Start-up marketing stories: The Marketing Hustle

Luna Daily CEO & co-founder Katy Cottam joins The Maternity Hustle to talk about fundraising while pregnant, building a maternity plan A/B/C, and why you don’t need to apologise for a life stage that can actually make you a better founder. Expect real talk on gender politics, returning to work, and the systems that make stepping back possible.Welcome to our first interview in this season of The Maternity Hustle - a series about marketing, working life and motherhood, and the real juggle in the messy middle. This week, Lottie is joined by Katy Cottam, CEO & co-founder of Luna Daily, the women’s body care brand tackling taboo categories (and one that got Lottie through pregnancy and early motherhood).Katy shares what it’s really like to navigate pregnancy as a founder in growth mode - from the fear of telling investors and team, to choosing transparency anyway, and discovering that the response can be far more positive than the doom-and-gloom narrative suggests. They also get into the operational reality: how you plan for time away when you can’t truly plan for birth, recovery, or what you’ll want to do on the other side - and how maternity can fast-track the hires and structure your business needed anyway.The conversation goes deeper into the stuff founders don’t say out loud: fertility anxiety, imposter syndrome building a maternity range before becoming a mum, the gender politics of who “gets” to take time off, and why “maternity leave” is a misleading phrase when the job is 24/7. It’s funny, honest, practical - and ultimately a rallying cry to own the moment, build the plan, and come back stronger.We also dive into:Telling investors you’re pregnant mid-fundraise (and why transparency can build trust)The “plan A/B/C” approach for founders who can’t predict recovery or capacityHow maternity can force the business to grow up: roles, responsibilities, and stepping backWhy buying for the mum matters (and why the support drop-off happens after the first few weeks)Gender roles, breastfeeding, and the reality of shared parental leave in the UKWriting parental leave policies in a startup: what’s possible vs what’s rightPractical advice: process mapping, under-promising, and setting yourself up to return well

Motherhood is a hot mess of love, guilt, change and tiny decisions… and it turns out an “agile marketing mindset” might be one of the most useful tools you’ve got. In this episode, Anna from Sticky Beak flips the script and interviews you on cognitive load, mum guilt, identity shifts, and why building a village matters more than perfect routinesThis episode kicks off a slightly different kind of series: not just marketing, but marketing, working life, and motherhood - the real juggle in the messy middle. Joined by Anna from Stickybeak.co, we unpack what the early weeks of parenting actually feel like: the speed of change, the identity whiplash, the guilt of not loving every second, and the relief that comes with finally getting small pockets of time back.We’ll explore how motherhood reshapes behaviour in surprising ways - from “one hand scrolling, one hand feeding” to becoming an online grocery shopper whose basket is basically a locked favourites list (and what that means for brands trying to break into a closed circle). Our conversation explores the emotional and practical reality of cognitive load: why your brain feels like mush, why things drop, and why it doesn’t mean you’re failing - it means you’re carrying a lot.The big through-line is this: the skills that make you a brilliant marketer (curiosity, testing, learning fast, asking questions, adapting) can make you a more confident parent too. And equally, parenting teaches you resilience, decision-making and self-trust in a way work rarely does. It’s an honest, funny, reassuring conversation about building systems without losing softness - and remembering you don’t need to do everything, you just need to do what’s right right now.We also dive into:The guilt spiral: wanting to be present and wanting to work -  and why both can be trueHow cognitive load shows up in real life “Testing the edges”: micro-experiments that help you grow confidence week by weekWhy “martyrdom” shows up in parenting and marketing, and how to share the loadCommunity as survival: your village, your partnership, and the permission to engage in your own way“Oxygen mask first”: checking in with yourself so you can show up calmer for everyone

She’s built one of the most beloved food brands on the planet and she’s done it without spending big on ads. Shona Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer of Ottolenghi, shares how she’s turning global awareness into commercial success through partnerships, storytelling and an obsession with earned media.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Shona Campbell, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Ottolenghi - one of the world’s most iconic food brands. In this episode, Shona shares the fascinating reality of scaling a 23-year-old brand that’s known everywhere, but only truly sold in London. From the evolution of book marketing to launching grocery products and Substack, Shona reveals how Ottolenghi stays relevant, loved and profitable, all with almost no paid media. She also opens up about balancing luxury brand thinking with startup agility, how to protect creative values at scale and why sometimes, saying “no” is the most strategic growth move you can make.

What does it take to build a creative culture that lasts? CMO Sandie Dilger shares how Proper turned culture into a commercial advantage - from lunch-table rituals to balloon-filled pitch decks.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, Sandie lifts the lid on Proper Snacks’ iconic creative culture. From theatrical trade pitches to free vegetarian lunches that bring everyone together, every detail is designed to spark creativity and connection.We explore what it really takes to scale culture without losing what makes it special and how creative leadership can be your biggest competitive advantage.

Oddbox has rescued over 60 million kilos of wonky fruit and veg, but their real story is one of brand, mission and heart. Former CMO Gaston Tourn reveals how Oddbox scaled purpose without losing soul and why doing good doesn’t mean growing slow.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this episode, Gaston Tourn, former CMO of Oddbox, takes us inside one of the UK’s most beloved mission-led brands. From scrappy startup to national household name, Oddbox didn’t just sell boxes of veg - they sold a movement against food waste.Gaston opens up about the realities of growing a purpose-driven brand: how to scale a mission, stay authentic and make sustainability commercially powerful. He also shares lessons on leadership, creativity and what it really means to be a marketer who wants to make a difference.Expect insights on:How Oddbox built a brand that people root for (pun intended)Turning mission into measurable impactThe emotional side of leadership in fast-growth teamsWhat purpose-led marketing looks like in the age of AIIt’s inspiring, practical and surprisingly honest - a must-listen for anyone building a brand that wants to do good and do well.

Butternut Box is on track to become Europe’s #2 pet food brand, but still feels like a “secret discovery brand.” Interim Brand & Creative Director Sarah Keegan reveals how she’s using her mat leave cover to reset the brand platform, overhaul design and prepare Butternut for its next decade.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Sarah Keegan, Interim Brand & Creative Director at Butternut Box - the DTC pet food brand that’s quietly become Europe’s leading fresh dog food provider and is on track to become the second largest pet food brand across the continent.Sarah stepped into her maternity cover role with a reputation for thriving in transition moments and she hasn’t wasted a second. Instead of just “holding the fort,” she’s set about putting the foundations in place for Butternut’s next 10 years: a new visual identity, a brand platform, a creative agency pitch and a sharper positioning that matches the business’s true scale.In this conversation, Sarah opens up about:Why Butternut’s perception as a “small challenger” no longer matches realityThe difference between fighting against something (kibble) and standing for something bigger (the love of dogs)How to break down silos between brand and performance with small, everyday ritualsWhy events, referrals and ambassadors are still central to Butternut’s growth storyThe commercial rigour and cultural rituals that make Butternut tickWe also dive into Sarah’s career across three very different challenger brands (OVO Energy, Vertical Aerospace, Butternut Box) and why the best marketing work happens when you’re brave enough to fight for the bold ideas.This episode is packed with lessons on scaling challenger brands into decade-defining category leaders.

What happens when a former L’Oréal fragrance manager takes on men’s grooming? Rock Face CEO James Wilkinson shares how he’s reshaping the category with a retail-first strategy, refillable innovation and a bold mission to redefine modern masculinity.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is James Wilkinson, CEO of Rock Face – the men’s grooming brand that’s taking on global giants and redefining what it means to build a category-first business.James began his career at L’Oréal before moving into innovation consulting, where he honed a category-led mindset that now powers Rock Face’s retail strategy. Instead of chasing DTC trends, Rock Face has focused on winning in supermarkets with repeat rates, category insights and retailer-first storytelling as the levers of growth.In this episode, James shares how Rock Face is building a fragrance-led product system (not just formulas), launching refillable deodorants to push sustainability forward and navigating the challenge of balancing awareness with sales as a challenger brand.We also dive into:Why starting in retail (not DTC) gave Rock Face the fastest path to scaleHow to build a category-first playbook that retailers can’t ignoreThe repeat rate metric that’s more powerful than penetration for startupsRock Face’s mission to tackle modern masculinity and create better voices in the conversationThe innovation pipeline that could make refillables mainstream in men’s groomingMistakes James made along the way – from hiring to media timing – and what he’d do differently. This one’s a masterclass in category-first thinking, retail growth and building purpose into everyday products.

An in-house agency at a bakery? Gail’s Head of Brand, Charlotte Gunn, reveals how she codified the brand, built a creative studio from scratch and turned bakeries into brand experiences.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Charlotte Gunn, Head of Brand at Gail’s Bakery - the fast-scaling chain that’s rewriting what a “bakery brand” means in the UK. Charlotte was tasked with two huge challenges: codify the brand so everyone in the business knows what “being on-brand” means and build an in-house creative team that could replace traditional agencies.In this conversation, Charlotte opens up about what it takes to run a brand-led creative studio inside a food business, why brand lives in experiences (not guidelines) and how Gail’s has made brand everyone’s job – from bakery managers to ops teams. We also dive into:Why in-housing creative makes sense for scale-ups (not just Adidas or Lego)How Gail’s trains 170 bakeries to deliver consistent brand experiencesThe “brilliant basics & magic moments” framework powering community loveWhy storytelling, not campaigns, is the real moat for growing food brandsHow to protect brand soul while scaling 40+ new bakeries a yearThis is a masterclass in brand-building that goes way beyond croissants.

60% of traffic. 1.6 billion views. A YouTube celebrity in-house. Carwow CMO Ben Carter reveals how they built a content machine so powerful, it became their moat and their moneymaker.Welcome to the Marketing Hustle - a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.Today’s guest is Ben Carter, CMO of Carwow - one of the most quietly disruptive brands in the UK. In this episode, Ben shares the inside story of how content became their unfair advantage: 60% of their traffic is free. Their YouTube channel boasts 10 million subscribers and 1.6 billion views. And their in-house presenter? Recognised by 25% of UK men.But this conversation is about far more than content.Ben opens up about losing his job unexpectedly and what it really takes to lead inside a Series E business during economic uncertainty.We also dive into:How CarWow raised $52M in Series E funding from Bessemer and othersWhy first-party data and retail media are the real goldmine for modern marketersThe death of SEO as we know it and the coming AI-ification of searchWhy most CMOs are either too brand or too performance and what it means to be bothThe future of jobs, AI, and marketing orgs in the next 5 yearsThis is an honest, high-intensity and highly strategic episode for anyone trying to scale a brand, build a resilient team, or keep up with the seismic shifts reshaping marketing today.

In this bold, brilliantly honest episode, Marketer and Founder of Sprowt Carly Osman Holmes turns the tables on Brand Hackers founder Lottie Unwin for a no-holds-barred chat on marketing’s biggest problems and possibilities. From the rise of tactical fluff to the cult of hot takes, Lottie opens up about what’s broken, what’s working and how we fix it. Together, they pull apart the myths around personal brand, purpose-led fluff and why most teams are running on fumes. Essential listening for anyone who actually wants to sell stuff (and still sleep at night).Welcome to the Marketing Hustle – a podcast about the real work behind building bold brands. We go behind the scenes with founders and marketing leaders to hear honest, unfiltered stories of what actually drives growth and cuts through the noise to build something that lasts.In this bonus episode, Carly Osman Holmes interviews Lottie Unwin in a refreshingly candid deep dive into the state of marketing today. They unpack the dangerous drift toward tactical thinking, the dilution of “challenger brand” into pure aesthetic and why many marketers have lost their strategic edge. Lottie shares her unfiltered views on building a commercial brand, navigating AI hype and why clarity, curiosity and ruthless prioritisation are key. From team burnout to the future of personal branding, this episode is a real-time reflection on what it takes to build smart, resilient brands in 2025.Want 30% off Valerie? Type "CARLYOH" into the checkout at wearevalerie.com.Follow Lottie: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustleFollow Carly: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlyosman/Listen on Apple & Spotify: https://linktr.ee/themarketinghustle