Shows
Beyond the BrandIn Full Support: Georgia Larsen on Staying True to Her VisionFrom spotting a gap on the shop floor to building one of the most recognisable colourful lingerie brands in the market, this episode charts the bold rise of Dora Larsen.Today’s guest, Georgia Larsen, is redefining what everyday underwear looks and feels like - designed from a proudly female perspective and powered by a fearless use of colour. After starting her career as a buyer at Topshop, Georgia launched Dora Larsen in 2016 to challenge the sea of beige basics and black lacey numbers with pieces that are joyful, flattering and thoughtfully made.Since then, th...
2026-02-1646 min
Beyond the BrandFrom Crowdfund to Publishing Powerhouse: The Positive Planner StoryIn this episode, Finn Prevett, co-founder of The Positive Planner,shares the inspiring journey behind the iconic yellow planner that has helped thousands improve their mental health through guided journaling. Born from personal struggles with neurodivergence and motherhood, Finn and her business partner Ali launched the planner in 2017 - crowdfunding just 300 copies - and quickly grew it into a global best-seller stocked by Urban Outfitters and Barnes & Noble.Listen in as Finn reveals how they navigated rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained mental wellbeing under pressure, and attracted aligned partnerships with the Samaritans and...
2026-02-0343 min
Beyond the BrandInventing the Next Era of Entertainment with Adam WoodIn this episode of Beyond the Brand, I interview Adam, founder of Fablecast, an AI-powered storytelling app changing how we experience stories. Adam spent 10 years at Amazon on their AI team and was part of the team behind Alexa, giving him a front-row seat to the rise of generative AI.We talk about how tools like ChatGPT are transforming creativity, why Adam’s love of role-playing games inspired Fablecast, and how AI can lower barriers to immersive, interactive storytelling. Fablecast blends AI with human imagination, allowing users to interact with stories - even becoming characters in them!...
2026-01-0924 min
Beyond the BrandBreaking the Mold: The Luxury Dental Brand That’s Anything but Clinical with Martina HodgsonWhat happens when a dentist buys a derelict Victorian leather warehouse and decides to create a practice that looks nothing like a dental office?In this episode, Martina shares the bold journey of transforming a building site with no floors, walls, or ceilings into an award-winning dental practice that's won UK Practice of the Year three times. From absolutely refusing tooth logos to drawing inspiration from luxury hotels and boutique coffee shops, this is a masterclass in brand differentiation.Discover:Why the building came first (and how a 1873 neo-gothic warehouse inspired an entire brand...
2025-12-0932 min
Beyond the BrandFrom Side Hustle to Cult Brand: How Glisten Cosmetics Found Its GlowIn this inspiring episode, Natalie Chapple shares herjourney from being a secondary school teacher to founding Glisten Cosmetics, a seven-figure beauty empire. Discover how she turned a side hustle with just £200 into a thriving business with a team of 13 and a massive social media following. Natalie discusses the challenges of rapid growth, theimportance of staying true to your creative vision, the role influencers played in her success and her strategies for weathering the challenges of business ownership.This masterclass in entrepreneurship offers valuableinsights and inspiration for anyone looking to carve out their own path in b...
2025-11-1740 min
Beyond the BrandThe Equation for Success: Branding, Differentiation & ScalingDr. Sophie Carr, who won the title of World’s MostInteresting Mathematician in 2019, grew Bays Consulting from a one-woman venture into a thriving 15-person business. In this episode, she shares the real story behind thatgrowth - from the early days of going solo to leading a team that’s now creating life-saving crowd movement models (yes, really!). We chat about what it takes to scale a business, how a bold rebrand helped her stand out in a competitive market, and why her motto, “maths, not magic,” is the real formula behind her success.
2025-11-0324 min
Beyond the BrandFrom Manchester to Manhattan: The Story of Proper GoodIn this episode, I chat with Abbie, founder of Proper Good,about the exciting journey of her brand now being stocked by major retailers, globally. Abbie shares the highs and challenges of scaling a small business, from the early days of designing prints during lockdown to landing large ordersand navigating trade shows. She discusses the critical role of trade shows in connecting with buyers, the impact of going viral on TikTok, and the essential balance between creativity and business responsibilities. Abbie also touches on her Northern roots, the importance of a solid support team, and her aspirations, including collaborations...
2025-10-2138 min
Beyond the BrandFrom Startup to Harrods-Stocked Luxury Brand with Toks AruotureWhat does it really take to build a luxury brand from the ground up - and keep going through the highs and lows?In the pilot episode of Beyond the Brand, Cara speaks with Toks Aruoture, founder of The Baby Cot Shop, who shares with honesty and wisdom the lessons she’s learned over 20 years in business. From leaving her degree to pursue interior design, to the rise and loss of her first store in Atlanta, and the resilience it took to rebuild in the UK, Toks’ journey is as moving as it is motivating.
2025-10-0235 min
Bring Your Product Idea to Life4 signs that your branding is actually holding your business back - with Cara BendonIs your branding secretly holding your business back? In this episode, I’m joined (once again!) by brand consultant Cara Bendon to explore the four big signs that your branding might be working against you rather than for you.We dig into:How to tell if people really understand what your product is (or if you’re leaving them confused).Why attracting the wrong customers could be a sign your brand positioning needs tweaking.The importance of consistency across your website, social media, packaging, and even Amazon listings.What it means if you secretly feel embarrassed abou...
2025-08-2946 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeDriving Ecommerce Sales Using Klaviyo: Hannah Spicer's Proven TacticsIn today’s podcast we discuss whether email marketing is still effective at driving ecommerce sales. (Spoiler alert. It absolutely is)My guest is Hannah Spicer, an email marketing consultant who helps premium and luxury brands drive more ecommerce sales. Hannah specialises in working with an email tool called Klaviyo.Don’t worry if you are not using Klaviyo, Hannah’s tips can be applied to whichever email marketing platform you are using. We discuss:The type of emails you should be sendingHow you can automate your emailsThe types of automations you can use...
2024-06-2830 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeTackling Period Poverty - with Ruth Marsden, The Better CompanyRuth Marsden is the founder of The Better Company, a brand that sells reusable period products on a one-for-one donation model.Ruth joined me to discuss her journey from an actress to an entrepreneur, creating a business that not only sells reusable menstrual products but also gives back to communities in need.Ruth’s story is rooted in Zimbabwe, where she discovered that many girls miss school because they lack access to period products. Ruth decided to bring menstrual cups to this community, enabling girls to stay in school and improving their quality of life....
2024-06-2141 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeWhen and how to scale your business - with Kate FreemanDo you know what your top 3 sellers are? Do you know what your slow sellers are? Or your average gross margin?In this episode we dig into the importance of knowing your numbers when looking to scale your business with this week’s guest, Kate Freeman.Kate Freeman helps product businesses to make more revenue and most importantly more profit! Kate does this by helping you to secure wholesale retail listings, optimise their supply chain and maximise sustainability to drive growth. Kate has over 15 years experience and spent 10 of those years working for a leading fe...
2024-06-1433 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeChampioning Sustainable Knitwear: Genevieve Sweeney's Journey with British Manufacturing and Slow FashionMost of the clothes we wear today are manufactured in the Far East. What happens when you decide to champion creating your clothing brand in the UK?Today’s guest is Genevieve Sweeney, the founder of her eponymous luxury British knitwear brand. Genevieve designs and manufactures British knitwear for womenswear, menswear, accessories and socks. She champions and celebrates British manufacturing with heritage, craft and innovation in the industry using responsible fibres and sustainable practices. Learn more about the process of designing and creating knitwear by hand, and how Genevieve is championing the rediscovery of lost ski...
2024-06-0729 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeAsk Me AnythingTo celebrate 4 years of The Bring Your Product Idea To Life Podcast, I wanted to do something different. So I asked you to ‘ask me anything’. In this episode I answer those questions including:How I made the the transition from product business to product launch consultantHow much of my business I outsourceHow to rank higher on AmazonWhat to do if you go out of stock on Amazon FBAWhether you are looking for insight into how I run my business, or some detail about how to get more sales on Amazon, there is lots of take...
2024-03-2235 min
The Capable Collective PodcastS4E2: The Power of Brand Design: Its Key Role of Brand Design in Website Success with Cara BendonIn this video, I get to talk with the incredible Cara Bendon, a branding specialist with over 14 years of experience.
With a track record of helping over 60 brands create a lasting impression, Cara is passionate about empowering ambitious sustainable brands to make a significant impact.
In this livestream, she shared invaluable insights and techniques that entrepreneurs and small businesses can use to establish themselves, drawing from her extensive expertise in the field.
2023-06-1453 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeHow to Build a Strong Brand, from the Foundations Up - with Cara BendonToday I’m talking to Cara Bendon, a branding specialist, who is passionate about empowering small businesses to leverage the same branding strategies as household names to establish themselves. Cara is a returning guest, she originally appeared on episode 80, and spoke about the visual elements that make up branding.In this episode we dig deeper into branding, looking at brand values, how you tell the story of your brand, what the customer experience is like, and the types of shots to get on brand shoots. It's a great conversation and we share loads of examples and ideas of...
2023-06-0955 min
The Resilient Retail Game Plan135 | Building Brilliant Brands And Buyer Behaviour with Cara Bendon Branding at its core is rooted in psychology and human behaviour - it’s how your customers think and feel about you, your products and your business, and more than ever with so many brands out there, we, as founders, need to be able to cut through the noise, set ourselves apart from our competitors and build trusted relationships with our customers if we want to grow. In episode 135 of The Resilient Retail Game Plan, I speak to brand consultant Cara Bendon. With 10 years experience of running her own award-winning studio, Cara and her team help small lifestyle businesses cr...
2023-03-0237 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeHow to package and present your products - with Vicki WeinbergEPISODE NOTESThis week on the podcast my focus is packaging, and how you present the products that you are going to sell. It’s an episode packed full of practical advice, that takes you through all the different things to consider when putting together the packaging for your product.Firstly I share why good packaging matters, and how you can use it to elevate and market your brand. Then we dig into the practical side, legislation to be aware of, Amazon marketplace requirements to consider if you want to sell via Amazon, and...
2022-07-0824 min
Bring Your Product Idea to LifeHow To Brand Your Physical Products - with Cara BendonCara is a branding specialist with 13 years of experience who has created over 60 brands for entrepreneurs and small businesses and helped hundreds more via branding workshops. Having worked with both national brands and early-stage start-ups, she says she firmly believes that every small business can use the same techniques as household names to establish themselves. EPISODE NOTESToday I’m talking to Cara Bendon, a branding specialist, who's passionate about empowering small businesses to leverage the same branding strategies as household names to establish themselves.We discussed what branding is, why you need it...
2021-09-241h 08