matters to food founders and leaders looking to exit because she represents a different playbook: deliberately choosing profitability over growth to achieve her goals. In an industry littered with brands that scaled fast and burned out even quicker, Ella's approach - procedures, ruthless discipline, and following the market rather than fighting it - offers a way to find sustainable success.
 
Listen to the podcast to discover:
The exact revenue milestones that marked the business’s real progress
How Ella and her husband Lucien divide responsibilities to run a business together without destroying their marriage
The secret customer service weapon that turns furious customers into loyal advocates
What Ozempic and Mounjaro mean for the future of food brands like Fitbakes
The specific turnover targets she's working toward for an exit
Her honest take on navigating perimenopause while starting and running a business
Find FitBakes:
Buy online at fitbakes.co.uk
Also stocked at Amazon, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, and a range of independent stores
Connect with Ella:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mprestes/
 
Ella's podcast recommendations:
 
The Economist podcastshttps://www.economist.com/podcasts
 
Harvard Business Review IdeaCast:https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-ideacast
 
How I Built This:https://wondery.com/shows/how-i-built-this/
 
-- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to friday-accelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - and why not leave a review too.  If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1

Milly Bagot co-founded ByRuby with a mission to create premium frozen meals that taste like "one of your really good friends - who happens to be a great cook - has filled your freezer for you." What started as a side project at Finn's deli in Chelsea transformed into a standalone business that grew fast and caught the attention of Charlie Bigham.
In this conversation, Milly shares the story of that accelerated their growth, the challenges of balancing profitability and growth, what it's like being part of a much larger organisation now and how By Ruby has helped change the perception of frozen food. She's refreshingly honest about the challenges in retail, the drivers of that early growth, and why she refuses to compromise on quality even when costs are rising.
Listen to discover:
The journey that took Ruby from Finn's deli to the Charlie Bigham family
All about the ideas and experiences that sparked the ByRuby concept
How to 5x your rate of sale in the supermarket
What her non-negotiables are even in a challenging market
How she runs her week and plans for success while 'staying sane'
Where she has her best ideas and makes time for growth
Where to Find ByRuby:
Buy online at https://byruby.co.uk/
Also available on Ocado and in independent shops across the UK
Follow on Instagram for freezer hacks and foodie inspiration at https://www.instagram.com/byrubyfoods/
Connect with Milly on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milly-bagot-83a22517a/
-- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to friday-accelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - and why not leave a review too.  If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1

Kelly Dowson is the managing director of FIS Group, the innovation and research business on a mission to help reimagine the future of food and drink. Listen to this episode of The Friday Accelerator to hear how this consultancy business went from front room to 40 people inside 15 years.
Kelly shares her experiences, learnings and approaches to the personal and business aspects of that success. Listen to this episode to discover:
How she went from ‘brutal’ sales role to startup to 40 people and £7m turnover
The challenges of running and scaling a consultancy-led business
Kelly’s personality type, setting goals for herself and her teams, and how she stays on target
FIS Group’s approach to risk-taking and the times they’ve got it wrong
Some surprising findings from early studies of the impact of GLP-1
 
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-dowson-7159b53/
Find out more about FIS Group:https://www.fis-group.co.uk/
 
Further Reading:
Why Should Anyone Be Led By You, Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones
The Art of Spending Money, Morgan Housel
Buyerology, Karen Green
 
-- Ever wondered why sometimes achieving goals is effortless and other times, it feels like pushing water uphill? Get your Friday Accelerator scorecard to find out why. Answer ten questions about your approach to work, goals and success, to access your personalised report and action list. Go to friday-accelerator.scoreapp.com now. If you want a regular dose of inspiration and impetus for growth, resilience and success, subscribe to The Friday Accelerator wherever you get your podcasts - and why not leave a review too.  If you want to accelerate your personal and business performance, you can book at discovery call at https://calendly.com/buyerology/friday-accelerator-1-1