Our first Pig Tails Live Event - By Nick November 1, 2018 21:06
This week SP hosted our first ever Pig Tails live event and what a start it was. Over a hundred food founders made their way over to Tower Bridge Wework for free beer and snacks and a couple of hours of hearing from this awesome bunch.
- Pippa Murray - Pip & Nut
- Ed Williams and Jamie Laing - Candy Kittens
- Suzie Walker - Primal Pantry
- Udhi Silva - Snaffling Pig (us...hopefully that's obvs)
- Thea Alexander - Young Foodies
- Jimmy Cregan - Jimmy's Iced Coffee
One of the things I love about what I do is that I get to meet inspirational and talented people and over the course of the last few years and many beers we've got to know each other pretty well. I knew if we could get them all in a room, we'd have some proper, authentic, honest conversation.
But why would a pork scratching company be interested in hosting an event designed to get food businesses collaborating, sharing war stories and laughing at themselves? Simply...why not? We just like making people feel good. We want people to spend less time on social media and more time talking to each other. We love business, especially start up food/drink brands. We love seeing people do amazing things. We know first-hand how hard it is to run a company and we want others to know they aren't alone and there are other people out there who can help them.
At SP we make a lot of mistakes, some of them painful, most of them avoidable but it's all part and parcel of running a company. We stay true to our values though of Doing Great Things, Having Some Fun, Not Being a Dick and so with honesty and a drive to be better we bounce back from each mistake. What was really great to see was that every founder up there had the same mentally. Each one had demons, even that bloody imposter syndrome. Each one knew they and their businesses weren't perfect. But the fact that they admit it so openly in my eyes, makes them perfect. Their sheer imperfection is perfect.
Another quality that ran through each of them was authenticity. These girls and guys have started businesses from scratch. Raised some serious cash. Gained some awesome listings. Been on TV, in newspapers, won awards. But they were humble, down to earth, honest. Real.
Pace came up a lot too. Move faster than your competition and use your small size to your advantage. You've got to be willing to give something go. If it doesn't work pivot and try something else. Failure is hard, but embrace it and don't let it stop you. Nobody judges you for failing, they judge you for not trying.
I've been buying each of their brands for years. I literally eat Pip N Nut in a smoothie every morning. A Jimmy's for lunch. Primal Pantry and Candy Kittens are in car treats when I'm on the road. I fell in love with their brands years ago for how they taste, what they stand for and their overall branding. After this event, I literally have a crush on all of them and I am so excited to see them rise to the absolute top of their categories. If I was a multinational brand competing with them right now, I would be fucking bricking it.
Now we have broken the seal, we're going to run another event in Spring 2019. If you fancy coming along, jot your email here and we'll let you know when tickets go on sale.